Have an extraordinary Easter, and Reflect on what a Loving God allowed for us. His only begotten Son Christ Jesus died in our place for wrong- doings [sin} that separated us from His Presence. But death could not hold Him down, and He rose to give us new life, we could never obtain for ourselves.
Why do we need this New Life, because sin damages our relationships. with God, with family, with friends and with our community in general, we needed an antidote {away not to let sin have such an effect on us}.
Sin virtually can be said as wrong doing against, The God who created us, and it needs His forgiveness, but much of what of sin has done, also needs forgiveness of those we have wronged.
Through history God has been willing to forgive individuals and even nations, when there were right circumstances. Our belief as Christians that through the death of Our Lord and Our Friend on the cross, a greater and more wonderful kind of forgiveness is available.
John 1 verse 29: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world'!"
This forgiveness cannot be earned, it is an act of His own free will and is a demonstration of His great love for us. Unlike most people when God forgives sin, he also forgets it. Jeremiah 31 verse 34: "For I will forgive their wrongdoings and never remember their sin."
In the New Testament, Our Lord and Our Friend both offered forgiveness, and called those who followed Him, to forgive those who had wronged them Read the Lord's Prayer
John the Baptist described Jesus as 'The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world'. This is ultimate forgiveness and is different from the forgiveness of individuals and nations. Through the death on the cross, Jesus dealt with the whole principle of sin, sin which has the power to bind, because of the law.
Lets turn in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15 verse 56; Message Bible
"It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin it leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three – sin, guilt, death – are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God."
Lets take the time to reflect this Easter: That to repent is to experience a radical and wonderful change of thinking, from arguing our innocence, from offering excuses for our wrong doings to agreeing with The God that created us, that we all have sinned and fallen short of His Glory. If we do this and ask God for His forgiveness, He will be true to His promise and will forgive us our sins. We will be free of the power of sin, free from the power of guilt and finally free from the power of death, which means, we will no longer be separated from God, and even when come time to leave this body we will continually be in the present of God.
Easter is a wonderful time to reflect the totally awesome freedom Our Lord, Our Redeemer and Our Friend, won for us on the cross.
Easter is a time to renew our commitment to walk in that freedom.
God Bless
OFJ
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