Christ Lives

by

Donald G. Hayter

HE LIVES! HE LIVES! The cross is bare, the tomb is empty. Long since has the earth assimilated His outpoured blood. He was roused. The imprisoning stone before the tomb's entrance was rolled away and He walked out into the garden, alive from the dead. Death and the Adversary were vanquished.

But He did not stay upon the earth, for He ascended, passing through the heavens, to the highest heights, to take His place at the right of the Most High God among the celestials. Glorious and powerful is He. No longer the humiliated, forsaken Man of pains. He was wounded and crushed. He was placed as a flockling for slaughter. Now however He is on high, exalted and mighty and honoured.

afe are we in the storms of life only as we have our hearts eyes inclined towards the Lord in glory. Transfer them to the billows of adverse circumstance and we shall sink and struggle in their turbulences. Remember Peter. We should not, for strength in the present conflict, look backwards in the past to our Lord in His humiliation. There are indeed valuable lessons to be learned from His life in the flesh, but now we should know Him so no longer. If we ponder upon those days we need always to lead our thoughts onwards to the present, for now He is above, never again to be humiliated and forsaken and given up to death. The tomb is deserted for ever.

Our hearts eyes should pierce the obscuring clouds and see beyond them, for up there is all our expectation and treasure; if we truly believe this, our heart will be there, and not disposed to the terrestrial. On earth there is much that distracts and diverts our gaze. Inevitable it is for most of us, as the daily routine occupies our attention. But let it not absorb us completely. Even our sins and infirmities, our faltering faith, and the trials and sufferings that are allotted to each of us in measure--none of these should engross us to the exclusion of what we have in Christ. They are indeed all part of the pathway to glory, and our discipline for sonship, the schooling needed for our regal vocation above. On earth we are pilgrims, expatriates and aliens. We are in truth nationals of another country. Our realm and city are in the highest heights of the heavens. Citizens are we of the celestial Jerusalem, capital and metropolis of the celestial kingdom of the Son of God's love. Already the Christ is there. The day, the hour, and the moment is approaching when He will descend, passing downward once again, through the heavens, till He comes to the air that girdles the earth. Then He will call and summon His beloved saints to meet Him. He will sound the trumpet and we will be changed, together with those who have fallen asleep. In clouds we will rise upwards with the speed of thought, to assemble around our Lord in the trysting place in the air. And thus we shall always be together with the Lord!

Come Lord Jesus, for naught have we upon this earth that would hold us here!

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