Everything we base our faith, hope, victory, and eternal security on relies on the death, burial, and RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Because He lives, we can live also!

After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared several times over 40 days, and I want to take some time to look at the significance of these appearances and allow them to touch our lives today.

Mary Magdalene – Part 1

John 20:1-18
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

Mary Magdalene was a devout Christian who had been forgiven a great deal and, therefore, loved The Lord fervently. If you will remember, this is the same Mary who had been possessed with seven devils, and Christ delivered her. She was forever indebted to His miraculous and marvelous grace bestowed upon her life.
Here, we find Mary at the tomb weeping because her Lord’s body had been taken away.
Bro. Randy Pike said of this passage, “The seeming absence of Christ is always the cause of great distress among pious souls saved by the grace of God.”

Stop and consider, how has Christ touched your life? Do we, like Mary, weep over the absence of his presence and power? So often, we leave Christ out of our plans and dreams. We go about our day-to-day activities without including Him when we should be allowing Him to lead the way. Oh, to be like Mary Magdalene, realizing who God truly is and to be unwavering in our devotion and love for Him.

Bro. Randy continues, “According to the promise in Hebrews 13:5, our Lord is never so near as when he seems so painfully absent.” Like Mary Magdalene, there are times in life when we seek and live for Christ, but yet, He seems so distant. Friend, we can be assured that He is ever-present, and we have victory because He is our RESURRECTED Savior!

Tomorrow, we will see that Mary had no need to weep, for she was about to have an encounter with Christ!

Think on These Things ~ Draw close to Jesus, recognize who He is, and live victorious because He Lives!!