“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God” (1 Peter 1:18-21).
As we get ready to head into the month of April, we will soon be celebrating another Easter. Although it’s fun to eat Easter candy, participate in a special meal around a pretty table, and watch children enjoy the fun of coloring and hunting for eggs, these things all pale in comparison to the deeper reason – the real reason why we celebrate.
For every believer, Easter should feel like Christmas morning. It should be a time of joy and rejoicing, prayer and reflection, praise and thanksgiving as we remember God’s amazing love for us.
We should be in awe when we think of the sacrifice conveyed in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
We should be equally in awe – our hearts bursting with unending praise when we remember Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 5:9 should deeply move us: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Ephesians 1:6-7 should have our hearts rejoicing: “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
1 John 1:7 reminds us of the cleansing power of His shed blood: “…and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
There is nothing… NOTHING we can add to what He did. His act of love was for us but did not require any intervention from us, as we literally could never save ourselves. We are saved solely by placing our faith and trust in Him alone and what He did on the cross. We rejoice because His innocent, shed blood covers all our filthy sin and washes each white as snow – every. single. one.
And after Jesus took His last breath on the cross, his body placed in a tomb, the third day came. Easter morning had come. Redemption had come.
Hallelujah… He arose!
His mission was complete. Broken, hopeless, sinful humanity now had a bridge back to the Father. The Creator had saved His creation. Jesus had paid the price we could not pay. It was a price He chose to pay out of His marvelous, incredible love for each of us. All the world now had hope. All the world now had forgiveness and cleansing of sin. All the world had a Savior and an eternity forever bright because of Jesus.
This free gift came at a great price. It came because of a great love. And it is available to all who call upon His name, believe in Him, and place their trust in Him.
Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
We should rejoice on Easter and every day of the year because the greatest gift ever given came from our heavenly Father to touch a sinful, broken people. He could have left us in our sin and darkness. He could have left us in our hopelessness. He could have left us with no bright future. He could have left us orphaned. But, thankfully, He didn’t.
God sending His Son was the greatest rescue mission ever. A mission like no other – a mission that would change hearts and change the world forever.
As you celebrate this Easter, take time to give thanks for all God has done. He sent His most precious gift to earth, wrapped in the purest of love for all of us. His only begotten Son, the lamb of God. And while here, Jesus walked the earth, lived a perfect, sinless life, and willingly went to the cross. His incredibly agonizing pain on the cross, his death, his burial, and his resurrection were all a part of God’s great plan – all given so we could be forgiven of all our sin – past, present, and future – so we could have a way back to the Father.
He did it for you. He did it for me. He paid the price for all of us.
Because He Lives, we can have a bright future.
Because He Lives, we can have a very Happy Easter.
He is risen! (Matthew 28:6)
Blessings to you and yours,
Holly