Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "4th Sunday in Lent" Sunday, 30 March 2014--Read Ephesians 5:8-14

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "4th Sunday in Lent" Sunday, 30 March 2014--Read Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 10 proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12 For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 14 Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.--1 Thessalonians 4:14 (NRSV)
I never attended church growing up, so for me Easter was all about hunting eggs and getting a day off from school or work. Even after I began attending church regularly, I still didn’t completely understand what was special about Easter, or what the Resurrection meant. At that time my focus was more on being successful. I had built for myself the life that I thought I had always wanted. But then I developed epilepsy, and a 30-year career was suddenly ended. Unable to work, or even to drive, I felt dead inside. Life as I had known it was over. All I could think of was, Lord, what will I do now? It would have been easy then to lose all hope and just give up. But after much prayerful thought and consideration, I realized that even though my old life might have ended, there was still much that I could do. So, I began to put my efforts into the ministries of the church. As God gave new meaning to my life, the message of Easter has become clear to me. No matter what disasters we face, with God’s help we can build from the ashes — and with Jesus, experience new life.
The Author: Mark A. Carter (Texas, USA)
Thought for the Day: God can raise to life anyone who feels dead inside.
Prayer: Precious Lord, we thank you for your presence with us and for being our hope when our own hope is gone. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those receiving a serious medical diagnosis
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