Day 1

From Jesus with love

If you have found Me, you have found the secret to experiencing life to the full. I am far more than a historical character who lived and died 2,000 years ago. Because I rose from the dead, I am even more alive and active today than I was when I walked the earth. And because I live, you too can experience life and love as they were meant to be experienced, both here and now, and forever—boundless and eternal. There is no hurt that I can’t heal, no sadness that I can’t turn to joy, no need that I can’t provide, no void that I can’t fill.

I am alive today in each heart that welcomes Me. I am active and at work, always renewing, restoring, and replenishing, making everything better and more beautiful whenever I am given a chance. Let Me live in you!

Day 2

Loved—
Not for great deeds and heights attained,
Not for accomplishments and fame;
Not for moments when I succeed,
When I am strong, when I believe;
Not for times when I’m pressing on,
Unfazed by night, fixed on the dawn.

Loved—
For who I am, now and today,
Stumbling, groping to find my way;
A heart of dreams and fears and walls,
Of starts and stops, of peaks and falls:
A life unpolished, unprofound,
A sinner ransomed, lost and found.

By Evelyn Sichrovsky

Day 3

When Jesus rose from the dead, His resurrection was the first phase of God’s new creation, a new kind of existence—a human body was transformed by the power of God into one that is no longer affected by death, decay, and corruption. Nothing like this had ever happened! “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.” (Romans 6:9)

As Christians, we too are part of God’s new creation. We can look forward to the time when Jesus will return and raise our bodies as well.

Day 4

"Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time." (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

We stand amazed, just like those early witnesses. How could a lifeless, broken body, lying in the cold and dark of the tomb, spring to life? The miracle of Christ's resurrection, flouting the natural order, is truly beyond our human comprehension.

Yet the miracle doesn't end there. As C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) wrote, "Jesus has forced open a door that had been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because he has done so."

Day 5

Because of what Jesus did, we know that all He said is true: that we have salvation and eternal life, that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, that we have the promise of answered prayer, that He will guide us when we ask Him to. The separation between us and God has been bridged. We are His children, who will live with Him forever.

Because of the resurrection, we have the assurance of salvation, the ability to lead a Christ-infused life today, and the honor to live with God forever.

Let's rejoice in the significance of Easter—yesterday, today, and forever.

Day 6

Easter is not meant to only be a day of remembrance that comes around once a year, but a living hope in our hearts all year round. As surely as the sun rises every morning, we can leave behind whatever sorrow or pain we are facing and rise again with renewed faith and comfort in the eternal love of God.

No matter what circumstances we are in, no matter what changes have occurred, no matter how difficult things may be, He's also alive in us. Wherever we are, His power and Spirit are with us. In whatever circumstance, in whatever situation, whether we are in our hometown or some far-flung country, He is with us.

Day 7

We don't have a Jesus on the cross; He's left the cross! We have an empty cross. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55) We don't have a Christ in the grave; we have a live Jesus living in our hearts.

He rose in victory, joy, liberty, and freedom, never to die again, so that He could redeem us as well and prevent our having to go through the agony of death of spirit. What a day of rejoicing that must have been when He rose and realized it was all over. He had won the victory; the world was saved!

Day 8

The miracle of Easter is that because Jesus didn't remain in the grave, we don't have to, either. We don't have to suffer in hell to pay for our sins, or experience eternal separation from God. He took that payment for us, and then rose to a new life. And His new life can be inside us, giving us hope and peace, as we are filled with His love.

Day 9

Is there anything more wonderful than the miracle of forgiveness and the assurance of having our mistakes forgiven? This wonderful forgiveness is for all of us. Jesus died for all of us. All we have to do is accept His forgiveness and receive Him as our Savior. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."(1 John 1:9) That's His unqualified, unbreakable promise to you.

Day 10

From Jesus with Love

You need Me. You need what I have to give you. You need My strength, My love, My supply, My protection. I have all this for you and more. I am your life source, and because I am, your life can be wonderful, beautiful, rich, and filled with what I know will prove most important in the long run.

I will never leave you alone or comfortless. I will never leave you without guidance and direction. I will never leave you without grace and strength to fight life's battles. I will never leave you without rest and renewal after those battles. I will always provide your needs. You don't need to fear or be anxious because I, the One who loves you like no other can, have special plans for you.

