Easter Sunday - He Is Risen!

Truth Changes Everything

Think about the best news you've ever received in your life. Maybe it was a doctor walking into a waiting room and saying, "The surgery went perfectly." Maybe it was a phone call that said, "You got the job." Maybe it was two lines on a pregnancy test you'd been praying for.

Good news changes everything.

But none of those moments, as incredible as they are, even come close to the truth delivered on the first Easter morning:

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
Matthew 28:6 (NIV)

Jesus had been crucified publicly, brutally, and officially. He was wrapped, sealed in a tomb. There was no question. Jesus was dead. It was true.

But when His followers Mary and Mary Magdalene arrived to grieve? The stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty. And an angel met them with the most stunning announcement in human history.

But the angel doesn’t just tell the women the truth. He invites them to look for themselves. To step inside. To experience the evidence of the resurrection firsthand. “Come and see.”

The empty tomb isn't just a theological concept. It's the truth, a truth the angel wanted them to witness with their own eyes. It's not, "take my word for it." It's not, "just believe what you've been told." It's, “Come close. Look. Experience this for yourself.”

The angel's words are still our assignment.

You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to be a theologian. You don't have to win a debate. You just have to invite someone to come and see the truth that changed your life.

So that’s the challenge for you today. Live in a way that makes people curious. When you have peace in a crisis, when you forgive when no one expects it, when you give generously, when you love people who are hard to love... people notice.

Jesus is the Truth. And the Truth changes everything.

What has Jesus changed in your life? Where were you before Him? Where are you now?

It's your testimony. And it's powerful. 

All of the above from Bible.com.

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

The Truth Sacrifices

What is love?

It’s one of the deepest questions of the human experience. And the world’s answers can be confusing. Is it a feeling? An obligation? How much is enough? With so many opinions, where do we find the truth about love?

1 John 3:16 gives us a clear answer: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” This verse doesn’t just define real love, it gives us the ultimate example of it: Love is sacrifice. And God showed the full expression of that love when Jesus died on the cross to atone for our sins.

Easter Saturday adds weight to this truth. It’s a day that sits in the quiet between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. On this day, the tomb was still sealed. There was no celebration yet. Just silence, waiting, and the cost of the cross still hanging in the air.

This gave the disciples time to sit in the reality of what had happened. It wasn’t a close call. It wasn’t an almost-sacrifice. Jesus truly died. He truly gave everything. And this emphasizes a powerful truth: Love costs something. Love is sacrifice.

Then John turns the spotlight onto us: “And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” Most of us won’t be asked to die for someone. But we all face everyday moments where choosing to love like Jesus could cost us something. Showing up for someone in crisis when you’re already stretched. Covering someone’s need when it hits your budget. Sharing Jesus when it could cost you your comfort or reputation.

This is the truth of God’s love for us: Christ poured Himself out for us first, and from that love, we’re moved to love others the same way. And when you love like that, people don’t just hear about God’s love, they experience it for themselves.

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Good Friday

I will write about this very important date, when Jesus was crucified and died, at another time. I'm still taking this all in, as a 'newbie' to Christianity, and don't feel the need to blab about such an important event at this time. 

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

The Greatest Servant

If we’re honest, most of us would rather be served than to serve others. We’d rather feel special than ordinary. We’d rather feel important than insignificant.

And though God has made each of us special, important, and created in His image—His children cannot be above serving, because Jesus was never above serving.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If the King of kings and Lord of lords didn’t come to be served, but to sacrifice His life for the sake and salvation of others, we should pay attention.

Jesus warned against doing impressive things just to be seen, praying extravagant prayers merely to be heard, and taking the highest-ranking positions simply to be known. (See: Matthew 6 and 20.)

Instead, Jesus engaged the outcast, fed the hungry, healed the sick, helped the hurting, stopped for the broken, washed dirty feet, and laid down His life—even though He was innocent—so that even the “worst” of sinners could discover: they're never too far from His love.

As you think about what it meant for Jesus to die in your place and erase your sins and mistakes, what does it trigger inside of you? Worship? Gratefulness? Are you compelled to go and tell others? Today, ask God to show you how you can serve others like He has served you.

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM

Just Let Go

Have you been guilty of over-preparing these days? We can all easily find ourselves in an overprotective state of mind, wanting to collect and hold on tightly to everything that brings us comfort and security in the midst of uncertainty. 

In Mark 14:3-9, we see that there was a woman who learned how to lay the most precious thing that she owned at the feet of Jesus:

“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

You see, this lady was not a “church-goer.” She wasn’t the type who had everything together. She had a past, and everyone in that room with Jesus knew about it. She was a big-time sinner in their book. And even though she didn’t have it all together, she understood something very significant; that she was valued by Jesus. He had forever impacted her life. Jesus wasn’t waiting for her to get everything together, in fact, He valued her before she ever did.

What got the attention of Jesus wasn’t her eloquent words, or a life that was refined, but the fact that she gave her absolute all to Him. She took all of her earthly possessions and laid them at the feet of Jesus. What she was showing Him was true “worth-ship.” She was telling Jesus that He was worthy to hold the most important part of her life.

Maybe today, as you are isolated in your own thoughts, you are flooded with accusations about your past, or you are feeling like you don’t know how to approach God, I want to encourage you to take the things that you find yourself holding most tightly to, and lay them at the feet of Jesus.  We can take the Alabaster Box of our family, our dreams, careers, fears, and worries, and pour them out at the feet of Jesus. From Bible.com.

JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM