“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." (Psalm 34:8 MEV)
Today we celebrate Easter, or Resurrection Sunday: BEST DAY EVER. The long-locked and corroded door to the good life (a life of real meaning) for humanity burst open the day that Christ put a chokehold on death, offering the golden key of paradise to anyone that wants one merely by belief. Crazy good!
The irony is thick in history's most crucial and weighted event. God chose to take up His life and die on our behalf so that we can have eternal life. Just as the massive, 30-foot-high curtain tore from top to bottom in the Temple that day at the moment of great release, so had the blanket of the curse.
The curtain's crashing witness is deafening, undeniable proof. No human could have made that happen. No mere human could have done what Christ did either: Paid for humanity's sin, making a way back to union with God. Removing all barriers. We cannot hurriedly swallow the liquid of this cup. Sip this drink slowly...
The cross held everything on its beams that fateful day. It held our sin, (or the darkness we hold that once divided us from God's light), it held our past and all that happened there, it held our future and all the rest. But most of all, it held the One, the only purely Good Life - Christ Himself. He willingly stayed nailed to the final altar of sacrifice so that we could gain eternal life. Take this in... pause, sip.
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6 MEV)
The only way to truly good and meaningful life is by choosing Christ and walking out of the rotting tomb of the temporary and into the glowing garden of eternity. The flowery gate's key was turned by God's own pierced hand, and we are now free to enter, free of charge, we need do no more, no less.
Amazing, sweet grace! Savor this moment friend!
We have it backwards so often, don't we? The phrase " the good life" is cheapened as owning a large home, two shiny cars, the yearly vacation and a full bank account. When we look closer, turning it all over, we see the house with the roof that is leaking, the transmissions in need of repair, the credit card interest accruing and the ever-dwindling tally.
What a cracked and flawed prism! So ready at any moment to break into millions of shards, worthless. Meaningless glass. We can't even bring one shard of this into eternity. But we are offered a much better, higher, lasting treasure: Love that never ends.
The cross of Christ is the greatest symbol of true love of all time. What happened on Calvary's hill was the best-worst event in history. God loved us so much that He took it all on our behalf. He pushed us off the tracks of the oncoming train, dying in our place, He took the bullet, He gave us His own life vest and drowned so we could live. And live not just a life, but a Good and eternal life in Him. Incredible!
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life." (John 3:16 MSG)
What Good News. What a Great Love, What a Good life. He came to give us true, joyful, and abundant life. Now hold out your hand, say "yes" and take your key.
The Good Life is waiting for you.
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