Day 11

God, the great Creator, is a Spirit. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere and in everything—far beyond our limited human comprehension. So He sent Jesus, in the form of a man, to understand us and show us what He Himself is like and to bring us to Himself. And though many great teachers have spoken and taught about love and God, Jesus is love and He is God! Jesus is the only one who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead. He is the only Savior.

Day 12

From Jesus with Love

I love you as if you were the only one. My love is reaching out to you right now. My love, My forgiveness, and My mercy are all right there, just for you, if you will only receive them.

I love you just the way you are. I am not stacking up all your faults and failures and mistakes to hold against you. I see only the good, and I see possibilities that others do not see.

I see your every tear. I hear your every cry. I feel your every frustration, your every worry, your every burden, your every desire. I know everything about you—all your wants, all your lacks. I see straight through to your heart of hearts and all that is in it, and I deeply love you.

I long to hold you close, here on My gentle breast. I am right there by your side, and I will never, ever forsake you. I love you, just you, and here I patiently wait—for you!

Day 13

God created us with the need to love and be loved, and He alone can satisfy the deepest yearning of every human soul for total love and complete understanding. The things of this earth can satisfy the body, but only God and His eternal love can ever fill that aching spiritual void in our hearts that He created for Himself alone. The human spirit can never be completely satisfied with anything less than utter union with the great and loving Spirit that created it.

Day 14

"Why must I ask Jesus into my heart?" you may ask. "Why do I have to use that name? Why can't I just pray to God and find salvation that way, through His name?"

Because Jesus is the only One who came to earth and gave His life for you. Jesus said, "I am the door"—into His Father's house, the kingdom of God. "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9). So if you want to get to Heaven, you have to walk through Jesus, the open Door.

Then what about the adherents of all the other religions in the world? Can't they be saved? Yes, they can all get saved, regardless of their religion. Even if they don't have any religion, they can still be saved—but only through Jesus.

Day 15

One of the most marvelous things about the gift of salvation is that once you have received Jesus into your heart, He is there to stay. He has come into your life, and He will be with you forever. Jesus has said that He will never leave you nor forsake you, and that He will be with you always, even to the end of the world (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). There is nothing you could ever say or do that would nullify these wonderful promises.

Jesus knows you're not perfect and never will be—and He loves you just the same! When He forgave you for your sins, He not only forgave your past sins but your present sins and those you will yet commit as well.

Day 16

There was a priest who suffered terribly over a sin he had committed as a young man, because he thought God could not forgive him. One day he heard of an elderly lady who had visions and even talked with the Lord during these visions, and finally he gathered enough courage to visit her. Over a cup of tea, he asked if she could ask the Lord a question for him.

The woman looked at the priest a little curiously. "Yes, I would be happy to," she answered. "What do you want me to ask Him?"

"Well," the priest began, "would you please ask Him what sin it was that your priest committed as a young man?"

The woman, quite curious now, readily agreed.

A few weeks passed, and the priest again went to visit this woman. After another cup of tea he cautiously, timidly asked, "Have you had any visions lately?"The woman said that she had, and that she had asked the Lord what sin the priest had committed as a young man. The priest, nervous and afraid, hesitated a moment and then asked, "Well, what did the Lord say?"

The woman looked up into the face of her priest and replied gently, "The Lord told me He could not remember."

The Bible tells us that because Jesus took the punishment for our sins, God does not remember them against us anymore. "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more," the Lord tells us in Jeremiah 31:34.

Day 17

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. “Yes, sir,” Satan gloated. “I just caught a whole world full of people! I set a trap and got them all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus  asked.

“I’m going to have some fun!” Satan replied with glee. “I’m going to teach them how to lie and cheat and steal and kill. This is going to be great!”

“And what will you do when you’re through with them?” Jesus asked.

“Then I’ll kill them,” Satan said proudly.

“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, you don’t want those people! They aren’t any good. They’ll just hate you. They’ll cause you nothing but misery and heartbreak, and they’ll kill you in the end. You don’t want those people!”

“How much?” Jesus asked again.

Satan looked at Him and sneered. “Your LIFE!”

“DONE!”

Then Jesus paid the price.

