---Jesus Conquered Death! He paid your sin-debt!

--"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." // ACTS 4:11-12]

----"For the joy set before him he endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12:2/ NIV)[ bible

-IT WAS A TYPICAL Sunday morning at our church--except for one thing: two spaces down sat a man I hadn't seen in a long time. It's not that he hadn't wanted to worship with our church family, but he'd been incarcerated for seven years. This was his first Sunday of freedom.

I saw everything that morning through his eyes. The smiles and hugs and tears that greeted him, grateful of his return. The new prayers for him as he moved from serving Jesus behind bars to serving "at large." The way every lyric of the worship songs and every Scripture passage seemed divinely orchestrated to remind us of freedom in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live day to day.

The joy on his face reflected what must have felt like finally drawing a deep breath after so long in the "grave" of his circumstances, and I couldn't help but consider the inexpressible joy of the moment when Jesus drwe His first breath after His resurrection.

Suffocated by the weight of our sins, Jesus conquered death to breath and worship anew. What was the reason for the joy on His face? Us. He'sd successfully purchased our freedom and future. Within a short time, He's return to the right hand of His Father. But before then, He had another assignment--showing Himself to His followers, even those who let doubts creep in.

He knew we earth dwellers would find our joy in His very presence. The plan worked. He gave up His life for ours and then breathed again. Imagine how loudly He sang on His first Sunday of freedom! Hallelujah! Jesus is alive! Please read Luke 15:11-32. The Prodigal Son ~~

--"When God Ran" // Phillips, Craig, Dean //( music video)<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ8dKsqH_g4>
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Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]