Easter Sunday

Happy Easter Beloveds!

I don't know why, but I am having a bit of a difficult time writing this post. I want to praise God desperately. I especially want to praise Him today of all days. So I am just going to jump in and see what happens. Please bear with me...

I think I'm having a hard time because I'm stuck on death. Let me explain. I'm stuck on the cross and what He did for me there. Easter is about the resurrection. Easter is about the victory over death. The best way I can describe it right now is that I am so in love with Him, because of His pure love for me and what He did on the cross, that I'm having trouble leaving it. I can’t seam to move on to the rejoicing. I know I’m suppose to. I know He wants me to be there eventually, in His and my time. I just cant get there right now. I feel like He’s ok with that, and I know He loves me no matter where I am at.

Today I feel the full weight of my sin. I think about His path to the cross and what His love forced Him to endure for me. I think about the stripes on His back and the flesh that was ripped from His bone. I did that. My choices for death rather than life swung the scourge. He didn’t make a sound. With my sin I spit on Him. I ridiculed Him and called Him names. I made Him carry the Cross when His body had been beaten to the point of being unrecognizable and He could barley stand. Every choice I have made to give into my flesh, selfish pleasure, lust, fear, hate, let anger go to action, etc., I did that. I beat a crown of thorns into His head while the blood ran down His face. I laid Him down, stretched His arms and legs, and drove nails through His wrists and feet.

And after all this, as He clung to life, His only thought was for me.

Luke 23:34 (King James Version)
34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

You see, we are all broken. We are all tainted with generational sin passed down from Adam. This is why we are never to put our faith and trust in man.

Psalm 146:3 (New King James Version)
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

No matter how hard we or our loved ones try, we will from time to time, hurt each other. Sometimes the harder we try not to hurt each other the more we do. Instead we are ordered to love and forgive. The only one who is truly 100% worthy of faith and trust is Christ.

Psalm 146:5 (New King James Version)
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

So the answer is to just not put yourself out there, right? Wrong. We must be and stay vulnerable to the ones we love. No matter what. That is love! Agape love. The giving love. God love.

John 15:12 (King James Version)
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

That is our death on the cross. When we take that pain, forgive, and wash them clean, we are in a small way taking up our cross and following the path Jesus has shown us. The beautiful thing is, when we forgive we are forgiven. Our loving Jesus takes the yoke of that sin and pain from us. We are never left holding the bag.

Beloved my prayer for you today is this. May you grasp the full weight of your sin but never hesitate to let the one who loves you wash you clean. May you ponder to the depths of your soul the love Jesus has for you. May you let it fill you up till you are overflowing and can help but spill over on to others around you. May you forgive those who have hurt you the most and not let the shackles of pride keep you from the joy and blessings God has for you.

Jesus... I Love You. I don't know what else to say.