Day 18

Jesus came to try to make it as easy for us as He could. He tried to make the Christian life so easy that anybody could live it.

God made a way of escape from the impossible burden of perfect adherence to His laws, a way of mercy, a way of forgiveness and grace: salvation. Now nobody has any excuse for blaming their problems on God, because He has made a way out, a way to get the victory, a way to overcome our sins and faults and shortcomings and problems and weaknesses, whatever they may be. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). He paid the price, made the way, and gave us the truth, and He alone can help us to live the kind of life we ought to live.

He never asks of any of us a standard that is beyond our individual reach. Whatever He asks, we can do with His help and by His grace, and through His power and His love we can attain it (Philippians 4:13).

Day 19

The divine, supernatural, miraculous, infinite, marvelous love of God is love enough to forgive! God's mercy is endless, from everlasting to everlasting. His love and mercy and forgiveness and salvation never end. He never stops loving us, no matter what we do. He never rejects us or withdraws His love. He always has hope for us no matter how far we've strayed (Psalm 103:3-14).

Even in spite of our sins and shortcomings and misdeeds and crimes, whatever they may be, the blood of Jesus covers all our sins—past, present, and future. If we will forsake our sins and turn to the Lord, our God will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7). The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us," no matter what we have done (1 John 1:9).

Day 20

Paradox

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

—Author unknown

Day 21

From Jesus with Love

I understand the trying of men's hearts—the despair, the discouragement, the desperation.

I understand the pain of leaving loved ones, for first I had to leave My Father to go to Earth, and then I had to leave those that I loved so dearly on Earth to return to My Father.

I understand what it's like to feel betrayed, for one whom I had befriended betrayed Me with a kiss.

I understand fear of what lies ahead, and so I prayed, "Father, let this cup pass from Me!"

I understand what it's like to feel ridiculed and abused, for I was ridiculed and abused.

I understand pain, for I felt excruciating pain as the nails pierced My hands and My feet.

I understand what it's like to feel abandoned, for I felt abandoned by those I loved, who also loved Me. For a moment I thought that even My Father had abandoned Me.

Though My Father did not let that cup pass from Me, though one who I had loved betrayed Me, though I saw My loved ones flee from Me in time of trouble, though I was beaten and spat upon, though the nails pierced My hands and feet, though I felt My Father had abandoned Me, though I had to die an agonizing death, though it looked like a great defeat, it all brought about a great victory and great salvation—a great resurrection that changed the course of history and all eternity!

I died to save you, but I went through all the rest to understand you better.

Day 22

Does a baby understand the love of its mother or father? No, he just feels it, accepts it, and receives it. Likewise, you don't have to understand everything about God to experience His love and salvation; all you have to do is receive Jesus, God's Son, as your Savior by asking Him into your heart.

You can do that right now if you want God's answer to all of your problems and His love and happiness to fill your heart and life with joy and with a new plan and purpose in living. He'll meet all your needs and solve all your problems. He's just that wonderful, and it's all just that simple!

Jesus said, "I am the door" into the Father's house, the kingdom of God. "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9). If you want to get into Heaven, all you have to do is believe that the door is there and walk through it.

Day 23

Jesus, I was nothing, yet You came and died for me so that You might always have me with You. You reached down to the depths for me, and I took hold of Your hand. Sometimes, though, I get so caught up in the cares of this life and the things around me that I forget You. But even when I do, You understand and keep loving me and encouraging me to come to You. You keep reminding me that You're always there, waiting for me to come to You and be refreshed and renewed. When I turn my attention to You, Your love reaches down and touches my heart, and I am renewed!

Day 24

From Jesus with Love

When I walked the earth many, many years ago, I went about doing good to all who crossed My path. I healed the sick, comforted the brokenhearted, lifted the spirits of those who were discouraged, and strengthened those who felt weak. And My love and power are the same today! I still long to touch and heal the bodies of those who suffer, and I still long to encourage the hearts of those who stoop under heavy burdens or go through difficult times. Since returning to Heaven I have touched many who lifted their hearts to Me and told Me their needs, and I want to do the same for you.

Day 25

God's love extends to every person. Ever since He created human beings, He has loved them. No matter where they stand relationally with Him, He loves them. They may not believe He exists; they may believe He exists but hate Him; they may want nothing to do with Him; but nevertheless, He loves them. His love, kindness, and care are given to them by virtue of their being part of humanity.

Human beings were created in God's image. He loves every single one of us, and His love for us translates into loving action on His part—His care and blessings given to humankind.

Day 26

God's love for all humankind is most clearly seen in His answer to our need for salvation. Every person falls short,(Romans 3:23) and that's why we need help in order to be reconciled to God. God, because of His love for each of us, brought forth the plan of salvation by which Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died, taking our sins upon Himself, thus making amends for us.

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. God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.—John 3:16 NLT; Romans 5:8 NLT

Day 27

God’s love is perfect. It is the only thing in the world that is absolutely perfect. There are a lot of things that are nice, beautiful, and wonderful, but nothing is perfect like His love. We live in an imperfect world, with imperfect humans, in imperfect conditions, but His love is what makes it possible for us to weather everything that life brings our way. He is perfect, and so is His love.

His love is free. It's not something that we have to work for, or earn‚ or somehow prove that we're worthy of. That's a good thing, too, because we all sin and make mistakes. If we had to earn Jesus' love, none of us would have it, because we're all men and women of similar weaknesses and human frailties. Jesus, in His divine foresight and wisdom, knew this and chose to love us with no strings attached.

Day 28

Jesus doesn't just love us when we're happy, progressing in the school of life‚ or making a positive difference in the lives of others. He loves us when we're up and when we're down. He loves us when we're well and when we're sick. He loves us when we do things worthy of His praise, and He loves us even when we do things that sadden Him. To think that there isn't even one condition to His love is truly amazing!

His love is everlasting. It's not something that will be here one day and gone the next. Jesus' love will not expire or fade. It can't be stolen or forfeited. It doesn't get old with the times or go out of style. It's traditional and historic, but also modern and current. It's always. Even before we knew Him, He loved us. He has loved us from the very beginning of time, and He will love us throughout eternity.

Day 29

God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us, and He wants it to be the deepest, most meaningful, most fulfilling and rewarding, most natural part of our lives. Now that's not to say He wants to take away from the other relationships and activities that we enjoy and consider important. To the contrary. He wants to be a part of all that. He wants to make things easier, He wants to give them greater meaning, and He wants to enjoy them with us. In a word, He wants to make our lives even better. He wants to add a wonderful new dimension to all that we do—the dimension of His loving presence.

Day 30

None of us can really grasp how great and wonderful God our Father is, because He and His Spirit are greater than the whole universe. He's so beyond our comprehension that He had to make Someone who could show us His love, Someone we could experience, Someone who could bring God down to the level of our limited human understanding. So He sent us His Son, Jesus.

Jesus has been with God from the very beginning, yet He also lived on earth in human form and experienced every joy and sorrow that we do. (See John 1:1-3,14; Hebrews 4:15.) Jesus has been here, so He can understand us and be the link between us and God. (See 1 Timothy 2:5.)

Day 31

Dear Jesus, Thank You that You understand my heart. Thank You that I never have to worry about whether You understand or not. When I feel that I can't explain properly and I fumble over my words, or when I can't find the right words to express what I really want to say, thank You that I can just rest in Your arms and know that You make sense out of these words I speak. Thank You, Jesus, that I don't always even have to talk to You in words. You just understand everything I'm trying to say, as I pour out my heart to You.

Day 32

True Christianity is more than rationale and rules, rhetoric and ritual, morals and ethics; it's a living, loving, personal relationship—a relationship that grows richer and deeper and stronger through honest, open communication with our Creator.

The means of communication that God has provided is prayer, which means not only talking to God, but listening to Him too. He wants us to tell Him our needs and desires, our problems and fears, our innermost thoughts, and our secret dreams. And it works both ways. He also wants to answer our questions, help solve our problems, encourage us when we feel down, and share our victories and joys. Most of all, He wants to help us understand and experience His love in a very real and personal way.

Day 33

God isn't dead! He's alive and well, and still ready, willing, and able to speak to His children—and He wants to speak to you.

"How can that be?" you may ask. In order to comprehend the answer to that—how the great God and Creator of the universe could communicate directly with you, or why He would even want to—you must first understand how much God loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so that you could be forgiven and receive His gift of eternal life in Heaven, simply by believing in Jesus and receiving Him as your Savior. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but He would have died for you alone. He and His Father love you that much!

