Tomorrow is Good Friday. It seems like a strange name for the day we remember the brutal death of our Savior. But if you think about it, "good" doesn't even begin to describe what Jesus did on that day. It is an even weaker description of His resurrection three days later.
Colossians 2:13–15 says, "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
First Peter 1:3–5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."
His death provided a way for us to be alive in Christ. He forgave our sins, gave us hope, and awarded us an inheritance that can never be taken away. But so often, we trade in the freedom that God gave us on Good Friday for sin and bondage.
I am often troubled by my interactions with young women just like you. As I speak and write to young women, I've found that many of them are Christians and yet they are engaged in patterns of sin that they feel they cannot or will not walk away from. Does that describe you?
If so, you are believing lies about yourself and the culture and likely face serious consequences. Even though you've been exposed to God's truth, you continue to allow those lies to wreak havoc on your lives. The result of choosing to sin is always bondage.
I realize that we all struggle to be holy. But this Easter, I don't want you to miss out on the freedom Christ came to give. Jesus' death and resurrection paved the way for your freedom, but it's as if you'd rather stay in the tomb.
Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." The reason He came was to secure your freedom. The reason He rose was to prove the victory was already won. This Easter, will you join me in asking God which areas of our lives are still dead and in the tomb?