Post written by my wonderful husband.
Easter is quickly approaching. It's time for family gatherings, the Easter bunny, egg hunts, and jelly beans! But do you know why we celebrate Easter? Have you stopped and thought about the origin of this Springtime holiday? People around the world are preparing their Easter menus, but are they preparing their hearts?
I believe that the answer to these questions can be found in the Bible. The Bible conveys a message about Easter that is far too important to be ignored. However, before I share this message, I need to first tell you about the events that led up to Easter. The Bible first begins with a Holy God who is perfect in every way. Then in a miraculous act of love and grace, God created the human race! Humans were given "free-will" so that we had the ability to do whatever we want. Unfortunately, humans for whatever reason, choose to disobey God. We use the term "sin" to describe this selfish disobedience. Tragically, our sin has created a serious problem between humans and God. Since God is Holy he cannot coexist with sin. Therefore, our sin separates us from God and this results in our spiritual death! So how can God and man coexist?
In order for God and man to coexist someone must pay this penalty, but who? The Bible tells us that Jesus (God's only son) was sent to earth to pay this penalty for our sin. He was the only human in history whose purpose of being born was to die. Good Friday is the day when Christians remember Jesus Christ's death on the cross. On that day Christians also remember how Jesus did more than die! As Jesus died he took on the burden of every sin that was ever committed. Think about how you felt the last time you did something wrong. Now imagine what it would feel like to take the blame for sins committed by Hitler, Stalin, and Charles Mason combined. Jesus, who was the only sinless and perfect human that every existed, actually became sin. There are truly no words that can ever describe what Jesus experienced on that day. But why would God allow this to happen to His one and only son? The answer is love! He loved you and I so much that he sacrificed His Son so that we may have a relationship with Him.
Thankfully, this is not the end of the story. This is actually where the Easter celebration begins! Three days after Jesus died, he defeated sin by miraculously rising from the dead. Jesus is now up in Heaven seated at the right hand of God. Easter Sunday is when Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. It is a day to rejoice in the fact that we serve a living God! He was the Lamb that was slain for us and we must remember, rejoice, and give thanks.
What must we do to prepare our hearts? God simply wants us to admit that we are sinners and trust that Jesus took our sin away by dying on the cross. Whoever does this will be declared sinless before God and spend an eternity in Heaven with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. If you do not believe, then you will spend an eternity separated from God in a place the Bible calls Hell.
In the end, the question is whether you believe this message from the Bible. I am not here to make that decision for you, but I encourage you to look deeper into what the Bible says. Do not let life pass by without believing.
Is your heart ready for Easter?
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