Ebonie Jones
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Since Christ is being taken out of everything Christian, it is no surprise that Easter is no longer about Christ's death and resurrection. It's more about creepy chocolate bunnies, chickens, eggs, and the arrival of the season of spring. Who wants to focus on anything as morbid as death? Let's forget that and turn the celebration into a shopping fest.
Rest assured, no matter how hard forces may try, the truth that Christ's love is unending will stand firm for all eternity. Thank goodness God is into personal relationships. Those who have experienced God's amazing grace and mercy have no choice but to keep the focus on Him; He is everything we need.
Christ died so that we might obtain everlasting life, and this sacrificial love gives us several affirmations that we should claim daily. We should be reminded each day of the following:
We are loved.
When we feel like no one cares and we are not loved, we need to be reminded that everything about Christ is enveloped in love. Most importantly, this love is freely given to all of us. It's the best kind of love. It's unconditional and unmerited. We don't have to impress God; we don't have to work for it; and God loves us even when we're not even trying to be good.
We are worthy.
We are worthy of all things divine, fabulous, great, and favorable. When everything seems to be falling apart and we've found favor, as women, we often feel undeserving. According to T.D Jakes, life isn't fair but favor isn't fair either. Be grateful for what God has found fit to deliver. We are all worthy of God's protection and what He has provided.
We are phenomenal.
Of all the living things God created, only human beings were made in his image and were made to have his character. Adopting God's character is a difficult task, but it's not impossible. It's not impossible because God is love. What's more phenomenal than love? If we resolve to always operate in love, we will be closer to what God desires to see in us. This makes us nothing less than phenomenal, awesome, fearfully and wonderfully made.
We are worth dying for.
As far as God is concerned, we are worth the ultimate sacrifice. Someone died for us. So, why are we walking around frumpy and grumpy? No one is perfect, but if we are consistently at our best, that's what those around us will see. The great thing about God is that He never compares our best to someone else's best. All we have to do is stay in His will, do the best with what we have, and do what He has asked us to do.
Nothing speaks volumes of Christ's love than His death and resurrection. As we celebrate Easter, let's stay focused on the entity that sees us as exceptional and unique, Christ. His death gives us freedom. It liberates us from sin, and gives us a new beginning. His resurrection gives us hope because we can depend on the security of God's word. As dire as things might seem, they always get better.
Christ desires that none of us perish. Since He has conquered the grave, something bunnies will never do, we might want to keep Him front and center and declare:
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace. (Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin)
Picture credit to Fallinf Forward
Ebonie Jones is a freelance contributor to MNI Alive.
