Last week, I wrote a post for Lifeway’s Women All Access where I shared my thoughts about preparing our hearts for Easter. (To see the original post, click here.) With Easter being a week away, I wanted to share the post here as well.
The Easter holiday is one we celebrate with joy. We associate Easter with colorful pastels, hearty meals and time together. Like many holidays, Easter may be one of tradition for you and your family, or perhaps April 1 will consist of brand new plans for you and yours this year. But honestly, what’s most important is that we take time to truly embrace this holiday, to prepare our hearts for Easter.
We know the significance of this holiday, but it’s important that we meditate on it, too, so that our hearts are in the right posture. We should feel the weight of Christ’s sacrifice and the insurmountable love He bestowed on us then and now. That love should be embedded in our hearts and souls. Nothing compares to what the Easter holiday represents for us as individuals and for all of humanity.
It is wise for us to prepare our hearts for momentous times such as Easter, so here are some ideas and thoughts on ways to prepare our hearts for this holiday. This is a list of ideas, but it is not a checklist. So while we can’t get in the right mindset or ready our hearts by checking boxes, it is often helpful to have reminders.
Reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for our sin.
Christ came from Heaven to Earth. He first sacrificed His throne in Heaven to come to us, not as an Earthly king, but as a carpenter. After dedicating His life to serving as a role model for us, He died on our behalf. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 18 says, “For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually.”
Identify our sins.
We can’t truly understand the greatness of Christ’s sacrifice until we recognize the seriousness of our sin. It is necessary for us to not gloss over the fact that we sin. None of us are perfect. Romans chapter 3, verse 23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” so taking time to intentionally identify those areas we fall short is crucial in moving forward.
Ask forgiveness and repent.
Though we sin, Christ was perfect. He was fully human and fully God, and in His fully human form, He did not sin. In Matthew chapter 4, verse 17 Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Repentance is not just the act of apologizing; it is experiencing a Godly sorrow and turning from sinful ways. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Christ’s sacrifice made a way for us to live in Heaven for eternity.
Give thanks for your new heart.
When you ask Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life, you are given a new heart. What life-changing news! Just as the Israelites were given new hearts when they were restored, so too are we given new hearts. Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Similarly, 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The Old has gone, the new is here!” What thanks we should give for this chance to be a new creation, a better self.
Spend time in Scripture.
Devotionals, study books, and Bible resources are wonderful tools to use in conjunction with reading the Bible. But we should spend time in God’s Word. My Granny knew the Bible. She was a true woman of God, and when I would ask her what she reads to learn, she would say simply, “The Bible.” For us to know God, we must know what comes directly from Him. Jesus tells us in Luke, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (21:33). For Easter readings, begin with Luke 22. In this chapter, Judas accepts the offer to betray Jesus, Jesus partakes in the last supper with his disciples and prays on the Mount of Olives, He is arrested, and His trial begins at the end of the chapter. Then read Luke chapter 23, where Jesus is crucified and buried. And when you read Luke chapter 24, rejoice! Jesus rises from the dead!
Practice compassion.
In His time on Earth, Jesus was compassionate. He didn’t mind telling people when they were wrong; after all, that’s part of what makes a good teacher. How else do we learn? But He felt compassion for the people He’d come to save. Matthew chapter 9 tell us that as Jesus moved through the towns and taught of the kingdom “he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (verse 36). Easter is a perfect time for us to revisit our priorities of helping people, of caring for others, and for being compassionate. Christ was compassionate in giving His life for us, but He was compassionate in the way He lived His entire life, too.
Spend time with others who are truly following Christ.
Seek out people who you recognize as following Christ. Look for people who make going to church a priority, who daily love others, and who are aligning their lives with Christ. Spend time with these people. Being in other Christians’ presence allows us to be encouraged and supported. “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
I’ll close with words from Billy Graham, a man who devoted his life to spreading the Good News, teaching the Gospel, and leading countless souls to salvation. I feel blessed to have lived during his lifetime, and I believe it fitting to end with his words about the Easter holiday.
“God undertook the most dramatic rescue operation in cosmic history. He determined to save the human race from self-destruction, and He sent his Son Jesus Christ to salvage and redeem them. The work of man’s redemption was accomplished at the cross.”
-Billy Graham