Day 34

I am the Bread. At the last supper the Master ate with His disciples before His death, He gave thanks and broke me, and shared me with them. "Take and eat," the Master said. "This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me" (1 Corinthians 11:24). He was the Bread of Life, sent from Heaven by God to give life to the world (John 6:33). Earthly bread can sustain for a day, but whoever comes to Him shall never hunger. "Man does not live by bread alone" (Matthew 4:4). No, you need something more. That something is Jesus.

I am the Wine. After the bread, the Master poured me into a cup. "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you" (1 Corinthians 11:25), He told His disciples. Even though He knew He was about to die an excruciating death, His heart overflowed with selfless love for others—and it does to this day. He would have shed His blood for you alone, and He would do it all over again, just for you. He loves you that much!

Day 35

Why would the Lord of the universe, God in the flesh, allow Himself to be captured, falsely accused, tried and condemned, whipped, stripped, and nailed to a cross like a common criminal? The answer is simple: Because He loved you and me!

All of us at times have done wrong and been unloving and unkind to others. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The worst thing about our sins is that they separate us from God, who is absolutely sinless and perfect. In order to bring us to God, Jesus, the sinless Son of God, took the sins of all mankind upon Himself. He took the punishment for our sins and suffered the horrible pain of death by crucifixion. He died the death of a sinner that through His sacrifice, we might find forgiveness and freedom from our sins.

Day 36

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

"Them" were the Roman soldiers who had been following Pontius Pilate's orders when they nailed Jesus to the cross to die. "Them" were also those in the misguided, manipulated mob that had called for Jesus' death and forced Pilate's hand—the same common people who had hailed Jesus as their King only a few days earlier (Mark 15:6-14; Mark 11:8-10). How cruel, how awful, how unjust! How could Jesus say that any of these people didn't know what they were doing? To a certain degree they had to, but they didn't realize the enormity of what they were doing—that they were killing the Son of God.

Despite the shame and pain the Romans heaped on Jesus, He forgave them. He also forgave those who had turned on Him. Now He wants us to have that much love, that much forgiveness.

Day 37

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).

What caused Jesus the greatest agony on the cross was not our sins, because He knew that we were going to be forgiven and saved. What broke His heart was thinking that His Father had turned His back on Him. Jesus went through an experience that, thank God, we will never have to go through—not just crucifixion, not just the agony of the body, but the agony of mind and spirit, feeling that God had actually deserted Him. 'My God, My God,' He cried out, 'why have You forsaken Me?' (Matthew 27:46). Had God forsaken Him? Yes, momentarily, that He might die the death of a sinner, without God.

"Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the whole world on the cross (1 Peter 2:24), and these sins temporarily separated Him from His Father. He voluntarily gave Himself to die in our place—He loves us that much!

Day 38

"It is finished!" (John 19:30).

What was it that He finished? On the same evening that Jesus hung on the cross, the Passover lamb was being sacrificed. Like the blood of the lamb saved the Hebrew people from destruction in Egypt, Jesus' blood—the ultimate Passover sacrifice—redeems us from the power of sin and death.

When He died on the cross His work was done, and our salvation was won!

Day 39

"Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit" (Luke 23:46).

Jesus, help us to trust our lives to You and live to please You, like You trusted Your life to the Father and lived to please Him. Then what a day of rejoicing that will be when we see You face to face and enter into our heavenly reward—eternal life and love with You and the Father!

Day 40

Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. It's a celebration of His defeat of death and hell and Satan. Jesus redeemed us from our sins. He lived and loved and died for us as individuals, and He's with us today in spirit just as much as He was with those He walked beside two millennia ago.

Hand in Hand for Eternity

Jesus, You told us, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.” I believe You are the Son of God and that You died for me, rising again to conquer death. Please forgive my mistakes and shortcomings, come into my life, and hold me in Your loving care from now throughout eternity.

Compiled by www.freekidstories.org

Text courtesy of Activated magazine and TFI. Used by permission.

Art copyright TFI unless otherwise noted

Other art credits:

Page 17 – Microsoft Clipart

Page 38 - Microsoft Clipart and freepik.com (adapted)