The End of the Beginning

       Happy Easter! Today, we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For those that participated in his persecution, conviction, and ultimately had a hand in His death, the crucifixion signaled the end to what they considered to be a brief chapter in history. Of course, as we know that isn't the full story and his death on the cross definitely wasn't the end of the story. I actually read a quote once that summed up nicely the experience of what actually occurred on Calvary's Cross the day Jesus was crucified. In Stuart Briscoe's Daily Study Bible, Briscoe makes a profound commentary that resonates well with the play on words that he engages. His proclamation reads, "It was not the end, nor it wasn't even the beginning of the end. The death of Jesus on the cross was the end of the beginning and set the stage for all that has happened since that day and what you and I are or should be doing today to advance His kingdom." To the Romans, Pharisees, and other non-believers of the day when Jesus breathed his last words, "It is finished" that is exactly what He was proclaiming the end of the beginning had begun!
      To some death signals an end to life, to those that believe the death of Jesus does not signal an end, but actually a beginning for a chance to receive life eternal. Death on the cross was the starting pistol for your life's journey to have meaning and purpose. What happened over 2,000 years ago outside of the city of Jerusalem is comparable to what could be called "the shot that was heard around the world". Because God allowed His son to die for our sins, mankind can now make the personal choice to live eternally! No other gift exists that could be more precious and priceless.
     As you go about your day today, hiding eggs, sitting down to an Easter meal, or maybe when the chocolate bunnies and peanut butter eggs are being gobbled up, stop for just a moment and think about the actual gift that the Easter holiday signifies. To sacrifice His life so that we might receive forgiveness and salvation from our sins, and then for us to ultimately receive life eternal in Heaven if only we will believe and follow God is a gift I am thankful for and will never forget. For those that participated in the death of Jesus, they thought His death would end what Jesus had started. The death of Christ on the cross should have put an end to the message that He was the messiah, that He had been sent by God to teach mankind how to live in accordance with His father's commands. What man intended to end, God had planned since the beginning of time for a beginning. God's plan is fulfilled in this short scene from the Book of Life.
      Did Jesus die on the cross? Yes. Was that the end that was being sought through his death? No. The cross is a symbol of life. We see the cross and are reminded that Jesus rose from the grave, that He ascended to heaven where He sits at His father's right hand, and if we receive His offer of life eternal we too are promised a life eternal. Does that sound like an end to a story? I don't think so. To me it sounds like the event that signaled the end to the beginning of the story and that story lives on today in the hearts and minds of those that believe and live their lives with a commitment to fulfill God's plan for the life He has given us to live. You are tasked with writing the next chapter in this ongoing saga that Jesus has produced and published. The question is what will your chapter say? What will you do to add to the story of life? I choose to continue God's story and serve Him wholeheartedly! Just give me Jesus!
He Lives!!
Coach Carter