I am Awake because Jesus is Alive

(This is an unraveling series I will be covering for several months - at least two a month.)

My mom taught me the difference between thanking the Lord and praising Him. She said with thanksgiving, we are thanking Him for something He has done, but when we praise the Lord, we are focusing on His character - who He was, is, and always will be. Mom showed me an example how we can praise the Lord: take a letter from the alphabet per day and choose words beginning with said letter to praise Him. My favorite letter was E, because He was like an Evergreen tree. No matter what was happening in my world or how I was feeling, He always remained the same like an Evergreen tree - nothing and no one could pressure Him to change His character.

I praised Him through the alphabet multiple times, but one day I wanted to add a spice to the mix though I didn't know how. The Lord whispered in my thoughts, Add your identity because of Me. Hmm. I liked it.

Who was I because of Him through the alphabet?

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I am Awake because Jesus is Alive

Going through life I sometimes felt like Sleeping Beauty who was pricked on the finger and forced into a deep slumber - only a prince's kiss could wake her. Some pricked fingers of my life were binge watching TV, house chores ignored, accepted temptation to watch pornography and to masturbate, and my mind and heart were diverted from the Lord to something else. If Jesus was still in the grave, I would go through my life in a slumber, a haze of unproductivity, shame, and insecurities. Thankfully, the reality was Jesus was alive and active. No matter how many times I pricked my finger, Jesus did not leave me slumbering for too long. The only reason why I was awake was because Jesus was alive and active.

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Your turn.

Who are you because of Jesus through the letter 'A'?

Mark 16 (ESV)

Wake Up Sleeper by Austin French