Empty yet Full

Jeremy was not a normal child. He had a terminal illness which affected both his body and his mind. Still, his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to a religious elementary school. At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. He was a frustration to his teacher and to all the children in the class.
Springtime came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Their teacher told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg with this assignment: "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"
All the children responded enthusiastically, "Yes, Miss Miller!" All of them, that is, except for Jeremy. He just listened carefully, his eyes never leaving the teacher’s face. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus’ death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? The teacher thought perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them, but she got busy and forgot.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in a large wicker basket on Miss Miller’s desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Miss Miller found a flower. She said, "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life. When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That’s my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.
The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked real. The teacher held it up. She said, "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that is new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine!"
Next, the teacher found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My daddy helped me!"
Then the teacher opened the fourth egg. But the egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy’s, she thought, and, obviously, he didn’t understand her instructions. If only she hadn’t forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren’t you going to talk about my egg?" A bit flustered, the teacher said, "But Jeremy -- your egg is empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty, too!"   Illustration thanks to Jerry Shirley
"I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life….”
Jeremy, who was considered the worst student understood the meaning of the empty tomb better than anyone. How often do we look at the world and think of the sacrifice that the person who created all things did for us? We see the miracle of new life almost every day. Where are you in your understanding of it all?  We can learn a lot from Jeremy’s statement.
What is the “New Life” that Jesus spoke of? Did you know that there are over 1400 references to life in Scripture? That would take a bunch of pages so here is a sample of what the Bible shows us through Paul’s writings:
 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
If we abide in Christ we become new. This is a spiritual renewal which is followed by a change in our character and values. After all, we are made in His Image, not physically but in character and values, i.e. the mental/spiritual state. But, these changes in the heart lead to changes in the outer appearance as well.
Romans 6:4

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
When someone confesses and receives Jesus into their life they are baptized in the water and blood. We are transformed so we can really hear the true Holy Spirit speaking to us. 
Romans 8:1

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
We will be rewarded with a peaceful existence beyond the grave, basking in the glory of the Father. This is better than the alternative.
OK, so, here is the catch… There is a difference between believing in and being in Christ.
Anyone can believe, Atheists have proven that. We can say we believe in Jesus all we want and still go about living in the world.  Here is the difference. Look at those three verses again. We cannot be part of the world and part of Christ without major changes. The Gospels show us the transformation of His Disciples and others that He specifically reached out to after they reached for Him. To be in Christ means to follow His ways, to live a godly life even though we are exposed to the world.
 Secular society controls people saying that it is ok to sin and we want you to live in this sinful lifestyle. In fact, some of the secular media glorifies a life in sin without the total consequence being known. That is a dangerous place to live in. Being in Christ does not mean to stay ignorant of the world but it calls for being in defense mode, protecting your home from the evils that lead to temptation which lead to sin.
Christ Is Alive!!! He is living in us through the Holy Spirit. If we let the sins of society take over our lives we easily become believers not be-ers. We can Be (in Christ) Lieve (Live a Godly Life) but only if we truly keep to our confession of Christ and Keep His Word, meditating on it Daily.
Here is a thought for this Easter season and the rest of the years to come. Keep an empty container with you to remind you that Jesus is not dead, He is Risen; He is Alive; (most of all) He is Alive in Me.