mmmm Chocolate mmmm

We know Easter is coming when supermarkets are bursting with chocolate.

Chocolate Eggs, Bunnies and my favourite: Chocolate Hot Cross Buns!

Some may complain that combining Chocolate & Hot Cross Buns is not traditional.

But you have to try this yummy combo before dismissing it entirely!

So what does Easter mean to you?

In Australia, it is the longest national public holiday besides Christmas.

Many Aussies make the most of pleasant Autumn weather and flee the cities for the coast.

Thanks to Climate Change, Sydney will have a mini-heatwave during the 4-day long weekend.

This March, there has been unseasonably scorching weather resulting in devastating bushfires.

We remember the NSW South Coast bushfire victims who lost homes 2 weeks ago.

69 homes were destroyed and a further 39 were damaged in the beachside town of Tathra.

Mercifully no one died, as residents escaped to the beach with the raging fire behind them.

There was little warning about this impending emergency and people just ran for their lives.

They returned a few days later to see the smouldering ruins of their homes.

The shock of losing everything is all too real for those suddenly made homeless.

It reminds me of something I was reading recently:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:22-26

This was written by an Israelite who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC.

The Babylonians invaded this important Israeli city and burnt everything to the ground.

They devastated the surrounding countryside and even ransacked the holy temple.

The desolation was overwhelming for those who lost everything.

There was much weeping and lamenting recorded in these “lamentations”.

However, there was still hope for the hopeless.

This hope is not found in money or material possessions.

The writer acknowledges that Lord God is faithful to those who trust in Him.

His steadfast love is everlasting and mercies are never-ending.

If we look carefully, we can see new mercies from God every morning.

Even when we have lost everything.

How can this be?

Because God is my portion.

His grace is sufficient and satisfies my deepest spiritual need.

We are promised that God will be good to those who wait for His salvation.

His ultimate salvation is freely given through his son Jesus.

Jesus died on a cross and that’s what we remember at Easter.

God sacrificed his only Son to pay the price for the sin of the whole world.

We deserve to die for our sin, but Jesus died and went to hell instead of us.

God saves those who seek forgiveness from Him.

Forgiveness is only possible by trusting that Jesus died in our place.

We are helpless to save ourselves and our good works cannot save us.

God raised Jesus back to life as the King of the Universe.

This is what we celebrate at Easter:

New life with Jesus in His eternal kingdom, here on Earth and in Heaven.

This gives us “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”

Great is God’s faithfulness!

This is the greatest mercy we can see every morning.

Who do you trust when you’ve lost all your money & possessions?

Google?

Facebook?

May I suggest that God will outlast all imperfect, human-made technology?

God’s love lasts forever!

For followers: are you waiting for real salvation or relying on your career/wealth instead?

mmmm Bible mmmm

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