Rejoice in the Easter season

Next week, we celebrate Palm Sunday, five days later, Good Friday; and then Easter. As Christians, these are pinnacle events for us. They represent the means to our salvation, and the One who came to die, resurrect and conquer sin for us as fallen humans.

Palm Sunday is the day we remember Jesus as Messiah and reflect on His triumphal entry. Palm branches are a declaration of victory (John 12:13, Holy Bible). On this day, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of a King riding on a donkey from the Old Testament (Zechariah 9:9). It is the day that Christ's followers proclaimed, "Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12: 13b, Holy Bible, New International Version).

Five days later, on Good Friday, our Savior was flogged, beaten, and crucified so that we could have eternal life. As Christians, we do not have to work for our salvation; it is a gift of grace. But there is something we do need to carry out, and that is to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is the only way to receive salvation.

It helps to know what Romans 10:9 says about salvation: "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." To be saved, we have to acknowledge what Jesus did for us on the cross, recognize that it was necessary for fallen man to be made holy and forgiven before God, and accept God's gift: Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So as Easter approaches, evaluate where you are in your relationship with Christ. If you are confident of your salvation, that you have accepted him as your personal Savior, then remember to pray for others who do not know Jesus. Think about whom to invite to church on Easter, because we all have people in our lives who need hope.

When all our lives are over, it will not matter how much money we accumulated or how much fun we had. What will matter is where we stand before our Lord. Is he our Savior? Because the Bible tells us that Jesus is the only way to the Father, the way to eternal life (John 3:3, 14:6; Acts 14:12).

Accepting Jesus as Savior is the most crucial decision a person can make in their life. Embarrassment, pride, and even lack of courage should not hinder us from sharing, or others from receiving, Jesus. A moment of discomfiture may save a person eternally.

If you have a personal testimony of how Jesus touched your life, please write me this week. I will be doing a column on testimonies in the near future. I would love to share stories from the community, because we were created to share and celebrate Jesus and rejoice in our relationship with him. Remember: He is Risen! He is risen indeed.