Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

Another Aspect of Grace: Easter Reflections

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Easter reflectionsWell, the Super Bowl for churches has arrived.  Even if you aren’t a regular church attender, you might consider going this weekend.  The buildings will be spiffy, the music top notch and the staff and volunteers ready to serve.  All of this is to make you feel welcome but, more importantly, it’s to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It’s our annual public celebration of the most important event in human history.  Thank you in advance for reading my Easter reflections.

 

This holy day commemorates the eternal security of the believer through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  And those are a bunch of churchy words my life group is currently studying in depth right now.  In what I hope is more “plain speak”, I will attempt to sum up what that means.

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Reflecting on Easter’s Meaning

 

All humans mess up (called sin).  God is perfect so he can have no part of sin.  The punishment for sin is eternal separation from God (or death).  God had a perfect Son (Jesus) who sacrificed himself in death, taking all of our sin with Him in the process.  Because He took it, we no longer have that barrier between us and God.  God allowed this substitution because He loves us.  By believing on this and giving God His rightful place as Lord of our lives (He is the creator of the universe), our sins are forgiven and we get to be with God forever – in part here, but forever in heaven after our time on earth is done.

 

Ok, I’m reading it back and it’s not very “plain”.  It can be even harder to understand than it is to explain.  If you have questions about this part (or anything I write) I would love to talk to you in person or online.  Just comment on this post or send me a private message here.

 

Now that the groundwork is laid, let me share what I’ve been thinking about:

 

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”  Titus 2:11-12

 

This passage struck me in a brand new way this week.  There is nothing we celebrate more than “grace” at Easter.  It is His grace that forged a way for us to be in relationship with a perfect God.  Because of grace He allowed His son to sacrifice Himself for us.  This grace offers salvation to all who will accept it.  “Oh, praise the one who paid my debt.”

 

But God’s grace doesn’t stop there.  It saves us, but it also sanctifies us.  “It teaches us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness and worldly passions…”  Grace shows us what it looks like to “live self-controlled, upright and godly lives”.  This is why what we do matters – even though our sins are forgiven.  We cannot accept one part of grace and not the whole.  God offers His grace to us in our sin, and gives us a way out of it.  Transformation in this life and salvation in the life to come.

 

Easter’s Invitation

 

If you have accepted God’s gift of grace, join me this Good Friday in a time of reflection and confession over the ungodliness and worldly passions we currently wrestle with.  Then we can come before God this Easter with a full appreciation for everything His grace does for us!  If you don’t know the gift of grace today, why not?  What’s holding you back?

 

Happy Easter!

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Prepare for something I’ve never done before on the link up.  I’m featuring two posts!  I just couldn’t decide and didn’t want to have to this time.  First, Susan of carryonmyheart.com wrote a beautiful love letter to her dog and lessons she’s learned from her in Be Nice to Tilly.  This fur mama couldn’t resist.  And Grace and Truth’s own Maree Dee gave us an older but beautiful Easter reflection of her own in Will You Let Easter Pass with Just a Glance?

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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Praying God’s Word Wednesday #26

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It’s National Coffee Day and I have a cup of Toasted Coconut as I open my Bible this morning.

 

In Matthew chapter 26, Jesus has found Peter, James and John sleeping when He had asked them to keep watch and pray.  In His disappointment after they let Him down during a troubling time, Jesus said:

 

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Matthew 26:41 NIV

 

A friend pointed out about this scripture that “anytime we choose sin we fail to consider the future.” 

I sit so convicted of the ramifications of my sin on my life, but the passage also impressed on me that each time I sin, I fail my Savior as the disciples did.  

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Prayer:

 

He is so gracious to us in our mistakes and confessions.

 

Replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.

 

Praying for you in this.  And don’t forget to share this on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

Lauren

 

 

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