For You!

With Easter approaching there have been many advertisements on the radio about church services and programs. One such commercial was for a passion play that was to be put on this weekend. The commercial had a dramatic edge to it as it told of the “spectacular dance and aerial gymnastics” that would be present. This commercial never intrigued me despite their gripping words and dramatic speaking; the only thing I ever caught from it was in the middle when the man would declare passionately “You’ll be transformed!” (He then went on to tell me about the dancing and gymnastics.)

“You’ll be transformed!” would call out from the radio and every time I heard it the Holy Spirit would gently add: “By the renewing of your mind,”

This commercial sounded a lot like the new Veggietales movie called T’was the Night before Easter. It tells the story of a woman (vegetable,) who believes she can transform people’s lives through the power of theater. In the end she realizes that it takes more than a good theatrical production to touch a life.

Around Easter there are always a lot of dramatic and emotional things that go on. It’s good to face the realities of the cross and what Christ did for us, but do we stop there? I tend to feel a little funny around this time of year because everyone’s talking about how we need to reflect and think about what Jesus did for us on the cross, but every year I feel a gentle nudging in my heart that asks the question: but what about today? How do I see Him today? Getting emotional about crucifixion once a year doesn’t change you. He’s not on the cross any more. He accomplished the work; the question is…have I entered into what He paid that high price for?

He gave His blood to cleanse me and opened the way that I might truly be transformed from the image of this world to the image of Christ through the renewing of my mind that I might bare the mind of Christ. Instead of thinking about how painful a nail going through your hand is what if we thought about what He was thinking about? …for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross, The joy? The joy for what? For you! For a relationship with you! He loved you so much that He placed greater value on your life then His own. Joseph told me the other day during Bible lesson, “Jesus died on the cross so I wouldn’t have to,” from the lips of a four year old.

He doesn’t care if you sympathize in the pain He suffered. He wants you, a personal relationship with you. His heart from the very beginning has been to walk and talk with His children; the cross did its work to bring us back there but it’s our choice to enter in.

I’m glad Jesus died on the cross for me and saved my life, but what brings me even greater joy, is that I got to talk to Him ...today!