Easter Weekend
Quotes
“If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus’ fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle but by love; not by vengeance but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win; He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him.” – A.W. Tozer
“The gifts of the Master are these: freedom, life, hope, new direction, transformation, and intimacy with God. If the cross was the end of the story, we would have no hope. But the cross isn’t the end. Jesus didn’t escape from death; he conquered it and opened the way to heaven for all who will dare to believe. The truth of this moment, if we let it sweep over us, is stunning. It means Jesus really is who he claimed to be, we are really as lost as he said we are, and he really is the only way for us to intimately and spiritually connect with God again.”― Steven James
Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. – Albert Einstein
The scientists’ religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. – Albert Einstein
Courtesy of
Easter Quotes (237 quotes) (goodreads.com)
Albert Einstein Quotes on Spirituality (simpletoremember.com)
Abstract
Easter weekend has once again dawned on us. I once again think and reflect during this Easter period and thank the Lord for giving us the blessing of his Son who died to wash away our sins and inequities.
Man is not perfect. Once we embrace that fact we will appreciate human behavior in all its forms. Man was created in the image of the Lord. We are the only beings with the capacity of creation and thought. God granted us free will to make decisions and be the stewards of his creation.
Even Albert Einstein, the great physicist understood that God exists. There are mysteries of life that will never be explained and are beyond our understanding.
This capacity of creation also manifests itself in our dual capacity for good and evil. We were given the will to choose between good and evil in all actions we undertake. The Bible shows man falling again and again in sin.
The Lord had given up on man but he decided to give us a second chance. His Son Jesus Christ was sent down on earth to show man the true light and path once more. To fully accomplish his mission on earth he had to die and cleanse our sins.
The Lord gave us human beings a second chance to redeem ourselves through the ultimate sacrifice of his son.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Giving up our lives to save other lives is the ultimate sacrifice we can make for anyone. The only professions in the world that are ready to do this are only two professions I can reel off my head:
– The Armed Forces (Soldiers, Police and Armed Guards)
– Fire fighters and first responders to disasters
That’s it. The only other individuals that can sacrifice their lives for others are parents, spouses, siblings and true friends. In most cases it’s only parents that are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their children.
With this fact in mind most revolutions in history have been sparked off by true followers who are willing to die for their cause.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela the iconic late President of South Africa is remembered for his Rivonia Trial speech in 1964. See extract below from Wikipedia
“I Am Prepared to Die” was a three-hour speech given by Nelson Mandela on 20 April 1964 from the dock at the Rivonia Trial. The speech is so titled because it ended with the words “it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. It is considered one of the great speeches of the 20th century, and a key moment in the history of South African democracy.
Source: I Am Prepared to Die – Wikipedia
Martyrs
We actually respect and fear those who are willing to die for their cause and belief. Martyrs and Saints in Christianity are what has kept it alive through the initial persecution of the first disciples of Christ to the present day.
In my home country Uganda, we have a public holiday on the 3rd June that is dedicated to the Ugandan Martyrs. The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887. Uganda Martyrs – Wikipedia
They embraced Christianity and paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. This incident happened over a century back. It is still celebrated to this day with millions of pilgrims flocking the country to commemorate the event annually.
Jesus and His impact in our lives
Jesus Christ died over 2000 years back but to show His significance the calendar system we use is actually aligned to His life on earth. Please see an extract from Wikipedia Anno Domini – Wikipedia below:
Anno Domini
The terms anno Domini (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used when designating years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term anno Domini is Medieval Latin and means “in the year of the Lord” but is often presented using “our Lord” instead of “the Lord”, taken from the full original phrase “anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi”, which translates to “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
The form “BC” is specific to English, and equivalent abbreviations are used in other languages: the Latin form, rarely used in English, is Ante Christum natum (ACN) or Ante Christum (AC).
This calendar era is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus, AD counting years from the start of this epoch and BC denoting years before the start of the era. There is no year zero in this scheme; thus the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC.
This dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus but was not widely used until the 9th century.
1. Fulfilled his mission on Earth
It is in the gospel of John where you find Jesus saying “it is finished.” “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30)
Jesus the son was sent by the Lord his father to save souls on earth. To do this he had to show man that the Lord had power over death.
His death and resurrection was the ultimate fulfillment of his primary purpose on Earth. He demonstrated that the Lord exists and had ultimate power over death. There was eternal life after this earthly existence on earth. He gave hope and salvation to all mankind.
2. Thirty Three (33 ) Years on Earth
Jesus spent only 33 years in Earth as a man. It was a short and impactful life. His life was not wasted on trivial pursuits.
He demonstrated all the miracles and wonders he was capable of performing on this earth. He finally crowned it with the final resurrection. In this short period, he left the legacy of Christianity that lives to this day.
He showed what can be accomplished over a short span of time. We don’t need several decades to make a lasting impact. We can leave a legacy in a short life span.
3. Courage, Obedience and Humility
Jesus demonstrated what true courage, obedience and humility entails. He had the power to refuse to sacrifice his life for we human beings but he chose to obey his Father and save mankind.
He had to die an agonizing death to fulfill this mission. It took great courage, humility and obedience to fulfill this task. Yet he performed it and was victorious over death at the end of the day.
Summary
‘For whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ As I have stated before, I believe the world is too perfect to have been created by chance. A Superior Being was behind the creation of the planet. I have zero belief in random theory of evolution of life.
The perfection of nature, the seasons and many other facts before us disprove random theories of evolution of life. Easter is a time to ponder on what true sacrifice means and also the hope that comes with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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