And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. Mark 16:2-4
When I was reading this verse I saw something I had never seen before. I love that about Scripture. You can read or hear part of it all your life- this is part of the Easter story- yet you can still receive new messages from it. Anyway, what struck me was that these women were going to do their duty for Christ no matter what obstacle lay in the way. A huge boulder separated them from their Lord. Something even together with all their strength they would find difficult to move. Yet, they discovered God removed it for them.
What is your boulder that is separating you from fully experiencing the love of Christ? Are you doing your Christian duty, yet something is blocking you from finding joy in it? Perhaps you know someone who just won’t accept Christ yet- it is as if they are almost there but something immovable is blocking their view of Him. I think the boulders in our life is that three letter word- SIN. (Separated In Negligence).
Sin separates us from the Holy God. It blocks us from receiving the full measure of His grace and from doing what we are called to accomplish in His name. It stops the flow of joy. When we neglect to confess our sins and repent, we wedge a barrier between us and our Lord. It is too insurmountable for us to remove ourselves. Only God can do that. In fact He already has. That is why the stone is rolled away and He is alive.
Dearest Lord, we have all sinned. None of us deserve to be in Your presence or receive Your blessings in our lives. Yet by the grace of Your Son’s sacrifice, You have demolished the barrier that separates us from You. Point out my daily sins while they are still pebbles. Don’t let them build up into a barrier between us. I am lost without You in my life. You are my source of joy, love and life. Renew a right Spirit within me and give me the joy of Your saving help again, as it says in Psalm 51, this day and forever more. Thank you. Amen.
