40 More Days of Jesus

Last night at church, I heard an interesting thought. One that I never really dwelt on before, but definitely want to now.

“We spend so much time focusing on Jesus leading up to Easter, but then when it’s over, we don’t dwell on Him as much. He spent another 40 days on earth before ascending to Heaven! It didn’t end on Resurrection Sunday.”

How very true… We focus on what we are going to give up for Lent, or we focus on Good Friday and the days leading up to the Resurrection Celebration. But, we don’t stop and think about the fact that Jesus appeared to over 500 people over the course of the forty days following His resurrection. He didn’t just die, rise again and then peace out of here. He stuck around because He still had things to do!

So, I decided that for the next 40 days, I want to “see” Jesus. I want to make a purposeful effort every single day for the next 40 days, to “see” Jesus. I believe that he makes himself known to us every day, but it is not often that we acknowledge that it is Him. We are so caught up in our lives and with our agendas, that if it isn’t Sunday, we are not thinking about Him. It goes deeper than that though… We can acknowledge and think about Jesus without “seeing” Him.

When I was in college, I was CRAVING dried mangoes. Nobody knew that I wanted them, and I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t have the extra money to buy them, so I just said to the Lord in passing, “You know Lord, I would really love some dried mangoes.” Two days later, my mom sent me a package, and what do you know, inside was a bag of dried mangoes. That is what I mean by “seeing” Jesus. Those mangoes were from my mom, BUT, ultimately, they were from the Lord. He sent them to me, and I “saw” Him because of it.

40 days from today is May 10^th. I want to invite and encourage you to join me during the next 40 days. Document and acknowledge the ways that Jesus makes Himself known to you. Maybe it is in your devotions. Maybe it is in a text from a friend. Maybe you see something while you are driving to work and it reminds you of a spiritual truth or promise. Acknowledge it. And like those who saw Jesus after His resurrection, tell other people! Do not keep these appearances to yourself. Share it with friends, family, and strangers. Use social media. Use texting. Send a card telling someone about how you “saw” Jesus. I believe that the next 40 days can be very powerful and eye opening for many, many people.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:20