"For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey it's lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
- Romans 6:5-13
It's an amazing thing to know, isn't it? That Christ paid that price of death for us, so that we wouldn't have to die and would have everlasting life. The God of heaven and earth, the Creator of everything you see...HE died for you. HE gave a gift to you. HE will forgive you, no matter what you've done.
"So I know you've been running, searching for something. But you're looking in a place you don't belong. But it's never to late, you can't outrun grace. No, Mercy doesn't care what you've done.
From the shadows, from the wrong roads, from the darkness, from the unknown. To redemption, something beautiful, to a new love, to a new home." -Luminate, "Come Home"
We search and search for "something". We don't exactly know what we're searching for...and a lot of the world won't ever find it even though it's right in front of their face. In every piece of land, in every flower and tree. In the birds songs and the roosters good morning. He is real, He is alive, and no matter how often you deny Him, He will not be any less real.
"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."
-C.S.Lewis
"There's a life that I've been aiming for, to please the world I see
and live by taking more. But I'm lost because I always come up short. I guess living for yourself will leave you wanting more."
"I am found, and there's nowhere left to hide. Love's found me where I am and the change I can't deny. Love is here, I'm not letting go this time.
My second birth grace, through death I am alive." - Luminate, "New Beginnings" (1st and 3rd verses)
Living for Jesus is the only way you'll find hope and fulfillment in your life. Simply having a life doing things for yourself will never give you that fulfillment. End of story.
The good news that people think "everyone" knows, sadly, is kept between one person and God a lot of the times. There are people who claim to be Christians that don't even have the slightest outward testimony. Having the title "Christian" doesn't mean a free ticket to a great place. We must give our heart, mind, soul...and life...to God and show others how real He is by our actions. What we do is what people watch. Not many people will listen to what we have to say, but they all watch how we live. When Christ enters our hearts, we ARE a new person. Completely made new. It's a feeling that is so amazing...and one that should be shared!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Is anger taking over your life?
"You don't have to accept the invitation to get angry. Instead, practice forgiveness, empathy and encouragement."
Many of us just let it all out when someone does something that just gets on our nerves. Sometimes it might be a snap, a bite, or a blow up. Any of these can cause serious side affects. More so to the one who has become angry, given in to it, than the one having it taken out on. Anger eats you from the inside out, like a disease. It rots away your life, happiness...and heart. Where there is anger, there is no room for love or forgiveness.
Proverbs talks a lot about anger, and how dangerous it is.
A quick tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
—Proverbs 14:17
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
—Proverbs 14:29
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
—Proverbs 15:1
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger calms a dispute.
—Proverbs 15:18
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who captures a city.
—Proverbs 16:32
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
—Proverbs 19:11
Do not associate with a man given to anger, or go with a hot-tempered man,
or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.
—Proverbs 22:24-25
An angry man stirs up strife, and and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
—Proverbs 29:22
God said over and over in the bible, "love one another" or "anger stirs up strife". Every single day it's a challenge to not give in to all the little (or big) things that upset me and want to make me take out my anger on people. We cannot resist the temptation. It is not humanly possible...but it's possible for God. And He WILL help us overcome these things; through Him we can be made new and be released of the burden of anger.
Something my mom has said ever since I was little is, "Every time you want to get mad or do something wrong, you think about that "little" thing you're doing, and remember that it put Jesus on the cross. Every time you want to get mad, pray for someone. Satan will finally realize that by getting you angry, he is only making you draw closer to God."
Take out that "anger" and put all of that feeling and energy into something that NEEDS it. Like people. Prayer; so simple yet SO incredibly powerful.
Many of us just let it all out when someone does something that just gets on our nerves. Sometimes it might be a snap, a bite, or a blow up. Any of these can cause serious side affects. More so to the one who has become angry, given in to it, than the one having it taken out on. Anger eats you from the inside out, like a disease. It rots away your life, happiness...and heart. Where there is anger, there is no room for love or forgiveness.
Proverbs talks a lot about anger, and how dangerous it is.
A quick tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
—Proverbs 14:17
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
—Proverbs 14:29
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
—Proverbs 15:1
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger calms a dispute.
—Proverbs 15:18
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who captures a city.
—Proverbs 16:32
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
—Proverbs 19:11
Do not associate with a man given to anger, or go with a hot-tempered man,
or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.
—Proverbs 22:24-25
An angry man stirs up strife, and and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
—Proverbs 29:22
God said over and over in the bible, "love one another" or "anger stirs up strife". Every single day it's a challenge to not give in to all the little (or big) things that upset me and want to make me take out my anger on people. We cannot resist the temptation. It is not humanly possible...but it's possible for God. And He WILL help us overcome these things; through Him we can be made new and be released of the burden of anger.
Something my mom has said ever since I was little is, "Every time you want to get mad or do something wrong, you think about that "little" thing you're doing, and remember that it put Jesus on the cross. Every time you want to get mad, pray for someone. Satan will finally realize that by getting you angry, he is only making you draw closer to God."
Take out that "anger" and put all of that feeling and energy into something that NEEDS it. Like people. Prayer; so simple yet SO incredibly powerful.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Suffering
Romans 5:3-5 "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
I was reading my Bible tonight and stopped here. It's pretty comforting. Not that we will suffer...but that suffering isn't the end. We have a hope that no other has because we are suffering for a purpose, suffering by choice, whereas those who still belong to the world suffer for themselves, with no hope in sight.
Every time there are hard times or you seem to be suffering more than other people, remember that Christ told us we would suffer for His name's sake. We weren't promised a perfect life here on earth, but we are told we will have a perfect life in heaven one day.
Besides being a God of justice, power, wrath, mercy and grace...he is a God of love. So even though we go through so many "unbearable" things, God is right there with us. We often suffer more than we have to because we try to handle everything on our own. We WILL have a hard life, especially if we've given it to Christ, but we don't have to go through it alone.
The comfort many people wish for is right there for the taking...yet they refuse to see it.
Have you chosen to suffer for Christ?
I was reading my Bible tonight and stopped here. It's pretty comforting. Not that we will suffer...but that suffering isn't the end. We have a hope that no other has because we are suffering for a purpose, suffering by choice, whereas those who still belong to the world suffer for themselves, with no hope in sight.
Every time there are hard times or you seem to be suffering more than other people, remember that Christ told us we would suffer for His name's sake. We weren't promised a perfect life here on earth, but we are told we will have a perfect life in heaven one day.
Besides being a God of justice, power, wrath, mercy and grace...he is a God of love. So even though we go through so many "unbearable" things, God is right there with us. We often suffer more than we have to because we try to handle everything on our own. We WILL have a hard life, especially if we've given it to Christ, but we don't have to go through it alone.
The comfort many people wish for is right there for the taking...yet they refuse to see it.
Have you chosen to suffer for Christ?
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