Happy Easter from Russia!

My wife and I are spending another holiday in Russia. Just this past Christmas, I wrote in my blog about our visit to the orphanage on Christmas Day. And once again, we find ourselves in Russia—this time during Easter. It’s a snowy Easter morning here in Russia (although Russia celebrates Easter sometime in April). Here’s a picture from our hotel room this morning…

On this snowy Easter Sunday, I woke up and read my Bible, reflecting on what God has done for me. God sent his Son to die for me. Jesus came up out of that grave 3 days later, and He’s been changing lives ever since. He’s changed my life. And because adoption is on my mind, I cannot get over the fact that God has adopted me. The Bible says:

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. . . . He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” (Ephesians 1:5, 7)

That’s good stuff! This process of adopting our little boy is bringing us great pleasure as we think about giving a child a loving family. As we continue this adoption process, I understand more and more how God feels when another person comes into His family.

That’s why God loves Easter. He loves it when people receive forgiveness and eternal life. He loves it when people choose to love and follow Him. As millions of people around the world flock to Easter services and hear about the hope found in a personal relationship with Christ, I’m praying that many more will be adopted into God’s family today.