EASTER IS FOR EVERYONE!!!!

 

Easter is for Everyone

Easter is for everyone, but it is not about bunnies or brightly colored eggs. It is about Jesus, and it is specifically about Jesus crucified and risen again from the dead.

I don't know how you might describe your life this Easter. Maybe you are full of faith and looking forward to joining your family and friends at church and perhaps a special meal later in the day. If everything is going well for you, then praise God for that.

For others, it might be a different story. Easter might be a reminder, like Christmas, of someone who is no longer with them. And with every year that passes, they are remembered and missed. So, for some, Easter is a bittersweet day.

Death can seem so cruel, so harsh, and so final. And that is exactly how the disciples felt when they saw the beaten, bloodied body of their Lord hanging on a Roman cross. Then, in addition to the crucifixion, a Roman soldier took his spear, thrust it into Jesus' side, and out of it came blood and water.

There was no question about it. Christ had died. If the crucifixion hadn't killed him, certainly the spear of the Roman soldier would have. The disciples thought it was over. They thought death had finished it.

If they would have thought back, they would have remembered this was the same Lord who had raised people from the dead. He raised the daughter of Jairus. He raised Lazarus after he already was in the process of decomposition.

And, if they would have thought back, they would have remembered that on the day that Lazarus was raised, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25 NKJV).

But it is hard to see through eyes that have been blinded by tears. So the disciples were shocked to find an angel waiting for them with the good news: "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him" (Mark 16:6 NKJV).

They thought He was dead. But He was alive again.

Because Jesus has died and has risen again, it means that we as believers do not have to be afraid of death. As 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us, "But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again" (NLT). Jesus has gone to the other side, He has returned, and He has the keys to death and hell (see Revelation 1:18).

It's hard for us to accept that our bodies are wearing out. Yet the Bible says we will have new bodies one day: "We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us" (Romans 8:23 NLT).

You see, my body is not the real me. The real me is my soul, my spirit. This body will die. But my soul will live on.

One day, you may open up the newspaper and read that Greg Laurie has died. But don't you believe a word of it, because at the moment you read that I have died, I will be more alive than I have ever been before—in the presence of God. And the same can be said for every believer.

Here is the message of Jesus: You are going to see your loved ones again. You will be with them. Not only are they a part of your past, but they are also part of your future.

He is the resurrection and the life, and if we believe in Him, though we were dead, yet shall we live.
-written by Greg Laurie

We could all be a Judas....

We’ve all experienced or witnessed betrayal at some point. And no example in the Bible illustrates the pain, guilt, and shame caused by that sin more clearly than the story of Judas.

Chosen as one of the twelve, Judas was privileged. John 12:6 says that he was even granted the responsibility of maintaining the disciples’ money box. But that same verse reveals an important truth about Judas—he was a thief.
John indicates greed was Judas’ weakness. After Mary had anointed the Lord’s feet, Judas complained, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” (v. 5). The following verse, however, clarifies that he wanted the money only for himself. One can safely assume that if Judas had reached the point of stealing cash from Jesus’ supply, then his greed had gone unchecked for some time. That hidden sin was all Satan needed to interfere with his life. And once the Enemy stepped in, the disciple began “seeking a good opportunity” to betray Jesus (Luke 22:6). 1 Peter 5:8 says the Devil is like a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” And in Judas, Satan found a willing victim.

If we’re honest with ourselves, each of us has a natural tendency toward sin.... each of us are susceptible to certain ones. Daily communion with God keeps hidden sins from becoming greater problems. Left unchecked, the “roaring lion” will also come after us, no matter what our  weakness may be. Ask the Lord to reveal any sins you need to confess. Ask His help keeping them in check.  Deal with them today—don’t let sin lead you down the path of Judas.

Jesus was angry...

For the disciples, Palm Sunday must have felt like a dream. As they followed Jesus into the temple grounds, their voices would have been drowned out by all the cheering!

The Court of Gentiles was the only area that non-Jews could enter... and it had become an open-air market. Jesus and His followers pushed through the hordes of customers haggling with merchants and shouting to be heard over livestock and doves used for sacrifices. Others crowded around money changers’ tables, protesting unfair rates of exchange for the temple currency.

