Daily Devotional

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of Christianity.  Each year we pause on Good Friday to remember all that Christ suffered to provide our salvation.  Easter morning we celebrate Christ conquering death as He rose from the tomb the third day.  His resurrection made it possible for us to be free from the curse of death.

Soon after sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, man began to experience physical death.  He immediately experienced spiritual death, that is separation from God.  God had told Adam and Eve, if you eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden, you will surely die.  Once they ate of the fruit, creation began to decay and die.  Adam did not die immediately physically, but we see the results of his sin when Cain killed his brother Abel.  The Bible, from it’s very first book Genesis, to the last book, Revelation, reveals the consequences of sin…Death!  The genealogies of Genesis speak over and over again of the reality that men and women die.

The Psalmist writes, “What man can live and not see death?  Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?”  (Psalm 89:48 NKJV)  The Scriptures go on to tell us, “…As through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men…” (Romans 5:12 NKJV)  The result is, “…It is appointed for man to die once, and after this comes judgment.”  (Hebrews 9:27 NKJV)  The Bible does not paint a pretty picture of the results of sin.  All of us have to deal with the reality that we are dying and that we need a Savior to deliver us.

That is what Easter is all about.  God the Father knew that man could never save himself, so He made the decision in eternity past to send His Son to pay the price for man’s sin.  It was the only way to redeem mankind and the only way to stop the curse of death.

Within God’s Word is the remedy for the curse of death, which has fallen on all mankind.  God’s remedy is one of hope.  Today we see ourselves as self-achievers, self-sufficient, capable of controlling our own destiny.  We feel we can handle whatever comes our way until one day all the props are knocked out from under our life.  There is a death in our family, divorce, the loss of a job, or some tragedy comes into our lives that we are not capable of controlling.  There is a sense of hopelessness and we begin to realize that only God could meet these problems.

This realization comes because we are as the Scriptures tell us, “Dead in our trespasses and sins…and without hope and without God.”  (Ephesians 2:1,12 NKJV)  The only way we can be made alive, is to have a Savior.  One who is willing to take our sin upon Himself.  One who will carry our problems, sorrows and heartaches.  The Scriptures tell us that God gave His only Son, that we might be delivered from our sin.  Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to taste death for us and all mankind.  He took our sin upon Himself.  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB)  So that, “He…might taste death for everyone”  (Hebrews 2:9 NKJV)

Jesus in everyway experienced death for us.  He died physically…beaten, nailed to a cross, and pierced with a spear.  He also died spiritually…being separated from the Father.  Jesus took upon Himself our punishment in order that we might not have to face God’s judgment.  He had to pay the full debt for our sin in order for us to have the complete forgiveness of sin.  Through Christ’s sacrifice we can be totally free from our sin.

But Jesus had to do more then die for our sins…for then He would be only a martyr, a dead Savior…which in reality would not be a Savior at all.  As the first rays of dawn’s light hit the tomb on that first Easter morning, it revealed that Jesus was gone…He was alive!

The resurrection is God the Father’s seal of approval that Christ had paid in full the penalty for our sin.  Today God is offering you His free gift of salvation.  Right now through faith you can reach out and take it.  The Scriptures say, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  (Ephesians 2 8-9 NKJV)

As we again come to the Easter Season we come face to face with God’s offer of salvation… the forgiveness of sins…freedom from the curse of death.  Through faith in Christ, you can receive God’s free gift of salvation.  You can join the countless thousands who have found new life by believing and accepting His sacrifice for their sins.

We also can be free through accepting God’s forgiveness of sins…Christ died that you might be free from your sin.  He paid the price for all your sin.  His death on your behalf is totally sufficient.  There is no sin that is too great for God to forgive.  He is ready today to forgive you.

God invites you to enter into a new life of walking with Him.  Christ’s resurrection provides new life for all who have put their faith in His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection.  This new life will free you from the sin of the past and will lead you into a new living relationship with the resurrected Lord.

If you haven’t already, won’t you today receive God’s free gift of eternal life?  Now is the time…not tomorrow, not next week, but now!  Listen to God as He speaks to you.


Prayer:  Lord, thank you for loving me so much that You freely gave your life to set me free from my sin.  Jesus, thank you for the free salvation You provided through dying for the sin of the world, and rising from the tomb the third day.  I truly believe you are my Savior and I want You to be the Lord of my life.  Amen

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.