I just left my wife. Not permanently – just for four weeks, but it did require some careful negotiations.
The day before I left on an extended tour with some college students, I wanted to prove my love again for my beautiful bride of 37 years. I stayed up to the wee hours, filing our taxes, cleaning the basement and garage, rearranging furniture, and hanging pictures before our big family Easter party.
I’ve learned that nothing makes my wife happier than paying close attention to her “honey-do” list!
In a much more profound way, our Creator knows the perfect way to prove His love for all of us. If Good Friday wasn’t enough, then the real proof is in the Easter story.
Skeptics have tried to disprove the resurrection of Jesus, but one by one they are won over by the evidence Something dramatic happened then that changed the disciples of Jesus forever.
They were transformed from a scattered group of despondent deserters into a relentless force that took the good news of Jesus’ resurrection throughout the known world in just a few years. Not even the threat of imprisonment, torture, or martyrdom could stop them. People seldom die for a lie – they had seen the risen Lord!
While the death of Jesus means we can be forgiven for the past, the resurrection of Jesus offers us the power to change the present and future.
Our student team witnessed a perfect illustration of that from the start of our tour. We heard an incredible story from a young man who had survived 26 foster homes, constant abuse, life on the streets, rape, child prostitution, drug addiction, jail time, and a pervasive sense of self-loathing. And yet what we saw before us did not match the description of his past.
This was a man completely turned right-side-up by the resurrection power of Jesus, wanting to be baptized at the Easter service.
He knew that Jesus loved him and now this was his chance to prove that he loved Jesus right back!
I get to see this kind of commitment every day of our tour.
I’m travelling with a group of dedicated students who have just finished a grueling semester of studies. Most people would expect them to take some well-deserved time off and then look for summer work to save up enough tuition money for school again in September.
But these students have decided they would rather pay their way to travel 16,000 kilometres together in one crowded van. The message they are sharing across Canada and the U.S. is a challenge to live out God’s love wherever we go. They are living proof that Jesus is alive and well, and that his love extends all the way to this generation.
By the way, that includes you. What more proof do you need?
Rob Buzza is pastor at NorthRidge Church.