Jesus had seen enough. He stormed through the court, upending tables, overturning traders’ chairs, and driving animals toward the gate, past people scrambling for scattered money. Finally, He blocked the way so merchandise couldn’t be carried through the temple (Mark 11:16).

The disciples must have been astounded. They expected the Messiah to judge their oppressors, not His own people and their temple! Finally, Jesus shouted above the din and reminded them of a scripture they’d apparently forgotten. “Is it not written,” He cried, “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den” (v. 17).
The crowd was amazed. But the religious leaders were offended and began to plan His death (v. 18).

Jesus’ actions in the temple emphasized how money becomes so important to people that it can hinder His work! How could anyone enter the temple through the mess and chaos? How can anyone feel comfortable entering God's church when all they see is mess, chaos, and money grubbing. Or are they seeing it even in your lives and heart?

Easy to have misconceptions....Palm Sunday

Hindsight is always 20/20. Yet while we are in a particular situation, we tend to make things out to be what they aren’t and infer wrong meanings. We kick ourselves, thinking, If only I had known then what I know now!

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem must have been one of those moments for His disciples. It had appeared to be such a wonderful day for them.... and it was, but for different reasons than they realized. They thought the Messiah had come to reestablish Israel’s power in the world. But God had something else in mind.

The disciples weren’t the only ones who had misconceptions about Jesus. Many Jews of the day expected Him to be an earthly king. When the crowds heard Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they cheered, “Hosanna! ” which means, “Save now!” They saw Him as their new King, come to bring salvation from political and societal oppression. He raised the dead—no doubt he could also restore the kingdom of David and free them from Roman rule.
Seated upon a donkey, Jesus resembled a ruler returning to his city in peacetime, loyal subjects lining his path with coats and palm fronds. Even the Pharisees were there watching in indignation, saying, “Look, the world has gone after Him” (John 12:19).

This week, think back to those times when circumstances looked one way but turned out to be something else entirely. Remember when you realized God was different than you imagined and saw His will unfold in surprising ways. Look for an opportunity to share your insight with a friend or loved one.
CHARLES STANLEY

Why would He do this????

Romans 5:6-8
At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Thoughts on today's verse

Jesus died for us, but not because he had some high hopes for who we are or what we would be. No, he died for us because he knew exactly who we are and what we would be without him. But praise be to God, we are now God's righteousness because he took our sin and gave us God's grace (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Prayer:

Holy God, thank you for Jesus, my Savior. No words are adequate to express my love and devotion to you for such an incredible gift! Through him I give and live my thanks to you. Amen.

Every moment of the day... it is the right time!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
What did the apostle Paul mean when he wrote, “pray continually”? For one, he was indicating that we can live in an attitude of prayer even though we are engaged in everyday activity. This does not mean we walk around mumbling prayers to God, though there will be days when we pray much more than in others.
Instead, the indication here leans to one of opportunity. We can have a natural attitude of prayer surrounding our lives. Prayerfulness is a sign that we are dependent on the Lord and not on ourselves. Should you pray about trivial matters? Yes. God listens to every prayer. Prayers to find lost glasses or to mentally retrieve forgotten information are worthy requests.
God has called us to be people of prayer. Communication on this level is one of intimate fellowship with the Savior. It is through prayer that we discover the goodness and personal devotion of God. Though taking time to be alone with God is the ideal, we don’t have to limit ourselves. God hears our prayers no matter where we pray.
-Charles Stanley

I want to add the lyrics of a song Maddie loved by Steven Curtis Chapman called Let Us Pray:

I hear you say your heart is aching
You've got trouble in the making
And you ask if I'll be praying for you please
And in keeping with conviction
I'll say yes with good intentions
To pray later making mention of your needs
But since we have this moment here at heaven's door
We should start knocking now, what are we waiting for?


CHORUS:
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, He is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray


So when we feel the Spirit moving
Prompting, prodding and behooving
There is no time to be losing, let us pray
Let the Father hear us saying
What we need to be conveying
Even while this song is playing, let us pray
And just because we say the word, "Amen"
It doesn't mean this conversation needs to end


Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray


Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence
As our prayers draw us near
To the One who knows our needs
Before we even call His name


Let us pray everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray