God's Pure Love for You

What’s the true meaning of Easter?

Is it:
Candy in cute Easter baskets?

Easter bonnets and pretty dresses on little girls?
Chocolate bunnies and the Easter bunny?

Traditional turkey dinner?

Yum!

Or is there something more to this spring-time holiday?
Yes, but let’s discover what!
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — ”3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for ours sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

1

So, what significance does Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection have to us? We must answer this question!  All of heaven and hell hangs on the answer!
First Peter 2:21-25 says:
“21…Christ also suffered for you…22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness: for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For He has made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
Jesus is God in the flesh! God the Father loved you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to take your place on the cross, to suffer abandonment by the Father, as He bore your sin and its guilt. He was judged so that you could become free, free to ask Him into your heart and life!
So what’s the true meaning of Easter? It’s Jesus rising from the dead after paying for your sins and mine! It’s also Jesus living in you with all the power that raised Him from the dead!

Romans 8:11 – “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Jesus is the resurrection and the life! Without Jesus, every person still has a dead spirit that is unable to see God. These will be banished to hell after they physically die, 43 “…into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] – Mark 9:43,44.
WITH JESUS, you can have the Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit living in You! He will give you a new, transformed life!

Got Jesus?

Want Jesus?

He is Eternal Life, my precious one! Once, by faith, you let Him into your heart as your personal Lord (Master), Savior, and God, you will have His Eternal Life in you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you (from Hebrews 13:5). You’ll have a home in heaven waiting for you! That’s what Easter is ultimately all about! So I ask again,

Do you want Jesus?

Yes or No

Please leave your answer in the comments.

I would be so glad to help you pray to sincerely receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord! Then you will be able to say, “I have Jesus in my heart and life, and I’m on my way to heaven!”

Please comment in space provided.

How can we imperfect human beings have the mind of Christ?

Philippians 2:1-18 tells how! This can happen only as we allow Christ, by His Holy Spirit, to fill us. As we yield to His control, we’ll have the mind of Christ, because He lives in every Christ-follower! His presence in us will be having His way, so we will have the mind of Christ!

Read on and be blessed to discover this as reality, though it be the way of the cross. Real joy will be yours as you, woman or man, live this way in Christ! Hallelujah!

1 “Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

2 make my joy complete *by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves;

4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Have this attitude (KJV and others say “mind”) in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.”

Also see 1 Corinthians 2:16.

* Red letters added for emphasis.

Please comment.

John 3:16 is for more than Easter (Resurrection Sunday) or Tim Tebow.

The most well-known Bible verse, the one most-searched-for online, is John 3:16, and explains God’s plan clearly:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – NKJV

God knew that we needed Someone to save us, because we couldn’t save ourselves. Jesus would be the One!

“…by the name of Jesus Christ…And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” - Act 4:10,12, NASB

Hallelujah, He reached down to us in our need and sent a Savior! John 3:16 is not just for Denver Broncos’ outstanding quarterback, Tim Tebow, and his fans. It’s also for every man, woman, and child (of the age of accountability)! God’s promise is especially for you! You can replace the words “the world” with your name in the verse. Fill in the blank: “For God so loved _________ that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus would have died on the cross for you, if you were the only person in the world!

He took all of the sin-guilt of mine, yours, and the entire world’s into His own body on the cross. Every sexual sin, lie, theft,  act of hatred and violence, blaspheme, foul word, abuse, disrespect, gossip, adultery, fornication, murder, evil thought and desire, envy, and every other sin of the world was put into the body of the only sinless Man ever to live. Jesus is the Son of Man and Son of God. He’s God Himself in the flesh and God the Son!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:1, 14. He left His Father in heaven to become one of us, yet without ever sinning!

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV.
“who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” – 1 Peter 2:23-24, NKJV.

God’s in love with you, so much that He sent His Son to die for you. God’s love sent Him to be the only truly innocent baby, born of a virgin, to become a man who would be tortured and nailed to a cross to pay your sin debt against Him. All of Satan’s hate was allowed to be aimed at Jesus, and He was forsaken by His heavenly Father, so your sin could be judged. It’s your part to believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin, died, was buried, rose again, and lives to be your Redeemer. He’s waiting for you to pray and receive Him into your heart and life right now as your personal Lord and Savior!

