Jesus Gives Me Life
Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. I think the most important issue is that it celebrates the resurrection of our Lord. That always excites me because of the monumental amount of help I receive in my life “because He lives.”
Sometimes I just sit and marvel at what must have been happening at the tomb around the time Jesus arose from the dead and came forth. Just for your information, there was a Guard posted at the grave. A Roman Guard consisted of 16 well trained men capable of holding 36 square feet of ground against an entire battalion of the opposing force. The ground shook and the guards became as dead men. Hey, they fainted. What a sight that must have been. I seriously doubt they went home bragging about that great conquest. Jesus stirred things up that morning.
I love Easter because Spring is in the air. Things are coming to life and colors are moving from dark and dismal to bright and beautiful. It reminds me that the darkness of death, that will one day overtake each of us, will be overcome and that we will, once again, by the power of God, spring to life. We have hope that transcends any negatives that might ever be present in our lives. And it is all because of God’s power to give life.
I love seeing people in church that, for some, anyway, you don’t usually see. It touches me to know that people are still touched by His resurrection and encourages me to want to share even more of what could be had on a daily basis if we would but consider Him daily. I love this because it speaks to a need that each of us has in our life. We have a need to know that God has the power to give life… even after we die. It stirs us to know that Jesus raised from the dead and that He has the absolute power to do the same for us. On top of that, He also has given us the promise that He will do just that. It makes us want to shout it from the rooftops and let the world know that there his hope for all of us. There is life after death.
I love Easter because families get together. God loves community. He loves fellowship. And, He loves it when families get together and share their lives with one another in a deep and abiding way. Our own families teach us how to respond to one another in the family of God. It is a practice that helps us hone our sense of community and need for one another.
I hope and pray that this time of the year will be a marking point in all of our lives to help us appreciate God more for what He has done, is doing and will do in our lives. I pray that we will be people of courage and conviction, planted in the rock-solid heart of Jesus Christ, from who we receive our hope and our help. Because He raised from the dead, He proved that everything He ever said or did was true. He is living proof, as a walking testimony, that you and I can fully depend on the promises of God.
May your day be blessed!