It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. (Luke 24:10-12)

What does it look like when you’re called to follow God, but life is still hard? This may be the theme of your day, your week, your month, or even your year. Life is painful and life is trying; however, when we understand the hope of the cross, we see that there is more to life than the things we’re feeling now.

In the days leading up to Easter, the disciples may have been unsure of what was coming, but they were sure of who they were following. They knew that Jesus was to fulfill all the things that He had told them, and so they held on to that, even to the point of His death on the cross. Christ was denied three times by one of His own. He was given over to His accusers, He was beaten and mocked, and He was hung on a cross to prove to the world that He is who He says He is. At that time, that truth didn’t ring through, because all we saw was the cross.

Sometimes, we see our sin and our human nature and don’t understand how a God who created everything we see, and everything we know, can love us still; we surely can’t understand how Jesus would willingly volunteer to take our place. However, that’s the beauty of that cross. That Jesus went, He died, and He promised that moment would not be the end. When we look at all that is revealed in scripture, we know that it cannot be the end.

Beloved, when we feel hopeless, we must remember the monumental truth from three days later – Jesus rose and is living. He never fails, He is always constant, and He is forever powerful. We are chosen because of the great love that God has for us; and that love will sustain us through our darkest days.

In your struggle, remember that God loves you. He knows your innermost failings and He sees through all of it; cling today to the hope that you have in Jesus. Amen.

This blessed me, I felt it needed to be shared with someone today. My prayer is that someone, somewhere, is blessed by this. Cling to the hope that you have in Jesus! Thank You Lord for speaking right to my heart. There is no one else like You!

Have a wonderful day in The Lord!

Today’s Reading is Luke 24:10-12