Daily Devotional

The city of Jerusalem was awakened with the exclamation of Mary Magdalene, “I have seen the Lord.”  The electrifying news came only three days after the demands of the Jewish leaders that Jesus of Nazareth be put to death.  Pilate being unwilling to stand for truth and justice had ordered the execution of the King of the Jews.  The crucifixion took place just outside the city walls on a hill called Golgotha. After Jesus’ death, His body was quickly taken from the cross and buried in a tomb nearby owned by Joseph of Arimathaea.

The death of Christ had been witnessed by many and was accompanied by strange phenomena.  The skies became dark at midday for a length of three hours.  The earth quaked and some of the dead were reported to have come to life.

In Jerusalem, the hopes of men and women were leaping high.  It would seem that death had been conquered.  A new era had dawned.  Christ is alive and gives hope to all mankind.  But in our day, we ask what relevance what happened 2,000 years ago has on our daily struggles.  The things we face today seem overwhelming.  We ask ourselves, what good is a Savior who died so long ago?  He doesn’t understand my present-day situation, my hurts, my anxieties, or my feelings.

The things we feel or think may not be obvious to others…because the things we are struggling with are inner struggles.  They often keep us from finding life in Christ.  Each spring God reminds us of His promise of life.  New flowers spring forth, and the trees bud with new leaves.  All nature seems to be reborn.  Spring is a celebration of renewal and rebirth.  In a special way it is a prospect for new life for each of us.  For in each new flower, nature is declaring the promise of Easter.  Nature seems to be shouting, “Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.”

Yes, Jesus is alive today and offers each of us a brand new way of living.  We no longer have to be weighted down with feelings of depression, worthlessness, and purposelessness.  Instead of putting faith and trust in God, many are looking at life through human philosophy and have missed the only means of having true hope and peace in today’s world.  Without Christ in our lives, there is no hope in this life or in the life to come.

Today Jesus is offering to take our sin, all the mess and struggles of our life and provide for us forgiveness and eternal life.  Jesus has conquered sin and death for us.  He no longer wants us to live under to curse of death.

Often we see ourselves as self-achievers, self-sufficient, capable of controlling our own destiny.  We feel we can handle whatever comes our way until one day all the props are knocked out from under our life.  There is a death in our family, divorce, the loss of a job, or some tragedy that comes into our lives that we are not capable of controlling.  We feel a sense of hopelessness and we begin to realize that only God could meet these problems.  This realization comes because we are as the Scriptures tell us, “Dead in our trespasses and sins…and without hope and without God.”  (Ephesians 2:1, 12)

For us who are under the curse of death to be made alive, we must have a Savior.  One who is willing to take our sin upon Himself.  One who will carry our problems, sorrows, and heartaches.

The Scriptures tell us that God gave His only Son, so that we might be delivered from our sin.  Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to “…taste death for everyone.”  (Hebrews 2:9)

Jesus in every way experienced death for us.  He died physically…beaten, nailed to a cross, and pierced with a spear.  He also died spiritually…being separated from the Father.  Jesus took upon Himself our punishment so that we might not have to face God’s judgment.  He had to pay the full debt for our sin for us to have the complete forgiveness of sin.  Through Christ’s sacrifice, we can be totally free from our sin.  

But Jesus had to do more than die for our sins…for then He would be only a martyr, a dead Savior.  He then in reality would not be a Savior at all!  Jesus rose again to give us life!

As the first rays of dawn light hit the tomb on that first Easter morning, it revealed that Jesus was gone…He was alive!  The resurrection is God the Father’s seal of approval that Christ had paid in full the penalty for our sin.  Today God is offering you His free gift of salvation.  Right now through faith, you can reach out and take it.  The Scriptures say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Prayer:  Lord, as we have just celebrated Easter and the empty tomb, help me to understand with greater depth what all this means to me as Your child.  You gave me salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and a new life in You.  Help me to walk in that newness of life.  Thank you that I am free from the past.  Lead me into a deeper living relationship with You, the resurrected Lord.  Amen

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.