Ok, folks. For days now, I’ve been tormenting you with questions about your Easter preparations.
Today, however, I want to turn the corner with only one question:
How are you preparing yourself?
I don’t care if you’re a lay leader, a volunteer, or a minister: getting ready for a major church holiday/event is the perfect time for you to forsake your own spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health. If we are to truly serve God, we must keep the first things first.
Hold tighter to God. The enemy wants you and your event to fail. Resist him by clinging to God more tightly than usual. Be strict in keeping your times of devotion. Pray more. Worship more. Find your fuel in the presence of God. Give more of yourself to Jesus, that the work you do in His name will not cost you your soul.
Eat, drink, and be active. Please don’t rush around from task to task, cramming fast food hamburgers into your mouth, with a Diet Coke rinse and say that you’re doing it for “the Kingdom.” Take time to eat properly. If you’re know you’re going to need the energy, drink some tea or coffee. Treat yourself right, in this regard, and get some nice coffee to brew at home. Make it a moment that refreshes the mind, as you energize the body. Lastly, stay active. Don’t get stuck behind a desk all day prepping blog posts and social updates. At the very least, take a daily walk around your church building. Maybe you could even pray while you do?
Read a novel. Last Christmas, I made the mistake of trying to read a bunch of nonfiction. Terrible idea. I needed a break. The year prior, I had read A Christmas Carol, which was wonderful. Read a fun, easy novel to relax your mind. You deserve to relax a bit.
Protect your family. In the Old Testament, God expressed extreme anger at those who would offer offering their children up as burnt sacrifices to their pagan gods. So how do you think God feels about your sacrificing your family on His behalf? So many in the Church today will burn their family down because they think that this is what Jesus requires of them. I’m sorry to say that they are sacrificing to God what He does not desire. To be sure, there are times when God will lead you and your family to make sacrifices, but at not point is God going to ask you to work so hard, indefinitely, that your relationship with your spouse and children begins to wither and fade. And even you singles have a responsibility here to maintain contact with friends and your immediate family so that you remain grounded, well-rounded, and accountable.
Easter is when we celebrate that Jesus was resurrected, triumphing over death so that we might live with Him forever. Let us celebrate this in the best way by living the resurrected life now, by maintaining our relationship with Him, by stewarding the life He gave us, by resting from our labor, and by fulfilling our primary roles within our families.
I hope and pray that your your church’s Easter services and actives are well-prepped and successful, but even more, I pray that you are prepared in your heart and in your life to properly serve our King.
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