GRAVES

graves

Graves depict the power of gravity - grave - ity!

Those in the graves are absolutely helpless
against the power of gravity.

The dead have no hope of overcoming gravity.

Gravity seems to have greater effect on our physical bodies

that are ageing and weak.

Just as physical life enables us to lift ourselves against gravity

spiritual life causes us to look up.

We lift up our eyes, heads, hands and hearts to the LORD.

He gives us spiritual life and strength.

When we so live spiritually,

one day even our physical bodies will defy gravity and rise!

It is the word of GOD that opens our spiritual ears.

It is the voice of the LORD that causes the dead to rise
- spiritually and physically.

As the cloud disappears and vanishes away,

So he who goes down to the grave does not come up.

- Job 7:9  

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might;

for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom
in the grave where you are going.

- Ecclesiastes 9:10  

I was driving past the graveyard where my mother's body
was laid to rest some months ago.
While she was living, she needed suitable food to be cooked for her;
She needed a carer who would bathe her;
Wash her clothes;
We always made sure she was comfortable.

As soon as she died her spirit and soul left her body.
Other than to be displayed beautifully in the coffin for the funeral,
that body no more needed any care.
In fact we did not even desire to keep that body in the house!
It was only fit to be buried six feet underground!

O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;

You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

- Psalm 30:3  

It is the Almighty GOD Who gives us breath and life.
Let us therefore praise Him with every breath!
While we have life, 
let us yield every part of our body to glorify GOD;
to fulfill the purpose for which He made us.
Let us use this body to be a blessing to others;
to bring joy; to relieve pain;
to reach out with love; to comfort and encourage.

Remember, your body is not meant to be an ornament of beauty;
but an instrument of worship to GOD
and an instrument of blessing to others.
It is not meant to be preserved and kept and admired.
It is meant to be used full well!

Jesus said, "Take away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him,

"Lord, by this time there is a stench,
for he has been dead four days."

Jesus said to her,

"Did I not say to you that if you would believe
you would see the glory of God?"

Then they took away the stone
from the place where the dead man was lying.

And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said,
"Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

"And I know that You always hear Me,

but because of the people who are standing by I said this,

that they may believe that You sent Me."

Now when He had said these things,
He cried with a loud voice,

"Lazarus, come forth!"

And he who had died came out
bound hand and foot with graveclothes,

and his face was wrapped with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:39-44

Lazarus was raised to life
by the LORD JESUS in his mortal body.
He was given another lease in this earthly life.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice,
and yielded up His spirit.

Then, behold,
the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;

and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
and the graves were opened;

and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

- Matthew 27:50-52

At the death of the LORD JESUS on the cross,
graves were opened 
and many bodies of the saints were raised to life!
Such was the power that was released!

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.

O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!

Pity is hidden from My eyes."

- Hosea 13:14  

 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,
For He shall receive me.

Selah - Psalm 49:15  

This is the hope we live with,
that one day our bodies will be raised from the grave!
This assurance comes to us from the LORD JESUS Himself
Who is the Resurrection and the Life!

"Most assuredly, I say to you,

he who hears My word
and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life,

and shall not come into judgment,
but has passed from death into life.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is,

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God;
and those who hear will live.

"For as the Father has life in Himself,
so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
"and has given Him authority to execute judgment also,
because He is the Son of Man.

"Do not marvel at this;

for the hour is coming
in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice "

and come forth--

those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,

and those who have done evil,
to the resurrection of condemnation.

- John 5:24-29

The LORD JESUS is our First Fruit:
He is our Fore Runner:
He is our Example.

We will be raised with a celestial body!
A body that will be incorruptible,
immortal!

Now this I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;

neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery;

We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed, In a moment,

in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:

for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,

and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,

and this mortal shall have put on immortality,

then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting?

O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

- 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

A beautiful, perfect body is useless without physical life in it!
Even an active, good life lived well on earth, cannot have the hope of eternal life
without the breath of life of the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

If you are spiritually dead, the LORD JESUS is calling you out by name

to come forth out of the grave of spiritual death!

....... COME FORTH!!

Hear the Voice of GOD and LIVE!!

As long as you have breath in your mortal body

Live life to the full
by always abounding in the work of the LORD!!

Gravity and Glory

Gravity pulls my body down while glory pulls my soul up!
Gravity is from the earth and its pull is downwards. Glory is from Heaven and its pull is upwards.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits. - Proverbs 16:2

While Gravity gives us physical weight Glory gives us spiritual weight.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. - Colossians 3:1-4  

Do not allow things of the earth that are affected by gravity cling to you, pulling your soul to depression.

As we start ageing and gravity seems to have more effect on our bodies, we should make sure that glory has  more effect on our souls.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Remember! Glory is more valuable, lasting and more important!!

When the upward pull prevails and the downward pull gives way, there is breakthrough in our spiritual life.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:1-2 

Let us be diligent to prepare ourselves for that day when gravity will no more have an effect not only over our souls but even our physical bodies, releasing us to ascend to glory!!

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17