The Egg Knocking Down The Cross

 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28: 5-7

Getting eggs the last few months has been somewhat of a challenge, not to mention quite costly. It's crazy how the shortage of something causes chaos and challenges. We all remember the toilet paper craziness of 2020, plus all the other things that happened in that year.

With Easter approaching the egg fun can begin: Easter Egg Hunts, dying Easter eggs, deviled eggs, and egg salad sandwiches. My house has been decorated with Easter baskets, bunnies, a bear, plastic eggs, the resurrection scene, and crosses.

The kids have begun sharing the excitement of what they may get in their baskets and how the Easter Bunny will stop by and hide the eggs. The one year the bunny told their dad exactly where the bunny wanted to hide the eggs.

The one story I haven't heard the kids sharing though is the one that matters. All of these egg activities are fun and are things to look forward to, but we don't want to forget about the cross and the empty tomb.

The story started way before Palm Sunday. It began when the first person sinned and has gone down hill from there. We all have choices to make each day, We may have good intentions- "I promise I'll be good." It isn't long though before wrong choices creep in and before we know it we sin.

There is a problem when we sin, we become separated from God. God is good and He is unable to be around sin because He is Holy-pure and clean. Every sin makes us unholy and dirty. We can no longer be with God.

How sad! God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us but sin gets in the way.

God had a plan. He sent Jesus-God in the flesh-as a baby. Jesus lived and walked here on earth. He taught, healed, and never sinned.

One week 2000 years ago, he entered Jerusalem on a colt of a donkey. Crowds yelled "Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." The waved palm branches and put their cloaks on the ground all to pay honor to Jesus.

Passover began- a time to remember when the angel of death passed over the Israelites and they were able to leave Egypt to go worship God after 400 years of living as slaves. Jesus had a room prepared and the disciples and Him took part in the Passover meal. Jesus shocked the disciples by washing their feet. When he took the bread, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying "take and eat this is my body which is broken for you." Then he took the cup, blessed it, and passed it to his disciples saying "Take drink this is my blood which is shed for you."

One of the disciples left to betray Jesus. The rest of the them went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed asking God to take this from Him, but knowing it needed done because we're a mess. Jesus was arrested and taken to stand before Pontius Pilot and others, where the crowds yelled "Crucify Him, Crucify Him"

He was then whipped, had a crown of thrones shoved on his head, and made to carry his cross to Golgotha. He was nailed to the cross and hung there in front of all to see. His body was broken and his blood was shed. All to take the punishment for your sins. There he died.

His body was taken down and placed in a tomb. A stone was rolled in front of the opening and sealed. Roman soldiers guarded the tomb so no one would try to steal Jesus' body.

Early Sunday morning some of the women went to prepare Jesus body for a proper burial. When they arrived the stone was rolled away and it was empty. Jesus is alive!

The empty eggs can help us remember the empty tomb. Jesus death restores our relationship with God, we are forgiven because of what Jesus did. All we need to do is believe and accept.

The egg doesn't knock down the cross, the egg can help us remember the reason for Easter.

How is Your Daily Streak?

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

Maybe you've heard of this App called Snapchat. The idea is to snap a picture and send it to your friends and then they send you a snap back. That's when you end up with a snap streak, which is very important. If you miss a day your snap streak has ended. Of course the streak can be restored, the first couple times are free but for a slight fee or if you are a Snapchat member your streak can be restored.

It is fun to see your daily streak number grow, my longest streak is 1454 and my shortest is 401. There have been some streaks that we started and then one of us missed a day and now the streak is over. The other person could be like I once was and not quite understand what a daily streak is. Luckily, my son explained it to me. Or maybe the streak doesn't really matter, just seeing a quick snap is enough.

These quick little updates are most of the time a lot of fun. Just a quick peek into what's going on in a person's day.

This got me thinking though- how is your daily streak?

Not your Snapchat streak, but your daily streak with God.

How long is your God streak?

Do you talk with Him daily? Do you pray continually?

God desires to have a quick peek into your life, well actually He would like to have a close relationship with each of us. He wants to hear all your prayers and requests. He likes to know how your day is going. He loves you more than your Snap friends or your family.

He knew about us before He created the world. He knew about us when we were created in our mother's womb. He knows the trouble we have faced and will face, this world is full of trouble because of all the chaos around us. He is there through the rough days and He is there through the joyful days.

Wouldn't a 43,830 God streak be the best streak?

How Do You Face the Storm?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Life can be downright tough! Sometimes it seems like I'm fighting every step of the way just to keep from being blown away.

This past week I realized that the storm is stronger than I've let on. I seek shelter, hold tight to my umbrella, and wear my jacket but somehow I still get soaked. 

Why is so tough to serve the Lord?

Because there is an enemy the devil prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

He doesn't like to see it when lives are being changed for the Lord. He doesn't like it when someone does all he or she can to serve the Lord. He doesn't like it when you spend time devoted to the Lord. So the devil will put up roadblocks and detours just to get us off track.

These past couple of months, there have been lots of roadblocks and detours. Some of them have hurt deeply and are taking a bit to recover from. 

An unexpected loss of a job sent us scrambling and wondering how in the world are we going to make it through. We did, with the grace of God. Luckily, we had some money put away not a lot but some. Every time I had to touch it, the Lord was gracious through others giving us monetary gifts. Because of this the amount we had when the job was taken away is the same as we have today. God is good! All of our bills were paid and we didn't miss a meal! Praise God!

Another part of the storm that hits hard and has been strong for the last couple of years, is a couple of our children no longer worship in a church. The storm from a few years ago has left them hurt and confused. Now they have gotten used to not going, it feels good to sleep in on a Sunday. They both know the Lord. But we are told not to give up worshipping together as some are inclined to do. Every week I pray for them to get back to church, one day they will.

This week the storm took another turn with one of our family members ending up in the hospital. He is doing alright, but still the storm goes on.

How do I overcome this storm that keeps brewing?

Prayer Warriors! My great cloud of witnesses that at a moments notice will stop and pray. They also offer words of encouragement and are there to help me get through.

Fixing my Eyes of Jesus! Whenever the storm grows big or is scary, I call out to the one who can get me through. He meets me when I read the Bible, read a devotion, sends me the right praise song...Every time I fix my eyes on Him, I can keep going through the storm.

God's Word! The Bible is the living word of God, He sends me the right words, puts a verse in my heart, and gives me a message.

Worship! The right praise songs can get me through a tough moment. I have praise music going most of the day. I even have two in my phone- one set as my notification tone and one as my ring tone. It can drive people close to me a bit nuts because it's longer than a regular tone. But when the children in my care can sing that song as it plays, then I say so much the better. A good worship time at church can also help refill my cup.

The storm is brewing! But I know the one who says, "Peace! Be Still!" So as the storm calms and when it gets strong again! I will continue to run the race and fix my eyes on the One who can make the devil run away.