Seven Scriptures that Emphasize the Easter Message Outside of the Easter Story Still in 2024…

Easter word

Hello World!!!

If you are a Christian, today, Easter Sunday, is the most triumphant and glorious day of the year…The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the bedrock of our faith…It is how we know that we know that we know God. loves.. us…

If, by chance, you are a unfamiliar with the story – I pray that those who have never heard of the story somehow find their way to my humble space on the Internet – let me tell it to you in simple terms…

Holy God, creator of this universe, wants to have a personal relationship with us, the sinful human beings that He created…But because of our sin, which is essentially our willfulness or inclination to doing things our own way without God’s guidance, He cannot tolerate what we have done to ourselves and how we have desecrated our beings…However, he allowed his Son, Jesus Christ, a perfect being, to die, to sacrifice himself on the cross and bridge the gap between us and our Holy Father…And Jesus Christ was resurrected three days later proving that God conquers death!!! If you would like  to read the official story, please see Luke 24 in the Bible…

While the Easter story is confined to a few chapters, the Easter message is scattered throughout the entire Bible from the beginning to the end…

1. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20…This verse comes from the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers because they were jealous of him and his close relationship with their father.  Years later, however, Joseph, who had been given a position in the government in the country where he had been enslaved, was reunited with his brothers…

Despite what had been done to him, Joseph assured his brothers that God used their evil deed to allow Him to be in a position of authority. And that position of authority enabled him to do good for many under him…

Again, what may be negative, God can and will change it to a positive for us and many others if we would give Him the opportunity…This is what happened with Jesus on the cross…

2. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to His face.”  Job 13:15…Job was a man who had been blessed spiritually and materially, but God allowed all of his materials blessings to be taken away to prove to the devil if Job would still serve God.

This verse was Job’s declaration that in spite of His feelings that God had deserted him, he would still trust Him…Jesus, God’s son, felt that way as well…Although He chose to die for our sins, there was a point that He felt God was not with Him because He was dying…

And yet, He went through it because His ultimate hope was in God…And we can claim the same when we are going through tough situations…In spite of whatever seemingly hopeless situation we find ourselves in, God can turn it around…He did it for Job, Jesus and He can and will do it for us…

3. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6…Sometimes there are things that happen to us that no matter how long we think about them or who we talk to about them, we cannot make sense of what happened…But we don’t always have to understand because God can straighten it all out…Those who lived with and loved Jesus didn’t understand why Jesus had die although He tried to explain it, but three days later, they understood…and were blessed…

cross

4. “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes  His life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…” Isaiah 53: 10-11  With God, suffering can have a purpose…Jesus’ suffering enables us to have life with the Father…

5. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28…This verse is a testament of how God operates…God can and does take anything and bring good out of it…Death is vile…But Jesus’ death is how we are able to be reconciled to God…That is good…

6. “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13…As Christians or followers of Christ, we will be tested…But even as we are tested, we can have inexplicable  joy knowing that we are being tested because we do believe in Christ….

7. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3-5 The ultimate message of Easter is that death is not the end of the story…And one day death as know it will be done and over with…

I wrote this Easter post because God has a track record of bringing the biggest blessings out of tragedies…I wrote this post for me, but I hope it blesses you…

Happy Easter! Jesus is Risen! Blessed be the name of Jesus!

 

Any thoughts?

‘Unsung’ Returns with Donald Lawrence & ‘Uncensored’ with Tamela Mann TONIGHT at 9/8c

Hello World,

After you’ve celebrated Easter with your church family, check out UNSUNG and UNCENSORED Tonight on TV One!

The seven-time NAACP Image Award-winning series UNSUNG, spotlights entertainment’s most talented, versatile, and influential music artists. This week’s episode highlights Donald Lawrence. He has left a legacy as one of the most important figures in contemporary gospel music, but success has not come without its share of struggles. Donald has faced criticism for infusing secular music into faith-based music and has been transparent about his battle with cancer. Catch his episode tonight at 9 p.m. Below is a clip from tonight’s episode!

UNCENSORED, which airs at 10 p.m., explores the lives of some of today’s most notable personalities as they provide first-hand accounts of their success and the obstacles they faced throughout their careers. This week’s episode highlights talented Gospel singer and actress Tamela Mann. Known for her soul-stirring performances and uplifting spirit, Tamela gets uncensored as she shares her journey from humble beginnings to Grammy-winning success. Below is a clip from tonight’s episode!

Any thoughts?

Famed ’90s R&B Star Montell Jordan Launches THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT With Special Guest DJ Tony Tone…

Hello World,

Grammy Award-Winning and ’90s R&B icon Montell Jordan launches THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT with special guest DJ Tony Tone.   This is the ultimate ’90s themed dance party for couples on April 12 in Atlanta, Georgia at Ponce City Market’s Rooftop Terrace.  Montell and his wife, Kristin have focused their ministry on marital counseling and coaching. Together, Montell and Kristin Jordan began both their marriage and music career journeys over 20 years ago. They entered the recording industry as artist and manager with the #1 hit song This Is How We Do It less than one year after saying “I do.” The challenges of being married in the music business resulted in an unpredictable story where after two decades of world tours and millions of album sales, they chose marriage over music, faith over fame, and significance over success. Ultimately, they allowed God to reinvent their lives to focus on their family values, their passion to see the covenant of marriage reestablished, and to restore hope in the hearts of men and women everywhere.

In a society where divorce has become commonplace and the very institution and definition of marriage is under attack, they have navigated some of the roughest waters and returned to help others in their marital journey.  Their marriage has endured and overcome some of the greatest trials imaginable, however, they now are able to serve as ambassadors of hope.  Recently, Montell and Kristin have co-authored their first book This Is How We Do It! Making Your Marriage A Masterpiece. They now travel the world with a goal of spreading that hope and love to help others.  A reconciled husband and wife make a stronger marriage; a stronger marriage makes a better family; stronger families make better churches; stronger churches make better communities and stronger communities make a better world.  With that said, the Jordan’s are bringing their world culture back to their backyard in launching THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT.

The event will start for VIP early entry at 6pm and 7pm for general admission.  For more information, please go to ThisIsHowWeDateNight.EventBrite.com.

“Music has a powerful way of bringing people together, and ‘ This Is How We Date Night’ is all about creating unforgettable moments withloved ones,” says Montell.

For more information on Montell and Kristin Jordan, go to montellandkristin.com and Instagram.

Also, I saw this great interview with Vlad TV and Montell Jordan a while back. If you’re interested in that interview in which Montell recounts his childhood, how he got into the music industry, cheating on his wife, becoming a Christian and more, click HERE.