Monday, April 8, 2024 His Presence
Monday, April 8, 2024:
Pause. Pray. Read. Be still. Write. Pray. Go about your day or turn in for the night.
Read: 1 John 2:25-28 He Touched Me
25 And this is what he has promised us, eternal life.
26 I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, so you do not need anyone to teach you.
But as his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie,
and just as it has taught you, abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed
we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming [return].
(1 John 2:25-28, NRSVUE)
According to the Christian calendar, we are in the season of Eastertide until Pentecost Sunday (May 19). So, this week, I still find myself reflecting on the resurrection experience and God’s Presence in Christ. You may also hear me humming that all-time favorite Bill Gaither tune, He Touched Me because, as always happens when I walk through the Easter story during Holy Week, He touches me. The final stanza and refrain sings:
Since I’ve met this blessed Savior,
Since He’s cleansed and made me whole,
Oh, I will never cease to praise Him (to praise Him)
I’ll shout it while eternity rolls.
Oh, He touched me, oh He touched me, He touched me.
And oh, the joy that floods my soul.
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.
When we decide to follow Jesus, he touches us and makes us whole, or perfect and one with him. Once Christ touches us we are no longer the same person living solely by our individual strength and agenda with a dark, hopeless future. Once Christ touches us, we step off of the lifeline that ends at a finite time and walk onto the eternal one that rolls on forever, with our Lord by our side.
That reality is both reassuring and freeing. It reassures us that we can live confidently in the promised inheritance of eternity with our Savior and Lord. And since we are going to live forever, we can continue with confidence and peace doing the work that Jesus started and now confers to us – playing whatever part God calls us to play in spreading the good news of His love and restoring that intimate relationship between Him and all creation.
All made possible because He touched us and made us whole.
Be still and Reflect: How has Christ’s touch transformed, reassured, and freed you? Pause to listen and embrace for yourself how He Touched Me.
Pray: Gracious and loving God, I lift my voice in praise and thanksgiving for the profound touch of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Once again, I have been touched by his grace, mercy, and love. I am forever changed, no longer bound by darkness and hopelessness. With the joy that floods my soul, may I live as a reflection and testament to the transformative power of Christ’s touch. And I will praise You now and for all eternity. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria