Is it about the Easter Eggs?

A Christian friend of mine on Thursday evening jokingly said we have a window period where anything goes between Thursday and the Resurrection Sunday. This does signify that to some Easter weekend is about remembering Christ and His sacrifices for mankind, whereas some is an opportunity to rest and relax. To some is a holiday time, to some is a time to jolly and folly. Whatever the meaning is derived from this long weekend its sole purposes is for Christian to commemorate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Easter has two significant meanings, the death and the resurrection. So much has been written over the years about both topics. This are my personal reflections about the Easter.

The Death

For many years I grew up knowing Easter Holidays to be a time to jolly all the way. I could see my father come up and hear of many accidents on the road. Fast track that to the time I started serving the Lord Jesus Christ consciously in 2004. I was aware of my actions. The death of Jesus, reminds me of a scripture in John 12:24 Jesus replied that the time had come for him to return to his glory in heaven, and that "I must fall and die like a kernel of wheat that falls into the furrows of the earth. Unless I die I will be alone - a single seed. But my death will produce many new wheat kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. It means that until Christ has died sin still has power to bind us. In the King James Version, His life is liken to a kernel of wheat which must die in order to produce fruit. When it dies, it has the ability to replenish and reproduce more seedlings which will grow into saplings and finally become trees which will one day mature. The death of Christ affords us the ability to start afresh. It grant us the opportunity to re-evaluate our lives, whether we are dead to Christ or we are alive to ourselves. Some very extreme Christians will advocate the view of completely dying to self in order to serve the Lord. They use the scripture as found in Philippians 1: 21 it is no longer I but Christ Jesus who live in me. For me to die is gain, however living give more opportunities to Christ. The fact is, it is better to be here on earth to serve our God given purposes as described in Mat 28: 19 Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Until this is fulfilled we are not ready to depart mother earth. For us to be able to make disciples of all the nation we need to have relatable relationships with people. We need human experience. We need to be relevant, however, we should be cautious not to be of this world but be salt and the light that is duly required to make an impact. As a Christian…there should be a certain impact that you are making. Either in a small or larger scale. For the bible says that you never labour in vain…whatever you do in the small corners will one day come out to be the spectacle of everyone. We should never lose heart but persevere in doing well, not be weary, for the price and gift comes from the Almighty God. There would be no need if we are heavenly minded but earthly pathetic, at the end of the day we are living here on earth to make a Godly dent. If God wanted us as Angels He would have taken our lives long ago so that we can worship day and night non-stop. We are better than angels as we have the human experience. However the extremist, those who observe the law still believe that we should completely die to self needs and live to Christ. There are many beliefs with different interpretations but I think we need to look at this in light of our main job description here on earth.

The question is what about the death of Christ, what is the value in our lives? In 1 Cor 15:31 Paul says

I die every day (daily). I really mean that, brothers and sisters. Here is something you can be sure of. I take pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done for you through my work. For any effective life, a person must die daily…His mercies are new every morning…we are renewed and transformed in that way. There is a need for constant renewal of our spirit and our lives in the Lord on a daily basis. As Paul affirms, we need to start dying so that the benefit will be much greater. If we practice to die daily…we become closer to God, we become more like Him and the relationship and nearness to God increases. Eventually we can proudly say that He is Jehovah Shammar...He is Emmanuel and let him increase so that I can decrease. Dying daily means you have an opportunity to start afresh on a daily basis…there is no need to wait for a quarter or season…every day is an opportunity to start a new beginning in your life. Start something new, create and develop new habits and manner of living. His mercies are new every morning. 

The Resurrection

The resurrection signifies the fact that death has been defeated and it longer has power over our lives so is the same with sin. We are longer under the law but the grace of God. The grace that is made sufficient for our inequities. The resurrection means that a new life has been birthed with a new beginning in the Lord. However, Cor 12: 11 When Christ talk about the bread of life that is shared as a remembrance of Him. He says what you heard and saw me do, you also do it. So that the Kingdom of God may be established. If anything God has given us an opportunity to proclaim his power and omnipotent throughout the whole world. We need to exercise that faith and plan that is upon our lives. He says go and be my witnesses in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. We need to be His witnesses…testify that He is Christ the Lord. We need to acknowledge His sovereignty. He is the Alpha and the Omega…My Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. The joys of resurrection should contain what is described in Deuteronomy 7: The following are outlined

1. The Lord your God will bring you into the land. You are going to enter it and take it as your own: - The Lord is saying possess the land and claim it as your own. Practically acquired wisdom and knowledge for you to claim and take possession of the land. The time for poverty is over. Now is the time to enter and possess the land.
2. He'll drive many nations out to make room for you. He'll drive out the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Those seven nations are larger and stronger than you are: - The Lord will drive out whatever it is preventing you from possessing the land, He says it does not matter the amount of force against not to possess the land. He will drive them/it out so that he can make the room for you. However, our relationship with the Lord Jesus need to be such that he is able to converse freely with us and give us instruction to execute. Without that kind of relationship it might be difficult to know exactly what we need to do, when and how?
3. The Lord your God will hand them over to you. You will win the battle over them. You must completely destroy them. Don't make a peace treaty with them. Don't show them any mercy. 3 Don't get married to any of them. Don't give your daughters to their sons. And don't take their daughters for your sons: - The Lord will hand the enemies over to you and he is saying…have nothing to do with them. In fact destroy them and do not entertain them…nor make any pact with them. Some of the sins and issues we are dealing with, we need to drive them at once and for all. We should not negotiate and entertain them lest they become the problems that make us suffer. Read Making Decision about Your Life posting in this blog.
4. You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. The Lord chose you because he loved you very much. He didn't choose you because you had more people than other nations. In fact, you had the smallest number of all: - The fact remains that we did not choose ourselves to be here on this earth. There was a plan upon our lives. God has planned for us before the foundation of the earth. He knew us by name before we were even born. We are the weakest but in Him we are the strongest.
5. He bought you back from the land where you were slaves. He set you free from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt: - The bible says those who the son set free are free indeed. We are free in the Lord, we have liberty in him. To ask what we will and He will give it to us according to his Will.
6. So I want you to realize that the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God. He keeps his covenant for all time to come. He keeps it with those who love him and obey his commands. He shows them his love: - Most importantly we need to acknowledge that the Lord God is INDEED God, there is power in acknowledge God's power and rulership. We give Him his place as the Head of All things we are and we become. He is always and forever will be faithful…as He was until death. He showed His love by dying so that eternal life may be activated.
7. Pay attention to the laws of the Lord your God. Be careful to obey them. Then he will keep his covenant of love with you. That's what he promised with an oath to your people long ago: - There is an action required from our side…which is to pay attention to His laws and commandments. That's the least we could do to be able to activate the covenant of Love that he has with us. He gives us some many things even though we do not deserve them.
8. The Lord will love you and bless you. He'll increase your numbers. He'll give you many children. He'll bless the crops of your land. He'll give you plenty of grain, olive oil and fresh wine. He'll bless your herds with many calves. He'll give your flocks many lambs. He'll do all of those things for you in the land of Canaan. It's the land he promised your people long ago that he would give you: - After we obey the following shall happen. The Lord will increase us, bless, bless our crops (possession – wages and salaries). He will bless what we have, what we touch and the lambs. Why do all this? Because he promised.
9. He will bless you more than any other nation. All of your men and women will have children. All of your livestock will have little ones: - There is a guarantee on our heads…He will bless us more than any other nation on this earth. Like He promised that He will show us great and mighty things we have not seen or do not know anything about. He said he will bless your womb and your livestock. If you are in a predicament and can't have children…the blessing is yours to bear children. Your livestock, if it has decreased expect an abundance of increase because He is blessing you.
10. The Lord will keep you from getting sick. He won't send on you any of the horrible sicknesses you saw all around you in Egypt: - NO sickness will befall you, he is protecting you from any ailment, diseases, plaque or discomfort. You are free to serve God with your body and spirit intact. You are the child of the most High God, He died for you and rose in Victory to remove all those diseases that plaque us.
11. The Lord your God is with you. He is a great and wonderful God: - The great assurance is that He is with us until the coming of an age. He is a loving God, compassionate and merciful. He is looking after our own interest and He is mighty to save. He says do not let this book of life depart from you, study, memorise and verbalise what is written in it. I will make you successful and bless you greatly. 

We really serve a mighty God who has promised us abundant life…he has indeed set us free and allowed us to be who we are in Him. I release you to be everything God intend you to be…I decree and declare a miracle and a blessing…I Donald Mmei Matjuda do wholeheartedly love the Lord My God for He has saved my soul. I love him with everything inside of me. Without Him I can do or be absolutely nothing. This is my declaration, I can't say enough, He is majestic and incomprehensible.

If Deut 7 Chapter is promising what is outlined, there is no reason/need for us to suffer any longer. We need to exercise what is written in it and practice it daily as we die daily. We need to live according to His expectation not the expectation of the extremist view (Pharisees) that observe the law. They refuse to accept that the grace of God is sufficient to cover multitude of sins. We are to be relevant, to acquire the wisdom and experience, we should not be the "know it all" kind of people. The bible says lean not on your own understanding but trust in the Lord your God at all times. I am a testimony of this…I am a living proof and the Lord has seen me through. I hope you will be blessed as you ponder about the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.