A woman, I’ll call Glenda, walked into our gathering clinging to her friend’s elbow. Glenda has a contagious smile and a rare genetic blindness. At lunch her friend read the menu to her. When I looked at her to share a laugh, I realized her lack of vision prevented the connection I take for granted when I’m with friends.

Glenda’s daughter inherited her mother’s genetic blindness. Glenda couldn’t help passing on her genetic weakness.

I heard the FDA approved a drug to treat genetic blindness and thought of Glenda. But the estimated cost could be as much as a million dollars. Imagine finding a cure for your blindness and not being able to afford it or paying the million dollars and having it not work.

Glenda isn’t the only one with a genetic defect. Our forefather Adam passed on spiritual blindness and death to us, and we passed it on to our children.

Understanding the hopeless situation into which we were born can help us better appreciate Easter. Salvation from sin and death cost much more than a million dollars. It cost the life of God’s only Son.

Let’s look at some benefits from E–A–S–T–E–R.

Eternal Life

Sometimes we think of eternal life as something believers get when they die. But eternal life begins the moment we receive Christ (1 Jn. 5:12). Eternal life is more than a quantity of time, it is also a quality of life.

Whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (Jn. 11:26 NIV).

My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (Jn. 10:10 NLT).

Acceptance

We accept our standard poodles as part of our family—but we don’t approve of all they do! God accepts me on the basis of Christ’s perfect performance, and He is at work in me providing the desire to be more like Him (Gal. 5:22-23). Faith and obedience free me to experience His unconditional love.

He hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephes. 1:6 KJV).

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom. 1:7 NIV).

Salvation

Sin poisoned our thoughts, desires, and emotions condemning us to spiritual and physical death. Jesus’ blood saves us from the penalty and the power of sin so we can enjoy closeness with God.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT).

Transformation

Salvation radically changes the identity of every believer. I was darkness; now I’m light. I was God’s enemy; now I’m His beloved child. I was sinful; now I’m holy (Rom. 3:24; I Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Ephes. 5:8).

A worm has a worm’s soul. But a caterpillar is a baby butterfly. On days we act like caterpillars, remember God sees a butterfly.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV).

Everything We Need

God met my deepest need in Jesus. He’s promised to provide everything else we need too (Psalm 23:1; Ephes. 1:3; 2 Peter 1:3).

Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 NLT)

Relationship With God

The cross shows how far God went to demonstrate His love. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39).

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13 NLT).

If Glenda could choose between Easter and a million bucks to restore her eyes, which would she choose?

I know she’d choose Easter. Easter guarantees physical sight one day and offers spiritual sight and abundant life today and forever.

EASTER

• Eternal life
• Acceptance
• Salvation from sin’s power in life and penalty in death
• Transformation
• Everything we need
• Relationship with God

Easter’s benefits are priceless! Let’s celebrate the true joys of Easter by applying them every day.

How will you celebrate Easter?

Happy Easter,

Resources

There would be no Easter without Good Friday. (If you want to know more about why we call the day Jesus died Good Friday, click here.)

Sometimes I link up with these great sites:

#Kelly Balarie & Friends, #Recharge Wednesday, #Coffee for Your Heart, #TuneinThursaday, #Dance with Jesus, #Grace and Truth,

Photo by Andrew Small on Unsplash