1
00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:08,960
Speaker 1: Life Audio.

2
00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,160
Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We are so glad to

3
00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,800
Speaker 2: have you with us here today. Today's topic is the

4
00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:22,440
Speaker 2: Real Meaning of Easter. We will return after a brief

5
00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:39,320
Speaker 2: message from our sponsor, Rediscovering the Real Meaning of Easter

6
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:45,680
Speaker 2: written by Vivian Bricker, read by Rochelle Alberti Bible Reading.

7
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,680
Speaker 2: He is not here, He has risen, just as he said,

8
00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,600
Speaker 2: Come and see the place where he lay Matthew twenty

9
00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:59,320
Speaker 2: eight to six. Easter is a wonderful time to reflect

10
00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,480
Speaker 2: on the beauty and goodness of Christ. When I was

11
00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,200
Speaker 2: growing up, however, I didn't understand Easter at all. I

12
00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:10,560
Speaker 2: mainly associated it with the Easter bunny and candy. I

13
00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,920
Speaker 2: knew nothing about Jesus Christ or his death on the Cross.

14
00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,600
Speaker 2: Although my mom was a Christian, I don't remember fully

15
00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,160
Speaker 2: absorbing any teachings about Easter when I was a.

16
00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,480
Speaker 3: Child or teenager. Perhaps less lessons simply lit over my head,

17
00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:31,480
Speaker 3: but I genuinely don't recall learning about Jesus's sacrifice. Everything

18
00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,200
Speaker 3: changed after I became a Christian during my first year

19
00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,480
Speaker 3: of college. That was when I began to understand the

20
00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,760
Speaker 3: true purpose of Easter and realized what a beautiful and

21
00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:45,560
Speaker 3: meaningful celebration. It is the first Easter I celebrated as

22
00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,680
Speaker 3: a follower of the Lord was filled with worship. My

23
00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,559
Speaker 3: sister and I even changed some of our family traditions

24
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,760
Speaker 3: to make them more focused on Jesus. My childhood fascination

25
00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,760
Speaker 3: with the Easter bunny faded, replaced by a deeper appreciation

26
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,320
Speaker 3: for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. One year,

27
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,639
Speaker 3: we even made a cross decorated with flowers and placed

28
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,160
Speaker 3: it on our front door as a reminder of Christ's

29
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,600
Speaker 3: sacrifice and victory. Easter has changed a lot for me,

30
00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,399
Speaker 3: but in the best way possible. Once I truly understood

31
00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,600
Speaker 3: the meaning of Easter, I couldn't believe I had celebrated

32
00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:25,400
Speaker 3: the holiday for so long without recognizing its real purpose.

33
00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:31,280
Speaker 3: Easter is about Jesus, not the Easter bunny, egg hunts,

34
00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,720
Speaker 3: or candy. While those traditions are not wrong in themselves,

35
00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,280
Speaker 3: they can easily distract from the holiday's true meaning. When

36
00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,120
Speaker 3: commercialism becomes the focus, it takes Jesus out of Easter

37
00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,080
Speaker 3: and turns the celebration into something it was never meant

38
00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,760
Speaker 3: to be. As followers of Christ, Easter is also a

39
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,360
Speaker 3: meaningful opportunity to share the gospel with others. Many people

40
00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,600
Speaker 3: have heard the gospel, yet its meaning has and fully

41
00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,079
Speaker 3: reach their hearts. This could be true for both children

42
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,760
Speaker 3: and adults. Because of this, we should look for opportunities

43
00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,160
Speaker 3: to share the message of Jesus, even with people who

44
00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,880
Speaker 3: may already be familiar with it. Sometimes hearing the truth

45
00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,600
Speaker 3: again allows it to take root more deeply. When sharing

46
00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:25,040
Speaker 3: the gospel, speak in a personal, sincere way that helps

47
00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:29,120
Speaker 3: others truly hear and understand what you are saying. Sharing

48
00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 3: your testimony can also be powerful before or after explaining

49
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,400
Speaker 3: the gospel. Trust the Holy Spirit to work in each

50
00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,680
Speaker 3: person's heart, and don't become discouraged if someone doesn't accept

51
00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,800
Speaker 3: Christ immediately. For many of us, faith was a journey

52
00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,480
Speaker 3: that took time before we chose to fully place our

53
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:53,600
Speaker 3: trust in Jesus. Intersecting faith in length at the tomb

54
00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,760
Speaker 3: of the risen Lord, an angel declared, he is not here.

55
00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,040
Speaker 3: He has risen, just as as he said, come see

56
00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,680
Speaker 3: the place where he lay Matthew twenty eight six. This

57
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,280
Speaker 3: beautiful truth gives us hope and encouragement even in our

58
00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:14,720
Speaker 3: darkest moments. Jesus truly rose from the dead, and through

59
00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,679
Speaker 3: him we have victory over death. Why we will still

60
00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,559
Speaker 3: physically die one day, Death does not have the final word.

61
00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,720
Speaker 3: Those who trust in Christ will live forever with him.

62
00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,640
Speaker 3: The gift of eternal life is possible only because of

63
00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,840
Speaker 3: Jesus's finished work on the cross. Because of him, we

64
00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,360
Speaker 3: have hope not only for the future, but also for

65
00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:43,279
Speaker 3: the present. During this Easter season, we can celebrate the Lord,

66
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,800
Speaker 3: help others come to know him and rejoice in the

67
00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:50,480
Speaker 3: salvation he offers. One of the greatest ways we can

68
00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,359
Speaker 3: show our love and devotion to him is by sharing

69
00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,160
Speaker 3: the good news with others. Just as the Angel announced

70
00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:01,080
Speaker 3: Christ's resurrection, we are called to sh the same message

71
00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,800
Speaker 3: with the world. Easter is not simply another holiday on

72
00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,680
Speaker 3: the calendar. It is the celebration of the death, burial,

73
00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:15,520
Speaker 3: and resurrection of our Lord. Through him, we have received forgiveness, redemption,

74
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,039
Speaker 3: and victory over the grave. Celebrate this truth during the

75
00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,680
Speaker 3: Easter season and allow the joy of Christ's resurrection to

76
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:28,880
Speaker 3: overflow into every part of your life. Jesus accomplished something

77
00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,320
Speaker 3: extraordinary when he arose from the dead, and one day

78
00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,279
Speaker 3: he will return again and bring a final end to evil. Revelation.

79
00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:41,760
Speaker 3: One seven. Has your interpretation and understanding of Easter changed

80
00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,200
Speaker 3: over the years? How can you share the Gospel with

81
00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:51,000
Speaker 3: a loved one this Easter? Further reading Luke nineteen ten,

82
00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:57,000
Speaker 3: Luke twenty four one through fifty three, John five, twenty eight,

83
00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:01,159
Speaker 3: and twenty nine.

84
00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,279
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what

85
00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,320
Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know

86
00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:11,400
Speaker 1: about our sister podcast, Your Daily Prayer. When you follow

87
00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,800
Speaker 1: your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll get

88
00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,920
Speaker 1: a brand new prayer and devotional each day, so your

89
00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,599
Speaker 1: days begin in conversation with God. If you're looking to

90
00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,400
Speaker 1: grow in prayer or start your day with your heart

91
00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:28,560
Speaker 1: focused on the right things, search for your daily prayer

92
00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:31,760
Speaker 1: in your favorite podcast app and be sure to follow

93
00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,720
Speaker 1: the show so you get a new prayer delivered straight

94
00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,200
Speaker 1: to you each morning.