Another Easter has come and gone. The day is without a doubt the most important day of the year for Christians. Much time is spent in preparation for the day. You probably attended church and spent time reflecting on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Your day most likely involved time with your family and friends.
The sad truth is, now that Easter is over, most Christians will not think about the resurrection for another year. This is much like Christmas, which also only gets our attention once a year; however, it should never be this way. The truth of the resurrection of Christ is something that should impact the life of a believer every day.
The Apostle Paul explains it like this in Romans 6:4, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” The resurrection of Jesus made it possible for people to live a brand new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. We could call this “newness of life” made available to us the “resurrection life.”
A life forever impacted by the events of Easter (a resurrection life) will have some unique distinctions about it.
It will be marked by love.
Love is the defining mark of a resurrected life. It was love that sent Jesus to the cross, and it was love that brought Him back to life again. God is love, and when His Spirit fills a person’s heart, love takes up residence. John states this very simply in I John 4:20, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar.”
It will be marked by joy.
Joy is the primary emotion of God. It describes His perpetual emotional state. The resurrected life takes on this quality as a normal, everyday condition. Jesus told His followers in John 15:11 that they would be filled with His joy. “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow.” We will certainly have days and times when we feel down or discouraged; however, as we continually seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be led by him in all of our ways, joy will return.
It will be marked by service.
Service to others is the expression of love. The greatest service that God provided to humans was the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is what we needed most. Jesus expressed it like this, “…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 28:20) A resurrected life is focused on the needs of others because that is what the Spirit of God is focused on. The Apostle Paul explains the Holy Spirit’s desire in Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
There are many marks of a life impacted by the events of Easter. The resurrected life is a life of trust, courage, and victory over sin. It is a life free from anxiety, fear, anger, and lust, and it is a life of peace and deep faith.
The resurrection should be on our minds all the time–everyday–because this one event in history is the event that made it possible for all people to experience life the way God intended.
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