Crucifixion, Resurrection, Now What??? We’ve just passed through the Easter season and experienced, hopefully, the resurrected Christ within each of us. Did you feel something?

Often when you go through a crucifixion experience, otherwise known as a challenge or major issue, you can have a resurrection, an awakening, a re-vitalizing moment - one that gives you juice and a feeling of spiritual victory. Then what sometimes happens is a let down feeling - so the question comes...how do we maintain the resurrection experience, how do we maintain the awakening, the opening and how do we continue along our journey without going back to sleep.

Did you allow the Easter season to transform you this year? Either way, if you did or if you didn’t, now that Easter has past, now that Jesus has been resurrected again, now what? How will you be different, changed? How will you stand in the upcoming weeks and months? Does the fact that Jesus resurrected mean something to you personally?

From Daily Word, daily inspiration from Unity @ www.dailyword.com

Christ is Risen! Life is renewed and I am grateful.

Jesus, our Way Shower, lived a life of overcoming. Through awareness of his eternal nature and oneness with God, Jesus demonstrated mastery even over death. His followers were amazed and overjoyed as they recognized the risen Christ Jesus.

Easter is a celebration of the resurrection. With joy, I acknowledge the rising of my own Christ nature. Following the teachings of Jesus, I overcome trials of doubt and fear that may have darkened my mind. One with the overcoming power of Christ, I rise and shake off the past. Any stone of despair lying heavy on my heart rolls away in the bright morning light. Guided by my inner Christ Presence, I joyfully walk in the newness of life.

"Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." ---Romans 6:4

There are two times a year when light, love and spiritual awareness are at their highest: Christmas and Easter. There is the Christmas season when everyone is filled with cheer and love for one another. Christians are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Then there is Easter which begins with the celebration of Palm Sunday and ends with the Resurrection of Christ.

It is interesting to note the activity of the crowd of people in scripture who surrounded Jesus on Palm Sunday and later at his trial before Pontius Pilate. John, a disciple of Jesus Christ, writes about this crowd and gives an account of their behavior:

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, 'Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!' John 12: 12-13 (NLT)

One might say the crowd consisted of different people; I would argue that they are one in the same. Different people may have moved in and out of the crowd; but the basic make up of this crowd consisted of the same people. The crowd started out believing Jesus was the Messiah; but then changed and wanted Him crucified. What happened? In general, the crowd had one thing in common; it is referred to in the scripture as “unbelief”:

But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done most of the people still did not believe in him. John 12:37 (NLT)

Today, instead of saying “unbelief” we would probably use terms like negative thinking. The crowd also had something else in common, fear. With this deadly combination of negative thinking and fear, whatever amount of faith they had was destroyed as evidenced by them crying out “crucify him.” So how does this apply to us today.

Each moment we are surrounded by a crowd of negative thoughts, thoughts of unbelief and fear. This crowd does not necessarily exist outside of us, but in our mind. It is our personal crowd consisting of thoughts of doubt, disappointment, disillusionment, fear and downright stinkin thinkin. This is the crowd that cries out to crucify the positive thoughts, crucify our hope and faith.

This crowd causes pain and challenges our faith. How are we going to deal with this crowd?