Easter Peeps - Sunday April 20, 2014
He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:6 NIV
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you. Matthew 28:6-7 NIV
Like Christmas, Easter is becoming more and more secularized and commercialized. I'm determined to fight against that trend. One obvious reason is that the Easter Bunny never died for anyone-but Jesus did! I don't know about you, but in the midst of marshmallow peeps, chocolate marshmallows, jelly beans, and Reese's peanut butter eggs, the meaning of Easter is a blessing to my life! God really reminds me of why Jesus had to die and why I can have tremendous hope because of the resurrection.
It is also good to remember that there are two ways the Bible says you get to heaven. Yes, two! "Plan A" is to earn it. Unfortunately, in order for this plan to work, you need to be perfect...and none of us are (Romans 3:23). Unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame where failing 6 out of 10 times gets you into the elite club, you have to bat 1000 with God. No sin, ever. Good thing there is a "Plan B"!
"Plan B": Trust Jesus Christ. Here's the Good News: Jesus has already paid your way to heaven! All we need to do is to trust Him for our salvation. It says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast" (NIV). God's redemption is by grace through faith. Not religion, but relationship.
Does Easter mean more than beans to you and me? You bet your peeps it does! He is risen!
Submitted by:
Bill Young
The Rock Church
Sandy, Utah
One-Year Reading Plan:
Joshua 21:1-22:20
Luke 20:1-26
Psalms 89:1-13
Proverbs 13:15-16
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.