"Third Day"

No greater down than in the ground,

After a gruesome death,

Not comatose and not almost,

But gone without a breath.

Sky grew dim, when they killed Him,

Laid in a borrowed grave,

Tears were shed ‘cause He was dead,

The Savior kind and brave.

Third day came, as just the same,

As always days will be,

But then came true, what He said He’d do,

Christ from the grave broke free!

She stood there, so full of care,

The stone was rolled away,

He spoke her name, never the same,

And told her what to say.

And then that night, oh what a sight,

He stood right there with them,

Showed all His scars, broke death’s bars,

And said now He would send.

How low are we, or depressed see,

Before some hope we find,

The Savior sweet, we all can meet,

No one is left behind.

“Again He said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’” (John 20:21, NLT)

We are sent by the risen Savior. Just as He was sent to the world on a rescue mission, so our mission is to rescue people from sin and bring them back to God. Problem is, we know we can’t do it. Jesus knew it, too, even when He said it. That’s why He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He knew and so should we, that apart from the presence and power of the Holy Spirit we can never fulfill our mission. How strange to think otherwise, that by some method, or program or religious strategy we would win the world to Jesus. I know, I know. There must be some plan, some concerted, organized effort to spread the Good News, and I applaud most if not all of them. All of them represent a sincere effort to get the word out. But to think that any of it will be effective in producing eternal fruit apart from the Holy Spirit is nonsense. It’s not just knowing that Jesus is alive, it’s knowing Jesus and sharing Him in the power of the Spirit that gets it done.

Lord, help us receive Your Spirit in a new way today, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mikel Donahue, mikeldonahue.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mikel, and God bless you.