easter thoughts

Christians like me believe that the blood of Jesus was shed in the place of ours. The death we deserve was passed on to God's son. His death was very powerful but was only made complete by His even more triumphant victory over death on Easter morning. We brought Him death, and He brought us the promise of eternal life!

The thing about Easter is that it really boils down to the incredible story of a man raising from the dead. This sounds absurd, but it is amazingly and undeniably true. (Men have tried to disprove the idea that the tomb of Jesus was and is empty, but none have succeeded. The evidence is simply overwhelming...to find out more, check out the writings of former skeptic and Yale Law graduate Lee Strobel).

Resurrection from the dead changes everything. I mean, what do you do when a guy comes back to life? How do you handle that? What are the implications of such an amazing feat? What is so significant about the empty tomb of Jesus?

Here's what I heard today that I think is worth passing on:

Because Jesus conquered even death and now lives...

- I can live free from the intimidation of oppressive authority or obligations
- I can trust that everything that Jesus says and promises is true
- I can live unreasonably before a watching world
- I can accept & even invite unacceptable events and circumstances with anticipation of new life
- I can live with faith & courage in a frightening world
- I can wait with security for him to bring new life to everything else when the time is right
- I can talk to and be understood by a strong friend who can relate to my weakness & pain
- I can offer hope to others

If you have time, check out the following neat story about a woman who was convinced of the Resurrection and couldn't help but offer the hope of it's truth with others. May we all be more like the woman in this story:

The Story of Edith Burns