Rejoicing in His Resurrection! - Wendy Burks

Rejoicing in His Resurrection!

Low in the grave He lay

Jesus my Savior!

Waiting the coming day

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes

He arose a Victor from the dark domain

And He lives forever with His saints to reign

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Do you have a favorite Resurrection hymn? This has been a favorite of mine since my college days. You could just “feel” the excitement and joy in the room! We serve a risen Savior!

Did you sing this song yesterday? I am sure that you, like me, are still rejoicing in His resurrection following yesterday’s services, congregational singing, special music, and all the emphasis that was given to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It is, after all, what the Gospel is all about!

There is a verse in Philippians (the joy book) that mentions Christ’s resurrection that has always intrigued me. The verse is Philippians 3:10 and it says: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death...” What exactly do you think Paul was saying to the church in Philippi? Remember, Paul is actually writing this letter from prison, and he is encouraging this church in Philippi to realize the importance of righteousness through FAITH in Jesus Christ and not their own works. He warns them about following tradition and emphasizes KNOWING Christ. Paul is referring to a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

But how does one develop this type of relationship? How does it go from just “knowledge” to actually KNOWING Him? I believe the “key” is found in the end of the verse: “...being made conformable unto his death...”

I remember a particular college class when I was taught to choose a “God loves me” sign. This particular teacher chose redbirds as her “God loves me” sign. She said that whenever she sees a redbird, she took it as a “sign” that God was saying “I love you.” It was a great class. There was much more taught that day, and everything that was said was to encourage us to choose our own personal “God loves me” sign. I left class that day with a smile on my face (as a good, Christian girl should) but I was grumbling in my spirit. (Though no one else knew it!) These were my thoughts: “Of course she sees redbirds all the time, cardinals are the state bird!” “Of course people are going to gift you redbirds, you said you like them! But that means they love you...not God!” I was SKEPTICAL. I walked towards my room and decided to stop by my mailbox at the post office on campus. As I placed my key inside the lock, I saw the number above, and inwardly said, “Ok, God. If you want to tell me you love me, show me THAT number, those three decimals in that order, somewhere out in public and I will believe it’s from you.”

Now, please know. I was a “good girl”. I never got into trouble. I followed the rules. I made good grades. I was very obedient. I was saved, born again, on my way to Heaven, and I truly desired to serve God with my life. But, inwardly, I was skeptical. Why? Because my relationship with Christ was not intimate. I didn’t really KNOW Him. I knew a lot ABOUT Him...but my personal walk with Him was more out of duty, rather than devotion.

Not surprisingly, I didn’t immediately find that number (those three decimals in that specific order) anywhere aside from my mailbox. And every time I went there, I would remember that moment, and what did my skeptical brain think? I thought I was right, and that teacher (even though she was AMAZING) didn’t really know what she was talking about.

Ten years passed. I got married, had children, served in several ministries. I served as an assistant pastor’s wife, senior pastor’s wife, and evangelist’s wife. I served in the nursery, in SS, in Children’s church, in women’s ministries, on the bus route, in soulwinning and outreach ministries, and more! I was “doing” all the things I was supposed to do! And I truly loved my Savior. But He wanted something entirely different...something I didn’t even realize I was missing. It was “one thing”.

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) This is a verse that we have probably all read and heard preached countless times. But God used this verse to speak to me...personally. Jesus loved both Mary and Martha! (John 11 says so!) But Mary seemed to have something different – she had a level of devotion that caused her to drop everything and spend time at his feet. She put away her duty, her wants, her desires, her schedule, her opinion, her thoughts, her job, her family, her....everything....and just spent time with Him. She was “dead”. She had been transformed within and NOTHING else mattered but Jesus!

Paul, the writer of this letter to the church at Philippi wrote similarly in other books. In 1 Corinthians, he said he had to “die daily”. To the church at Galatia, he wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death...” In this verse, Paul is reminding the church at Philippi the same thing my precious teacher was trying to teach me. The very power that rose Jesus from the dead is available to me today! I can have access to that power!!

So why was I skeptical? Why wasn’t I experiencing it? I was doing all the things a good, Christian girl should do. What was I missing? I needed to die. Wendy Burks needed to learn to “die to self” daily, get alone with God intimately, and allow Him to speak to ME personally.

Friends, this is when my walk with God changed. It was no longer me who was doing the work or the duty, but it was Him! He, Jesus Christ, was doing the work through me. “It’s not me, it’s He!” And guess what? This is when I began seeing that precious 3-digit number...everywhere! On road signs, on my watch, on grocery signs, gas signs, car dealerships, menus, license plates, etc. And it always seems to be the exact moment I need to hear from Him.

I will never forget the day I was in Michigan with my husband who was preaching there on a Father’s Day Sunday. We had two teen children back at home in Illinois that day, a group of ladies (who were singing in the services) riding in the van with us, and I opened my “Find Friends” app to look at where my kids were as they should be driving to church at that time also. (Because all good parents stalk their children!) As I looked, I saw the location of my biological brother, who I met as an adult. I have two siblings with whom I share biological parents. I am a middle child, but the only one given up for adoption. At that time, my birth mother had already passed away and I had never met either of my biological parents. As I zoomed in on the location of my brother, I noticed he was not at home, but was in the state where our “father” lived. He was visiting him on Father’s Day. I zoomed in closer to my birth Father’s home, and found that his family farm was in the middle of nowhere, with a state highway surrounding it in the shape of a backward, capital “L” – and the number of that highway was that 3-digit number. God said, “Wendy, I see you and I love you. I know your heart. I know your desire. I’ve got you.” Tears came to my eyes as I knew. He loves me...and nothing else matters but Him.

"Likewise reckon (take inventory) ye also yourselves to be dead (a corpse -literally or figuratively)

indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:11)

Are you dead? Do you experience the power of His resurrection? It’s available to you and through it, you can have a personal, intimate relationship with Him!