My thoughts when I stay up until three in the morning!

God has laid quite a bit of responsibilities on me lately. Surprisingly, I'm very thankful for them. I think it's about time I grew up (in certain ways.) He has also, however, laid quite a few things on my heart, and given me quite a few choices...ones I need to make...but, oh boy are they some doozies! One of the blessings, and certainly an answered prayer, is that one of my friends texted me the other day and asked about salvation. We've sort of talked about it before, him and his brother both have lots of questions concerning the matter...thankfully, their mom is a Christian, so she is able to answer some of them...but it was very surprising (in a good way) for him to ask me ones he did. Anyway...he's getting to the point where he understands what it means, and that it's not just something to try out because others are doing it... ready to live the life style, not just go into another religion. Nothing in the world makes me happier than to see someone become a genuine Christian, one to live what they believe, not say something and live a completely different life.

There's a song I have, and I could just listen to over and over. The line I love, is, "May I never lose the wonder of the cross." I think too many people are... well, ignorant to the fact that Christ had a horrible death on the cross. The thing is, Christ was beaten so badly He wasn't even recognizable as a man anymore. The way crucifixions worked, was...because of the places they nailed the people and hung them, it basically didn't let oxygen into their bodies. They were stretched and pulled SO hard and far...it suffocated them. All of that pain and humiliation God went through was a choice He made; He was not told He had to. While He was on the cross, He even asked God to forgive the ones that were mocking Him, beating Him, and hanging Him... eventually killing Him. He loved the ones that were causing Him SO much pain and agony; but, He died for EVERYONE, no exceptions. However, even though He DID die for everyone, MANY will refuse Him. He knew that, though. He died knowing very well tons of people would refuse His gift; I mean, I'm just ONE person and I know MANY who don't believe or take this gift. Sometimes I just wish I could make them believe in everything Jesus did for them, but then, it wouldn't be faith, would it? I just can't see how anyone, hearing what Jesus did, could be comfortable having the thought that they will go to hell when they die. They just don't get it! Sometimes I just stay up at night simply praying for them....over and over. Sad thing is, they probably don't know it. For me, growing up and searching for answers... finding some, and not finding others...then giving Christ my life, and through that faith in Him, my eyes being opened to SO many answers that I had been looking for, for SO long is something many people don't experience. We spend so much time in our lives looking for that one thing that will fill the gap that we ALL have, when the answer is given very clearly and is right in front of our eyes! There's TONS of proof (yet, things that must be taken by faith,) there's answered prayers, miracles that most people try to explain away (even though they never make sense, they still stick to their explanation .) I is hard to understand why SO many reject Christ. I know, however, that the faith I have, is the HARDEST decision anyone can make in their life. It's human nature to want an answer for EVERYTHING that goes on. We all know that won't ever happen, but we keep lying to ourselves saying we will have all the answers one day. Faith in knowing that God has ALWAYS been here. That's hard, because the human mind only knows things in ways of time, and because God was always here, and WILL always be here, it's hard for us to take in that Jesus was here before time began. VERY hard...even Christians sit and think about it a lot, and just shake their heads in confusion! It can't be explained away, because God wants us to have faith in what He's told us. Next, knowing God created the earth. Well, for LOTS that's a problem, but when you get down to it and think about it for "this" long, EVERY creation, MUST have a creator. People don't believe that two rocks collided and made sky scrapers, there's no way that happened to make something even more extraordinary as the earth. Next on the list. That there's a heaven, and a hell. Most people actually believe there's a heaven, but they also believe they're going there! Their explanation is always the same, "Well, I've never killed anyone, and I try to be a good person, so I have to be going to heaven!" Yeah, well, the bible says, " And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
And the sixth commandment about adultery...God says, " But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Most people have done this sin. It also says: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment" So, what I'm saying is, even if you've only broken ONE of these commandments (nobody is that perfect, but this is an example) it's like you've committed all of them. One sinner is as bad as the next. That means *I* am just as bad as the murderer, thief, and adulterer. No person is better than another. I think many "Christians" (or so they call themselves) believe that because their under God's grace, they can go out and live whatever kind of life they want, and still go to heaven. That's not so. The truth is, you have to have faith... in everything God has said... and repentance...knowing you've done wrong by God, and admitted that. If you don't do this, you will be on your way to hell. I've used this example before, but I rather like it. :-)
If you go stand out in the middle of a busy traffic road, and jump out in front of one of the cars...all the while saying to yourself, "this car will not hurt me" then you know, even if that's what you believe with every part of your being, when that car hits you, you will either be in major pain, or dead. Or how about this one...if you run as fast as you can into a brick wall, the whole time truly believing with all your heart...not a single doubt that you're wrong... that, that wall cannot hurt you and that you're stronger than that wall...you can run and hit that wall, but there had better be a stretcher waiting to pick you up because you will be seriously injured! It's the same way with life. You can believe your whole life (without ever doubting) that there is no heaven, and no hell. However, when you die, you will stand before God and be judged...everything you've EVER done in your life will be brought up to view before all. Everyone on the earth is either going to heaven or hell...there's not a place in between for the "sort of good" people. These two places are REAL, even if you "don't believe in them." Believing a lie doesn't make that thing disappear. The proof that there's a God is visible, everywhere you go. However, only those who choose to OPEN their eyes will see it. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." No, we will never understand everything about this world, if we did we'd be God. Same way we have faith in a chair; if we sit in a chair, we have faith that it won't break when we sit down! When we study and search in God's word... or even OUTSIDE of God's word, because it is possible to prove there is a creator without the Bible!...we find answers that make SENSE, ones that don't have circular reasoning like scientists have. Did you know that scientists determine the age of the layers in the earth by the fossils found in them, and the age of the fossils by the layer of dirt they're found in? Yeah, think about that for half a minute and you actually might laugh. Yup, sounds ridiculous now, doesn't it? The thing is, there are TONS of people who are believing this. They don't have a CLUE what it means, and they don't even think about it, they just know that "scientists are always right" (which, it's really the opposite most of the time) so they don't even give anything they say a second thought. As I said before, EVERY CREATION...whether building, brick, or book...MUST have a creator.