“And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.” – Deuteronomy 26:11

Even in the best of times it’s very easy to dwell on the negative, and these are not the best of times. As we shrink into self-isolation and lament the things we can’t do or don’t have, our thoughts can turn increasingly dark. However, standing as we do on the other side of the cross and the empty tomb of Easter, there is still so much that we can rejoice in!

Take time each day to rejoice and give thanks for the good things God has given you. These include the enormous spiritual blessings we have in Christ: forgiveness of sins, union with Christ, adoption by God, indwelling by the Holy Spirit, friendship with God, spiritual guidance and protection, and eternal life. In Christ we enjoy salvation, sanctification, and the promise of future glorification. No virus, quarantine, or recession can take these things away from us!

We also have many other things for which we can be thankful, even if it’s simply the beauty of the flowers and trees blooming during this unique spring. Take time each day to identify these good things, rejoice in them – let the thought of them fill you with joy, and give thanks for them. Encourage all in your family and circle of friends to do likewise. Don’t let the negativity of the news, the genuine struggles of this season, and the constraints of “staying at home” prevent you from seeing the beauty and blessing of God at work all around you and for you!

“And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” – Luke 16:26

To die without Christ is to be separated from God for all eternity and to know it! Jesus was very clear. While the Gospel offers endless second, third, and fourth chances during life, once we die, there are no do-overs. If you die without faith in Jesus, no matter how “good” you think you were, you were not “good enough” to be perfect, because none of us are.

To die without Christ is to spend eternity with complete awareness of who and what you are missing out on. Jesus is very clear – an eternity apart from Him is agony in every way. That may not be pleasant to hear or popular to say today, but if you have respect for what Jesus said, you must realize that He spoke of hell and eternal agonizing separation from God graphically and repeatedly.

Choose carefully your plan for the afterlife! Do you imagine it doesn’t exist and risk an eternal and unpleasant surprise when you discover you are wrong? Is it to get to heaven on your own good works and self-discipline, only discover that they didn’t add up to “perfect”? Or will you trust in the perfect Son of God whose death and resurrection opened the gates of heaven for all who believe in Him?

“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.” – Luke 16:16

The empty tomb of Easter makes clear that the Kingdom of God is open and welcoming all who will enter it. Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom, then died and rose to make the Kingdom available for all who give their lives to Him in faith. The Kingdom is good news for all who hear it and respond. It ushers in forgiveness for sin, resurrection from dead, reconciliation and fellowship with God, and union with Christ.

As citizens of the Kingdom, we are each appointed to serve as royal ambassadors here on earth, representing the character of the King and faithfully conveying His message. Our task as long as we draw breath is to represent Christ and urgently invite others to enter the Kingdom by putting their trust in Jesus Christ. Ambassadors, we have work to do!

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.” – Luke 23:44-46

Today is Good Friday. The origin of this odd (to our ears) name is that in earlier English, holy and good were synonyms. So today is Holy Friday. It remembers the day on which Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, God in the flesh, was tried, flogged, sentenced to death, paraded to His place of execution, nailed to a cross, suffered in agony for hours, and died. On that cross, Jesus in His humanity suffered all the physical torture of that brutal means of execution. On that cross, Jesus in His divinity suffered the spiritual agony of His Father’s rightful anger for our sins. On that cross, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, paying the penalty of death for them, so that we won’t have to.

For all who put their faith in Jesus, Peter’s reflection on the events of Good Friday applies: ‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.’ (1 Peter 2:24). Take time today to remember the terrible price that was paid to bring you spiritual healing and reconciliation with God. Ask forgiveness for your sins and embrace your Savior who died for you.

“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” – Luke 22:41-44

Today is Maundy Thursday, which remembers the day before the crucifixion of Jesus. The English word Maundy appears to derive from the same word as “mandate”, and refers to Jesus giving us His new commandment to love one another (John 13:34). On Maundy Thursday, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, they ate the Last Supper together, Jesus taught and prayed for His disciples then and now, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray amongst the olive trees, Jesus was betrayed and arrested, Jesus was denied by Peter, and Jesus was tried illegally and held overnight at the house of Caiaphas.

The most poignant time of that day is perhaps the one described in these verses when Jesus knelt among the olive trees and prayed for God to take this cup away from Him. “This cup” is the cup of suffering He will soon experience: arrest, beating, mocking, scourging, and agonizing crucifixion. “This cup” is the cup of God’s wrath, stored up for all of our sin and poured out on Jesus as He hung on the cross to pay for all the wrong that we’ve ever done.

Jesus knew what lay ahead. He did not desire it, but He embraced God’s will and eternal plan to bring salvation through His suffering death on a cross. Though He prayed for another way, He embraced that God’s will led inexorably to the cross. The gravity of what lay ahead was so great his sweat became like drops of blood and an angel was sent to strengthen Him in time of prayer. Here in the Garden we see the enormous burden of what it cost for God to forgive our sins through Jesus Christ!