Happy Resurrection Day!

As many in our world focus on Easter bunnies, bonnets and baskets, we believers are reflecting on the most special event on our calendar--remembering the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ and the joy of His resurrection. We celebrate the empty tomb. We love telling the children the story of how Jesus died, was buried and rose again on the third day!

The truth of the resurrection gives us hope for the future. We look forward to that time when we will experience the resurrection of our frail, mortal bodies--when corruptible is raised incorruptible! We look forward to our home in Heaven and the grand reunion with friends and family. Those truths are precious to our hearts.

But the fact that Jesus arose and lives today should have significance to us, not just for the future, but for today! What does the resurrection mean to you in the course of everyday life? As you reflect on that thought, consider the words of the 19th century hymn writer, Phillips Brooks:

"The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death--that is not the great thing--but that we are to be new here and now by the power of the Resurrection; not so much that we are to live forever, as that we are to, and may, live nobly now because we are to live forever."

That's a thought-provoking statement, isn't it! Are we living nobly, renewed day by day through the power of the resurrection? Are we more like the Lord Jesus today than we were yesterday? Last month? Last year?

Living in the power of the resurrection affects everything we do. It affects our relationships and our ministry. It affects how we relate to our TCE students and to the children. It affects how we view the world and the circumstances of our lives.

As this Resurrection Day draws near, may you know in a fresh new way "the power of His resurrection," and may that knowledge infuse your life and ministry with vitality and joy!

Happy Resurrection Day from your friends at CMI!