EASTER

Swept Into Resurrection…

God dies—and is raised from the dead. And even more astonishing: in His death, we die. In His rising, we rise.

"May the God of great hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!"
—Romans 15:13 (MSG)

The Offer of Easter

My wife just recently lost her father to stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It was a tragic loss for the family, and many of you can probably relate or know someone who can. Death is a thief in many ways. But the message of Easter offers something that nothing else can: Hope in the face of suffering–Death has been trampled.

The God Who Does Not Abandon

There are many things we can learn from Easter. But one of the most profound is this:
God is not a God who abandons His creation. He is a God who chooses to suffer for it.

Instead of snapping His fingers to start over after the fall, God stepped into our mess. He didn’t save us by a far-off decree—but by becoming what we are. In the person of Jesus, we see the heart of God put on display.

Abandonment was never part of the conversation between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There’s no moment in Scripture where the Father and Spirit have to talk Jesus into coming.
From beginning to end, it was initiatory love—solving what no one else could solve.

“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus needed no convincing. The corrupting effect of sin on creation stirred His heart into action. He came not to change the Father’s mind about us, but to change the way we understand the Father. Sin had twisted our understanding of God—and Jesus came to open our eyes.More than that, He came to suffer so we might have life. He became sin, that we might become righteous.

The God Who Suffers

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote:

“It is good to learn early on that suffering and God are no contradiction, but much more a necessary unity.”

Easter reminds us not only of the victory of Christ’s resurrection, but also the glory of His suffering. Resurrection life was only possible because Jesus embraced the Cross. They were not two separate events—but a unified act of ultimate deliverance.

What was lost through a tree…
has now been redeemed through a tree.

The death we deserved, He took on Himself. We could never pull ourselves back up from the fall in Genesis 3. So He came down. Our suffering King chose to embrace the darkness, find us in the chaos, and lead us back to the Father.

Through His suffering, the old man was crucified. Through His resurrection, a new creation was born.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17

Swept Into Resurrection

Bonhoeffer continues:

“Christ did not come into the world that we might understand Him, but that we might cling to Him—that we might simply let ourselves be swept away by Him into the immense event of the resurrection.”

That’s what Easter invites us into. Not just a truth to agree with. But a Person to cling to. A resurrection to be swept into.

Richard Lovelace writes:

“Salvation is not so much a matter of doing as of appreciating what God has done. God wants us to be free from thinking about ourselves long enough to consider what His love has done.”

Hope in a Hospital Bed

A couple of weeks before Jerry passed away, we were able to visit him in the hospital. Cancer was eating away at his body, but he was in a state of inner peace I had never seen in him before.

He was in a love encounter with the God who suffers. Not only did Jesus suffer for us—He suffers with us. He comforts us in our suffering.

As the cancer did its work, the Holy Spirit was doing His. Jerry began to brim over with hope.
In his own words: “I’m just getting started.”

The promise of resurrection was no longer just ink on a page—it was a felt and present reality. Hope was winning. Jerry had come to a place we all should aim for–Fully surrendered and fully clinging.

What Are You Clinging To?

So this Easter, take a moment to ask yourself:

• What am I clinging to?

• Where does my hope rest?

• Am I trying to understand my way into peace or am I trusting the One who is peace?

Let it be Christ. Look to Him—and live.

Just Keep Looking

Richard John Neuhaus writes:

“Look at Him who is ever looking at you. With whatever faith you have—however feeble and flickering and mixed with doubt—look at Him.”

This Easter, in whatever place you find yourself, look to Him. Look to the One who embraced the tree on your behalf. See Him exiting the tomb in the glory of resurrection.

New creation is happening. He is writing a story—and you are a part of it.

Find your story in His story. His death was your death—His resurrection is your resurrection.

“May the God of great hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”
—Romans 15:13 (MSG)

Drinking from the right well.

In Mark Chapter 1, we witness an astonishing sequence of events—the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. John the Baptist proclaims Him. The Father affirms Him. The Spirit empowers Him. Jesus resists temptation, preaches with authority, calls disciples, casts out demons, and heals the sick. His fame spreads rapidly, and the crowds multiply.

Yet in the midst of this growing momentum, Mark 1:35 gives us a glimpse into the source of Jesus’ life and power:

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

With miracles breaking out and crowds pressing in, why would Jesus withdraw to pray? Why not ride the wave of success?

He knew where true life was found. Jesus drank from the right well—the presence of His Father.

What Well Are You Drinking From?

We are all driven by desire. As Christian philosopher James K.A. Smith puts it, “We are what we love.” Our hearts instinctively chase things—success, relationships, achievements, social status—hoping they’ll satisfy us. But these wells inevitably run dry.

The Samaritan woman in John 4 knew this ache. She had sought fulfillment in relationships, yet her soul remained thirsty. Then Jesus offered her something radically different:

“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”

She encountered the presence of God—and everything changed. She left her water jar behind and ran to tell others. Her soul had finally found what it was made for.

