It May Look Bad, But It’s All Good!

Today, we get to take advantage of a once in a year opportunity for some and a once a week opportunity for others. Most Christians and those affiliated with Christians to any degree will be in church. It’s just what we do as a culture on Easter. The only problem is, if this is the only time you attend church, it may be the only time you receive positive words to shape your world.

All year long, you’ve been feed words by popular culture and have made this common, a way of normal life.

This may sound extreme, but for those of you who know me, extreme is what I do. Popular television shows like Scandal and reality TV shows like Housewives of Atlanta fill your head with lies about relationships and life in general -making this your reality.

For example, when you hear people say, that’s just how teenagers act, these words become the reality for teenagers.

The doctor may have declared death over you –saying your cancer has spread and you don’t have much time to live. These words become your reality and life immediately begins to fade.

Your friends say to you that all guys or girls cheat on their significant others or their spouses. These words have a way of becoming reality.

Your coach says that you’re not cut out for football, soccer, gymnastics, basketball or baseball. These words find their way into your heart eroding your hopes.

You boss says that your performance isn’t cutting it and you’ll never be a good employee. These words set the downfall of your career in motion.

You can’t tell me that words don’t shape your world and more importantly, don’t lie to yourself.
Hopefully today you will hear a message which brings “good” news. One that will fill your heart and mind with positive thoughts. Here’s a popular verse of scripture usually used around Easter.

But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. (Isaiah 53:5 NLT)

He was punished for what we did, are doing, and will do.
He took the penalty, sentence and punishment for your sins and mine.
He took a beaten He didn’t deserve to give wholeness we didn’t deserve.
He was whipped so that you and I would and will continue to receive… healing.

This is how He, Jesus, demonstrates His love towards you and me.

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT)

Now, you may be wondering what is the lesson in all of this and what does this have to do with my words? Jesus did something for us so that we wouldn’t have to do it ourselves. He spoiled us so that we wouldn’t get caught for doing wrong, so we wouldn’t receive any penalties for our crimes against God, so we would no longer have to live a broken life…and it all starts and stops with our words.

Today I’ve decided not to just let a message go in one ear and out the other. Instead I am going to show you how to use what you’ve heard to make any bad day, good.

You can allow others to shape your world by their words or you can use yours. In any case someone’s words will shape your world.

For example, when someone says to you, that a teenager rebelling is normal teenage behavior; you should declare that everyone else may act that way but not your children. Jesus was pierced for that.

The doctor may have given you until the end of the year to live because of some sickness. You should declare that first it’s not my sickness, Jesus was beaten so that I can be healed, and this sickness, even cancer, must go.

The “no-longer-common”, that’s you, don’t settle for what the normal outcomes should be, we believe that we’re surrounded by God’s favor in the good times as well as the bad, making it all good. Today, Jesus made it all Good!

Let’s start by using today’s message to give us something positive to say about our situation, thusly changing the expected “common” outcome into an unexpected, nothing like “common” outcome.

iPray
Father, let this Easter reveal for me new words that I can use to speak positive results in my life. I reduce the amount of culture’s influence in my life — which makes me normal, ordinary, average, and like everyone else. I am surrounded by God’s favor in the good times as well as the bad and He makes it all good. In Jesus’ name.