THOUGHTS ON EASTER

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It’s about the cross

THOUGHTS ON EASTER

Easter is a word that means nothing to some people, and to others, it is a term that generates excitement. For those to whom Easter is a word in the dictionary, it is a time to sleep, mow the lawn, have fun at the park with friends, or pursue their favorite pasttime.

On Easter, Christians celebrate a special occasion: Christ rose from the dead. This is what stands out among all religions and faiths.

Easter is the other bookend of Jesus’ Virgin Birth. Easter backs up Jesus’ claim to be God in the flesh. Through Jesus’ death we are able to have a personal God.

Jesus came to earth for a special purpose. He was focused on this particular mission throughout His life. He came to do a work for God. God needed someone who would live life with His agenda in mind. Jesus alone could fulfill this need. God had to have someone who would embody Himself and show people what God is like and what God does. Jesus boldly demonstrated in words and deeds the magnificence of who God is.

The culmination of Jesus’ life was His death. In Jesus’ death, He satisfied the wrath of God because He lived His life without breaking any of God’s commands. Only God could have accomplished this. Jesus’ humanity came into play because God needed a human to help humans have direct access to God by building a bridge to span the distance between God and man. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 1:6, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.”

There are hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled as Jesus was born, lived on earth, died and rose from the dead. For Jesus’ resurrection in particular, we have Psalm 16:10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Further, Jesus referred to Jonah, calling him a sign. The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted a sign from heaven to authenticate Jesus’ work (Matthew 16:4). He told them in Luke 11:30, “This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”

It’s about the empty tomb. HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Where does this lead us? If ever there was a cause to embrace, Christianity is it. Why? God helps people by getting to the core of their problem; sin, a falling short of perfect obedience to God’s commands. Our efforts to do good for others will not meet God’s standard of perfect. After accepting Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf, we become instantly acceptable in God’s eyes. Then God begins the slow, painstaking work of transformation from sinner to saint in everyday living. As changes in our behavior continue, we begin to take an interest in others and the things of God. This is unique to Christianity, Where God changes people by installing in them His own character. The difference is God is directing rather than us. This changes the equation, raising us from me-centered to God-centered. This gives us a different outlook on life. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

God is still at work. In Easter God speaks, “Since we have now bridged the gap between God and man (Jesus’ death on the cross), now let’s get on with the program.” God has chosen to use humans to do His work on earth. We take instructions from God. In Psalm 32:8-9 David says of God, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”

God wants to do His work with our cooperation. Don’t be like me, who stalled ten years after He asked me to let Him have my will. I had to learn that giving my will away to God was beneficial to me, not detrimental. I didn’t lose in that transaction when I finally said, “Yes!”

Do you need a tune-up? Let God clean out your carburetor. Jesus is explosive to our culture when we let Him be in charge of our lives. Let God take His rightful place on the throne of your heart, and watch Him as He drives the car of your life with controlled energy.

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It’s about the Cross by Ball Brothers

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Celebrating Resurrection

Shirley Logsdon

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About Shirley Logsdon

I am the only child of Christian parents who wanted me to know God personally as they did. One night during church we watched a movie depicting a family in their home accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I was nine and realized then my desire to make Jesus my personal Savior. With the full support of my parents, I met with the pastor and prayed to receive Christ. A few years later, several of us around the same age began classes for our confirmation to become church members. The privilege of taking communion was a special time for me. . During my teenage years I was outwardly complacent, but was inwardly rebellious. I developed the nasty habit of disrupting harmony in the household by nitpicking at anything and everything. A preacher came to hold revival services at my dad’s church and nailed me silently with looks. This helped me tremendously. I turned a corner and began to respect and obey my parents in attitude and actions. I survived these years through prayer (mine, my parents and friends). The love and tenacity of my parents and God’s grace got me through these years of upheaval. I readily identify with David the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” Because my parents provided a stable home life for me, when I went to college my Christian values remained intact. After completing my education in 1979, I started working. For a while, I worked at temp agencies, then I did odd jobs. I settled down in a secretarial position in 1986 working for a firm specializing in retirement plan administration. In 2007, I started working for a law firm, eventually becoming a knowledge management assistant in their law library, helping to alert attorneys to new business opportunities. I am a productive citizen of my country in large part because my parents prayed for me and made clear by word and example what they expected of me. I am extremely grateful to God for them. John 15:5 is my life verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” I am confronted with this realization every day I live, and it helps keep me on the straight and narrow path. I met my future husband at church. After a few years of our two families getting acquainted, he and I started courting. We married at the church where we met, in the presence of many relatives and friends. We have been married for 29 years. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and canning or freezing what my beloved husband grows in the garden. Also, I thoroughly enjoy writing. While my writing has included poems, most of my writing has been letters to family and friends. I like to share my faith when I write and am fond of adding a Bible verse or two to help focus on the source of our life. Since I am now retired after working 38 years, I can concentrate on keeping up with birthdays. Something else I enjoy is studying the Bible, often with others. Blogging is a new form of writing for me. I am getting my feet wet and I’m beginning to enjoy the experience.

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