easter is about death, the death of our Lord and Savior. how gracious and obedient he was to die on the cross for me. but easter is about more than Jesus' death, it is about how he rose from the grave and lives again. he was once dead, but is now risen. he took my sin upon himself so that i may be seen by God as pure and holy. i rejoice and find comfort in that.
easter is about death, the death of my father. it has been a little over one year since we got the news of his death sentence and i celebrate that he is still alive and feeling well. i am thankful for this opportuity to introduce my dad to a loving and faithful God. i pray for him to welcome Jesus into his heart and life. God is so merciful to give him this extra time.
easter is about death, the death of bad habits. during lent, i gave up something i find joy and pleasure in - eating out. it was hard to acknowledge why eating out meant so much to me (i used it as a sign of prosperity). it was hard to ignore the convenience of fast food (and having to plan my meals). it was hard to kill a habit, but i made it, finding strength and insight during my fasting.
death brings so much clarity. death awakens us. it makes us think about ourselves differently. learning that Jesus died for me makes me feel more fervent and hopeful and precious. it makes me resolved to live my life to glorify his sacrifice.
death makes us all recognize the waste and antipathy that is going on around us. i thought it was very appropriate for the 'tax day tea parties' to occur right after easter. because knowing that after death comes new life, i can hope for a good change out of this protest.
if you don't know personally how our Lord died for you and rose again, you need to talk with the nearest pastor. he died for your sins to wipe them away as if they never happened! he loves you more than you can imagaine. he wants you to live beyond your physical death too.
and if you haven't researched the thought behind these tea parties, check out the above pictures. it was not about being anti-obama (although that's what the media tried to make it out to be). it was democrats, republicans, libertarians, independents; black, white, hispanic, asian; rich, poor, middle-class; young, old, middle-aged; men, women and children saying 'we have had enough'. enough of wasteful government spending and larger government involvement. enough of the growing sense of entitlement in this country. enough with lying politicians. enough antipathy.
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