We saw Jesus encounter Mary. Just hearing Him say her name let Mary know her Savior lived.
We saw Jesus encounter Thomas. Jesus answered Thomas' need to believe by letting him see and touch His wounds.
We saw Jesus encounter two of His other followers on the road to Emmaus. He gently revealed Himself to them through the breaking of bread.
And today I want to talk about Jesus' encounter with Shirley.
Who's Shirley, you ask? Yeah, I know. It's a little confusing. My Bible has her name spelled wrong. My Bible spells it s-u-r-e-l-y. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20
But once I got past the spelling error, I understood. Shirley is me. (That's why I sometimes replace Shirley's name with mine when I read that passage, And, Karen, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.)
And Shirley is you. Go ahead and substitute her name with yours. Say it aloud. It's wonderful to hear!
And ___________ I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Do you get it? Jesus is with you right now, and He always will be! Today is Good Friday and we are remembering His death on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins we each have committed. Jesus was buried in the tomb, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day.
Jesus lives!
And God took Jesus back up to heaven to reign with His Father, but He did not leave us alone. He sent His Holy Spirit to earth and He now lives in every person who has received Him.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior - if you have confessed your sin and asked Jesus to forgive you, to come into your life as your Savior - then I'm calling you Shirley, and I am rejoicing with you because we have encountered Him and He promised to be with us to the very end of the age.
It's Friday. But hang on. Sunday's coming!!!
See you back here Monday.
Friday, April 10, 2009
One More Encounter
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6 comments:
Wonderful idea, inserting your name in all the surely's! Oh to think that He resides within us! Oh to think on His sacrifice! Amazing love how can it be that Thou my God should die for me! Amen. Have a great Easter!
Whoa, I'm a Shirley? :-)
Great post.
Wow, I love it.
(Although the "ADHD" in me thinks of the movie Airplane - - "and don't call me Shirley."
But I'm SO GLAD for Jesus to call me that.
This is a perfect post for today. Amen. Looking forward to sharing your story tomorrow. :)
I'm Shirley, you're Shirley....I love it! "Oh praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead." I've been singing this song all day.
It is a Good Friday, indeed. Thanks, Karen :)
Hi Karen! Just wanted to wish you a Happy Easter!
Much love to you!
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