Epperly Adventures: Power of the Resurrection

"10 years!" I think to myself as I sit at a computer weary from travel. Another whirlwind trip from Iowa to Guatemala. This is the 10th year of picking up my young family, and moving them to a foreign country.

Once again, we have returned to Guatemala, and I can't help but ask the question Why? Why do we leave our more comfortable life in the US? Our home? Why do we leave family? Why do we give up income? Why do we pull our kids out of school, and have them leave their friends?

With each passing year of my life, the travel becomes more tiresome, and these questions seem to grow louder. I also, no longer just have to satisfy my own mind with these questions. With each year my children have begun to wrestle more with these same thoughts.

The answer is simple, and yet profound, it is.....The Resurrection!

It would be easier to say:
we're doing this to help the poor
we're doing this to give medicine to those who have no access
we're doing this to give out of the excess from which we have been given

All these things are true, and good, but these are not the real reason. The real reason is that Shea and I firmly believe that due to The Resurrection we have to be willing to die to ourselves. Our lives are not our own, and we have to be willing to give up what seems best to our feeble human minds, and choose to intentionally live for HIM.

This idea of dying to ourselves seems like such a strange concept because everything inside of us desires to "do it our way". We think we know best, we think we have abilities, and talent that will allow us to succeed on our own. The reality is discussed in John 12:23-26 which essentially says that we must give up relying on our own power, and rely completely on Him to produce fruit. What a difficult concept?

The good news is that I can tell you this is true. When we have given up of ourselves, God has done more through us then we can ever do on our own power. Not only that, but there is a true contentment and joy that can only be achieved by relying completely on HIM.

CS Lewis eloquently described happiness below:

What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could “be like gods”—could set up on their own as if they had created themselves—be their own masters—invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

If we truly believe that Jesus lived, died, and arose from the grave, then none of us can live the same way. This Truth requires, and compels us to live not for ourselves but for Him.

…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11

With this thought let us celebrate the power of His resurrection through this Easter season!