April 21, 2025
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:5-6)
Dear friends in Christ:
We have just celebrated the resurrection of our Savior once again and I pray that this, another Easter, has given each of us opportunity to reflect upon and grow in our understanding of the victory we have in Jesus Christ.
One of the familiar parts of the Easter account is the words of the women, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:3) They recognized the obstacle to their efforts to serve Jesus with some of the proper burial customs of the day and in so doing remind us of the obstacles we face every day in our lives.
We know what happened there—an angel had taken care of their problem even before they discussed it. The stone was already rolled away! It is always good to remember that the stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out—He didn’t need that (see Matthew 28:2). It was rolled away so that the women—and the world—could see in and witness the FACT of the empty tomb. Jesus had risen victorious over sin, death and the power of the devil.
But this reality recorded in Scripture is not only an Easter Sunday reflection—it should govern our daily lives—always! The word “commit” at the beginning of Psalm 37:5 above is most often translated “roll” in Scripture. Just as the angel “rolled” the stone away from the tomb, we should “roll” our obstacles—our troubles onto the Lord and then trust in Him to “act” in His way and on the basis of His wisdom and power!
Jesus’ followers were devastated by His death. Yet we know that all along (from eternity past) it was God’s perfect plan to save fallen mankind from our sin. In a similar way, we may be devastated by some of the difficult circumstances of our lives and led to ask, “Who will roll this or that problem away?” It is then that we can “roll” the problem over to God and rejoice in the way He acts. (We may not always approve of the way in which He acts—but we can be assured that it is the BEST way for us!)
God’s acting on our behalf is always consistent with the VICTORY He wants to share with us on the basis of Jesus’ finished work on the cross!
Some time ago the "ABC’S of Victory" were a blessing to me and I trust they will be a blessing to you as well. Let us live every day in the light of Jesus’ resurrection “rolling” our “stones of trouble” on to our risen and victorious Lord!
ABC'S OF VICTORY
A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving.
D o not begin to blame,
E ven when the times are hard.
F ierce winds are bound to blow.
G od is forever able.
H old on to what you know;
I magine life without His love,
J oy would cease to be.
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee.
M ove out of "Camp Complaining."
N o weapon that is known,
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone.
Q uit looking at the future;
R edeem the time at hand;
S tart every day with worship.
T o "thank" is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky.
W e'll run the race with gratitude;
X alting God most high.
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
RESPONSE
I am too blessed to be stressed!
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the encouragement I receive from following Your ways.
In the love of our risen Lord Jesus Christ,