Word of the Week - Resurrection Power - He is Risen!!!!!!!!

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.  Romans 8:11

For those of us who are Christians, the death and Resurrection of Jesus over 2000 years ago is by far the most significant event in world history.  By the way, Jesus death and Resurrection is a recorded historical event. Through His death on the cross Jesus bore the sin of all mankind (past, present and future) so we can be saved from the wrath of God through forgiveness of our sins and have eternal life with the Father.  ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16.  This is truly Good News for us to embrace and celebrate on this special Easter day remembering and celebrating this amazing event.  By accepting and believing in Christ and what He did for us on the cross, we receive the full benefits of the Resurrection.  As amazing as it is for us to receive the gift of communion with God for eternity, there is even more.  Through the cross we have access to the same power that allowed Jesus to rise from the dead.  God has empowered us as His sons and daughters to walk out our faith with confidence and trust in Him, which is what activates this power in our day to day lives.Here are 5 ways that God desires for His resurrection power to become alive in us:

• Resurrect Hope – “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
• Resurrect Purpose – “ For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared for us in advance” Ephesians 2:10
• Resurrect Faith –  ^“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
• Resurrect Joy – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
• Resurrect Life – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

In a world that lacks hope, purpose, faith, joy and life; Easter (Resurrection Day) is a day that reminds us that we have access to tap into God’s power so His life can come alive in each of us.  Jesus is the source of Resurrection.  "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;” John 11:25Especially in this precarious time of COVID-19 pandemic, let’s embrace and rejoice in the Good News that He is Risen!!!, and by faith step into the Resurrection Power of Christ Jesus as we live out our lives with true hope, purpose, faith and joy = Abundant Life!!!!Just a quick note of encouragement on the Coronavirus, that data indicates that we have reached the crest of the Covid-19 wave in the U.S. and should start seeing the number of new cases continue to decline moving forward.  That being said, our hearts go out to all who have lost friends and relatives to this terrible virus.  We also pray for all who are being impacted physically, emotionally and financially.  We pray for breakthroughs in a vaccine and treatments to heal those that are infected.  I am hopeful that we will begin the process of recovery very soon and God is using this challenging time to do a good work in each of us.  Romans 5:8Have a blessed Easter…-Duane