It’s not always obvious when our hearts are misaligned. Sometimes, it’s not the bad things that distract us—it’s the good things in the wrong place.

Let’s look at the story of Abraham and Isaac.

The Throne of the Heart

God gave Abraham a promise—he and Sarah would have a son. Against all odds, Isaac is born, and the promise is fulfilled.

But the story doesn’t end there.

God later calls Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham makes the trek up to the mountain with Isaac and builds the altar. As he places Isaac on the altar and begins to raise the knife, the Lord intervenes and stops him. This is a crazy story! What was God doing?!

I love A.W. Tozer’s commentary here. He paraphrases what he believes God was saying to Abraham:

“I never intended that you should actually slay the lad. I only wanted to remove him from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there.”

This narrative shows us that even good things can occupy the wrong place in our hearts. The Lord knows the danger when anything—even His own promises—takes His place.

The promise only has value because of the One who gives it. Jesus is our ultimate model of what it looks like for someone to have the right things occupying the right place. He drank from the right well.

Jesus Prioritized the Presence of God

The disciples saw Jesus do the impossible—heal the sick, cast out demons, multiply food, even raise the dead. Yet the one thing they asked Him to teach them was how to pray (Luke 11:1). They recognized the secret: prayer was the source of His power and intimacy with the Father.

Jesus—fully God, fully human—modeled a life anchored in communion with God. Before major decisions, after long days of ministry, and in moments of sorrow, He withdrew to pray. His identity wasn’t rooted in the applause of the crowd but in the voice of the Father.

Henri Nouwen once asked himself, “What is turning my vocation to be a witness to God’s love into a tiring job?” He realized he had been speaking more about God than with Him. Writing more about prayer than actually praying.

We face the same danger—doing stuff for God while neglecting time with God.

Leaving the Wrong Wells Behind

What wells have you been drinking from? Money? Social media? Career success? Have promises taken the place of the Promiser?

Even good things can produce negative results when they replace the presence of God.

But the invitation of Jesus still stands:

“Come to me…”

The veil has been torn. Access is open. The question is—will we take it? Will we draw near? 

Will we drink from the well of God’s Presence?

A life disconnected from God will have to find its meaning, purpose, and identity somewhere. Let God bring definition to your life. 

Reflective Questions to Consider

• What have I been turning to for comfort, identity, or fulfillment?

• Have I unintentionally placed good things above God on the throne of my heart?

• When was the last time I simply enjoyed being in God’s presence without needing to “do” something?

• What might it look like to rearrange my life around prioritizing the presence of  God?

WHAT SUSTAINS A FIRE FOR GOD IN THE HUMAN HEART?

Have you ever watched someone who was once on fire for Jesus slowly lose their passion? Maybe they used to talk about Him constantly, pray with intensity, and worship like nothing else mattered. But over time, that fire dimmed. They didn’t wake up one day and decide to walk away—it happened gradually, almost imperceptibly.

Drifting from Jesus rarely happens in a single moment of failure. What draws us away is typically far more subtle: dullness.

Robert Capon once wrote, “We are in a war between dullness and astonishment.” And if I’ve learned anything in my 15 years of walking with Jesus, it’s that this war is real. Our outward behavior is just a symptom of something deeper. The gospel was never about behavior modification—it’s about a heart so gripped by Jesus that transformation becomes inevitable.

Jesus knew how easy it was for people to claim faith in Him while their hearts drifted far away.

In Matthew 7:22–23, Jesus describes a sobering scene:

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

The desire of Jesus is not simply what we do for Him—it’s who we become through Him. The people who accomplish the most for the Kingdom are those whose hearts have been gripped by astonishment. 

Astonishment Awakens Zeal

A heart seized with wonder doesn’t have to manufacture zeal.

I remember when my perspective on my wife, Kayla, suddenly changed. We had been friends for years, but one day, I saw her differently. From that moment on, pursuit was inevitable. The zeal in my pursuit wasn’t something I had to force; it was the byproduct of becoming astonished.

When the gospel becomes dull to us, we inevitably direct our affections toward lesser things. So, what is it that sustains a fire for God in the human heart?

Astonishment with Jesus. This is the key for sustaining a heart on fire.

Distraction constantly threatens to steal or misdirect our affections. I’m often amazed at how easy it is to read Scripture and remain unmoved. This is the fruit of a distracted heart. Take Romans 5:6, for example:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Does that move you when you read it? Are you comprehending what Paul is saying? Or has it become so familiar that it no longer stirs your soul?

Charles Spurgeon once commented on this verse by saying, “Gratitude for such favor stands dressed in robes of wonder.” But too often, the opposite is true for us: “Familiarity with this truth sleeps under the spell of dullness.”

We don’t need more head knowledge—we need our hearts to quake under the weight of revelation. Michael Reeves captures it well when he wrote: “He is not a truth to be known unaffectedly. Seen clearly, the dazzling beauty and splendor of God must cause our hearts to quake.”

