Easter, Resurrection and Human Growth

It occurred to me this week that non-believers who roundly criticize Christians may be doing so because they desperately need us to be moral, ethical and generous. There are so few models of love, morality and ethics in the world that people are in despair for themselves and the world.

Somehow, someway, modern unbelievers are straining to believe in God but, in their view, the people who claim to how and follow God are failing at such a high rate that they lose hope. I realize that most of their criticisms are picking on a few bad apples but truthfully, I also get very discouraged when a well known Christian is caught in sin. The Roman Catholic Priests who sexually assaulted young men were a small minority, but it is the bad apples that get the publicity.

Easter, however, gives me hope and a hopeful message. Jesus was dead but God raised Him up.we were dead in our sin but God raised us up with Jesus. But here is the problem: we still carry around a dead part in our flesh. That dead part needs a daily resurrection. This is a message that is difficult to grasp. I knew I was born again by grace through faith. However, I somehow thought it was all up to me and my works after that.

I knew only God's grace and power could give me new life, but after becoming a child of God I assumed I was on my own. It was my power, my strength, my will, my wisdom and my trying that brought spiritual maturity. (If asked about it I may have said, correctly, that I needed the Holy Spirit to grow, but nobody asked me and I assumed it was up to me.)

How about you? Do you know you need resurrection power each and every day? Do you feel tremendous guilt and shame when you are imperfect? Do you turn to your own will and your own strength or to God for the ability to overcome the inner dead man?

Come Holy Spirit and heal my troubled soul. Come with your resurrection power and give life to my mortal body. Allow me to live in union with Christ.