Easter is my favorite season. I love Christmas as the “beginning” and I love Easter as the “completion.”
How does Easter affect my thoughts, my relationships, and my choices…EVERY DAY?
Easter is not sentimental. It is not 42 children riding on a flatbed trailer through town wearing Easter bunny ears.
It is not “cute.” It is not “chocolate.” It is Christ and a cross.
It is also a crown.
Here is how Easter affects me every single day of the year:
1. I have a new life.
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Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ.” Christ took my sins. He shouldered my cross. He wore my crown. He received my nails. He died my death. I thank Him daily for the awful price He paid.
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Every day, I am alive. Paul also said, “I am risen with Christ.” Sin is my past. Sin was dealt with and defeated. I have a new identity, a new ID card, a fresh, clean life with no guilt, shame, or condemnation. I am alive!
2. I can forgive.
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Christ forgave. He forgave the soldiers who mocked Him. He forgave the Pharisees who falsely accused Him. He gave His blood to forgive the entire world, all at one time.
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Every day, I can forgive. I’m a new person. I return love for hate, peace for anger, beauty for violence. It’s all because He changed my nature from human to holy.
3. I can serve.
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Before His death, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He demonstrated taking the low place. He showed even Judas that His love was beyond boundaries.
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Every day, I can serve. I can park cars. I can hold doors, empty trash, and teach Sunday school. I can forgive even the “Judas” in my life. If the Master did it, surely I can.
4. I can obey.
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In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ stood at the crossroads: “His way or God’s way.” He made the right choice: “Not my will, but yours be done.”
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Every day, I can surrender my will to God. He’s got a purpose, a job, a calling for me. I have to say, “Yes” to His will and “No” to earthly distractions.
5. I can win.
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It looked like He lost, but He won! He stripped the devil of his power. He ripped open the grave and stood ALIVE in mighty power.
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Every day, I can win also. My circumstances, obstacles, and barriers cannot stop me. I may be knocked down, but I’m not knocked out! Like Peter’s shadow, resurrection power flows through my being.
That’s what Easter is! It’s not a stale, put on your best clothes hat-fest. It is a celebration of dead people who have come alive in Christ.
Forgive. Serve. Obey. Win.
It’s your new daily Easter.