Easter Sunday is close! Many years ago, an agency created dancing raisins to advertise California raisins. My aunt gave me an Easter card with the California raisins and a caption that read ‘ A Great Raisin’ to Rejoice.’ I was ecstatic with the caption because Easter does indeed celebrate a “Great Raisin” to rejoice- our Savior is risen.
Jesus’ raising from the dead is everything to Christian believers. I also love the story in John 2 where Jesus is told there is no more wine. Not only does He turn water into wine, the Word tells us ‘He saved the best for now.” This speaks to me because God is never at a loss for what to do in our lives. He is always saving the best for now, He is always turning water into wine- changing something ordinary to something extraordinary. It’s all because He is Risen!
The biggest miracle I know is God changing and healing hearts. He turns water into wine in the lives of people still today. I do not feel God just puts ‘bandaids’ on hurts and brokenness in our lives. He gives beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61.3) I believe He transforms the hurt and weakness in our lives to something useful. I have heard that transformation means nothing in our lives is ever wasted. There is no event that we would be better without- or should be cut out as by surgery. For from the ground plan of salvation, God planned to turn the lowly Cross to highest victory, so He turns every aspect of our seemingly defeated lives to glory. Our lives- in the hands of the Living Risen Savior- means that the struggles and weaknesses which ride our backs will become the very things that lead us to victory for others. The struggles and weakness and brokenness we turn over to God will become extraordinary strength and blessing for others. – He turned the water into wine.
Easter is so meaningful to me. I once worked with someone who let me know she did not celebrate Easter. I inquisitively asked, “Why?” She replied, “I don’t believe in God.”
I again asked, “Why?” She shrugged her shoulders and stated, “I never saw him do anything big.” When I am stunned, I have a habit of blurting things out I may not normally say, so I said, “I think He did a really BIG thing,” – referring to the Cross and raising from the dead to life forevermore. She said He never showed Himself to her in anyway. I was sad as I told her, “I see Him in everything and He has proven Himself to me a million times.”
I guess without personal knowledge, the Cross may mean nothing to those around us. Without the profound recognition that our Savior is Alive! our spiritual lives can become perfunctory. God wants the revelation of His Cross and our salvation to become so real to us that we sincerely love our God and worship the God to Whom we owe our very lives, and can say whole heartedly, “This is why I sacrifice to the Lord.” Happy Easter.
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