Sunday Morning Tomb Activity

The Word says that around the throne of God there is a rainbow that resembles an emerald. There is also lightning and thunder. I like to think that when the time came for the Holy Spirit to raise our Savior from the dead that what you see here is perhaps what happened:

Power was released in the tomb and a rainbow exploded within it; a rainbow of PROMISE that Jesus WOULD rise from the grave in all victorious splendor. The Servant Savior King now ready to ascend back to His waiting throne where multitudes await in thunderous applause and worship.

The very center of this painting looks like a seed; Jesus was the seed of Salvation and by dying bore MUCH fruit.

I decided to go ahead and post this "before Easter arrived on the calendar." 
EVERY day is an opportunity to have Sunday Morning Tomb Activity in our lives. 
Death simply brings life. Always has. Always will. But know this:


We ALL will LIVE forever in one of two places-heaven or hell. That's a fact.
Jesus loves you "warts and all" and wants you to come AS IS.
He loves you. Even now, right now, He loves you. That's why it's called AMAZING Grace.
He wants you to live forever with Him in His Kingdom.
That's a fact. 


The same devil that Jesus defeated when He died on the cross wants you to spend an eternity with him in hell. He hates your guts and most certainly your soul. That's a fact.

Something's wrong when we get defensive and angry when someone who CARES about the eternal status of our soul asks us do we know where we're going when we die.

Wonder why that is...

STANDARD

This is based on Isaiah 59:19 where it says, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him."

If you look closely, you'll see some writing under the word Standard. It says, "when the enemy comes in like a flood."
The Word 'Standard' is Jesus Whom the Holy Spirit lifts up as the Mighty Standard against the enemy. The Word 'Standard' is bigger than the entire sentence below because GOD is bigger than the enemy's schemes and the enemy's flood.

The 'enemy' sentence is deliberately put right under the Word 'Standard' because the Lord's enemies are a footstool under His feet and He crushes the enemy under my own.

The 'enemy' sentence is also faded; you have to "look hard" to see it; you're aware that SOMETHING is under the Word 'Standard', but the Standard continues to draw your eye to itself the way the Holy Spirit draws our eyes back towards Jesus and not on the storms of life, floods, earthquakes or tsunamis.

Speaking of that, the cracks represent all the rough, broken, damaged places in our lives and the Living Water Himself trumps the flood of the enemy as He pours out His love and begins the healing process. There is "violent beauty" in this picture, but that's the way the Lord's love is toward us. And it is because of His violent love that we are able to take the Kingdom BY FORCE, fight the good fight, and enjoy wearing the garment and garland of praise put upon us by our Savior Who is our STANDARD.

HOPE

Father, Your Word says that faith is the substance of things HOPED for; the evidence of things NOT seen.

Forgive us for putting our hope in everything and everyone rather than You and You alone.

You ARE our hope when our emotions and flesh scream otherwise. You ARE at work in our lives because You ARE a very PRESENT help in time of need.

Your compassions do not fail and Your mercies ARE new EVERY morning.

Darkness may boast of its presence in these last days, but we choose to boast in the Lord and the power of HIS might. We victoriously send the enemy fleeing seven ways by testifying that Immanuel, God With Us, is our Hope of Glory and the lifter of our head. Never will He leave us, never will He forsake us.

Let us proclaim, declare, decree and PRAISE You that You, Lord God of Hosts, ARE our Hope no matter what.

Son, Spirit, Savior

You just can't miss the S in this picture!

And because the Son said YES to His Father for MY salvation and the Spirit raised the Savior from the dead, that makes me saved and sanctified, and my SOUL knows it well.

Sublime...

Greatly To Be Praised

For the Lord IS great and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4

I see both lightning and Living Water river waves in this picture amid the other hues and it reminds me of the lightning and thunder blasting around His glorious throne in total harmony with shouts of "HOLY HOLY HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME!"

What other "god" can this be said of? A god with a little g and not worthy of my praise.

ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism. His Name is Jesus Christ and He is the One Who was and is and IS TO COME.

So GREATLY to be praised... 

Amen.