On Easter, we celebrate our risen savior, Jesus Christ.
This day is also a reminder of the power of his resurrection and how death and the grave could not hold him. Jesus was victorious over death and sin and rose in glory on Easter morning fulfilling God’s perfect and righteous plans!
Easter is a powerful reminder of God’s great and extravagant love for us. A.W. Tozer said: "Let us be confident… (for) our power does not lay in the manger at Bethlehem nor in the relics of the cross. True spiritual power resides in the victory of the mighty, resurrected Lord of glory.”
Within Easter, we confess that Christ is risen, not only in the hearts of the faithful and not merely as some nice religious image, but truly and physically, he literally arose from the grave. By the power of his resurrection, the bondage of death was broken both for him and for us.
In our lives today we often feel the pressures day to day struggles, fears and worries. It’s easy sometimes to lose our hope. The only true promise of lasting hope in this life can be found in Christ.
Ephesians 1:18 and following says: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ, when he raised him from the dead…”
The same power that shattered Jesus' prison of death sets us free from all that binds us. The spirit of God lives in us to empower us for the ministry of the kingdom of God. Resurrection power is for us, in us, and at work through us. Because his power over the grave is living hope, the hope that Christ offers us is constant, active, and it lasts forever. It’s never dependent on us and our own abilities; it’s only found in him.
May we remember with gratitude this gift of our salvation and the hope for our future made possible by Christ. Let us also remember what it means to live today as God’s people, filled with his resurrection power, seeking to advance his kingdom in every part of our lives. Easter reminds us that we are to do this whether we are at church, at work, with our families or friends, and while out in our communities.
The power of the resurrection is not merely something we celebrate joyfully, but also something we can experience daily. His power is for us, helping us, guiding us, setting us free. His power is in us, healing us, renewing us, and gifting us for ministry so that we might serve him in the church and throughout the world.
That first resurrection morning was the start to a great and vast work that has never ended, nor will it, until Jesus returns. So, as we celebrate the power of the resurrection this Easter, may we live by that power daily. And, may God’s church be renewed by this power so that we might live each day as a beautiful demonstration to a watching world of God’s great and extravagant love for us all.
He is risen! Let us go forth with the life-saving hope found in Jesus Christ alone!