Please tell me, if by God’s grace, you put your trust in Jesus today!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8,9.

Are you officially independent from your parents now? Are you finally out on your own, in your own apartment or house, even though your “pad” may not look like this splendid castle? Do you feel like you can finally do anything that you want to do, because you don’t have Mom and Dad looking over your shoulder constantly?

Maybe you’re a newlywed bride or groom. Maybe you can finally say, “I’m king (or queen) of my castle!” But WAIT!

Who really is King of your “castle”?  Are you, or should someone else be? I’m not here to spoil your fun, and no, I’m not talking about the neighbor-next-door being king of your castle.

What I’m getting at is, who sits on the throne of your life or heart? When I answer to nobody, and I think that whatever I want is what happens, then I am king or queen of my life. Don’t worry; you have company. Every mere mortal that has ever lived has wanted to be the one on the throne of his/her life. So what’s wrong with that; you may ask.

It’s how the world works. But there is a another kingdom not of this world. Its King is Jesus. Those who follow Him recognize Jesus as their LORD  and Savior. He is in control of their lives and hearts, for He bought them with His own blood, which was shed on the cross for their sins.

When you ask Jesus into your heart and life to save you from your sins, His plan is that He become your King sitting on the throne of your heart! Nothing less will do. He cannot be Lord or Master if He is not allowed full rule in your heart and life! I realize that your submission to Him as Lord and King is a gradual thing, but it must begin with a willingness to let Him be Lord and King starting today. You must make a decision and tell Him so. He will help you with the rest. Often through hardship because of our own stubbornness, we will finally make Him King of our lives. Each new circumstance in life gives us opportunity to make Him Lord and King anew. Each one also presents an opportunity to submit and yield to Him in a conscious prayer such as this, “Jesus, be the Lord and King of my life. Help me obey You even in this situation.”

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” So, we see that a true Christian has given up his own rights to live the way he formerly wanted to. He/she has been crucified on the cross with Christ for forgiveness, been buried with Him in baptism by the Holy Spirit, and the life that he now lives is the “Christ life” living in him. This is what trusting in Jesus as your Lord (Master) and ruling King is all about.

The choice is up to each of us. Either Jesus will be my (your) King and Ruler, or self will be. The significance of this choice is whether or not you will accept Jesus Christ for all that He is. That is the only way to  truly “know” Him as your Savior and be in sweet fellowship with Him! Do you want Jesus today?

♥ JESUS IN MY HEART ! ♥

As I was saying in “The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace”, Maybe you’ve never heard that you can have Jesus living inside of you. If so, please read on!   ♥

Every person is born as a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Put simply, we all have sinned and the result of sin is spiritual and physical death. We know when physical death comes, but spiritual death is something each of us comes into the world with. We are born with dead spirits. We cannot go to heaven with this wicked sin in our hearts. We need help.

In addition, we will go to hell, a place of separation from God, after we die physically, unless Someone saves us.

The remedy for our terrible condition is that there is a Savior, whom God provided. John 3:16, which is very well-known, goes like this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for all of us. He took our place and was judged for our sins, which He bore in His own body on the cross. “ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

If you trust in Jesus to be your own personal Savior and Lord, He will come into your life, into your innermost being or your heart, forgive you of your sins, and show you how to live, with heaven as your home prepared for you. (see John 14:3) You will have all of God in you!! How can this be?

God is a triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All of God comes into your heart. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Ephesians 1:13 says that we must trust and believe before He will come in: “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

Jesus, God the Son, also comes into your heart: Colossians 1:27 – “…the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

God the Father comes to live in you when you trust in Christ. Jesus prayed in His High Priestly prayer, “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity…” John 17:23. So, when Jesus come in, the Father does too!

So just one friendly question remains: Do you have Jesus and all of God in your heart? ♥