The Spirit Awakens Astonishment

The Spirit longs to glorify Jesus. While our flesh craves created things—comfort, status, and approval—the Spirit yearns for Christ. As Tim Keller puts it, “The Spirit longs to show us Christ and to conform us to Christ.” Jesus tells us that, “He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14)

This longing is not distant but deeply personal. The Spirit desires to captivate our hearts, to awaken us to the magnificence of Jesus. As He reveals Christ to us, our affections shift. Suddenly, our love for Him eclipses every lesser desire, and we find that He is what our hearts were made for.

This new affection doesn’t merely coexist with old loves—it overtakes them. 

There is a story in Luke chapter 7 where a sinful woman begins to wash the feet of Jesus with her tears and pour perfume over them. The Pharisee who was present could not understand why Jesus was allowing this. Dull hearts can’t comprehend extravagant worship. Jesus goes on to tell the Pharisee that because she was forgiven much, she loved much. It’s the extravagance of the gospel that makes the heart astonished. 

Paul prayed that “the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened” and that we would receive “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” When the Holy Spirit illuminates the truth of who Jesus is and what he has done, it grips us so deeply that it changes us. 

This is the Spirit’s work in us—awakening astonishment by revealing Jesus. If we want a sustained fire for God in our hearts, it comes by the Spirit revealing Jesus to our hearts. Our external actions will always be the byproduct of what is happening at an internal level. An astonished heart results in an extravagant life for Jesus.

3 Practical Takeaways for Staying Astonished with Jesus

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to Give You an Astonished Heart
   Don’t just read about Jesus, ask the Holy Spirit to make Him real to you. Pray like Paul in Ephesians 1:17-18, asking God to open your eyes and illuminate your heart with who He really is. The goal isn’t just knowing about Him but becoming seized by Him. Pray this prayer everyday for the next five days and watch your heart come alive.

2. Check What’s Stealing Your Awe
   What’s got your attention? If your heart feels numb to Jesus, it’s time to check what’s been filling your mind. Social media, Netflix, etc.—if it’s keeping you from being astonished by God, it’s time to turn from those things and turn toward Jesus. Get rid of the unnecessary distractions that aren’t feeding your soul.

3. Stir Your Heart Towards Him
   Loving Jesus isn’t about doing more—it’s about being with Him. Find what stirs your heart for Him, whether it’s worship, deep conversations with friends, or just being alone with your bible and a journal. Whatever it is, be present with Jesus there. Let him speak to you. 

A GREATER EXPECTATION…

As we continue forward in 2025, I want to challenge you with a simple but powerful truth: God is not casual in his disposition toward you. He is a Father who gives beyond measure, and His Kingdom is here and now.

The Kingdom of God Is At Hand

Jesus’ message was clear: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15) This wasn’t just a future promise—it was a present reality. In the person of Jesus came the presence and power of the Kingdom of God. Too often, we trust Jesus for our future salvation but struggle to believe in Him for transformation and breakthrough right now.

Our approach to Christianity should never be casual. Wesley Duewel writes, “We experience so little of God’s touch upon us because our asking for it is so casual and superficial.” Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” That means we should EXPECT His presence, power, and miracles in our daily lives.  

Nowhere is Safe

Frederick Buechner once wrote:

“Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of him again. Once they have seen him in a stable, they can never be sure where he will appear or to what lengths he will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation he will descend in his wild pursuit of humankind… This means that we are never safe, that there is no place where we can hide from God, no place where we are safe from his power to break in two and recreate the human heart.”

There are reports springing up from all across the world. God is touching down on communities, churches, universities, high schools and beyond. The Kingdom works everywhere, no place is off limits and nowhere is safe.

The Father’s Good Pleasure

God is not reluctant—He delights in giving us the Kingdom (Luke 12:32). His love is extravagant, His grace is abundant, and His power is available now. If we want to know the Father, we look at Jesus—healing the sick, setting captives free, and calling the broken into wholeness. He is still doing what He has always done. 

Yet, we often live with low expectations, limited by fear, doubt, or past disappointments. But Ephesians 3:20 declares that God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

In the words of Vance Havner:

”The ancient message has not lost its ancient power.”

Expect More

I believe, along with so many others, that breakthrough is at the door—healing, restoration, provision, revival, and the power of God invading every space. 

My question for you is: What are you expecting from God?

• Is fear holding you back?

• Have past disappointments caused you to lower your expectations?

Brennan Manning made the observation that too many Christians are living in the house of fear rather than the house of love. If you find yourself today in the house of fear, it’s time to vacate the premises.

 Move into the house of God’s love. His grace is working in powerful ways toward you!

Just like Elisha’s servant, may God open our eyes to see: we are surrounded by His glory, power, and provision. It’s time to step into Kingdom expectation.

Fear not—your Father delights in giving you the Kingdom.