Written By: Ken Hulsey
Happy Easter, Brothers and Sisters
As a Christian, the Easter holiday should provide people of faith time to reflect. Beyond the commercialization of the celebration of the day that our savior Jesus Christ arose from the dead, we should take time to reflect on the sacrifice that was made on our behalf.
Indeed, Easter is more than just chocolate bunnies, egg hunts, and a wonderful ham dinner—though those things are important too. It is a remembrance and celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God through which all sins are forgiven and salvation is made possible.
A study of the life of Jesus is to open one's heart and mind to the perfect example of how we as human beings should devote our lives to the service of God. True, Christ was indeed God in human form, yet we as Christians should not use that as an excuse not to make sacrifices in our own lives to serve the same Lord who ultimately made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Who among us can truly say that we would give our lives to serve mankind? Honestly, everyone would like to say that we would, but truthfully, only a small handful of us ever do. When the chips are down, some people step up and do amazing acts of heroism, and the rest of us run for our lives. A person can never know for sure just what they would do until such an event actually happens.
Christ was presented with just such a situation, and from scripture we know that he wrestled with the fact that he had to die to save mankind. Ultimately, he accepted His fate and was crucified. Now I'm not saying that any of us will be called on to die for our faith, yet we know that many people have done just that.
What I'm actually getting at is the simple fact that we as Christians should make sacrifices in our lives in the name of Jesus. Truthfully, being a person of faith in this modern world is a very hard path to follow. There are a trillion things trying to pull us away from the service of God every single day. We all have jobs, family, funny cat videos, Star Wars, and a sensory overload of all sorts of multimedia and technology to keep us busy.
Let's be honest—most people wouldn't put their phone down for a mere five minutes to watch their own children playing, let alone tell someone about Jesus. No, I'm not saying that to condemn anyone; I am just as guilty of that sort of thing, but isn't that the point?
At times like this, I am reminded of the story of Chuck Johnson (Cross-Carrier Chuck), who in 1987 began a lifelong journey to tell people about Jesus. After being baptized in San Jose, he made the decision to devote his life to the service of the Lord by giving up all of his possessions and walking the roads and highways of this country carrying an eight-foot replica of the cross. He spends every day of his life walking and telling people about Jesus. He has no job, no money, yet the Lord provides for him. He is clothed, fed, and sleeps most nights in hotels. How is this possible? True to His word, God provides.
Who among us has the guts to do that? I can't say that I could... I know I should... but no. I am a human being with fear and apprehension—things that would get in the way of me dropping my life and wandering the Earth like Caine in Kung Fu. I know in my heart that God would provide for me, just like Chuck; He provides for me and my family now.
The point is, God doesn't call upon each of us to make huge sacrifices in our lives to serve Him. He understands our frailties and, through Christ's sacrifice, forgives us for them. Sometimes even the smallest things are what's required. As it is written, even the smallest seed can grow into the largest tree.
Take time in your life to reflect on the life and sacrifice of Jesus. Take time to pray and search out the teachings and will of God. Be open to serving and teaching others about your faith and beliefs. These are just some thoughts to ponder on this Easter day.
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