Easter.
Easter weekend.
It’s a weekend that has gotten soo lost over time.
How we transitioned from the very Son of God dying a horrific death in order to offer us life beyond our own capabilities to bunnies and egg hunts is so far beyond me.
This is a gut-wrenching, stomach-turning story. Not a fairytale, not something symbolic... an actual date in history, filled with verifiable historical facts. An actual person, under an actual regime, who actually died... recorded... verifiably. Not a myth. If you don’t believe me, do your due diligence if you care (and should), what you learn will shock you!
You know what is so confusing?? We cheer at the top of our lungs when our favorite sports team scores, but we sit in absolute silence when the story of our redeemer and our promise of eternity is told. This insanity is also beyond me.
We’ll share and repost things that make people laugh, things that make us look good… but when it comes to Jesus, suddenly we get quiet. Suddenly we care what people might think. Or how they might judge us.
Why? Jesus wasn’t ashamed of you on the path to the cross. He didn’t deny you while being so unjustly treated, tortured, and crucified.
He was beaten beyond what any of us could likely ever endure, mocked, stripped, and broken. Still, choosing you. Still, thinking of you. Still, standing firm for you.
And so now, in our older days of maturity and understanding, how have you shown your gratitude? How have you attempted to repay His gift?
God has a plan for your life... not something small or surface-level, but something real. Something eternal. And part of that plan is that your life would point others to what He’s done. This is our charge!
Jesus said it clearly: If you acknowledge Me before others, I’ll acknowledge you before the Father. But if you deny Me… I WILL deny you. And Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. Imagine this moment! Don’t be naïve! This should give many of you pause.
This isn’t a scare tactic, and I’m not mincing words. This is a wakeup call! One I discovered myself and as with anyone who has a passion, is something I love and want to share!
I’m not perfect. Not even close. I fail. I fall short. I wrestle. But one thing I keep coming back to… is turning from those mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and trying harder to honor the sacrifice that I am very aware was made for me.
I can’t look at Jesus on that cross, hurting, bleeding, suffocating... His mother and friends watching in horror and agony while He endured unimaginable pain... to hear Him say, “Father, forgive them… they really are ignorant and have no clue what on earth they’re doing,” …and then make light of that gift. Or carry the bitterness that He fought in my own heart.
He forgave us at our worst, for no reason that we obviously deserve. But from a place of grace, which will in fact expire!
What would this world look like if we genuinely tried to live like He did?
But instead… we’ve let everything else take priority. Self, mostly. Reputation. Comfort. Image. Culture. And many of us, though well intentioned, have made church a routine. A checkbox. A pseudo safety net even. Somehow, we’ve managed to make our relationship with God more ‘acting’ than true posturing.
PLEASE... hear this... Easter isn’t about bunnies or eggs, it isn’t about potlucks, cook outs or family gatherings. It isn’t just another national holiday on the calendar. It has roots. It has meaning. It came from the most significant event in human history.
It’s about a Creator, a Visionary, a Father who sent His beloved Son, who He had never in all of eternity been separated from, to die a brutal, undeserved death… for you. For me. Because He loved His creation, made in His very own image.
So how do you respond to that?
You don’t repay it, you can’t. But you don’t ignore it either. You live in surrender. You choose obedience. You choose Him when it’s uncomfortable.
You choose Him when it costs something... your lifestyle. Your comfort. Your self-centeredness. Your self-sabotaging idea that you can claim ignorance or misunderstanding (LIFE ALERT: YOU CAN NOT!).
You were made for more than surviving- you were made to be faithful... to be fruitful.
Let that sink in.
For the rest of my days, whether you tolerate my posts and beliefs or not, these comments aren’t for my own self-interest. I gain nothing. I love you all! But more than that… Jesus loves you in a way we can’t even fully comprehend.
And I will never, ever be able to repay what He did for me on that cross. Neither will you. But the reality of whether you care and try, determines your future, and whether you truly were worthy of sacrifice or not.
So I’ll spend my life living like it mattered. I genuinely hope you’ll consider doing the same. ❤️
~ Devin
Devin Osborne