Full, or Empty?

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, many of us celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.  We saw that the empty tomb proved Jesus had told the truth about himself and that he was, truly, alive forever (Rev. 1:18).  The tomb being empty, that was good!  If Jesus' body had been found there, still dead, it would have been the end of the story.  He would have been, as some claim today, "just a great teacher."  But it was empty, and that gives us the positive assurance of eternal life -- and even more, a great life right now.  Why? 

The story of the women visiting the tomb early on Sunday morning to find the tomb empty and Jesus resurrected, according to the testimony of the angel (Mark 16:1-8) showed them "shocked ...trembling ...bewildered...frightened."  They were "full" of fear, anxiety and doubt.  They were also "empty" of faith, assurance and the power of God.

Sometimes we are just like them.  We feel empty, but Jesus tells us that he is the source of true food (John 6:32-35) and living water (John 4:10-14).  So why, then, do we spend so much time trying to fill ourselves up with other things?  We use food, alcohol, drugs, entertainment, books, video games, sports, power and prestige, sex, porn, or just busyness, to try fill the void that is inside us.  We try to numb the feelings of emptiness and uselessness, so we don't have to admit how empty we feel.

Or we are full of anxiety and pain that we don't want to let go of.  We gain some perverse sort of identity from being angry at someone for an offense from years ago, or from the way our parents treated us.  We are so worried about how life is going to turn out, and trying to control everything so that life will look like we think it should, that we can't let go our fears.  But Jesus tells us not to be afraid -- that was one of his most frequent commands -- and simply to believe (Mark 5:36).  He tells us to come and give all our junk to him, to stop carrying it around and find rest  (Mat. 11:28-30) by trusting him to take care of it all.

So, dear reader, what's it going to be?  Empty or full?  Continue the frustration of attempting solutions on your own, or giving up and letting Jesus provide every thing you need?  Holding on to pain, guilt, anger and blame, or forgiving and letting love from Jesus flow through you?  He's already cleared the way for you.  Your sins no longer hang over your head (or the heads of those you refuse to forgive...) but it's still your choice whether to live in peace or in pain.  Give up, surrender to his grace, and you'll be filled with overflowing joy and peace.