Easter - The Lord will provide
The value of a son
It all began many centuries ago. A little known man called Abraham received a strange message from God. Abraham was to take his son Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering - Genesis 22
Sarah must have looked on suspiciously as she watched a worried Abraham loading the donkey with the wood as he prepared to go and offer a sacrifice. We do not know if he had told anyone what he intended to do. I doubt it. Sarah however would have sensed that all was not well with Abraham.
After three days of travelling they finally arrived at the mountain. Those must have been the three longest days in Abraham's life. As far as he was concerned his son was dead.
I am sure there must have been tears in Abraham's eyes as he lifted up the knife to slay his son. Words cannot describe the relief he felt when God substituted his son for a ram. Read Genesis 22 for the whole story.
After that incidence, every time an Israelite offered a ram or animal as a sacrifice to God they saw its worth as the worth of Abraham's son.
The Israelites knew the worth of their sacrifices. They were grateful that all they needed to offer was an animal. Abraham's obedience had paid the ultimate sacrifice for them.
Jesus' obedience paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. He made our lives worth something. In fact when God sees you He sees someone who was worth His son dying for.Have you ever considered yourself that important?
If you have it will change the way you live. You are very precious. Live your life as someone who means much to God.
We live by the life of another
The book of Leviticus is all about feasts and offerings. The Priests were chosen by God to offer up offerings to the Lord.
The Priests lived by the offerings. Read Leviticus 7: 28 - 38 for the whole picture.
The Priests were allowed to take some of the best parts of the animal being sacrificed for their own food.
What privilege? The Priests were living by the life of another. They were living because animals were being slaughtered. If the offerings ceased so would the food of the Priests.
However, today we are the Priests of God (Hebrews) and we also live by the life of another. Our source of strength and spiritual life is Christ.
Don't you ever forget that? His Word, the Holy Spirit and Christian fellowship are all channels of God's life to us.
Easter reminds us of what God has provided
Easter reminds us of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Easter is all about Jesus dying and being raised to life again on the third day.
Jesus does not die every Easter. Rather Easter is a period to remember the death and resurrection of our Lord. It reminds us of how much God thinks of us, and how much we mean to Him. It is also a period to help us to refocus. To remember that we live by the life of another.