Today is Easter Sunday

Mark16:5-7 when they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid His body. Now go and tell His disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

As I reflect on what this day means to me, I’m reminded of the moment I received the gift of salvation that Jesus bought for us. I was raised in a Christian home, but lost my interest when my Dad died; I was 13 years old, then. I told God I wasn't interested in serving a God who would steal a little girl’s daddy away from her. I didn't know much, then; I now know, my Dad wanted to go…he had been sick for so long (diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol), and he just wanted relief. I believe he’s in Heaven, and I’ll see him when I get there.

After I had walked away from God, I spent the next 18 years of my life, living for myself and struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy. I became a wild child! In today’s society, those children aren't looked down upon by many. They drink, do drugs, have sex with multiple partners, party too much, cuss at everyone and about everything; they’re disrespectful, rude, selfish, and spiteful. But, sadly, that’s the norm, these days….they’re just kids. I was one of them, back in the 80's and 90's, and my life was going nowhere, fast!

Fast forward to the year 2000. At the time I was reacquainted with God, I was living in a homeless shelter, and my two younger children were in Foster Care; my oldest daughter was living with her Dad. The powers that be were telling me I’d never see the two who were in Foster Care, again. I’m still not saved, at this time, so I believed what I saw, heard, felt, tasted, and touched. It was the lowest point in my life…no matter how hard I struggled to get back on my feet, the voices of reason were telling me it was hopeless. And, I was losing the will to fight.

While I was a resident of that shelter, I met a lady who was down on her luck; as a result of her misfortune, she became a resident, as well. She was a firm believer in God, and taught me about Jesus. She laid hands on people and made them well, when they were sick; she even gave one lady peace enough to cause her to sleep for 12 hours, after being awake for 4 days, straight. Every time she touched someone’s life, she’d say “In Jesus’ name!”, and she stood firm on the belief that God was going to make things right for all of us! I’d witnessed God’s power, and decided that wanted that in my life; she told me the only way to live in the power of the Holy Spirit was to get saved, and allow the Spirit to guide you.

I gave myself to Him, without hesitation! It was a moment, I can honestly describe in the words of Van Halen’s song, "Love Walks In"…

Contact is all it takes
To change your life to lose your place in time
Contact! Asleep or awake
Coming around you may wake up to find
Questions deep within your eyes,
Things you've never realized

[Chorus:]So when you sense a change
Nothing feels the same
All your dreams are strange, love comes walkin' in
Some kind of alien
Wait for the opening

Simply pulls a string…Love comes walkin’ in

A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders! I could BREATHE!! Everything looked different, too…the sky was bluer, the clouds were fluffier, the sun was brighter; and the birds sounded better, too! In prayer, the night I got saved, God told me to stop listening to the voices telling me I’d never see my kids again…He said I’d get them back. He was right!! Not only did I get my kids back, I got a job and a place for us to live! This Child of God was loving her life, once again!!

Since becoming a Believer, however, I have had moments where I've done things my own way, instead of the way God wants me to do; and those moments have always resulted in loss, confusion and a human struggle I could barely survive. The Bible warns us not to do things our way…

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

I guess my wild child habits were hard to break! LOL!!

The latest realization of this, being my recent diagnosis. I was supposed to begin eating as a flexitarian about nine years ago; God kept prompting me to change my diet, and only eat certain things; but, I always treated those moments as a time of fasting, rather than a lifestyle change. It was during this time that I got heavy into soy products, as well. Not listening to God’s instructions about my eating habits for that long, I’m now in the fight of my life…for my life! Lesson learned, trust me!!

With that said, I’d like to explain a little about what this day is all about. Jesus told Nicodemus, who was a Teacher of the Law of Moses, that in order to get to Heaven, we must be born again; and He explained what that meant, because Nicodemus was a little confused about it.

John3:1-17 (NLT) There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into His mother’s womb and be born again?”

5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

When we surrender ourselves to God, and receive the gift that Jesus bought us, by way of His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, we are born-again (or saved); we will be the ones going to Heaven, when we die. There is no preparation necessary for this moment; you don’t have to “clean up your act”, start going to church, give to charity, or anything. You just simply need to want what Jesus bought of you. Life will still be life, and at times it will be difficult…but having God on your side makes even the difficult moments, easier to navigate!

Let me back you up a little, and explain WHY we need to receive the gift of salvation…Romans 5:12-21 explains it pretty clearly:

Romans5:12-21 (NLT) When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And, Paul mentions the purpose of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, in his letter to the church at Corinth, in 2 Corinthians 5:15-17…. "He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

I have been a new person, since the year 2000…it’s about time I acted like it!! LOL! I do regret not living as that new person, until now; but the Bible says God can turn anything in something good for those who love Him.

Romans8:28 (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

And, He has…as a result of my decisions, and my recent diagnosis, I have the chance to get to know you! I've been given a great responsibility to not only share my story, and guide you to a healthier life, through proper nutrition…but, also to share Jesus with you! He truly is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6).

I realize now, how much more complete my life is with Him. As I surrender myself to Him, daily, and learn to listen to God’s instruction, I am blessed more and more. It’s true, my life isn’t all that great…I have a terminal illness. I’m going to die, some day. But, while I live out the rest of my life, I will live for Him; and I’ve discovered that life isn’t all that bad, after all! LOL!!

Please consider receiving the gift of salvation that Jesus bought for you. I would love to see you in Heaven, some day! Don’t worry about not meeting me, in our human forms…we’ll recognize each other, there!

Let me also encourage you to watch The Passion of the Christ. It’s an account of what Jesus went through, the last few days of his life…and in giving Himself up for us. You'll want to turn the captions on, because the movie was done in Aramaic (I think). It is a bit graphic, as well; but, that only serves to drive the point home. He went through physical Hell, being beaten and hung on the cross; and then descended into Hell, itself, to beat Satan and free us from ourselves! There was an earthquake, as soon as Jesus died…I believe that was everyone who was in Hell, running for the door, when Jesus came in and asked, “Who wants to go Home with me?” LOL!!

Some scientists say they believe that this particular earthquake was global, and that it was responsible for creating all of the fault lines we now know about. The Bible does say the earth shook…

Matthew27:51-54 (NLT) At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

He is the Son of God; He loves you, and He wants you to know Him better…give Him the chance to transform you into a new person, today! And, don’t worry if you screw up…just ask for forgiveness, and put it behind you!

And, have a Happy Easter!! oxoxox