Good Friday and an even better Sunday!

You know, Good Friday always is a day that brings me to my knees. I have a couple of reasons for this, but mostly now I feel like I can in a small way, understand God's pain. I don't imagine to fully relate to an all-perfect, all-powerful being, but through my journey as Ruthie's Mom, He has given me a small glimpse of the pain He felt as He watched His only son die. Ruthie was certainly not my only child, and she certainly did not take on the sins of the world, but she was ordained on this earth for a short time, and for a certain purpose, and as her parent I had to watch as they rolled the stone over her tomb.

While this journey has not been easy I must completely agree with a comment made in the movie Courageous...people who walk with God through the pain of a child's death and remain with God in it, have a unique relationship with Him...a unique trust, and a unique bond. We understand the pain and the weight of sin in this world. See friend, God did not ordain death and sickness for us. Our own flesh and sin took over in the Garden of Eden and we wanted our way and not God's. That sin act has been taking its toll on us ever since. The enemy wages war against us, and our flesh and our sin kill us...sadly and painfully God watches over His creation as we tear each other apart, hurt each other and let our flesh and sin take over. Miscarriage, stillbirth, death...none of this were His original plans (though He knew His creation well enough to know it would happen), they were ours when we went against His command and ate from the tree of life.

What am I saying? We as parents of an eternal child can gain a glimpse into the heart God had on that "Good" Friday when Jesus died. The separation hurt, the pain was intense, and God had to look away. The Bible says that Jesus BECAME sin that we might be the righteousness of God (2Cor5:21). What does that mean, Jesus became sin? It means that when He was suffering on the cross for us, forgiving us for what we had done to Him, GOD HAD TO LOOK AWAY. See, sin cannot be in the presence of God, so God had to send a perfect sacrifice for us, a sacrifice that would not be born into this world in sin (hence the VIRGIN birth...Jesus was born like no other person), He would have to be spotless without blemish (just like the lambs that would be sacrificed on the day of atonement) meaning Jesus would have to live in an earthly body, and yet not sin. He would also have to be willing to be a scapegoat. A scapegoat in the Old Testament was a lamb that the priest would claim to put all the sins of the community on and then be released into the wild...in other words the sins of the people would be put on the lamb and the lamb would have to take the sins away from the community. This perfect sacrifice that would reestablish the broken relationship between God and His people would have to be all of those things...and so, God sent Jesus.

So in order that prophecy and relationship be fulfilled and established God had Jesus hung on the cross. The perfect sacrifice slain for His people who would rejected Him, took on the sins of mankind so much that His own Father (God) could not look at Him. He would die, be buried and spend 3 days in Hell. Yes, that is right, Jesus himself not only bore our sins but took the penalty that we deserve for our sin and paid it in full. He didn't just die for you, He paid your debt, so that when God looks upon say me, He doesn't see my sin, He sees that I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. Because of Jesus my sins are in the Sea of Forgetfullness (Isaiah 43:25), they are as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), and God remembers them no more, because when He looks at me He sees his son Jesus instead. Oh blessed exchange thank you God!

While this is good news...there is even greater news. If you go to the tomb of Jesus, He is not there! Hallelujah! Jesus rose from the dead and spent 40 days eating and drinking with His people. When you go to the tomb of my God, He's not there. Why? Was His body taken? No. It wasn't, the stone was rolled away and eventually He ascended into Heaven and lives at the right hand of His Father.

Why am I writing all of this? You see I have a blessed assurance. Ruthie is not with me but I have a hope that none can crush. I have the power of the risen Christ within me because I was sealed with His Holy Spirit. Not to brag, but it's pretty cool! You see the power God used to raise Jesus from the dead is within each person who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that the only way to God is through Him. I don't know how far and how wide my tiny little blog reaches, but I do know that there is always someone God wants me ministering too. Maybe today it is you. Maybe you realize what Jesus did for you, and nothing is holding you back...but yourself. You may think, "Lexi you don't know what I have done." Well friend, you don't know what I have done either! The Bible says we have ALL sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Rom 3:23), it says He is NO respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), and that when we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). Friend you see we can never be too bad for God to not love us, and we can never be too good to gain our own entry into Heaven. WE MUST HAVE JESUS. Being "good enough" is not enough to get you in, and having a bad past is not bad enough for Him to exclude you. You are never too late to run back to the Lord Jesus. He will forgive your debts and sins, just as He did for me, and He will guide you through the the mountain peaks and the valleys He knows lay in your path of life.

I cannot imagine a better time of the year for a gospel message. The GOOD NEWS is for you my friend. It is for everyone who is willing to raise the white flag of surrender on doing life their way, and abandon themselves to a God who knows your past, present, and future and has declared He knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and give you a hope and a future (Jer 29:11).

Now the question I am sure you have, "Well...great, but what do I have to do?"

Ahh, this is the simplest part. The Bible says confess and believe. "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:19)."

Pray with me:

Jesus, thank you for your perfect sacrifice. I now know what you have done for me, the blinders are removed and I put my faith and trust in you. I am in need of a savior, and you Jesus are that savior. Please forgive my sins, my selfishness, and my pride. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and guide me in my ways. I am yours, I surrender. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Congrats friend! Welcome to the family of God! Marching orders: get yourself a Bible (NIV is pretty easy to understand) and start reading in the gospels to get to know Jesus a bit, find a church that preaches the word and go get yourself baptized! Oh...and GO TELL SOMEONE WHAT YOU JUST DID!

May your Resurrection Sunday be filled with the power of God that we might be His witnesses in Jerusalem, all of Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)!

A Gospel Song for you to enjoy and rejoice to!