Keep the TRUE message of Easter ALIVE!
Neels Janse van Rensburg
CEO @ Bible Society New Zealand | Strategic Planning | Executive MBA | CGNZ (Affiliate)
How connected are you to God, His word and the purpose for your life? Don’t answer just yet.
We’re in the homestretch of Jesus' journey to the cross and resurrection and in line with the opening question, I do wonder how people will reflect on Easter this year and the truth it represents.
A worrying statistic of late indicates that 52% of New Zealanders think of Easter as a cultural holiday rather than a religious one. Despite understanding the meaning behind it, many see it as a chance for a holiday or to connect with family and friends, rather than celebrating and reflecting on its true meaning.
I firmly believe that if we are truly connected with God, everything about Him will be important to us, especially such a significant event of Jesus giving up His life for all. The above statistic should challenge every believer to think differently about how we walk out our faith and celebrate everything that God represents through our everyday life.
INVITE HIM IN
In Revelation 3:20 (NLT) we see this prompt “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” This invitation is personal and open to anyone, it requires not only a response to invite Him in but also the courage to go all the way to the end with Him.
To be truly connected with God means not to give up in times of difficulty and not only to serve Him until we got what we want. During His time on earth, Jesus has experienced many who have only followed Him because they sought a miracle, healing or even wanted to be a disciple, but in the end, there were only but a few at the cross during His darkest hour.
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It reminds me of the question God asked Isaiah “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” - Isaiah 6:8 NIV
TAKE COURAGE - CHOOSE JESUS
To answer the question asked at the start, you need to be able to estimate the cost of not going all the way with Jesus. If you are willing to enjoy the hosannas and miracles with Him, we also need to be willing to journey with Him through the darkest times and not give up.
The only way for the statistics to change is for the true believers to take a stand and be counted. So, I’ll leave you with this?question?and be careful how you answer. "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” I pray that we choose Jesus and through Him, change our nation. Peace be with you, now and for always.
Many blessings as we celebrate our Lord and Savior.