He is Risen! I love Easter for its reminder of what Christ did for us on the cross, and also the symbolism of life and renewal with spring and new life in Christ. Realizing that next Easter I'll be overseas has made this one even sweeter. I enjoyed having a family dinner yesterday, seeing extended family and spending time with them. Then today, I went to church and worshiped, and then got to snuggle with my sister's new puppy 🙂
In my singles' Sunday school class, we've been studying the Old Testament. Today we were in 2 Samuel 7, where King David has been blessed beyond measure as king. His kingdom is secure from enemies, it's prosperous, and he has a lot of material blessings. As he's counting all his blessings, he realizes that while he lives in a palace, the Lord is dwelling in a tent. He tells this to his friend Nathan, the prophet, and they ask God whether David should build a temple for the Lord. The Lord speaks in a dream to Nathan, and makes a covenant with David, saying that He will continue to bless the house of David and make David's name great. The Lord will also establish the nation of Israel and protect them. And David will have a son who will build a temple for the Lord. When Nathan tells David of the dream, David's response is overwhelming gratitude! He praises God for His promises and provision, and worships Him for His trustworthiness and the fact that He always keeps His promises. One of the guys in my discussion group brought up how frustrating it is to be human. We so often take for granted what God has done for us. He has blessed us beyond measure! Even if we have nothing in this world, we have the assurance of His love and His salvation. I want to be like David, praising God for everything, because He is trustworthy and merciful. How great His love is! We do not deserve it, yet He delights in giving us His salvation and heaping good things on top of that! I am so excited to go and share this love with the nations! How great is my God!
