Terry’s Take… Readings Leading Up to Easter!
FRIDAY
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:44-49
Good Friday remembers the day our Lord died for our sins on the cross. We call this His Passion. I have often sat alone to reflect on the agony and suffering He went through because of my sins. At one point, scripture tells us He said from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He meant that God had accepted His work on the cross as the penalty (or payment) for our sins.
Christ’s death on our behalf is the reason God can forgive us and still be just. And His death teaches us the depth and breadth that there should be in OUR forgiveness of others.
While that Good Friday was tremendously sad, it was only a prelude to Sunday morning when He was raised from the dead. Faithful women had come to see His tomb, but angels made the glorious announcement, “He has risen!” (Luke 24:6). His resurrection guaranteed that we, too, will be raised, if we are believers and obeyers of His Word.
As you celebrate the truth that Jesus came from Heaven to redeem you… are you reflecting His likeness to those around you?
SATURDAY
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
From Genesis to Revelation, we are warned that “it is later than you think.” Paul writes to Christians in Romans 13:11–12: “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
There are millions of people around the world who do not have peace at this moment because they have never found the secret of peace. Some of them may have riches today as a result of greed and covetousness; but their souls are lean, their hearts are cold toward God, their consciences are dulled, and their minds are blinded. They try to fill the emptiness in their lives with all of the things the world has to offer…but still are hungry for meaning and peace. Only Jesus, the Bread of Life, can fill that need.
They need to know that there is a God of marvelous love who sent His Son Jesus Christ to this world. And as a demonstration of His mercy, Christ—who is the Prince of Peace—went to the cross to make a way for peace between God and mankind.
Are you living in the reality of Jesus’ victory over death? In what tangible ways can you share that victory with others so that they, too, can have life?
EASTER SUNDAY
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:55-58
Easter is a season of great gladness for those who know Christ. But for those who are without “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory” (2 Corinthians 4:6), there is nothing to rejoice over. Perhaps its just another day off…or viewed as a cultural event with no personal spiritual significance for them.
Jesus left us with the great hope and certainty that just as He was raised from the dead, we as believers will also be raised unto eternal life. Those who do not believe in Jesus and His promises do not have that assurance. There will be trouble, sorrow, and suffering for those who have neglected or rejected Him. That’s why it’s so important that we should not be shy or reluctant to share our faith with others. We do so out of love for them.
As Christians, our great task is to obey the command to tell the whole world about Christ crucified, buried, yet risen again. My prayer for you during this season of the year, when we meditate on our Saviour’s great sacrifice for us on the cross, is that you will be filled with great peace and hope, because “He is risen!” That is the Good News. It’s News that we have the opportunity to spread far and wide!
Happy Easter! He is Risen!