We’ve had some tragic events occur in our little town of Leopolis just lately that have rocked most of us here to the very core of our being. The early, untimely passing of a couple of people in the prime of their lives have left us bewildered and dazed, with many questions remaining unanswered.
We were born with a desire and predestined longing to live, so when people pass away unexpectedly, it comes as a stark realization that life is fragile, and each day is a gift, not to be taken for granted. And we do take so much for granted; planning how we will spend tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. Not one of us has a guarantee that we will be on this good Earth even one more day.
The resurrection at Easter gives us the assurance, when we accept the free gift of salvation through grace, that we will indeed live forever, appeasing that deeply ingrained desire for life. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus took every sin that was ever committed with Him to the cross. “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” (Colossians 2:13)
Taking our past, present and future sins and nailing them right there, we can leave every burden, every heartache with Him and earnestly ask for forgiveness for every wretched thing we’ve ever done and He will whisk it away. God loves us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus died so that we may live. (John 3:16) If we believe in Jesus, turn from our sins and make Him the center of our lives, we will have eternal life with Him in Heaven.
A simple prayer asking for forgiveness and making things right before God will begin the faith journey. Billy Graham’s website has a prayer that we can pray: “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Guide my life and help me to do Your will. In Your Name I pray, Amen.”
During these past days of Lent I was reminded again and again of the agony Jesus suffered. During the Passion reading on Palm Sunday and the services on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, we honor our Lord as we attend church and listen, again replaying the events leading up to His death.
Then Easter Sunday arrives with rejoicing and singing, the church comes alive with Easter lilies and bright colors. From a cesspool of darkness we arrive into a vibrant, pulsating light. I put myself in the place of the women at the tomb that Easter morning, finding the stone pushed away and Jesus not there. “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.’” (Matthew 28:5-6) Mourning a death only to discover your loved one is not dead after all, but fully, completely alive — no wonder there was rejoicing!
This is the hope of the resurrection and why Christians live with confident expectation. Just like the women at the tomb, we will be reunited with our loved ones that have gone on before us. Those who place their hope and trust in the One that died and rose again for them will live forever in the glorious realm of heaven where, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Following is an excerpt from www.biblestudytools.com, Dr. Ray Pritchard, content by Keep Believing Ministries: “Here is a wonderful truth: God has made it easy for you to go to heaven. He did the hard part when He sent His Son to die on the cross for you. He paid the price for your sins so that you could one day stand before God in heaven. Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ (John 14:6) He also said, ‘I am the door, if anyone enters through Me he shall be saved.’ (John 10:9 NASB) Jesus is not only the way to heaven, He is also the door to heaven. If you want to go to heaven you have to go through the door marked ‘Jesus Christ.’ There is no other entrance.”
Jesus came for one reason, to reconcile us to God through His death and resurrection. “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20) God created us and fulfillment in this life takes on new meaning and purpose when we turn our lives over to Him.
I have a friend whom I admire and respect, who confidently states, “God knew the day we’d be born and He knows the day we’re going to die.” She, not immune to much heartache, has a deep-seated faith that cannot be shaken, and lives her life as a servant of Christ, comforting others with the comfort she herself has received. (2 Corinthians 1:4) Along with bringing others to a knowledge of Jesus, it’s what we were put on this Earth to do.
Dear Jesus: Thank You for meeting us in our humanness and dying such a horrific death so that we may have life. How can words be enough? Help us thank You and follow Your example by loving each other and living every day in service to others, prayerfully dedicating our lives to You. Through the help of the Holy Spirit we pray for strength, patience and endurance. Thank You, Jesus! Amen.
(“He is not here, He is risen, just as He said.” Matthew 28:6)
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