Easter Morning

Yesterday, I had the sweetest Easter of my life. Not because of all of the candy and cake and yummy things...but because it was the first Easter I have been really truly thankful. It is the first Easter I really truly felt sorrow over His sufferings and the first Easter that I sat in worship on Sunday and praised Him just because He is God.

Perhaps all of you have been doing this very thing for years, but I have not and I felt the difference. I clung to every word of every worship song because I wanted to offer the Lord the most praise possible...because friends it has finally sunk in that He died for me. As I read my Bible the day after His death, (good Friday) I sobbed uncontrollably as I read about the crown of thorns that was placed on His sweet head, and pushed down until the blood flowed. For me. And as He asked for a drink because my Lord was thirsty and they shoved vinegar in His face instead. He did and bared this for me. And then as He died, and looked down at His mother weeping at His feet, He motioned to His disciple and say, "This is your mother..." I just fell apart as I read this. He put His mother through that, For me. And I dare to question His authority? I dare to question His words? I dare to question His plans? How dare I.

And for those of you who think that I am being to hard on myself, I am not. I know that I am forgiven, but Oh my Friends! He died for me!!!!! And He died for you too...

We all need to be examining our hearts, and I did that morning, first so humbled..so sad that that was had to happen to my Lord. And even though I know He is now sitting at the right hand of God, robed in all His glorious glory...He still had to walk through all of that. For me.

So yesterday, as I offered Him up my best offering of praise..I found myself wanting to throw myself down before the cross at the front of the church and weep...kiss the cross..bury my face in the purple sash..cry out before the Lord my utmost thanks and my deep deep grief that I caused Him to have to experience such pain. For me.

I know the beauty of this and silver lining of this story is that He rose, in even greater glory and that the sin of death was dead. And the gift of life was now risen...and this is why yesterday during worship I could raise my head in praise, in confidence that I am forgiven, and He does not see me as sinful...He sees me through the eyes of Christ.

For the first Easter I do believe I gave my Father the praise He deserved...the thanks...and the passion. There is always more that He deserves...but it was if I felt that I was in a room alone with the Father...sitting at His feet as He was on His glorious throne, just praising Him for all of His glory...giving Him the praise He was due.

I know He loves me. I know He is forgiving, but I want to praise Him for who He is to me, not for what He "blesses" me with or what I want for Him to give to me. I want to sing His name at the top of my lungs because He is just who He says He is. The Lord Almighty. The King of Glory. The Hope of Nations. My Strong Tower. Deliverer. And My Faithful Father. Just to name a few.

So on the wings of Easter this year my friends, lets examine all of our hearts and see if we are on a daily basis offering our Great King the praise he deserves...

It may turn heads, it may cause others to be uncomfortable, but God is not concerned with their worldly comfort He is concerned about our hearts and souls and if they are living and giving honor for and to the right thing. Namely God. If we are worshiping the gifts of God, or the creations of God more than the Creator Himself, our praise is wrongly given.

Praise Him for who He is, not what He gives us. What He does, His miraculous signs are a beautiful display of His glory and power but He tells us "a wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign..." Matt. 16:4

Don't demand a sign for answers to His plan that you are questioning, (trust me, I've been there asking as well) praise Him for the very fact that you can know without a shadow of a doubt that He HAS a plan...and He even asking for a sign is offensive after the gift of new life that He offered us at the cross...

So today Father, I come before you, thanking you for the cross. Thanking you and praising you for the gift of eternal life. With tears I thank you for sending your son..To die for me and for my friends here as well. I thank you for your patience. I thank you for your splendor for the amazing works of your hands. For your great great glorious shining beauty that I know (although I cannot fathom) I will be able to see first hand. Your to amazing for words. TO might for words. To unfathomable for words. You are the Almighty Majesty who gives me an opportunity to try and offer you a worthwhile gift. I pray that my heart of praise I worthy of praising you.

You are my King. You are my breath of life. You are my reason for existence. And I desire to make every move I make be movement in you.

Forgive me for my unbelief. Forgive me for my untameable weakness of doubt. Forgive me for my selfish heart. My times are in your hands, and there is no fear in that. I praise my Father who sits on His great and mighty throne.

Amen.