It has probably been 6 months or so since I've blogged. I have been yearning to blog.. but when I sit and take a moment to write.. my thoughts flood away.
But today I have a heart thats heavy. what better time to blog? Expecially because it is about Christ.
I have made a decent amount of time to my read the Bible. It takes discipline to read what I actually do, but I can't seem to read daily as I would like. That weighs me down. When I start to feel guilty.. I reminnd myself this verse I found a while ago..
It's my favorite verse in the bible
"For
when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I
stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for
God."
Galatians 2:19
Verse 20 is also incredible
This particular verse reminds me of God's grace. It's certainly not a free pass of not devoting time to Jesus or to not dicipline yourself to doing what's right- but it keeps me in perspective that I am not perfect. I am a working mother and man I am tired. I can only do so much. God should always been priority number 1. Facebook and Instgram can come later, if at all. But if I stop getting myself down about not being able to do a devotional that day or reading a few chapters... I feel better about giving myself grace. Because I know Jesus still loves me. I am the one torturing myself with angry thoughts. And the devil can also use this and hinder you & keep you on the groud. "Oh, you missed church today?" Oh, you watched a sinful movie?" (It may or may not have been Magic Mike)
You feel like you may as well not even read the bible today because he wont forgive that. You you figure you ruined that day by already sinning. I am also reminded of this verse when those feelings pop up..
"I do not treat the grace
of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with
God, then there was no need for Christ to die."
Galatians 2:21
When I do "force" myself to read.. I'd say 8 times out of 10 he will reveal himself to me. How lucky are we that he speaks to us through his word? It isn't as easy to hear him directly speak to us unless we open up his word and start reading. This may sound crazy to unbelievers but trust me y'all.. God is alive and well. He will show you things you thought never possible. I read in my devotional the other day that He is especially good at revealing himself to new believers.. it seems like he knows that's almost what it takes to take them by surprise and kick start their journey. Amazing.
There are still those days when after I read, I sit and say 'Now what was it that I just read?' Or 'I didnt take anything away from that!'
But that's ok.. because one day it may hit you that 'Hey I read that once. Let me look more into it.'and then He leads you along that path.
Today, I flipped open and read a bit of Hebrews here and there. Mostly things I have previously highlighted. How have I forgotten such meaningful words in my day to say life? I want to share some BEAUTIFUL verses in the chapters I read.
People think they know whats in the bible, even if they've never read it.. or if they've read a few lines or chapters. But I encourage you to dig deep into the words written and know where they came from and what they really mean. It's easy to be misunderstood when there are so many people telling you "what the bible says." The only way to learn the truth is to read. I hope these few that have encouraged me today will encourage you to press froward or to begin a "journey of a lifetime" as my pastor says.
DEFINITION OF FAITH:
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1
"By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen."
Hebrews 11:3
^ That is awesome perspective
"And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that god exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him"
Hebrews 11:6
I LOVE THIS ONE!
I encourge you to read Hebrews 11:8-12 and then you can see how beautiful this is
"All these people died still believing what god had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth, Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."
Hebrews 11;13-16
"Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it"
Hebrews 13:1
OK This just had to included because there are so many unbelievers out there that I never even knew of. I figured everyone believed in God. This is (obviously) not true. I want to help save everyone I can!
Because it's not as simple as admitting there is a God and that God 'exists', You MUST believe it all. Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, Hell, The Birth, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and that he is STILL ALIVE within us today. Simple bible stated truth.
I want the ones I love to be in heaven right beside me. I also will state the fact that yes, as my family are Christians. BUT I decided to TRULY follow Christ as an adult. I am still young but I had many lost years growing up. The decision to be a follower has happened in my adult life. Not just a family outing or a tradition.
People think that living morally is just what we should do because its the 'right thing.' But it's the right thing because the Bible says so. The Bible came up with the morals you think people did. Like being just a good person, helping others, not using obscene language, not talking dirty or committing adultry. These things are wrong because the bible says so. You can say "well I don't curse, or cheat, or murder." But you are doing these things for the wrong reasons if they aren't for GOD. Everything you do must be FOR THE LORD or to tell you the truth, they simply do not count towards righteousness or being a good person.
People now claim "Let's just all get along and love one another and have peace on earth." There is absolutely no way to do this without loving God first and doing it for God. People want to push religion aside because they believe it divides us as a people. They want it all about loving each other and all about PEACE and brotherhood. We have to come to Christ first. I used to love the song "Imagine" by John lennon. I was young and thought peace was a great idea. I didn't know any better or listen to the lyrics close enough. It is a song against anything Christ like. I did plenty of research on what John Lennon really said about the meaning of the song so I am not only just taking the lyrics for what they sound like.
LYRICS:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one
We cannot live for each other and live for peace but live for God at the same time. Christ came to set this world on fire and wage war. He came to save this world not cause peace between people.
"Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division."
Luke 12:51
"Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
Matthew 10:34-35
Don't get me wrong.. we shouldn't be causing trouble and war purposely between each other but we should be living for God. He will rule in our hearts and give us peace within ourselves. That will allow for kinder, gentler souls on this earth. Seek the Kingdom of Heaven and he has the power to change the people who are evil around us.
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
Romans 12:18
I know this is the very writing that will make people turn away, but this is the truth. And the people who come to Jesus after knowing the "scary" part of being a follower will have many blessings I'm sure. Our lives were created to please God and make disciples. Unfortunately, we may lose a few friends along the way.
