This is How Love Wins

Easter is and always will be the most powerful holiday for me. I'm not sure exactly what to say about the incredible sacrifice and victory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because I know I will never give it justice....

Isaiah 53:3-6

3 "He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

The illustration of true love. The example of complete beauty. The epitome of sacrifice.
             Jesus Christ.
No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, Jesus Christ conquers. Jesus Christ WINS.
Jesus Christ gives life. Do we deserve it? No. We deserve hell. But that's the beauty of it- a gift.
So will you receive it?

You know the truth.
"How could He, why would He, ever save me from my sins?"
Because He LOVES you.


True LOVE. The love of undeserving sacrifice. His flesh broke for YOU. His blood flowed for YOU.
"I can't give up these sins." On the cross, Jesus Christ broke the chains of sin and released you from the BONDAGE. There is freedom. There is hope. There is life.

He has conquered death. He has conquered the cross.
He has conquered SIN.
He has CONQUERED. Victory. He is ALIVE.
He came to bring life, and He BROUGHT IT.

And this is Easter.

An Easter Blog

Well, the homesickness is really hitting me now with half of the campus gone for Easter break while I spend my first Easter away from home at a church that isn't my home church.

Most Easters, my family would turn on the Jesus film, which gives the life of Jesus according to the gospel of John. Since I can't be home, I decided to watch the Jesus movie on my own here at school to keep up some family traditions and give myself a little taste of home on Easter. While reading the Bible is always incredible and penetrates my heart whenever I read it, being able to have a visual aid in movie form on the life of Jesus is such a blessing. There's something about this movie which really helps me in feeling as though I am right there with Jesus Christ, experiencing what He experienced, witnessing His incredible miracles, watching God in the form of a man pouring His heart out to those in need, which really tears at my heart. It really helps it all come alive in my mind. The more I watch this word-for-word account of Jesus' life from John's perspective, the more it reminds me of Christ's unfailing love for the world, even in the midst of sin and destruction.

One scene which really pierces my heart is when Mary Magdalene, a prostitute comes into the house where Jesus is visiting and wipes His feet with her tears and hair in complete repentance and sorrow of her lifestyle. The people eating with Jesus all scatter as if she is inhumane and refuse to be near her. Instead of doing the same, Jesus sympathetically lifts her up off the ground and tells her to "Go and sin no more." What really struck me is the complete and utter forgiveness Jesus Christ has for her. Even in His holiness, He does not refuse to see her, but compassionately reaches out to her and shows her complete love and forgiveness. One thing we often forget is His telling her to "sin no more." Christ does not simply overlook her sin and continue on, but addresses her sin, tells her to change and live for Him, then completely forgives her, allowing her to have new life in Him. This entire scenario completely blows my mind. The hope that every person has, no matter the past sins he or she has committed, is so real and beautiful. Because of Jesus Christ, we can come to God as lost sinners and leave as new, beautiful creations in Him.

God has really been showing me SO much this Easter, and while it's been so difficult to be away from home, I have realized that Jesus Christ is still risen no matter where I celebrate it. Jesus still conquered death no matter who we are or who we're remembering it with. God is still God, and we are still utterly blessed by the unspeakable gift of salvation. Christ is still the conqueror over death and Satan has still lost.

Thank you, Jesus, for being the best friend anyone could ask for and the most incredible Savior!
 This has definitely been one Easter to remember :].

HAPPY EASTER and God bless!!! He is alive :].