He is risen! What a glorious proclamation. HE IS RISEN! We can say with confidence that our sins have been properly dealt with through Jesus’ death on the cross AND Jesus has conquered death for us. He is the living God. The wages of sin are death. Jesus did receive those wages on our behalf, but He is the living God and death could not hang on to His life. So now through Jesus we have new life as well.
For us in the temperate Northern Hemisphere this great truth is magnified by God’s creation. At this time of year the death of Winter is being replaced by the new life of Spring. Just today (the Saturday before Easter) I heard the laughing and leaping waters of the beaver dam set free from their icy blanket, I saw tender shoots of green rising up out of the brown mat of last year’s growth, I smelled the freshness of life coming back into the newly thawed soil, I tasted the sweet running sap of the freshly awakened maple trees, and I felt the moist air of spring overtake the dry and parched air of winter. Every year I feel a sublime undercurrent of excitement both within myself and from others as this life springs forth. Don’t miss the truth about God that he has woven into His creation. Just as He has designed the new life of spring to come out of the deadness of winter, so also He has designed our new life in Christ to come out of the deadness of our sins. Isn’t this exciting? Isn’t this amazing?
For me, there once was a disconnect between enjoying God and enjoying His creation. I didn’t realize that my enjoyment of His creation could heighten my enjoyment of God. But that is exactly what God has intended His creation to do. To bring Him glory through its entirety. From the smallest sub-atomic particle to the greatest galaxy if we pay attention and look close enough everything points to our Creator. So now when I experience the joy of the new life of spring, I make the connection that this is a reminder of what God has done for you and me spiritually (Check out Ephesians 2). So go ahead and get excited about spring, and let it be an avenue for you to get excited about your great Savior who has brought you new life!