In Loving Memory...

It's Easter season - what a time of the year!

We remember the sufferings, death and resurrection to Glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He was killed, surrendered to gentile rulers for no offense of his own, and nailed to a cross. What a painful sad day it was. The sun was darkened like an eclipse from the sixth to the ninth hour and then it seemed all very gloomy.

Jesus went through indescribable sufferings; he was beaten, bruised, battered, spat on, they wore him a crown of thorns that ate into his scalp. He bled all over, sweating profusely and cried from great anguish, as they took him to horrific death. He was unrecognizable.

And he took it all for us, he took it all so that we can rather live. Oh how he loved us!

Thanks be to God, the Father, who did not suffer his holy one to see corruption, who raised him to eternal glory, the same which he had from the beginning. Jesus rose the third day after his death. God's Son, First begotten from the dead. A son - yielded to the father's will in death and resurrected in His Father's will unto eternal glory! This has worked for us great redemption from the weight of our sins, with the hope of resurrection unto eternal life waiting!

The memory of the righteous will be for a blessing, but the reputation of the wicked will rot. (Proverbs 10 vs 7; CJB)

The import of all that transpired in Jerusalem this season, over over 2000 years ago, culminating in the birth of The Way is immense, almost inexplicable.

Oh what price, oh what credit unto us. Oh what consideration, Oh what manner of love!

The Son of God, made the son of man, a slave amongst us, to die for us!

When we think of the goodness of Jesus...

And what he did for us...

Our very souls shout Hallelujah.

Praise God for saving us!

This season calls for profound reflection that must provide direction

When we lose loved ones, and we talk about immortalizing them. We say they live on in our hearts, and so we tend to extend their life legacies or pursuits in some form, ensuring that does not die. If we reckon, they loved caring for widows for example, we would seek to do the same in their name, if we realize they fought for certain causes, we would seek to fight on for them, in loving remembrance of them.

Many of us have have lost loved ones whose words continue to live with us, and they guide us. In their death, their light seemingly shines more in our hearts and we thereby lead better lives.

Our Jesus is alive. He is resurrected. He lives in our hearts, and he is seated at the right hand of the father, still advocating for us! The man's love sef no dey finish!

But how he lived with us too! He had such a wonderful mindset, which I suppose we should ponder today, and nurture the same.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5; NIV)

Jesus was the Word in the beginning, part of the Trinity, by whom God formed all things. He shared oneness with God, and was in God's very form. However, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. Rather, when God desired a saviour for mankind, he volunteered to serve our cause. It was not a nobly appearing task. It required him to make himself nothing; he laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the form of a slave, becoming like the work of his hands!

He didn't stop there, he humbled himself even more, being obedient to the death on a tree as a criminal!

Imagine it!

We saw in his relationships while on earth as well, how that he respected authorities and served his disciples as a contrarian servant leader, giving us a remarkable example.

In all our relationships, the import of Christ's example should be that we learn to serve one another in love, not to prove it or spell it out, taking away the simplicity in it but to do so genuinely and honestly. To do nothing of rivalry or vanity, and oh how we do things

out of both rivalry and vanity! We even act good to be compared to, and demonstrated as better than another, and we are quickly out to proclaim our goodness to all; yea, even our veiled pride as humility.

Let's reflect on Christ's example and repent.

Let's all decide to lead such humble lives; esteeming others above ourselves, and looking out for others, and not just ourselves.

We will be extending the lesson of Easter this way, and we will be showing our Lord's legacy to all.

Let all Christian leaders everywhere commit to serving others honestly. Let's all pursue to emulate Christ - making loving sacrifices for the people we serve, genuinely

committed to their profiting, without strife or vain-glorying.

Let our gain here be that we are advancing the Lord's legacy.

Happy Remembrance day!