Have you experienced the double blessing of Easter?
I started attending a beautiful historic church in Savannah, Georgia nine months before I was born. But the meaning of Easter didn’t impact me until I was in middle school. At a chapel service at Epworth by the Sea, I heard the message that would change the course of my life and afterlife.
Since our family had celebrated Easter my whole life, I was familiar with Good Friday and Easter. But, when the speaker told how Jesus went to the cross for our sins, for the first time, I realized God didn’t just love the world; He loved me! God so loved Debbie that He gave His only Son that if I would believe in Him, I would not perish but have everlasting life (see John 3:16). The realization that Jesus died for me broke my heart.
But the Easter message also healed me. I returned home on an emotional high. Singing camp songs, I thought I’d never come down. But I did.
Life went back to normal. I was still the impatient person I’d always been. Except for one change.
Before I gave my life to Christ I considered myself to be a good person. I hadn’t identified with needing a Savior since I only lost my temper when someone provoked me! But after I invited Christ into my life, I became painfully aware of how I couldn’t control my impatient outbursts.
Every night, I’d promise God to do better the next day. Every day I failed. Knowing that Jesus had paid the penalty for my sins—past, present and future—was certainly a great comfort. But I needed power to change how I lived today.
Only one person has ever successfully lived the Christian life. That person is Jesus.
Easter’s Second Gift
In college, I joined a small group Bible study. Even though I attended church and read my Bible, I’d never viewed the Bible as relevant or reliable. I embraced the parts that made me feel good and dismissed the parts I considered to be outdated.
The women in this study not only viewed the Bible as pertinent, but their lives were also different. Small things didn’t set them off. Their responses to disappointment and loss showed a faith I lacked.
As my perception of God grew, the obstacles to trusting Him shrank. I realized that my ability to trust the Bible was directly related to my view of Him.
If God is God then:
- He is able to communicate with His children.
- He’s able to preserve the integrity of His Word.
- His wisdom is timeless.
The better I got to know Jesus the bigger God became to me.
I also learned why I’d been powerless to control my temper earlier. I’d been trying to live the Christian life in my own strength. I learned that only one person has ever successfully lived the Christian life. That person is Jesus. And He wanted to live through me.
The power that raised Jesus from the dead on that first Easter is available to every child of God!
The power that raised Jesus from the dead on that first Easter is available to every child of God! We weren’t meant to live the Christian life in our own strength. We were created to live by faith in God’s Son.
- “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephes. 1:18-20 NIV).
- “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20 NIV).
Easter provides a double blessing to all who receive Christ: the power to overcome our innate weaknesses now and the assurance of heaven later. Have you unwrapped God’s Easter gifts to you?
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Happy Easter,
Debbie W. Wilson
Sometimes I link up with these great sites:
#TestimonyTuesday, #IntentialTuesday, #TuesTalk, #Tell it to me Tuesdays, #A Little R & R Wednesdays #w2wwordfilledwednesday, #Wedded Wednesday, #Women with Intention, #LivefreeThursday, #Thankful Thursdays, #Grace and Truth, #Word of God Speak, #Weekend Whispers
This came to mind as I was reading your post. Ruth Bell Graham has inscribed on her
tombstone, “End of construction: Thank-you for your patience.” His mercies are
new every morning!
Perfect! Thank you, Marilyn.
Truly this is my favorite time of the year and I had a similar experience to yours, only I was much older than you were – 30 and pregnant with my oldest son. But no less impactful, lasting and has changed my life forever! Wishing you and your family a truly blessed Resurrection Day. Your posts never fail to bless me!
Hallelujah! He found us at the right time. Thank you, Ann. Blessing on you and yours during this special week!
Debbie,
Your beautiful words are like an enticing
invitation to experience God’s power and
grace! May many come to know these
treasures through your God-given gifts!
Easter Blessings, Kay
Thank you, Kay. And amen; may many find our Savior and experience Him fully.
What a wonderful retelling of your testimony of your own Easter messages! Thanks, Debbie! There is so much to ponder during this Holy Week and so much to rejoice in as we have One who can do in and for us what we can never accomplish on our own no matter how hard we try. Have a truly blessed week and Easter, my friend!
Pam, we do have much to rejoice over. The longer we walk with Him, the more we realize that. Blessing to you, my friend!
Debbie,
Great Easter Devotion and encouragement.
Happy Easter to you, Larry and the family!
Love,
Earle & Sara
Thank you. Many blessings to you both!
It’s so true that the power that raised Jesus on that Easter morn, is the same power that is at our disposal when we rest in Him, Debbie! What an important truth and decision to settle in our lives–yielding to our Lord and Savior and letting our efforts die while we let Him live through us. Thanks for sharing a bit of your story, my friend. I hope it opens the eyes of many to God’s power and love!
Thank you, Beth. I hope your family enjoys this Easter weekend.
Just beautiful story Debbie! I am beyond thankful for the double blessing that the death and resurrection provides me with. Blessings that I am so unworthy of and humbled in receiving. Thanks for sharing such a heartfelt and inspiring story of your walk with Christ! May God continue to richly bless you and yours. Have a fantastic Easter weekend!
Thank you, Horace. May the Lord bless you in your journey too!
I love your reference to that verse in Ephesians 1. We so under-estimate the power of God that is available to us!
And . . . I love that I “just happened” to park right next to your post today with the author interview! God’s timing . . .
I got up wanting to read Hebrews 11 today. So I loved that I “stumbled” on your post on it today, Michele! I’ve signed up to receive them now. Thanks so much, my friend.
This is beautiful, Debbie. Easter and Christmas are my favorite holidays. Being sick and ending up at the urgent care, we missed church yesterday. It is the first Easter I have missed church since 1985 when my grandmother was buried on Easter. I am so thankful I don’t have to live the Christian life in my own strength, I’m thankful for Jesus living it through me. Thank you for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.
Lori, I’m so sorry you were ill on Easter! I hope you are better now. I love the Easter music and the fact that where I live all the earth proclaims the resurrection. Our dogwoods, redbuds, and magnolias are in bloom. Thank you for visiting.