"Now, on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And, it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here but is risen!" (Luke 24:1-6)
How often have we deprived ourselves of the blessing of enjoying God's presence because we feel that we do not deserve it? How often do we hear a person say that they do not visit Church because they are sinners and feel that they do not deserve his forgiveness? When starting our path into a life with God, we often feel unworthy; we often feel so far from God that we think of Him as someone unreachable and unapproachable. Is He like that? No, nothing is far from the truth. We are the ones that stay far away; we are the ones that usually evade having a closer relationship with Him, His son Jesus and His Holy Spirit because, deep inside, we think we are not worthy.
Why do we feel so far away? Why do we feel like He is so unreachable? I think we think and feel that way because we keep looking for Him in the places He is not. As the Wise men did, we seek Him on the manger, but He is not there. As Mary and the other women did, we seek Him on the cross, but He is not there. We keep seeing Him as someone who is far away looking upon us, not as someone who is with us every step of the way. These feelings can fade away if we seek Him more, if we surrender completely to His presence and when we start having a deep relationship with Him every day. He is beside us, waiting for us to acknowledge Him. He is waiting for us with open arms; he is knocking; you just have to open the door. "20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation3:20-21)
If we stay at the cross without acknowledging that He has risen, our faith turns unfruitful, and we submerge in a state of tragedy, unable to enjoy the triumph. When we do not acknowledge His Resurrection, we forget that when he left, He gave us the great blessing of having His Holy Spirit within us so we can have access to His presence 24/7. He wants us to rejoice in His company; he wants us to enjoy the blessing of walking with Him, to have a deeper relationship with Him. To have an intimate relationship with someone, you have to know that person; it is the same with God and the Holy Spirit. You have to get to know them to create strong bonds. The Holy Spirit wants to be alone with you because he wants you to know him. You can't walk in the power of someone you don't know. It is necessary to have a close relationship with the Holy Spirit because while it is true that the Holy Spirit is the power of God in us, it is also true that we must activate his power through a close relationship with Him.
How do we enjoy that He is alive? By getting to know Him through the Word of God embodied in the Holy Scriptures. That is why we must read the Bible daily, to be able to learn how God thinks, what he feels, and what he wants for us. Do not worry about what you do not understand; the same Holy Spirit will help you interpret it; because if we intend to know it, the same Holy Spirit of God will open our understanding to achieve it. By talking to Him daily. We need to seek him in prayer; we need to learn to listen to His voice. By asking for his advice regarding all decisions to be made. Who better than the Holy Spirit of God to guide and advise us. By obeying His Word. Close relationships are only between friends, and having a close relationship with the Holy Spirit means that He becomes our friend. But that friendship must be based on obedience, as Jesus said in John 15:14, "You are my friends if you do what I command you." It is obedience to the Word of God that makes us friends of the Holy Spirit.
As we celebrate Easter, I invite You to rejoice in His Resurrection, to acknowledge that He has risen among the dead, and it's waiting for you, Yes, you. He wants you to enjoy the freedom He gifted us when he rose. He wants you to experience life with Him by your side, a life where you can live with joy knowing that He conquered death, He won.
