Easter: More Than A Word

David C. McCasland wrote: “On the darkest evening of Jesus’ life, He agonized in prayer in the Garden, faced a wrongful arrest, endured humiliation at the hands of religious leaders, and winced at Peter’s denials. Yet He moved faithfully toward the cross where He would die for our sins.” (And It Was Night; 3/28/13; odb.org)

As we approach Easter, I find the essence of Dave McCasland’s words to hold special meaning. They reminded me of the afternoon I was able to turn to Christ for salvation in what was the darkest hours of my life. Everything I had, everything I owned, my business, my future, and my family were on the verge of being taken away. But out of that darkest hour, I was given a life line to an eternity with Jesus Christ in glory. Because of His death and resurrection — and my belief that He is God, my confession of my sins and admission that I was lost and unable to save myself which led to my acceptance of Him as my only avenue of salvation, the darkness of that hour became the light unto my feet that has guided my way for now over 30 years.

I’m sorry to say that since then there have been many times when I’ve dropped the ball, on occasion even knowingly. But, while there have been plenty of times that I have disappointed both Him and myself, He has never failed me nor forsaken me.

[adsanity id=8405 align=alignleft /]In the Book of Hebrews 12:2 it reads: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (The New Scofield Reference Bible; Authorized King James Version)

What, some ask, was the joy that was set before Him that would allow Him to willingly suffer the death He was to face, even though He Himself was innocent? I believe we are His joy, us and all those who accepted Him as Savior before us and all those who will accept Him as Savior in the time remaining before His return.

Easter is a special day to me, and it becomes even more so as I grow older and become more aware of my own mortality. I’m thankful that when the Spirit of God beckoned me I accepted God’s Son, Jesus Christ, which is the only way to enjoy life eternal with Him in heaven.

But, it’s not just about knowing without question that I will one day be in heaven with Him — it is about having His Spirit with me here on earth. It is about having freedom and certainty at the same time. It is about knowing that no matter how bad it gets here on earth (and it is going to get bad), I need not worry because His scriptures tell us how it all ends. Thus, when people comment that they don’t know how I can have such confidence in the face of the teeming caldron of decay, immorality, and collapse that confront us, I tell them that I’ve read the Book. I know how it ends, and we win.

I pray each and every one of you who I without hesitation acknowledge as among the most astute I have had the blessing to communicate with on some level every day, will be able to reflect on just what Easter, i.e., the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, means to you.

God bless you my readers; God bless each of the superior cast of essayists without whom my blog would not be what it is; God bless Jim and all of the guys at Cutty-Powers without whom there would be no newdailyrant.wpengine.com or The Daily Rant, and God bless the nameless persons who labor behind the scenes doing the important things that it takes for this work to be successful.[adsanity id=11817 align=alignleft /]