Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged Christians to live the ideals of Easter and emulate Jesus Christ.
This message is contained in a statement made available to journalists on his behalf by his Media Adviser, Mr Sola Fasure, in Osogbo on Saturday.
“The ideal of Easter is love manifested in sacrifice. It was love that motivated Jesus Christ to lay down his life. It was love also that made him adopt non-resistance method, even as he endured a farcical trial that led to his condemnation and crucifixion and death on the cross. But this turned out to be a bigger victory, as he rose from the dead on the third day, according to Christian tradition and the bible.
“Christians therefore should emulate Jesus by demonstrating love to one another and to their neighbours, just as Jesus admonished his disciples to love their neighbours as themselves.
“The absence of love is the foundation of all evils in our society. Those who love others will not steal from them, kill them, tell lies against them or harm them in any way. Christians will only be like Christ if they emulate him and pattern their lives after him”, Governor Aregbesola stressed.
Governor Aregbesola also admonished the people of the state, irrespective of their faith, to pray for the nation and the state of Osun, noting that the challenges before the nation require divine intervention.
“We should all also, irrespective of our religious persuasion, to commit the affairs of our nation into the hands of God. Though we have many challenges which appear to be formidable, but they are nothing in the hands of God. If we pray and seek the face of God, in addition to working hard and eschewing evil, we shall overcome the challenges.
“The future is bright for us if we can take maximum advantage of our human and material resources.
“I wish you all a happy Easter celebration”, the statement concludes.
