Happy Easter!!!! Or, Happy Easter???

You know anyone on the planet can say simply, "Happy Easter."  And something in your heart says, 'Ah yes, this is good.' But is it really what they mean?  Or do they not even know what Easter means?  Is there more than eggs and bunnies and chocolate?  Even though chocolate tastes melty and yummy, it soon dissolves to nothing.  Surely Easter is supposed to be more to us than that.

At times, when I am countered with thoughts or doubts on if Jesus Christ really is all He said He is, and if the Bible is completely the ONLY Truth, I turn back to not only the evidences in History, but also the evidences in my own life, the evidences in others lives that Christ is risen and the Truth, and most importantly, I look at the evidence of my CHANGED heart!  When all other religions will tell you, 'Oh your good enough to-' Okay, stop right there.  Already, the Bible stands alone on that topic.  The topic of 'goodness.'  That only God is goodness and we are sinful.  The daily fights of your siblings or children atests to the fact that at heart, we are all evilly sinful and selfish, caring TRULY about only our own little skin and desires.  If MY tummy is filled, if MY feelings are hurt, if MY desires and dreams come true.  But interestingly enough, when I trusted in Jesus Christ, He said the EXACT opposite!!  For,

Psalm 102:17

'He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer.'

Matthew 18:4-5'Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.'

The very ROOT of our human heart is its all about me, and the most handsomest, strongest, most beautiful, most kindly on the OUTSIDE, the one that looks the coolest, is the best, right?
But God says just the exact opposite.  God tells us that you have to HUMBLE yourself as a little child!  Does your two-year old have any doubt that you'll feed him breakfast tomorrow?  Of course not!  In fact, he probably has scarcely a single worry in the world.  Why?  Because little children TRUST so COMPLETELY.  They put their WHOLE heart on the table and have faith that it will be nutured and protected. 
So when the doubts arise...'How can the Bible be true?'
Let's take a look, shall we?
Do you have any trouble believing that Abraham Lincoln existed?  Or what about Julius Caeser?  And yet there are extremely fewer evidences that Caeser even existed than Jesus Christ!

And take a look at the Gospel story;

'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a prpitation by His Bloood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has fiath in Jesus.'

The complete opposite of our human nature!  Every single word! All other religions, no matter if its Buddah as god, or Mohammad, or an idol, or you say there's no god at all, or maybe you openly worship yourself, whatever it is, ALL of those are FEEDING your evil, selfish human heart and are puffing you up, making you BELIEVE that your "GOOD 'NOUGH' to go to Heaven.

Look at the salt, for example.  Just one, simple thing of nature, and yet it EXTREMELY points to the Word of God.  Which one of us does NOT know that we are sinful, right?  Well, just a few weeks ago I got a mosaic wart on my heel removed; (gross, I know, right?) and trust me, the blood, the puss, it wasn't pretty.  What do you think the doctor prescribed to heal my now open wound?  Salt!  SALT! 

Salt is just like the Bible.  We know that we need to be healed.  We know that our little antiseptics and band aids aren't working, we know that the wound is utterly more terrible and fatal than a small wound on the heel, and yet we avoid the Salt.  Why?  Because we don't want to admit that we need it, and that the SALT HEALS!  Man, it surely hurt BAD when I poured about half a thing of salt on my open wound, and that was more than I told to put on it, but even though I was screaming around like a banshee, I was happy!  You know why?  Because I knew that even though putting the salt on my wound hurt like the Dickens, I knew that it was healing it to where that wound (sin) was not going to be there anymore!

Well, our hearts are way more hurt than just a wound.  The Bible tells us that we are Spiritually DEAD and therefore NOTHING we do can justify us with God.  The ONLY way to Heaven is to let the Salt of God's Truth sizzle on our open wounds by believing COMEPLETELY in JESUS CHRIST!
Having trouble believing?  Sometimes we all doubt.  I have been the doubting Peter...I've denied Him, and I've taken my eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves about me before.  But you have to know that Jesus IS 'THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.  NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.'
If the disciples 'made-up' the Bible (which is not true) but like some Athiests and non-believers say, then why on earth was Mary Magdalene the first one to see the risen Lord?  Why didn't Jesus appear to a fancy High Priest?  That would have gotten more people to follow Jesus, right?  If He had shown more power by revealing Himself to the High dudes?  Mary Magdalene was a woman, women were NOT looked upon as they are today, but not just that, she was a harlot (one that willingly commits adultery herself to men to make money), and also one that Jesus had cast out SEVEN demons!! 
But do you know why that is?  Its because Jesus looks at the heart.  And Mary Magdalene repented of her filthy, dirty sin that she was in chains to and believed in Christ, and He set her spirit free! 
The Roman soldiers sure looked mighty and powerful on the outside as they nailed Jesus to the cross, but their hearts were far from Him and it was for them in that moment that He was dying for.

What about your soul?  Is it free because you've repented and you believe that Jesus died and rose from the grave for you,
or are you bound in chains to sin and running to sin?

Your friends, your enemies, this entire world looks on the outside,
but God sees the inside.

Jesus rose again!  Let those that are right with God rejoice!  And let those that are far from Him repent and believe before its too late!

A joyous and glorious Easter to those that have humbled themselves before Him!
And given Him their entire heart just as a little child.

In love,
Samantha