An Easter Invitation ... RSVP

This article is addressed especially to those among my good readers who are unbelievers and have not been approached by the real Christians who are supposed to be doing their job in telling you about the real good news of Jesus Christ. I often feel that most people have the idea that God is this huge, ANGRY monster, and He is just waiting for us to mess up! But He is not at all that. If you are staying home from church this Easter, or you are one of millions of people on this earth who might be in church this Easter but you don't personally know Jesus Christ (or are uncertain about that), this is the Easter message you need to hear…

All of mankind is distanced by the sin that our original mother and father (Adam and Eve) brought into this world. It could be compared to our having inherited some sort of physical malady from our parents. Our sinful nature is a spiritual disease that can kill us forever if it is not arrested by the only remedy. (Scientifically it can be shown that all of us came from a single mother. Suffice that, for the time being, as 'proof' of the existence of those two original parents of ours.) God loves you immensely. He knows all about you, your weaknesses and failures, your strengths and talents, your fears and desires. And He wants to see you redeemed, free and happy! He desires that infinitely more than you want that for yourself and those you love. Jesus beat death on the cross! He did that to open the door to eternal life for all of us. He rose from the dead, just as he said he would! Because of that, we can too! All it takes to get involved with His new and final covenant (which is based entirely upon the shed blood of His Son, Jesus), is that you say a prayer - the best you can, large or small, long or short, it doesn't matter - to Him, sincerely asking Him to take charge of your life and forgive you for anything you have done that falls short of His holiness. His Spirit will take up residence in your heart! [Author's Note: We all have a little voice inside of our hearts that tells us when we do things that are not right. That voice, according to Jesus, is the Holy Spirit who is faithful to convict all of us when we are off track - when we sin and fall short of the glory of God. You may not believe that you are that much of the sinner. But we all are! Also, I should add that the devil wants you to believe that everything is here by accident. And there are a whole lot of lost voices in the world trying to sell that ridiculous idea. But imagine throwing up a handful of iron ore into outer space, and it returning to you as a ticking Rolex. That's not going to happen - ever. Neither are we or anything around us an accident. And the otherwise inexplicable conscience in us that reminds us of the difference between right and wrong (if a person has not completely silenced that, and some have) is part of God's voice calling us back to Him.]

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Simply ask Jesus into your heart! After that, do the very best you can, leaning on God in faith, to stop doing the stuff that you know is wrong. He will help you do that - so ask Him for His help! After a while, you'll even discover you have a new, decided lack of interest in wrong things! He is faithful. You won't be perfect, of course, but His love for you will never stop! Once you are inside that relationship, He will NEVER EVER let you go! That's why your prayer and commitment MUST be sincere! People are weak and we will screw up. But those who are truly His are kept safe - NO MATTER WHAT! Have you asked Him for His forgiveness? Throw all your cares on Him! In so doing, you will be forgiven and on the road to the eternal life that He died to bring you to! After you have invited the Lord into your heart, get ahold of a Bible that you feel comfortable reading. Your Bible can be compared to God's 'owners manual', containing reliable instruction and advice for all of life's challenges. And talk with Him often about everything on your heart! Talk with Him while you are reading your Bible! The Bible is God's love letter to His children. Remember that the Old Testament tells us about who He is and how far we have fallen. The New Testament continues that story and is all about the good news of His free salvation for all who will sincerely ask for it! BE WARNED: Dead 'religion' will assign you a list of things you must do in order to qualify with God. But don't be lied to! True Christianity is based entirely on our faith in the work that God has done for us! Pray and ask the Lord to get you involved with a church family, one that believes solely in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as it is talked about in your new Bible! If you have done what I have prescribed above, let me be the first to say "WELCOME!!" to my new brother or sister in Christ! And remember that, even when you blow it and feel at your very lowest, JESUS IS WITH YOU AND HE HAS PROMISED TO GET ALL OF HIS CHILDREN HOME SAFE!