Encouraging Words at Easter by Jaye Lewis
Hello friends,
For many Christians, this is a holy
time of the year, as we prepare for the celebration of the death and
resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For my friends across the world, who are not
Christians, this may seem like a strange time of the year. Who celebrates the death of their God? And what can Resurrection mean?
Well, my friends, we Christians
believe that Jesus Christ died, so that the gates of heaven would be opened,
and we might all, if we believe in Him, go to heaven for all eternity. His death, however noble, was not the real
miracle. The real miracle, that
Christians the world over have been willing to die for, is that once He was
dead, Jesus Christ became alive again. Only
God has that power, and Jesus Christ is God, Son of the Father of us all. This is what we believe, we Christians. This is the ideal.
Now, does this belief make us better
than anyone else on earth? No. We sin.
We are offensive, unrighteous in many ways, unloving, disrespectful of
the faith of others, and I could go on and on.
We should be better, but we are sometimes worse. The difference between a Christian and a
non-Christian is this, our faith. Our
faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
We believe that each person must
accept Jesus, in their hearts, and admit that no one can work their way to
heaven. I know. That’s the human way. Working for that paycheck. But God is not an Employer. He is in the Salvation business, and all he
wants is our hearts, given freely and willingly. That’s all.
There is not a magic formula. All formulas were invented by men. Jesus,
I give you my heart. I will not forget
you. Please remember me. That’s all it takes. It is like the thief on the Cross next to
Jesus.
“Jesus, remember me when you are
come into your Kingdom.” Pled the repentant thief.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, I say to
you, this day you will be with me in Paradise .”
It’s as simple as that. Jesus
forgive me! Take me with you! Don’t leave me! I can’t make it without You! Only You can save me! I need You!
I am a sinner! Without You, I am
nothing! No one on earth, not good
works, not good speech, not good thoughts, nothing, no one can save me! Even I cannot save myself! Only You can!
I believe in You!!!
And Jesus said, to this sinner, Jaye
Lewis, “Child, one day you will live with
me in Paradise .”
Ever since that day, that I knew who
my Savior is; ever since I opened my heart to Him, my life has never been the
same. And my love for Jesus has grown to
consume my heart. You might say that my
love for Him, and His love for me has become a beautiful devouring fire!
Devouring
Fire By Jaye Lewis
He met me at the altar
On a sunny, winter's day.
My heart was cold;
His hands were warm.
It took my breath away.
His eyes were soft.
His face was sad.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
He knelt me down in front of Him.
I trembled. I was weak.
"Do you love me?" Jesus
asked.
"Oh! Yes!
My Lord, I do!
I take You as my Sovereign Lord!
I choose to follow You!"
And from the moment, that I chose,
Jesus as my Lord;
A battle of the unseen host,
Began to strike His Word.
But in my heart a fire blazed,
And though it seemed, we'd part.
I heard His Voice, I saw His Face.
They were printed on my Heart.
So, don't give up!
He's there for you!
Just as He is for me!
He's waiting at the altar,
To truly set you free.
© Jaye Lewis, 1999
And so, my friends of many faiths, and those of none, this is what
moves the hearts of Christians.
Jesus. Only Him. And I urge you ― now that you know it ― hold
us to it when we stray from the compassion and love of Jesus. We are like any other human being. We want to love and be loved. We believe that Jesus is the answer, but when
we do not act like Him, when we do not show His face to you, in what we say and
do, then hold us to it. You tell us that
we are not being like Christ. Tell us
that. We need to hear it. We need to be reminded, especially at this
time of the year.
My fellow Christians, do not be
judgmental of others who are not of our faith, who are doing the best they can
to live a good life. They may not have
Christ in their lives, but maybe we should have more of Christ in our hearts,
our lives, and our actions. We get
puffed up, as though we belong to a special club that says “Stay Out!” Well, we’d better get over that right
now. Jesus did not come to rule the
world. He came to rule in our hearts.
I finish this with the words of
Gandhi: “If Christians lived the way
Christ taught them to live, all of India
Heavenly
Father, I have said much today. I ask
You and my fellow Christians to forgive me if I have said too much or too
little. And I promise that I do not
think I am wise, nor am I a prophet, nor a preacher, nor do I want to be. I am a sinner, and I love you, Lord. I love you with my whole heart. Jesus, I will fail, this day, to be all that
I want to be for You and for my fellow travelers on this planet, whether
Christian or not. I beg Your
forgiveness, and theirs. Thank You,
Lord, for pursuing me, for finding me, and most of all for showing me that I
have been found by You.
Dear friends, who have followed me
for so long on this blog, and for those who are just stopping by, I love
you. Yes, I do. Just knowing that there is someone out there,
who needs to hear that today, helps me to bear the tribulations in my own life,
with joy in my heart.
With love,
Jaye Lewis
