DAY 1 - A day of devastation. We call it "Good Friday".
But was it a good day? It was ... A day of death. A day of destruction. A day of difficulty. A day of discouragement. A day of doubt. A day of defeat. A day of departure. The multitudes watched as their leader, king, and master hung suspended between two crooks. All they had hoped for now seemed to be only a fantasy. Could this really be? They had trusted that He was the one. Mary was convinced that what God had promised years earlier was for sure the Messiah. Joseph had married this virgin because the angel told him to, so he was obedient. The disciples had left everything to pursue Him. They left professions, families, and possessions to follow Him. He did such great works...but now had apparently been defeated. He loved so much, {the outcast, the downcast, the nobodies of the world, the thieves, the whores, the prostitutes, the confused}. He cared so much, { the lepers, the losers, the lunatics, the lost }... He healed so many, fed so many... He did it all, but now He was dead. What a sobering scene! What pain! What turmoil! What hurt! What chaos! What would they do. He had promised...but! He had claimed...but! Oh, what a day of devastation.
DAY 2 - A day of deliverance. The first Easter Sunday marked a new era in human history. When some of those closest to Jesus approached the tomb that sunrise morning they found the tomb emptied. He who had suffered death had been resurrected. He who was dead had been brought back to life. He who had been defeated had now conquered. Death had been unmasked and his true identity revealed. Death, a weakling who had frightened the masses for years had been - Whipped. Spanked. Conquered. Dethroned. Hope had been ushered IN! Life everlasting was introduced! Living without fear, without inadequacies ... living with the potential to embrace and enjoy life was available. A day of true deliverance was born. Jesus had won! Jesus was forever the triumphant one! God had bridged the gap between hopelessness and hope. Man could be rescued! Man could be delivered! Man had a mediator! Man had meaning, purpose, and value! God delivers was heavens echo!
How about you? Are you living a life of devastation? - Or -
Are you living a life of deliverance? The "good news" is that Jesus is no longer on the cross. That could cause one to live a devastated life by focusing in only on the torment of Mt. Calvary. We must move from the realm of Golgotha to the realm of Glory. You see, that is where Jesus is today. He is alive holding the keys to death, hell and the grave. He has conquered and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. Praise God that we have the opportunity to live a life of full deliverance. May we all out trust the sovereign King, who is the only way, who is the only truth, and who is the only life!
Seek Him! Serve Him! Share Him! He is worthy!
P.S. The day of devastation was temporal. The day of deliverance was eternal.
