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Tue April 15, 2025

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Daily Devotionals

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#Daniel Bramlett #1st Baptist Church #Finished #Easter Message
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Easter is here. This is the Sunday girls wear pretty dresses to church and boys fuss with their coats and hard shoes. This is the Sunday we sing big songs and all pose for family pictures after worship. For some, this will be one of the only required times of church attendance throughout the year. That crowd will endure tight clothes and uncomfortable pews for one hour and feel like they’ve paid their dues for another year. But there is another crowd that will gather this Sunday. They aren’t that concerned about what they will wear or how long they have to sit for a service. They will be flooded with emotion, not necessarily because of a stirring song or a passionate message, but because they can identify with people like Mary, Peter and John. For better or worse, they’ve given their lives to Jesus and they feel the weight of His death, the excitement of His resurrection and the anxiousness that exists in between. They’ve waited with Jesus in the Garden and felt the betrayal of Judas with a kiss. They’ve cried with Peter because, they too, have denied knowing Jesus before. They’ve wrestled with near hatred for the Pharisees and then realized they have been plenty controlling in the past. They feel the tearing of Jesus’ flesh and His agonizing cries as He is whipped and beaten. They can feel the weight of the cross on Simon’s back and the taste of sour wine in Jesus’ dry mouth on the cross. For this group, Easter means life, hope and joy. This is the greatest day in their calendar year.

Which group are you a part of? Are you lost in the moment of worshipping the Living Savior or will you be counting the minutes until you can get comfortable again? If you’re in the second group, I can understand. I’ve been there. Just another Sunday with a little more pomp added. Why get excited? I’ve also been on the other side. I’ve tasted and seen the joy that comes with this morning. I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude at the thought of my Savior’s love for me. Why do I choose to stay on the side of gratitude? Because the fact of Jesus’ resurrection has changed my life. 

I first knew the love of Jesus as a young boy. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t feel secure and confident in His love for me. I do remember the first time I tasted grace. For the first time in my life I realized that, although my Father loved me, I would be separated from Him forever if I did not allow His grace to rescue me from my sin. I remember the anxiety that entered my heart as I contemplated eternal separation from His love. I also vividly remember the peace that washed all that anxiety away as I asked Jesus to forgive me and apply His work on the cross to my life. 

I wish I could say my life has been a perpetual ride on a rainbow since that day, but it has not. That old anxiety has returned many times. Sometimes I wrestle with it for days, sometimes for hours. I clearly remember the day I realized that Jesus’ death meant past, present and future forgiveness for me. What a freeing thought to know that His grace is strong enough to cleanse me so completely! I also remember the day when I learned that Jesus didn’t just forgive me; He changed me completely. He took my old nature that was so prone to sin and death and completely did away with it. In love, Jesus replaced that old, nasty nature with a new heart and a transformed mind. He exchanged my old nature with His perfect nature; my sin for His righteousness! The day I realized that truth, my world turned upside down! 

So, yes, I get excited about Easter. I know what Jesus did on that cross is final. I can feel the anticipation of the disciples between the time they heard Mary’s report of the empty tomb and actually saw Jesus in the flesh. I, too, have heard the report that Jesus is coming any day now. Just like His friends, I feel the rush of hope as I contemplate what it will be like to be face to face with my Lord; to put my hand in his side and feel His warm embrace. Until that day comes, I can feel my heart burn within me every time His story is told, whether I get to do the telling or not. 

I pray this Sunday is so much more for you. If the day has been primarily about your comfort in the past, I pray you wake up to the reality of His love and grace this year. If it’s been a while since you’ve burned with anticipation, I pray this Sunday gives you a new, joy-filled opportunity to meet with the Risen Lord. Every time anxiety fills my heart because of my great sin, I am reminded that His grace is greater. You are forgiven, child. Bring that newness to worship on Sunday. I promise you’ll be glad you did. 



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