Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
What is more important for your quality of life, happiness or freedom? Many of you know I pursue happiness because I lost my happiness due to some unpleasant childhood events. However, some philosophers and thought leaders argue that freedom is more important than happiness.
Immanuel Kant emphasizes the importance of freedom as a prerequisite for moral action. He believed happiness without freedom might be desirable but lacks moral significance. In other words, for him, happiness without freedom is shallow.
Jean-Paul Sartre emphasizes the importance of freedom and choice as the very essence of human existence. For him, freedom is not just important; it is what defines us as human beings.
I agree with our founding fathers that all these three are important—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These are the unalienable rights given to us by our Creator. Therefore, we must create a society that allows all these rights to thrive.
Freedom has three levels—physical, mental, and spiritual. Some people may be physically free but not mentally free. Influencers, the media, or the government could infuse them with false information to enslave their minds. Communism is an example of a mind control machine.
Some people are physically and mentally free but not spiritually free. Spiritual freedom is the ability to bear the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The opposite of it is spiritual enslavement, such as being unable to love, unable to rejoice, unable to forgive, etc. Just reverse the fruit of the spirit, and you get the condition of spiritual enslavement.
I think spiritual freedom is more important than mental and physical freedom because if you are spiritually free, no one can control your mind. People may control you physically, but if you are spiritually free, you will find the way out sooner because you don’t have the fear of death.
Easter sets us free from the fear of death because the resurrection of Jesus Christ reveals to us there’s more to life than this physical body. Jesus said that he came so that we would have life and have it abundantly. His resurrection takes away our fear of death so that we are free to live.
Some might say, “Wait, how do you know the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true? How do you prove that?” I am a rational man, so I have asked this question myself in the past.
I have mentioned it before, so here’s my brief logic. The resurrection of Jesus Christ shattered human history into two parts: AD and BC or BCE and CE. Each time I look at the calendar, I see the miracle of resurrection.
I know the calendar was created to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, but who cares about Christmas if there is no Easter?
Each time you put down your signature, you must put the date next to it, referencing Jesus Christ. Even an atheist communist must reference Jesus. They can deny him, but they can’t hide from him. The calendar is ubiquitous. Jesus is on their wall, their watch, and their phones.
So, each time I look at the calendar, I say in my heart, “He is risen indeed!”
According to a survey, two-thirds of Americans believe in the resurrection but don’t understand its significance. Jesus is risen, so what?
So, today, we will answer the “So what?” question. What Easter means to us and how Easter sets us free to live, love, lead, and leave a legacy. Let’s begin!
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