The glory of God is man fully alive.  I’ve shared this quote from Irenaeus.  We hear and read often the idea of coming alive.  Being fully alive.  I’ve talked about this on many occasions in my writings.  Even when I didn’t realize this fully, there is a reason that this is on my heart and on the hearts of many others.  It’s because that’s what God is offering each and everyone of us.  Life.  That’s what we celebrate on Easter through Christ’s resurrection.  We celebrate His life, He is alive, and we celebrate the fact that through Jesus Christ we are now offered life and life to the full.  I wrote on Monday about Jesus restoring what was lost.  The simple fact is, that what was lost when man fell, was life.  We fell to sin and death reigned.

What I am writing about today has been on my heart quite a bit lately.  The idea of the life that is offered to each of us, should be choose to accept God’s offer.  I think it’s purely amazing to know that even through all of jacked up things we go through and do in our lives, God loves us enough to still offer life and has been out to restore it from the beginning.  Jesus was and is that answer to our restoration and to life.  If we surrender fully to Him, we can have life.  It’s quite an amazing feeling to fully surrender.  To feel God working in your life when you allow Him to lead.  He truly leads you to being alive.  I’ve felt it.

John 10:10, Jesus tells us that “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  Jesus came to bring life.  Life to the fullest.  We were lost to sin and death and to the enemy who gained dominion over this world.  Jesus came to bring life.  John 11:25, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” Jesus came to restore life.  In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Paul referred to Jesus as the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.  

We all celebrate Easter every year and mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In the modern church today, the focus tends to be more on His death and the Cross.  A very pivotal thing, also because the Cross was needed in order to give us forgiveness and free us from the grips of sin.  In an audio recording I was listening to on the works of Jesus, John Eldredge points out a very significant fact.  To the first apostles, the resurrection was the big symbol of the works of Jesus.  Acts 4:33, “And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.”  They were out to give testimony to Jesus who was put to death to forgive our sins, but raised to life again so that we can be made new and have life in Him.

It’s rather amazing stuff to think about.  The fact that we are made new, we are given new life in Jesus.  That we are dead to sin and alive to God because of the finished works of Jesus Christ.  We need to make sure we don’t lose site of the power of the resurrection.  Not just that Jesus was raised to life, but that in defeating death, we have defeated death as well through faith in Him.  Life was taken away when we fell, but God has always been out to restore us to life.  Romans 6:4, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ as raised form the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”  Romans 8:2, “And because you to belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you.”

As I mentioned, earlier in this post surrendering to God and allowing Jesus to reign in your life, brings abundant life to us.  In this fallen world, however, we have to work at it each day. We are going to be constantly under attack.  The closer we draw to the life God offers, the more the enemy will attack. “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  We can take great joy in the life of Jesus, though.  It’s through Him that the adversary has been defeated.

Because of this great hope and joy, we can come alive.  Imagine a life where you no longer worry about what the world tells you.  You no longer worry about the every battles.  You just walk with God and follow His lead through every part of life.  It’s the life that Jesus lived here on earth and now lives today.  It’s the life he has made available to us who choose to live in Him.  Come Alive in Christ!

“Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” – Watchman Nee