The Waiting

After Jesus was crucified, life seemed dismal for his followers. The 12 disciples went into hiding and many other Christians were trying to stay undercover. They were in despair and disarray because they thought they were alone. They couldn’t see the bigger picture.

Jesus, however, could see the bigger picture. He knew that the story of Christianity was not at an end but at a beginning. He knew that He was going to rise again and, by doing so, save and bring hope to all humankind. Now, we can look at the disciples and think “How could they believe that Jesus was gone forever! He’s the Son of God for goodness sake!” But, how many times in our own lives have we believed that God is gone or that we are alone. Even after all he has done and the many blessings he has bestowed, if we don’t hear from Him for a while we start to despair.

The disciples lost their hope in the waiting. God has his timing and sometimes that timing involves a certain amount of waiting. He knows the right timing for everything in our lives and he will never abandon his children. So, as we celebrate Easter this week, remember that Jesus made the disciples wait for his return, and that made the celebration even sweeter. Have faith and trust God in your times of waiting.

- Kendra Mikols

Jesus Paid it All

The song “Jesus Paid It All” is one of my favorite songs of all time. It is especially powerful in this season of Lent and Easter because it talks about Jesus’s sacrifice and its effect on all of our lives. My favorite part of the modern arrangement of the song is the bridge in which we sing “Oh praise The One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead!” This is an important truth that we need to remember on Easter.

When Jesus died and then was raised again to life, He was not only giving life back to Himself, He was giving life to all people. It’s as if when he started breathing again and walked out of the tomb, something inside each person on Earth was also awakened. Without his sacrifice, we would never have been able to be truly alive. We would have been mere zombies walking around. I don’t know if you know anything about zombies, but the gist is they walk around never fully aware of their surroundings, grabbing at any type of nourishment they can get their hands on, and no matter what they are never satisfied. This is how our lives would be without Christ’s sacrifice: Dissatisfying and ultimately meaningless.

Through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, we can be satisfied and alive in Him! We are not slaves to sin and to death but have a future and a hope. Ephesians 5:8 says “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” As we go through this final week before Easter, take time to dwell on all that happened on the third day. Think about the millions of “first breaths” that can be taken because Jesus came back to life. He paid your debt on the cross and raised you from death to life! Alleluia!

- Kendra Mikols

What’s Your Point of View?

“Man, the guy who works in the cubicle next to me is such a complainer! I can’t stand him!”
“This woman in front of me in the grocery store is talking badly about someone, what a jerk.”
“If one more person tries to tell me how hard their life is, I’m going to explode!”

Have you ever heard any of these comments before or thought any of these things to yourself? I have! All the time! It is amazing that God made all of us special and unique, but unfortunately that means we are going to butt heads with some people. And it is amazing how some know exactly what to do to push our buttons. If we are not careful, we can start to harbor hate in our hearts for certain people which can grow into an epidemic of being easily annoyed or hateful towards others.

2 Corinthians 5:16 says “So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” What does this mean: “A Worldly point of view?” It means that we are regarding people with one question in mind: What is this person doing for me? That’s what the world is all about right? I want this right now and I’m going to get it no matter who doesn’t want me to have it. Not to say there aren’t nice people in this world but the majority of the world could be described as selfish.

God has asked us to view people from His eyes and He has a never ending fountain of love for every person He created, Christian and Non-Christian. Once we start trying to view people as God views them, we will find that we can cope with our situations much more easily and we can find love for the people we never thought we could feel any affection for. This week, when you encounter that person who makes your skin crawl, start asking God to show you that person through His eyes. You will be amazed at what He shows you.

- Kendra Mikols

Get Off the Island

Get Off the Island

I recently heard a story about a Japanese man in World War II who was stationed on an island off the coast of Japan. After being stationed there, the Allied forces invaded and he was one of 3 officers not to surrender to American troops. Instead, he hid in the jungle gathering intel on the Allies and foraging for food. Several months later, World War II came to an end, but unfortunately, the Japanese man did not know this. His family and friends attempted to contact him by calling his name over a bull horn and dropping fliers explain the end of the war over the island. He saw all these signs and decided they were traps sent by the enemy. For 30 years, he stayed on the island until finally, someone found his elderly superior officer, who came and found him and told him the war was over.

This is a tragic story and when I heard it I thought, “Wow what a terrible waste of your life!” This story is a parallel to the way non-Christians, and even some of us, view Christianity and God. The Bible says that the Lord has won the battle against sin and death! We no longer have to worry because God is in control. But some of us refuse to believe this truth. We continue to live in on our own little island trying to sustain ourselves and make a life out of rocks and sticks, when Jesus is calling us to something greater: a life of redemption! He is constantly calling and calling and sending hints and trying to speak into our lives.

Ephesians 5:8 says “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Once we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, we have to live as new people who have seen the end of a war and know that all things are going to be new! Don’t live your life on an island, trying to ignore the great things God has done. Step off the island and into the light, and live as God  intended you to be, a new creation.