*(warning: this post is one of those randomallovertheplacegooffonatangent posts! and, please forgive me for my elementary ramblings. i am not a deep thinker or an intellect. wish i was, but i am not. things usually sound way better in my head! i just really wanted to put into words some of the thoughts i am having this week. it's long, too- so i commend you, if you make it through the whole thing!)*
"It's about a Lamb, not a bunny."
as Easter approaches, i had to share this little quote that i recently saw. it's so true....for those of us who believe that Jesus suffered and died upon the cross. while it's fun to hunt for eggs and eat a ton of food (my favorite part of any celebration), that is not what Easter is about. Easter is about a Lamb. The Lamb. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain. He was the sacrifice for our sins (john 1:29).
today, many of us will recognize Good Friday, and it has always been strange to me that we call it "good." it doesn't seem "good" that Jesus suffered such a horrible death. it doesn't seem "good" that His beard was plucked out, that a crown of thorns was shoved deeply into His head, or that nails pierced His hands and feet. it doesn't seem "good" that He was so brutally beaten that He was beyond recognizable. and, that's only scratching the surface of what He endured. for me. for you. He died because....
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (john 3:16)
He died because we're worth it. He died because He wants us to be in heaven with Him when our time on this earth is up. He died because He loves YOU. wow. it's hard to fathom, really.
but- it's not enough for us to just believe that there was a Jesus, or that there is a God (god?). the Bible tells us that the devil and his demons believe in Christ (James 2:19). (and, umm.....they are obviously not in heaven.) what i mean when i say that is, we can't just say...."yeah, i believe there's a God"...do nothing with that belief, and expect to live eternally in heaven with Christ someday. isaiah 43:10 says...
"...so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He."
so, what do we do with our belief in Him? we don't just keep it to ourselves. we seek Him, learn His Word, worship Him for who He is. we grow in faith, and in knowledge....and then our belief turns into knowing Him. having a relationship with Him. for those of us who are Christians, it's not about religion. it's about having a relationship with our Creator. the Maker of heaven and earth. our heavenly Father. our Prince of Peace. our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. our Lamb. it's not about a list of "do's" and "don'ts."
hebrews 12:2 says....
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
wow. we are that joy that the verse speaks of! do you consider yourself a "joy?" i often have a hard time when i think of myself as being a "joy" to the Lord. yet, again and again in His Word....that's what He calls us. (you might even say we're His pride and joy!) Jesus delights in us. wow. it's hard to take in.
though we are His joy, we are stinkin'....rotten sinners. we need a Savior. the Savior. not just any Savior. we need Jesus. and He had to die up on that cross, so that He could make a way for us to join Him in heaven. there had to be a sacrifice for our sins. blood had to be shed.
praise God, though, that our Jesus didn't just die and stay dead. He ROSE from the dead. growing up, i went to a church where our pastor always said...."He is risen!" we'd then exclaim, "He is risen, indeed!"
that is something to celebrate!! so, it is "good" that Jesus died for us. He took the place for us. He died for sins that we commit. repeatedly. everyday. all the time. He, who was sinLESS, died in my place. your place. wow.
i am reminded of a song by chris tomlin, called Jesus Messiah. it should be playing for you now. listen to the words and take them in. and, here's the kicker....
He would have died upon the cross, if only for YOU. if you were the only person on the earth, He still would have died. now, that....??....i seriously can't fathom. He loves me that much. He loves you that much.
my God is not dead. on that resurrection sunday, two thousand (+) years ago....women went to the tomb and found it empty!!
luke 24:4-6 says....
"While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!'...."
my Savior, my Redeemer....He lives!! He is alive and He is active.
(the second song on my playlist right now is called my Redeemer lives.)
do you believe in Him? do you know Him? do you know that, if you died today, you'd spend eternity in heaven? have you asked Christ to dwell in your heart? is your life bearing fruit (can others tell?), because of that decision? remember, we can never be good enough. we can't work hard enough. we will fail, time and again. we can't just profess a belief in some god, and then go on about our merry way. nope. it's much deeper than that.
"good" people don't make it to heaven. people who are saved by God's free gift of grace do. all we have to do is say..."yes....i want that gift that You offer, Lord. i want You in my life. forgive me. thank You for dying for me." and then, we let our lives shine brightly for Jesus. we are still going to sin- a lot. we are going to mess up- a lot. but, if we are committed...we will grow closer to Him each day. we will confess our sin and rejoice in the fact that He will "remember it no more" (heb. 8:12). all sin is bad. on a human level, i sometimes feel that certain sins are worse than others....but they're not. Jesus died for all sin. there's nothing we've done (or can/will do) that is too big for Jesus. He will forgive us if we ask. He died for all of the sins we have committed, and all those we have yet to commit. what an amazing God!!
when you've got a Lamb like that, who needs a stinkin' bunny??
so, on this Good Friday, I say to you.....
HAPPY EASTER! HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!
