Why Easter?! (Youth Edition)Sample

What Does All This Mean For Me?

From our devotional time over the last couple of days we know that Jesus died and rose from the grave, defeating death and inviting us into eternal life with him. But what does all this mean for us today?

Today’s verse tells us that Jesus’ death and resurrection means that we can be truly free. It tells us that what Jesus accomplished on the cross is a gateway to true freedom for each and every one of us.

I wonder, when have you felt the most free? Take a moment to think about your life, and bring to mind a time when you experienced the feeling of freedom.

Whether we know it or not, we are all guilty before God. We have all sinned and fallen short of his perfect standard, and we have all put other things or other people before God. And, because of that, a lot of us often feel bound and constrained by feelings of guilt and shame. Some of us may also feel bound to a false identity.

Yet, on the cross, Jesus took from us the penalty for our mistakes so that we could be entirely and completely freed from any guilt, shame or condemnation. In other words, we can truly be free to live our lives in relationship with God, knowing that there is no condemnation in Christ.

Through the Easter story we know that God is inviting us into relationship with him. And he is inviting us to walk in true freedom with him at our side every step of the way. Through Christ we can live our lives free from the things which hold us back and free from the things that entangle or have a hold on us.

But this freedom that God gives us also equips us to step into a better now and a better future. We are not just freed from certain things, but we are also freed to become a new creation. We can have freedom to walk in confidence, knowing that we are children of God, adopted into his family as his beloved children. And we can have freedom to walk with an eternal hope, an ongoing peace, and a never-ending joy.

Through Jesus’ resurrection we can become a new person, where the identity of our old life is replaced by the freedom and love of Christ. How amazing!

Action:

- Read through today’s verse a couple of times and think about the things that you need Jesus to free you from. Write these things down on a piece of paper, listing them before God. Then rip up the piece of paper, symbolising how God can take those things from you.

- Take a moment to pray and ask God to bring you true freedom from those areas of your life.