With Easter only a few weeks away, I asked Karen, \u201cWhat do you want to do for Easter? Any family plans to get together? If not, do we want to buy something special to eat? Or is there some place special you want to go to after church for dinner?\u201d I love Easter Sunday! Jesus resurrected! The stone rolled away! The empty tomb! His salvation is here! Rejoice! Woohoo! I AM FORGIVEN because of Easter! All of a sudden, I realized my thoughts were only on Easter Sunday! I began to think about all that Jesus did for us so we could celebrate Sunday with friends, family, special food, going to church!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mind went to the 4-5 days leading up to Easter. And then I got out my Bible and turned to Isaiah chapter 53. My eyes fell immediately on verse 6, which I memorized as a child: \u201cAll we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.<\/a>\u201d But the Lord had me go back to verses 3-4: \u201cHe is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows acquainted with grief\u2026He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.\u201d <\/a>It hit me so hard\u2014a Man of sorrows<\/em>! A<\/a> prophecy written 700 years before Jesus was born! Before Jesus was crucified and died!<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Easter, we focus on two days out of the entire life of Jesus: Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But God the Son walked on the earth for 33 YEARS. It\u2019s true we don\u2019t know a lot about the first 30 years before He began His public ministry, but we know what He endured those last 3 years by reading about His life in the first 4 books of the New Testament: Confronting the religious leaders who were bound by tradition and man-made rules, who tried to stone Him, throw Him off a cliff, then plotted His death. Loving the people, the crowds who one day loved Him for His miracles and the next day left Him because of the truth He spoke. He was misunderstood by his family and even his disciples misunderstood His mission. His words were continually twisted. He was hated, mocked and rejected. He suffered deep grief and wept over the things we weep over…death of our friends, rejection when we try to tell people truth and they refuse to consider it, betrayal by those closest to us. Finally He wept over Jerusalem, because they failed to respond to, or even recognize, the One sent to save His people, to reveal to them the character of the Father, to give them the true source of peace.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you\u2019re in a state of personal anguish today. There\u2019s something that is causing you a great deal of pain. Jesus has been there. He has walked in your shoes. <\/a>Don\u2019t think that God is disconnected from what you\u2019re facing. Jesus has faced it. Today, the risen and living Jesus can enter into your suffering. He has experienced it. He understands. You\u2019re not alone. Talk to Him. Let Him in to your pain, your grief, your sorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was wounded for OUR<\/em> transgressions, He was bruised for OUR<\/em> iniquities; the chastisement for OUR<\/em> peace was upon Him, and by His stripes WE<\/em> are healed\u201d (Isaiah 53:5). Another translation says it more plainly, \u201cHe was pierced for OUR<\/em> rebellion, crushed for OUR<\/em> sins. He was beaten so WE<\/em> could be whole. He was whipped so WE<\/em> could be healed.\u201d He endured years of sorrow to get to the cross. Why? He couldn\u2019t stop thinking about YOU and ME.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -by Emil Liko 3\/20\/26<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With Easter only a few weeks away, I asked Karen, \u201cWhat do you want to do for Easter? Any family plans to get together? If not, do we want to buy something special to eat? Or is there some place special you want to go to after church for dinner?\u201d I love Easter Sunday! Jesus … Continue reading JUST ONE DAY IN THE LIFE…<\/span>