Just a few days ago, we celebrated the greatest event to ever happen on earth! God came to earth in a human body to conquer sin. On Good Friday we felt the pain and darkness of what Jesus had to do to save man from his sins. It was agonizing to say the least. Jesus, who is God’s Son, faced the cup of God’s wrath. He took the brunt of every man’s sins from every generation (stop and think about that) upon his broken, bloody body.
It had to be done for there was no other way to redirect sinful man away from hell’s door.
Then Sunday came where the sun rose as the Son rose from the dead. Sinful man now has hope! Sinful man now has a choice. Either you stay living in your sins and remain spiritually dead or you come to believe and receive what Jesus offered you at the cross and begin to follow Him and His Word. In Christ, your foot steps are redirected towards heaven for your sins have been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. In Christ, your heart has come alive to godly things and you live accordingly.
Now it’s a few days past, how do you keep Easter alive within you?
Study Paul in the New Testament and you will learn how to keep Jesus in the forefront of your mind, and awake within your heart every day. In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul begs believers to not accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. Take note when you study Paul’s letters. He isn’t reaching those in the world who ignore God. His focus is on those who call themselves believers yet won’t follow Christ.
Christians love to enjoy the perks of Jesus without enjoying Him.
Look at 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “Christ’s love controls us (urges us on). Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” Also read 2 Corinthians 7:1, “Because we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body and spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”
Keeping Jesus alive within you takes a conscious effort on your part. It is extremely easy to slip into old habits of self and ignore Christ. Your natural tendencies will be to ignore God. From merriam.webster.com, ignore means to fail to give proper attention to; disregard, shrug off, brush aside. From Oxford dictionaries, ignore means to refuse to take notice of or acknowledge; disregard intentionally. It is so easy to remain oblivious and don’t pay attention to things that don’t come naturally. Thus, you must keep awake to who you have become when you received your salvation from the Lord Jesus. Thus, you must know the Bible well. God’s Word will keep you focused on God and not yourself.
Focus this week on the Branch from David’s line found in Isaiah 11:1-5. Jesus is referred to a new Branch which bears fruit. “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
“Jesus will delight in obeying the Lord.” He will help you to obey joyfully. “Jesus will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.”
“The earth will shake at the force of His Word, and one breath from His mouth will destroy the wicked. Jesus will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.”
Jesus came not only to save you and me but to walk with us from this day forward. Let’s keep Easter alive each and every day by following Jesus as the Holy Spirit guides us in all our daily moments.
Carol J German 