NEW LIFE.....Easter....bunnies, eggs, chocolate Bilby's (well, we ARE in Australia) almost everything in the stores except anything about the REAL meaning of the season. Oh - unless you count the cross on the Hot Cross Buns! Now while I enjoy a bun or two and a chocolate egg or six, I can't help despairing that the general population in my nation know very little about this time of year. Stats tell us that the majority of people believe in God but for many it doen't go much farther than that. But for Christians (and for myself) Easter reminds me WHY I am a Christian - a follower of Christ - and HOW I became one. Christianity isn't a cultural thing; you are not born a Christian. Heritage and history has no bearing on your eternal state. Rather you are 'born again' when you realise (a) your need of a Saviour (b) that Jesus Christ fulfilled the qualifications of that Saviour and (c) that His Resurrection provides us with not only forgiveness but access to the presence of God. I wonder at the marvels of creation, the universe, the beauty of the world around me and I acknowledge God the Creator. But knowing the reality of Jesus Christ goes beyond that - my errors, failures and deliberate wrong-doings are forgiven and paid for through His death on a cross. And because of the Resurrection I have new life now and eternal life to come. I hear His voice - in music, as I read the Bible, in response to my prayers, through the encouragement of others. I have seen the miraculous - circumstances turned around, urgent needs miraculously met, relationships restored, healings for bodies and minds and wounded spirits ....and the list goes on. I love Easter - another reminder of the greatness of God's love to His final work of creation - human beings! That's you, that's me.
HAPPY EASTER! And may YOU know the reality of this NEW LIFE!
