True Hope and a Future

The seed was planted back when I was in elementary school. My Camp Fire Girls group leader had the same birthday as I did, and I remember her telling me that one year Easter was celebrated on the same day as her birthday. Ever since then, I’ve wanted Easter to fall on my birthday. It hasn’t. It’s fallen on my son’s birthday, which is two days before mine, but it’s never fallen on mine.

In researching how the date is calculated, I discovered that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25. For anyone born within that thirty four day range, there’s a chance that Easter will fall on his or her birthday. I like the idea that so many people have the opportunity of celebrating their birthday on Easter Sunday; celebrating the day they were given life physically on the day Christ made it possible to live with Him eternally.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” ~ 1 John 5:11-12

Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian faith. Even more joyous than Christmas, when Christ came from heaven to earth to live as a man, is Easter, the day Christ rose from the dead. Because He had the power to rise from the dead we have the assurance that He also had the power to pay the penalty for our sins.

Sin entered the world soon after it was created, when Adam and Eve broke the one rule God had given them. (Genesis 3) Every person that has walked this earth, save one, has been a sinner, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 8:23). There is only one penalty for sin – death. Not just physical death, but eternal separation from God.

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 6:23

Christ was able to pay the penalty for us because He alone could do the one thing that we cannot – live a sinless life. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.” ~ Hebrews 4:15

Because Christ paid the penalty, we “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” ~ Romans 6:22

No one likes the idea of being a slave, but we all are. We are either a slave to sin or a slave to God. Everything in this world is upside-down in comparison to God’s kingdom. Only in God’s kingdom does slavery to Him lead to true freedom.

After the death of Lazarus, Jesus said these words to Lazarus’ sister Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" ~ John 11:25-26

“Do you believe this?” This is the question we must all ask ourselves. It is a matter of eternal life and death.

Lord Jesus, my mind cannot comprehend the agony you went through, bearing not only the physical pain of being nailed to the cross, but bearing the weight of the sins of all mankind. You paid a high price for this gift you so freely give. I pray for those who have not yet accepted your gift of salvation, that this Easter will be the day they submit to you as Lord and Savior. Thank you for paying the price for me, so that I may spend eternity with you; and thank you that in 2018 I will celebrate my birthday on Easter!