Easter Sunday

(Galatians 6:14) "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."  A few decades ago the late songwriter and singer Dottie Rambo penned the famous gospel song, "I will glory in the cross."  I really enjoyed that song when I first heard it sung.  Thank God for the inspiration she received to write that song.  We who are saved and know the Lord know that our boasting is in the Lord.  We recognize that as the Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 15:10 I am what I am because of the grace of God.  Salvation is of the Lord.  Nobody can merit salvation.  Jesus paid it all on Calvary.  Salvation is a free gift.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith.  It's the gift of work and not of works lest any man should boast (paraphrasing).  The grace of God teaches us that in Romans 7:18 there is no good thing that dwelleth in our flesh.

When man sinned, he took on the nature of Satan.  We had a nature that was at enmity against God. God sent his son to this world to pay the price on Calvary for us that we might be redeemed and reconciled to God.  There's an important point I must make:  When God saves us, it's only our soul that's saved--not our flesh.  These tabernacles that we dwell in are mortal.  One of these days when Christ comes for his bride this old flesh will be set aside and we'll put on new glorified immortal bodies.  These bodies that we presently reside in cause us trouble.  That doesn't mean we can't serve God with our bodies.  I'll explain that in just a little bit. 

The reason why we struggle so much in the flesh is simply because the flesh is at enmity against God.  Paul mentioned how he struggled with his flesh in Romans.  He mentioned that the new man desires to live holy before God.  However, he had to battle with his flesh.  He said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  Romans 8:13 says that through the Spirit we are to mortify the deeds of our flesh.  Our flesh must be crucified so we can be in subjection to God.  If we are going to serve God and fulfill His will for our lives, it's imperative these bodies be crucified.  If our flesh isn't crucified, it will create numerous problems in our service to God.  The reason why so many Christians today succumb to their flesh is because their flesh is out of control.  We feed our flesh with the things of the world and the world is at enmity against God.  As a result, it inhibits us from serving God with all our heart, mind, and soul.  You can't serve the Lord steadfastly being full of the world.  The Bible says you can't serve two masters.  We'll either serve God or mammon.  If we are going to serve God, then our flesh must be crucified.  It must be put to death.

I'm very thankful for God sending His son to this world.  I'm very thankful for Calvary.  I'm thankful for the Lord's willingness to present himself as the unspotted lamb before the world.  I'm thankful Jesus was obedient unto death.  I'm also thankful that Jesus arose from the grave as well.  Without the resurrection of Christ, there would be no salvation.  We wouldn't know eternal life.  We wouldn't know what the abundant life in Jesus holds for us.  I'm thankful that we have the privilege to remember and celebrate the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection.  I'm thankful Jesus is alive forevermore.  However, we don't have to limit our celebration of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection during the Easter season.  The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus should be celebrated 365 days a year.  We should always remember what Christ did for us.  Thank God Jesus isn't dead but is alive.  That's what makes Jesus different from all the other religious figures and gods of this world.  Buddha, Mohammad, and Allah are all dead.  They never rose from the grave.  Jesus is the only historical figure who rose from the grave.  That's because He's God and He's alive.  That's why we have a hope that lies within us.  It's because He's real and He's alive.

I know my thoughts have been scattered in this post but in order for us to serve the Lord faithfully, we need to crucify our flesh.  If we don't crucify our flesh, our walk with God will be inconsistent and we'll struggle in being what Christ wants us to be before this world.  There's no better time than now to determine in our hearts we're going to live for Him.  If we're going to accomplish anything for the Lord, we must do it now.  Time is short and Jesus is coming back soon.  Happy Easter!