A Riverfire Meditation on Inextinguishable Hope in King Jesus Messiah

by James Harvey

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18 NIV)

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”  (Revelation 22:12-14 NLT)

I am a third generation preacher. I’ve had a very rocky spiritual road to get where I am today as a leader of a global missionary tribe.

When I was training in seminary, all the other men and women around me seemed super holy. They seemed to have everything together. Their answers in class always felt more wise & insightful than anything I had to say. As I watched my fellow students, it appeared that righteous living was much easier for them than for me.

I smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol, often getting drunk in my dorm room late at night. I barely passed my Hebrew and Greek classes. I constantly waged war psychologically & spiritually against my natural tendencies towards addiction and self destruction while I was training for ministry. Being holy has never been natural to me; I’ve had to fight tooth, nail, and claw for every good work in my life.

We Christians just celebrated the Miraculous Resurrection of our Messiah King Jesus Christ yesterday. But Easter doesn’t hit me the same way Christmas does. I know Easter is very special for many believers, but it’s just another day for me. It’s not because I don’t love Jesus, it’s because Easter celebrations are in the middle of Spring, rather than the end of the year like Christmas.

Christmas is this whole season of peace, hope, and joy with its own music and colorful lights and gift giving and sense of finality to another year finally finished. But Easter is this day where we praise God for Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and Satan, but then the next day we are back to the grindstone of life and work. It feels like a special day, but not a set apart season. I’m fascinated by how different the feeling is for the two Christian celebration days. I celebrate Christmas for a whole month, but Easter just gets a weekend. 

At the end of the day, Easter for me is a lifestyle, not a weekend celebration. As Christians, we are called to live in the reality of Christ’s Resurrection Life. He didn’t just rise from the grave 2,000 years ago; he is the Resurrection & the Life. He is the living reality of God’s salvation mission to the world.

He’s alive today, Alive Forevermore! That’s what this whole thing is: living in the reality that our God is alive. He’s the Creator of Heaven & Earth. Anything good, beautiful, inspiring, or wonderful that touches our souls and brings us pure joy… it’s all been created by God and flows out of who he is. Anything good on earth is simply a reflection of who he is, how glorious he is.

And our God is alive. He’s in heaven living and reigning the universe and all spiritual realms and supernatural beings. He’s in charge: he’s sovereign, and he’s intimately involved in everything we think and decide to do. He’s not far away; he’s here with us. He cares, and he’s available to us. 

He didn’t just make a way for us to go to heaven, he brings heaven to us through his Holy Spirit, who lives inside everyone who repents of their sins, believes in his Resurrection, and asks him to be their Lord. He sends his Holy Spirit to live in us, and the Holy Spirit speaks to us as our Companion, Helper, Teacher, and Advocate.

That’s the real wonder of Easter: Jesus didn’t just open a door for us to be restored, he opened the door for the Holy Spirit to live in us, to become the Good Shepherd with us who guides us every day and gives us hope that can’t be extinguished or destroyed.

We have a Living Hope, and his glorious life fills our lives with so much more than good news about what happens when we die.

He didn’t just bring us Good News; he gave us New Life.

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Father, we worship and praise you. Thank you for so loving the world, that you sent your only Son to die and save us. While we were sinners, Jesus died to rescue us. Our Marvelous Redeemer lives, and he will return soon.

Lord Jesus, help us to live in the beauty & wonder of your Resurrection Life now and always. We want to rest in your presence and your goodness every day. Life is tough, and we will continue to face many trials and troubles and painful experiences here on this earth. But we take heart today because you have overcome the world, and our hope is in you and your coming Kingdom, not on anything that’s here now.

Let Easter be our banner. Not just for a weekend, but every day all year long. Let us be a people of Resurrection Life. Let us prepare for your coming Kingdom in our hearts by abiding in your presence, focused on you, our eyes fixed on you, our minds always listening for the whispers of your Holy Spirit speaking to us and showing us that next step to take in faith & trust.

We love you, we bless your Holy Name, in Jesus’ name we pray, trust, and believe, Amen. 

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Riverfire Life is an attempt to help you experience a daily friendship with the Holy Spirit. These meditations and stories are written from the hearts & experiences of global missionaries. 

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[Image credit: Christian digital artist Christopher Powers, fullofeyes.com]