Faith Friday: Yes, It Is A Good Friday.

Today I woke up with an instant smile on my face... along with a bit of sniffles but that's besides the point. Everyday is a good occasion to think about what God has done for us but today we can all, in unity, thank Him for sending His son to set us free. When I was younger I used to think, "Why do they call it Good Friday? Jesus died today. That's sad!" It was only until I matured that I realized today is just one extra special day to celebrate. Whereas all of our days would've been sad otherwise, we can now be joyful because we have been cleansed and renewed by that sacrifice. 
So what is this Easter all about? If you've paid close attention to your television or stepped into any drugstore lately, you'll see bunnies, chocolates and eggs. Now,  I have absolutely no clue where this came from but it has sadly been used to take our eyes away from the meaning of Easter. I mean, tell me how both Christmas and Easter, two holidays which centre on the life and death of Jesus Christ, have been masked by fictional characters and traditions that are only there to stop us from realizing why we are actually celebrating. It weighs down my heart knowing that we live in a world who would rather endorse bunnies and chocolates because sharing the truth about this season is unacceptable. In that case, I think it's time to get a handle on what Easter is and why today is a good day. 
For a few weeks now I've been reflecting on the fact that Jesus died for me. It's something we are taught and that we speak about but I'd never really understood the profound truth behind that act of selfless love. The biggest shock factor came when I realized that the amount of pain Jesus felt and the situations He went through were to save me. What did I do to deserve that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I am standing here today as a testament of God's grace and forgiveness. He knew I was imperfect and would mess up day after day but He chose me from before I was born. He had my life planned out and His love for me was so big that He sent His own son to die for little ol' me. 
Let me set one thing straight for you. Yes, Jesus died to set you free and to give you life. (I know, weird concept but it's as if you were dead before that...) But after that was done, and He said "it is finished", that's it. The slate that was filled with all of the bad things you'd done was cleaned. His sacrifice was to rid you of any shame or guilt and feelings of unworthiness forever. There is no measure of how long this sacrifice is good for. It's not a limited time offer. He gave us eternal life. 
One other thing to settle. The grip of the enemy was broken that day. You are right, Jesus died to set you free, but from what? From the creator of lies and of everything God does not stand for. I see so many people, including me some days, that live their lives acting like the devil still has a say. It's like bullies, the more you pay attention to their lies, the louder they get and the more they affect you. If we could only realize that Jesus has already defeated the enemy and he is literally irrelevant, things would be very different. He will always be there whispering things that completely go against who God says you are, but they mean nothing. You stand on solid ground, he doesn't. He is literally shaking and you know how you can really scare him? By not paying attention to him. By living your life showing him that you know Jesus did it all that day, you are exercising the power God gave you. I love the lyrics from Bethel that say, "The same power that raised Him up is the power that lives in us". Hold onto that. You have a say now because of what Jesus did. 
I wrote about Kari Jobe a few weeks ago but today is the best day to sing out her song "Forever." "Now death where is your sting? Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated." It gives me chills. So yes, today is a GREAT day. We get to celebrate that we were given a new life. God chose you that day, live to choose Him today and every day because He is good and has broken every chain that bound us to the darkness. 
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit"  - 1 Peter 3:18
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. and who ever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"  - John 11: 25,26
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"  - John 3:16
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy, and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us.  - Ephesians 1: 4-8
Happy Good Friday!