It Is Finished
Happily Ever After: Part Two Written By: Kim Whipkey
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24: 36-49 (NIV)
Once we arrive at Day 4, or get back there, how do we continue to strive toward happily ever after? Well, I think the Bible gives us a few hints.
1. We need to seek God first. In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus says, “So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When you run into trouble, what is the first thing you do? Do you immediately tell your partner or call your friend or your pastor, or do you go to the Creator of the universe? If you want to remain in Day 4, seek the Lord first.
2. We need to stay connected to the Lord. In John 15: 5-8, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
When we spend time nurturing our relationship with the Lord, storms will still come, but we will be firmly rooted and capable of outlasting the storm, remaining on Day 4.
3. We need to live in the present. If we continue reading Matthew 6:34, we hear Jesus say that each day has its own trouble. We can also read in Lamentations 3:22-23 that God’s “compassions never fail. They are new every morning” And in Psalm 30:5, we hear how weeping only lasts for a night but joy comes in the morning.
We can’t change the past, and we can’t control the future, but we can choose what we do in the next moment, and in the moment after that. Remember, today is a gift; that’s why it’s called the present.
When we read about the disciples walking to Emmaus, we tend to stop at verse 32, where the disciples finally recognized Jesus and he disappeared. But, that is not the end of the story. Even though they had forgotten what Jesus told them about his death and resurrection, and they didn’t recognize him when he walked with them, he offered them a chance at redemption. He still gave them the opportunity to be his disciples.
So, do you want to know how the second half of my fairy tale plays out? Me too, but none of us know what the future holds. We don’t know how many times we will land on our faces, but when we do, we serve a God that will pick us up and dust us off. When we are hopelessly lost, he will leave the 99 and come find us. When we face roadblocks, he will help us navigate; when we lose our footing, he will shore up our path. And when we get knocked off that mountain, he will be there to catch us. Why? Because God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us, and he has promised us that if we believe in his son, we will have everlasting life.
Now earlier I gave you three hints about how to stay on Day 4; We need to seek God first, we need to stay connected to Jesus, and we need to live in the present. But there is one more thing we need to do. We need to place our faith in Jesus because when we do, we no longer need to strive for happily ever after. It is already ours.
Father, thank you for loving us enough to send your Son to die for us. Forgive us when we act as if we haven’t met Christ who died for us, haven’t met the risen Savior, or haven’t recognized him. Lord, please help us up when we have fallen, find us when we are lost, make the path straight for us, and catch us when we are knocked off the mountain. Help us to live one day at a time, seeking you first, and staying connected to Jesus. And remind us on those most difficult days that we have already been promised happily ever after. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Benediction: Ephesians 3: 16-19
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ my dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
