The first act of obedience my pastor encouraged me in was to follow Jesus in baptism. Obedience can be difficult for a stubborn girl, but with further encouragement from my pastor and my husband (who wanted us to be baptized together), I surrendered my stubborn will for HIS better way.
As Pastor Brown held my head, I held my nostrils, and he dunked me into the freezing cold water with these words, “buried in the likeness of His death.” As he raised me out of the water, he said, “raised in the likeness of His resurrection.” I would love to say that I completely died to self that day but, truth be told, it is still a daily struggle and commitment after 49+ years…yes, still stubborn by nature. Ugh!!
Paul said, “I die daily.” It’s not a one and done. And raised in the likeness of His resurrection? Well, all I can say about that is, since accepting Jesus into my heart and life, I have never been the same. Before I met Him, I was physically alive, but spiritually dead. But on that day He changed the trajectory of my life in every way. Though never to be perfect in this life, He has guided me to a life that is following HIM, the Only One who IS perfect in every way. This has made all the difference.
Today we lean into the Saturday in between, the day between the death of our Savior and His resurrection, the day He was in the tomb and yet some say, taking our sin to the pits of hell itself. It’s a good day to contemplate what it really means for all my sin and shame to be buried in HIM, for my self-centeredness to be put to death, and to ultimately be raised in the likeness of His resurrection.
Oh yes, I am still in process and will be until heaven, but it is certainly worth processing. It is worth contemplating the fact that HE gave His all for you and me as our Redeemer, the Ransom for our sin, bridging the gap between us and a Holy God! Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God, who knew no sin, became sin for us! Doesn’t that make you want to give your all for HIM!!?! Oh, what a Savior!!! 🙌🏻✝️♥️
Celebrate His Love ~ with Dori Drabek 