There’s never been a day more inspiring than
Easter. It’s the day that changed everything. If Good Friday was the darkest
day in history, Easter is the brightest! Easter happened only once and that’s
what separates Christianity from all other religions in the world.
Right now we’re ministering in India, the home of
thirty-three million deities. There’s a god for every problem and situation man
may encounter. Cows that roam on the highways freely to household utensils are
worshiped. Vehicles, trees, the sun, the moon and even the high places are
revered by millions of followers. They’re attempting to reach heaven but only
our Jesus came down from heaven to save the lost. Are you glad our God loves us
so much? Our mission on this trip is to share the message of God’s love and
hope with 45,000 people.
When Jesus was buried in the grave, fulfilling
hundreds of years of prophesy, the earth stood still. Unlike popular belief,
Jesus wasn’t killed but He offered up His body to be sacrificed for our
Salvation. For three days and nights, hell rejoiced and heaven shed its tears.
But on that glorious Sunday, the stones were rolled away by the resurrection
power of our Lord. Man’s last enemy — death and grave — had been conquered!
Easter is a story of hope and redemption. A fallen
race, created in the very image of God, was doomed for eternity. However, the
grace of God is never too far from the fallen. In our weakest moment, His grace
is made perfect. When Adam blew it by sinning in the Garden of Eden, God carved
out a plan to redeem His own creation. Jesus, a loving and merciful Savior,
took the punishment of our sins upon Himself. He died but on the third day, He
came back to life, securing our redemption forever!
What I find sad is that many Christians don’t
realize the depth of our Savior’s work. They think “if I can only make it to heaven. If I can just live till I’m sixty!”
They scrape through life believing that God doesn’t want them to have enough.
How tragic! The glory of Easter is not just that Jesus has risen from the dead
and now we have insurance for heaven; Easter is the down payment for heaven on
earth until we get there! This is true for all those who believe.
Maybe you’re in pain and suffering today. It can be
physical or emotional anguish. Let me encourage you, my friend – you have
options. You don’t have to put up with that sickness anymore. With all due respect
to doctors and medical science that are only limited at best, our God is still
the Healer. He who can raise His Son from the dead can also deliver us from our
hurt and pain. “But he was pierced for
our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was
whipped so we could be healed” (Isiah 53:5 NLT).
Some of you are facing an impossible situation.
Nothing less than a miracle is going to save you from your troubles. You’ve
sought every available means to resolve the crisis but you have no hope left.
It could be a legal battle. It may be a struggling marriage. It may be carrier
related or a slump in the business. No matter what impossible situation you’re
facing, Easter changes everything! The Bible says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will
he not also with him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32 ESV)? Friend, even a dead situation will live
again. This is the power of Easter!
I know people who are discouraged with their lives.
They’re not thinking right, living right, or doing right. They feel that
they’ve fallen short of the grace of God. They don’t feel that they deserve to
be called the “son or daughter of God.”
Yes, we don’t deserve anything but because He lives, we too can live again.
Nothing you have done can separate you from the love of God. You may have been
victimized but you’re not a victim. Easter is the proof that God wants you
back. Would you surrender? Even as you’re reading this, the Holy Spirit is
convicting you. Friend, don’t put it off. Yield yourself to God. Today is the
day of Salvation, healing, and deliverance! God is not mad at you; He is madly
in love with you.
Jesus summed up Easter in these words, “The thief does not come
except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it
more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). You’re not
alone. An abundant life waits you. I’m praying for you from India. Happy
Easter!
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