"My beloved responded, and said to me,
'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth:
the time of the singing of the birds is come.....
......and the voice of the turtle{dove} is heard in our land;
The fig tree has ripened its figs,
and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell."
Song of Solomon 2:11-13
Recently, we have noticed evidences of Spring.
Of new life.
Of life being restored, renewed.
Reviving.
We are encouraged with the hope that we are transitioning to
a milder season.
It's true that here in North Texas we are actually entering into a season that typically has more rain
and storms, but we know that the cold and ice are gone for now.
The grass is fresh, tender, and a vibrant green.
Catching these subtle changes in the trees and plants stirs an excitement within us.
I'm going through the process of skimming out the winter clothes and jackets from my children's closets and replacing with lighter clothing.
I love how that feels.
To change out the drab and replace with something fresh.
I think it is no mistake that it is also at this time of year that we are
remembering the death and subsequent resurrection (renewed life) of our
Savior, Jesus Christ.
His death on the cross to pay the price for my sin was no accident.
It had been planned from the beginning of time.
Yet, once He died, He did not remain dead.
Death did not have the victory over Him.
It was not the end of the story.
And I can have this hope as well.
As a child of God, forgiven of my sin, washed in His sinless blood,
dead to my sin and those addictions that shackle me,
dead to the power of sin controlling me,
I have that power over death living within me.
The victory is already mine.
"But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 15:57
I don't have to remain trapped by my failures.
I don't have to remain stuck in a pit of depression and thoughts I can't control.
I don't have to remain angry about circumstances I don't want.
I don't have to worry about things that haven't even happened yet.
I don't have to be controlled by the guilt and shame of the lies I believe about myself.
I have the victory!
And it's found in Jesus.
"There's life in Jesus name!
There's cleansing
and there's healing
In Jesus name
Believe Him
Come unto Him
Receive from Him His power
In Jesus name
There's life for you this hour."
~Author Unknown
