For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23 HCSB

When I was growing up between Christmas and Easter if I was headed into mischief, I would be told to be careful because the Easter Bunny is watching.  Now that would straighten me up quickly because I love chocolate and the Easter Bunny always brought me chocolate.  Also, who wants to have to tell your friends that you were so bad that the Easter Bunny didn’t bring you anything?  In the fall, of course, Santa was watching and used to keep me in line.  Now I understand that they have Elf on the Shelf who watches and I guess takes notes for Santa, letting him know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.

Now on the surface, thinking of a rabbit or an elf watching you and recording your behavior is a little strange, don’t you think? It is also a little strange to think that either Santa or the Easter Bunny could cover the entire world handing out gifts or baskets of goodies in one night.  But some people seem to have just as much trouble with the concept of Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins. They also seem to have a hard time believing that we serve a God who is omnipresent, meaning He can be everywhere at once.  This is how he can claim to never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

I recall the excitement that I felt when I would wake up on Easter morning knowing that I had a basket full of candy waiting for me.  That basket full of candy let me know that the Easter Bunny thought that I had been good enough to warrant getting a basket.  As an adult, I feel the same excitement knowing that my physical death will bring eternal life.  I am excited about getting to see what heaven is like after seeing the description of it in Revelation.  I am excited at the thought of having my name written in the Lamb’s book of life and getting to spend an eternity with my Father in Heaven.

Maybe you didn’t get Easter baskets or gifts under the tree.  Maybe life has hardened your heart and challenged your belief.  Wherever you are, know that God can meet you right there.  Know that He is always with you.  Know that He loves you and wants you to come to Him.  Know that what He wants to bless you with something better than anything anyone one earth can give to you.  Trust in Him to give you the best He has to offer.  Know that He has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11).  He wants to work all things out for your good (Romans 8:28).  Turn to Him before it’s too late.

Once you give your life over to Him you want to be good and you want to do good things.  Not just because of the reward that awaits you or the fact that He is always there, but because you love Him and you don’t ever want to disappoint Him.

Now of course there are correlations between the Easter Bunny and God such as omnipresence and rewarding good behavior.  But the main difference is this, God will honor you and reward good behavior, but He will also meet you where you are.  No matter how bad you have been, He will come to you.  He will show you love and mercy and grace.  You only have to draw near to Him (James 4:8).

So today I encourage you to open your bible and read the Easter story.  The story of how Christ gave His life for us so that we could have eternal life.  Read all four accounts from the four gospels. (Matthew chapters 27-28, Mark chapters 15-16, Luke chapters 23-24, and John chapters 19-20).  Go to a good bible teaching church not just for Easter but commit to God to attend regularly.  He gave His life for you, can’t you give a few hours during the week for Him?  And call out to Him, trust in Him to lead you in the way that you should go.  If you have young children teach them to fear God.  By this I don’t mean for them to be terrified, but to have a reverential fear and a strong desire to please Him.  Children today need God in their lives with all the pressure they face from their peers.  They need God’s strength. (Philippians 4:13).   We need His strength and His love and mercy more than anything this world has to offer. He gives it freely, we only have to ask.

We know well in advance when the Easter Bunny will come back, but none of us know the day or the hour when Jesus will return.  I encourage you today to be ready.

Have a great day!