[font="Tahoma][size="4"]John20:1[/size][/font] Nowon the first dayof the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, untothe tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. (ASV)
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]We,Christians, have just celebrated the resurrection of our LORD and itis my prayer that we would learn a few of the many lessons that arethere to be taught in His resurrection. One of the most commonlyneeded and avoided is on fear. Before Jesus departed and before Hewas cruelly ailed to the cross, Jesus, who is God in the flesh of aman, gave a command to His followers:[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="4"]John14[/size][/font]:27 PeaceI leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it befearful. (ASV)
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]Andyet, in spite of this I see fear manifested in the Brethren all thetime. Folks, inside the Church Family speak constantly on matterssuch as where will I ever get enough money to take care of my wifeand my children, what with the cost of gas and it causing everythingto cost more but we aren't getting any raises in our pay?[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]Andhonestly, this is just the sort of thing our LORD was talking about. So, do we have the faith of Mary or of Paul and John? These men andwomen ha held tightly to the belief that Jesus was Who He said Hewas, they believed He was God. They also knew from attendingservices that God was eternal and yet Mary, Peter and John went tothe tomb to begin attending, properly, to the dead body of God.[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]WhenMary found the tomb empty, she went immediately to the men to tellthem what she had seen and what she had concluded. When John out-ranPeter he was not sure of what to do next and Peter, old foot in themouth Peter ran right past John to begin processing what he had beentaught by Jesus in the light of the circumstances. But then itappears that te men left Mary and maybe the other women there aloneas it seems to me that they walked back to their house, discussingwhat had happened and how it fit with what Jesus had taught them.[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]Butthen Mary, bless her sweet ad loving heart stood there weeping untilJesus spoke to her. As soon as Jesus dismissed her, she went, asfast as she could run to inform the e of what had happened and thatshe had spoken to and had touched Jesus! Mary knew that Jesus hadbeen murdered on the cross and that the same fate was probably herdestiny, after all the Disciples were huddled in the upper room withthe doors and windows bared trying to figure what they should do whenthey would hear those Roman boots stomping out the cadence as theywould come to arrest, force them into a trial ad then execute them,just as they had done to the LORD![/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]SoI ask you, and I do not need the answer... you do, who have you toldtoday? And. If you, truly, believe, why are you living with fear? And finally... who besides Satan is your fearful silence pleasing?[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]We,Christians, have just celebrated the resurrection of our LORD and itis my prayer that we would learn a few of the many lessons that arethere to be taught in His resurrection. One of the most commonlyneeded and avoided is on fear. Before Jesus departed and before Hewas cruelly ailed to the cross, Jesus, who is God in the flesh of aman, gave a command to His followers:[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="4"]John14[/size][/font]:27 PeaceI leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it befearful. (ASV)
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]Andyet, in spite of this I see fear manifested in the Brethren all thetime. Folks, inside the Church Family speak constantly on matterssuch as where will I ever get enough money to take care of my wifeand my children, what with the cost of gas and it causing everythingto cost more but we aren't getting any raises in our pay?[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]Andhonestly, this is just the sort of thing our LORD was talking about. So, do we have the faith of Mary or of Paul and John? These men andwomen ha held tightly to the belief that Jesus was Who He said Hewas, they believed He was God. They also knew from attendingservices that God was eternal and yet Mary, Peter and John went tothe tomb to begin attending, properly, to the dead body of God.[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]WhenMary found the tomb empty, she went immediately to the men to tellthem what she had seen and what she had concluded. When John out-ranPeter he was not sure of what to do next and Peter, old foot in themouth Peter ran right past John to begin processing what he had beentaught by Jesus in the light of the circumstances. But then itappears that te men left Mary and maybe the other women there aloneas it seems to me that they walked back to their house, discussingwhat had happened and how it fit with what Jesus had taught them.[/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]Butthen Mary, bless her sweet ad loving heart stood there weeping untilJesus spoke to her. As soon as Jesus dismissed her, she went, asfast as she could run to inform the e of what had happened and thatshe had spoken to and had touched Jesus! Mary knew that Jesus hadbeen murdered on the cross and that the same fate was probably herdestiny, after all the Disciples were huddled in the upper room withthe doors and windows bared trying to figure what they should do whenthey would hear those Roman boots stomping out the cadence as theywould come to arrest, force them into a trial ad then execute them,just as they had done to the LORD![/size][/font]
[font="Tahoma][size="3"]SoI ask you, and I do not need the answer... you do, who have you toldtoday? And. If you, truly, believe, why are you living with fear? And finally... who besides Satan is your fearful silence pleasing?[/size][/font]
