Can you take it up again?

This week I was worshiping with a church in Fairmont, WV, and the Holy Spirit gave me one of those "Aha Moments." It was very meaningful to me so I thought I would share it with you. As the pastor was finishing up his sermon he said something about Jesus laying down his life for us. In an instant, the Holy Spirit very clearly reminded me that Jesus said he not only laid down his life but he took it up again.

I thought about how difficult it was for Jesus to lay down his life – all that it meant to die for us, the agony he suffered, the stain of sin he bore, the separation from the Father he endured. How wonderful is his love for us! But that wasn’t the point the Holy Spirit was making in my mind and heart. I remembered what Jesus had said – in the King James Version – I have power to lay it down and power to take it back up again. That echoed in my soul like a thunderclap.

Jesus was given power to lay down his life. Jesus was given power to take it up again. He had to choose to do both. He had to choose to die in his body. He had to choose to live again in his body. I wonder how hard it was for him. I wonder if – humanly speaking – he thought, “You know, this living in the flesh hasn’t proven to be the most enjoyable thing I could have gone through. I wonder if I come back in the body if more of this suffering is in store for me… Maybe I’ll just skip the resurrection of the body. Maybe I won’t take up my life again…” Jesus may not have felt that at all, but we do.

Like Jesus, I, too, have the power to lay down my life and, if I choose, the power to take it up again. Yes, I recognize that I have laid down my life. I am not trying to sound spiritually smug or self-satisfied: God has given me grace to lay down my life in the service of the gospel. God has enabled me to keep the right spirit of service and faithfulness in the face of Satan’s attacks. Laying down my life, I have tried to live the way Jesus would have, “answering not a word.” I have gained a sense of satisfaction from that. God needs to help me in that, I know, but I have felt that my spirit has been pleasing to our Jesus.

What the blessed Lord spoke to my heart last Sunday is this: Don’t be satisfied with the first part only. Be like me in the second part, too. Take up your life again. I have given you the power to do it, but you must do it, you must take it up again. I cannot be satisfied with just having laid down my life. To this point, that has been the “easy” part. (Perhaps I should say the less difficult of the two…)

As I said, Jesus may not have struggled with taking his life back up again, but I know that I am face with the very real temptation to think: “Is it worth it? Do I really want to be a minister? A pastor? Can I take up life again? Trust again? Believe again? Love again? Serve again? Lead again? Pastor again? Even pray again?” The answer was and is a resounding “Yes! Jesus took his life up again, and I will too!”

It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Thank you, Lord, for giving me power not only to lay down my life but also for giving me power to take it up again. No one took it from me, but I laid it down of my own choosing. And no one will make me take it back up, either. I alone have the power and authority to take life back up. I will begin today and continue every day to embrace life with great expectation.

Hope you are having a great Thursday!