What does Easter and other religious things have to do with my life?

Having passed Easter I spent some time thinking about the significance of this very special day. Jesus on a cross, buried, and risen again on the third day. Many people went to church yesterday as was evidenced by our packed out services including 348 at our Washington High School campus. Lots of people, some new clothes, and several or our pastors donned ties - not me though!

But what affect does that one hour service have to do with the rest of the 167 hours in a week? It's a sad statistic, but research has shown that it typically has little affect.

In an USA article titled "Has the 'notion of sin' been lost?" quotes Barna Research Group president David Kinnaman:

"They give intellectual assent to the story about Jesus rising on Easter Sunday: 75% say they believe the biblical account of Jesus' death and resurrection is literally true, not a story meant to illustrate a principle. But they don't have any personal application of this Monday through Saturday."

This is probably due to the fact that people today believe that everything is relevant, including the problem of sin in the world and what that means. Here is another quote from the same article:

A new survey by Ellison Research in Phoenix finds 87% of U.S. adults believe in the existence of sin, which is defined as "something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective."

Topping the list are adultery (81%) and racism (74%).

But other sins no longer draw majority condemnation. Premarital sex? Only 45% call it sin. Gambling? Just 30% say it's sinful.

I hope that the death of God's one and only son Jesus has changed your life like it has mine. It gives me hope in this life and the life to come. He also supplies me with an owner's manual and road map for life called the Bible. I sure hope that my life will be one that reflects God's glory and not man's depravity. Tye out.