Because He lives.. 3.27.16
11:10 AM
I can't watch this video without crying. This message is powerful. Please take the time to watch this video!
As today is Easter, I wanted to share my testimony of Jesus Christ and testify that indeed, He lives!
This morning, I was reading in John 11 about the story of Lazarus and how Christ rose him from the dead. For those who are unfamiliar with this story, I will give a quick recap about it. Lazarus is a man who became very sick and his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to the Lord that Lazarus was sick. Jesus was in another town. Once Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Martha had said that Lazarus would have made it if Jesus had arrived quicker. Jesus said that Lazarus would live again. He asked Martha if she believed Him. Martha said yes. She knew that Jesus was the Savior. Martha left Jesus to get her sister, Mary. Mary went to meet Jesus too. Many people followed her. Mary knelt, crying, at the Savior’s feet. The people with her were also crying. Jesus asked where Lazarus’s body was.
"25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
Before we move on with this story, I wanted to talk about the verse that struck me which was verse 35, which reads, "Jesus wept". I love this so much. Even though Christ knew that Lazarus would come back to life, at the moment, He still wept. He wept because Mary was weeping, and Martha, and the people with her. They were weeping because of the pain they felt since Lazarus was dead, and Jesus wept with them because He knows the pain that they were feeling. He knows exactly how they felt and I know that Jesus weeps with us. We should not ever feel alone because Jesus knows each of us. He knows how we feel because He went through it first..
In our life, as we are struggling and going through hard times and weeping, He is weeping with us. He understands us and He knows exactly how we feel because He went through it. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, and was crucified on the cross. And as He did, He thought of each and every one of us. Individually. Personally. He suffered for our pains, sicknesses, sorrows, afflictions, heartaches, and he conquered death, so that we can live again. In the end, Jesus performed a miracle and Lazarus rose from the dead. And this was only one of the great miracles of Jesus Christ..
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!" Psalm 30:5
The greatest miracle that has ever happened in all of history was when Jesus rose from the dead.. He rose on the third day, and He lives.
A sweet friend of mine bore her testimony today about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and I wanted to share it with you.. She spoke of Christ's resurrection from Mary's point of view. Something I have never thought of to be honest. Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb. It was empty. She was disappointed and as she stared at the empty tomb, she wept. She wept because the Savior was not there.. And then the angels told her that she was looking in the wrong spot, and seconds later, She turned around and the Savior appeared to her. She then talked about a time in her life where she felt as Mary did. Disappointed and filled with sorrow. My friend had a perfect plan in mind, and it did not go as she thought. But as the year has gone by, she has clearly seen the blessings that has come from that trial. My friend has seen those blessings because she trusted in Him and she had that hope that there were good things to come..
A lot of times in life, we feel like we hit rock bottom. We feel as Mary did. I know I have. Mary was hoping to see the Savior, yet she arrived to an empty tomb and she was sad, disappointed and at grief. Especially these last few weeks, I feel like all that I have ever planned for in my life has slowly but surely crumbled into pieces. It's like the story of the home being built. You are the home. God is building you. As you are being built, God is putting up really cute walls, and a cute little balcony, and cute couches, and your dream is to become a cute little cottage and that's all you have ever dreamt of. That's all you ever thought of becoming and being and that's what you thought was perfect for yourself. The perfect idea or the perfect plan.. Suddenly, God starts ripping down all these walls. He shatters your windows and breaks down your doors. You start to think, "Why is this happening? Why are you doing this? I had the perfect plan! I thought that was the plan you had for me!?" But then you start to realize that God is ripping down those walls, and shattering those windows, and breaking down those doors, because He is building you into a beautiful beach house..
As with Mary. She was so sad to see that the Savior was gone. And she wept. We all have those moments of grief. Something does not go right as you were hoping, whether if it's something small like getting a bad grade, or something huge, like losing a family member.. we have those moments of pain and despair. But we must not forget that all will be well. We must keep our faith strong and we must hope. Mary turned around and found the Savior. We must never forget that the Savior is near. He is always near. We must never forget that the trials we face in life are nothing but a blessing in disguise. Heavenly Father wants us to learn and to grow and He knows we can do it. The Savior's life was not easy, and we should not expect our lives to be easy either. Jesus Christ understands our pain because He suffered through it first. He suffered for each of us because of his infinite and unconditional love for each of us. But because of Him.. Because of Jesus Christ, we have the Atonement. We can be clean again and we can live with God and Jesus again. He overcame death and because of Him, we can too.
I am so thankful for the beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for our Redeemer, our brother, our friend, our Mediator, our Savior- Jesus Christ. I am so thankful to know that He indeed lives. He is here. Throughout the good, the bad, the in-between, He is here. And we must come unto Him. I have felt His love and I know with all of my heart that He lives!
Hallelujah! He is risen! Our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that my Redeemer lives!
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