"As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people'." 2 Corinthians 6:16b (NIV)
As we approach this Easter season we tend to focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He laid down his life for us that we may have eternal life if we believe in Him. (John 3:16) But as we focus on the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, let us not forget that He did not simply come to die. He came to LIVE for us so that we may understand His ways better. He began a short 3 year ministry at the age of 30 and taught the world more in those 3 years than all of the prophets, ministers, and believers have been able to do in thousands of years! The impact of that one life and the 3 years of knowledge He bestowed astounds me! The only way that His life could have had such lasting impact was because He truly is the Messiah, the only begotten son of God. So as we thank God for our eternal salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we should also thank Him for giving us all the information that we will ever need to live a life acceptable to Him while we are still on this earth. We are no longer bound to the stringent rules of the Old Testament saints, for we have grace. But let us not take this grace for granted. For Jesus said "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40) This is what Christ spent those years on the earth trying to tell us. Of course, He always had plans to be the ultimate sacrifice and carry the burden of the world's sins on His back up the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha. But as we celebrate his sacrifice, let us remember our God is a Living God who came to live to show us the way before He could die to save us.
As we approach this Easter season we tend to focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He laid down his life for us that we may have eternal life if we believe in Him. (John 3:16) But as we focus on the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, let us not forget that He did not simply come to die. He came to LIVE for us so that we may understand His ways better. He began a short 3 year ministry at the age of 30 and taught the world more in those 3 years than all of the prophets, ministers, and believers have been able to do in thousands of years! The impact of that one life and the 3 years of knowledge He bestowed astounds me! The only way that His life could have had such lasting impact was because He truly is the Messiah, the only begotten son of God. So as we thank God for our eternal salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we should also thank Him for giving us all the information that we will ever need to live a life acceptable to Him while we are still on this earth. We are no longer bound to the stringent rules of the Old Testament saints, for we have grace. But let us not take this grace for granted. For Jesus said "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40) This is what Christ spent those years on the earth trying to tell us. Of course, He always had plans to be the ultimate sacrifice and carry the burden of the world's sins on His back up the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha. But as we celebrate his sacrifice, let us remember our God is a Living God who came to live to show us the way before He could die to save us.
Thank God for the grace he supplies, so we can live a life that pleases Him. God bless you this weekend. I pray you have a wonderful Palm Sunday.
ReplyDeleteAndrea