Easter.

What does it mean to you?

Many of you know that I had the privilege to travel to Israel in February (2018). Touring the Holy Land was one of the best travel experiences I’ve had. There is so much rich history and being there painted a picture in my mind that I wish I could capture and retell for all to hear.

Since it’s Easter weekend, here’s a little tidbit of that picture from the Garden of Gethsemane.

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
Matthew 26:36

Imagine. You’ve lived a good life so far. You’re young – in your prime. When you know that the time has come for you to kick the bucket. But not just the close your eyes and slip into eternity type, the kind where you know you’re going to experience the worst of the worst before you give up the ghost. You know that you have the power to stop the atrocities by making one small decision to do things differently than your father told you. You also know that by saving yourself, you would be denying everyone your father loves dearly from the salvation that you took. It’s either you die like this, or your father’s loved ones will be separated from him forever.

What would you do?

Would that be an easy choice for you?

If it was me, at the very least, I’d be pleading with my father to find another way to accomplish his plan.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did.

Jesus said in Matthew 26 that he felt so sorrowful, even unto death. He took his disciples and asked them to pray while he went to ‘talk to his Father.’ He pleaded so hard that the Bible says he actually sweat drops of blood.

Drops of blood!

When he was finished praying, he knew that this was the only way to save all of humanity.

He had resolve. Resolve to endure.

For you. For me. For all of humanity.

I’m not religious, but I have been a Christian for 30 years. Almost sounds like an oxymoron, but I seriously love the fact that I can know God on a personal level. That’s only possible because of Christ’s death on the Cross.

I’ve always been grateful for what Christ accomplished on the Cross, and now I feel like I’ve experienced a personal connection to His death, burial and resurrection.

Being in the Garden of Gethsemane made that come alive to me.

In our day and age, we look forward to Friday and stress about what comes after Sunday.
But for real.
When you get the revelation…
Friday was a struggle to endure.
But Sunday came.

He is risen. He’s alive.
He’s shaken me to my core.
I believe that my God is about to shake the nations.