Easter upon us

Easter is upon us.  Knowing today was Palm Sunday I took a few minutes this morning to open my Bible to John 18 and read all the way to the empty tomb before anyone else was up and stirring.  I am learning to capture the quiet moments in my day and make the most of them.  I carried the story in my heart all day!  I thought about the cross and what it means to me. 

I shared my thoughts with the kids at church today. I attempted to add some fun hand motions to my Easter summary.  I laid my arm flat horizontally and said “Jesus died on the cross for our sins.”  I raised my arm up vertically and said that he rose from the grave. 

I added that one day I would die and laid my arm back down flat.  Then I said “I have invited Jesus into my heart, so when I will die, I will not lie in a grave, but rise up too and go to heaven.”  I finished this impromptu reenactment with my hand vertical again and even pointed up signaling that I was going to rise.  Oh, I pray that my little friends got it!  (We also did Father Abraham, so I think I can count my time in church as cardio for the day.) 

I am entering into this week with my silly hand motions in mind and also with three words from the Bible…  It is finished.  John 19:30 says that when Jesus received his drink, he said “It is finished.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 

I apply the “It is finished” concept from the cross to my life often. Truth be told, with Jesus in my life, I have the power to make so much finished.   We as CHRISTians, have control over so much of the junk in life that we knowingly and willingly live with.  We will join Jesus in heaven one day, but we need to join Him now when we are living on earth!  We need to stop living with so much unfinished business because it is finished.  We put up with addictions, insecurity, fear, worry, and live with unforgiveness allowing sin to rule over us. 

Unfinished is really not acceptable because of what happened on the cross.  Maybe this Easter, we will get a grasp of what it really meant when Jesus Christ said “It is finished.”  Maybe we will finish up with some stuff in life that we need to be done with. 

This is a review from last year, but I also love the fact that Jesus got up!  He arose from the grave, Halleluiah! There was an empty tomb because He got up.  Those three words are awesome too.  Sometimes we just need to GET UP!  When life gets us down and beats us up, we need to get up.  When we try and fail, we need to get up and try again.  When depression or despair creep in, we need to get up in the name of Jesus! 

Jesus told his disciples in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” 

The exclamation point is really used after the word heart!  I am exclaiming the truth too this week.  Take heart!  It is finished!  And…in the name of Jesus, GET UP!