Death and Resurrection

Last week while driving past a church I noticed a MASSIVE sign, one where each letter is it's own sign actually, staked into the front lawn of the property. In big capital letters it said "CHRIST HAS DIED." I couldn't help but feel like this was terribly morbid and somehow missing the point of Easter. I mean, yes, Christ died - a gruesome death carrying the sins of the world. I can't imagine the agony, loneliness, and despair dying such a death, but it didn't stop there. There was more, so much more.

Sometimes I think we live in a place that keeps Jesus Christ in the grave. We recognize that Christ died for our sin and disease, and that we can come to the Father because of what Jesus did on the cross, but we don't live in what happened 3 days later. Our Savior conquered the gates of hell, destroyed sin and death and, against all natural odds, rose from the grave so that we may have life and life ABUNDANT. Jesus died so that we could walk out of something (our sinful bondage) and rose again so that we could walk into something (life ABUNDANT). How many times have I stopped just short of the life abundant and left Jesus lying there, dead in the grave? How many times have I let the enemy weigh me down and steal my joy, my hope, my inheritance not understanding fully what happened when Jesus rose that beuatiful morning?

I'm not sure that I will ever fully be able to comprehend what it means that my Savior, perfect as He was, took my sins, died for me and rose again, so that I can be FREE, so that I can look the devil in the eye and say, "I am redeemed, a daughter of the King!" I pray that it continues to sink deeped and deeper into me every day that I'm alive on this earth, until I have the amazing opportunity to thank Him face to face. This day I choose to live in the FREEDOM, the GRACE and the LIFE ABUNDANT that is mine, not because I earned it, but because I am loved by the King of Kings. Happy Easter to you all!