As we celebrate Easter this year, we need to keep in mind what this holiday is all about. I know many in the secular world probably understand that this is a religious holiday, but they use it as a time to promote the Easter Bunny and other commercial items. Our children are looking for Easter Baskets stuffed with candy eggs, chocolate bunnies, jellybeans, and other gifts. It is a great season for our merchants and people love this holiday however I really wonder if they understand the gift that was truly given to us on that Friday many years ago.
My children received baskets full of goodiesforEasterasmostchildrendo,but they were always told the story of Jesus giving His life on a cruel cross so that we may have eternal life. Our children, and now grandchildren, are never too young to hear the story of the cross and resurrection andwhentheybecomeolder,theywill understand the true meaning of Easter.
Ilovetohearthesong,“WhenHewas on the cross, I was on His mind.” This is a beautiful song written by Ronny Hinson and if you will read and listen to the words you will understand how magnificent salvation through Jesus Christ is.
The first two verses go like this: “I’m not on an ego trip, I’m nothing on my own, I made mistakes I often slip, just common flesh and bones; But I’ll prove someday just why I say, I’m of a special kind; For when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.
The look of love was on His face, thorns were on His head; the blood was on His scarlet robe, stained a crimson red; though His eyes were on the crowd that day, He looked ahead in time, for when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.”
TheReverendBillyGrahamoncesaid: “God proved His love on the cross. When Christhungandbledanddied,itwasGod saying to the world, ‘I love you.’” Even though the Greeks and Romans used the cross as an item of torture for crimes against them, Jesus was not guilty of any such thing. His hanging on the cross gave all of us an opportunity to overcome our worldly desires and imperfections. The cross was His way of saying “IloveyouandIforgiveyouofyoursins.” Hepaidthepenaltyforoursinsandoffers us eternal life if we will simply believe in Him and accept His saving grace.
John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,thatwhoeverbelievesinHimshould not perish but have everlasting life.”
Even though we enjoy the smiles andhappyfacesofourchildrenthrough their baskets of candy and other things at Easter, let us tell them why we really celebrate Easter. Not only should we tell our children, but we should tell all of those around us about His saving grace and why He died on the cross.
Easter is traditionally one of the largest Sundays for church attendance. It is my hope and wish that everyone will listen to God’s call and live a godlier life. All of us are human beings and we are going to make mistakes whether physically, morally, or otherwise. Easter is the reminder that we should live as He has told us through His Word and when we do go astray, we can confess our sins to Him, and He will forgive us. None of us should ever forget that when Jesus hung on the cross, He was looking ahead in time and thinking about all of us!
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for thinking about me when you were on the cross. Thank you for the opportunity of knowing you personally and giving me the promise of eternal life. Amen.
