Thursday, March 29, 2012
A friend of mine recently passed away. It was totally unexpected. She was murdered. Why!? She was so young...Why Her!? Why was that God's will for her!? My mind is blown away like Why would this happen? This has raised so many questions about God and why he does some of the stuff he does. If he didn't want us to sin than why did he create it? Why are we taking the wrath of Adam and Eve's mistakes. Why are we automatically sinners once we get out of the womb?? What was the purpose of her being murdered? Like what is he trying to show us by taking someone away from us?? How can you believe in something and not question it? I came across these to scriptures while doing a bible study and it pretty much answered my disbelief's I had. It's so weird how God works sometimes. Even though I don't like the answers I got...I still got answers
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Blue Like Jazz
I'm reading Blue Like Jazz right now. Here is a few things that have really hit me while reading this book.
Chapter 2:“If you don’t love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them you get pleasure from their pleasure, and it makes it easy to serve. I didn’t love God because I didn’t know God.”
Chapter 3: “The whole idea of everybody wanting to be somebody new was an important insight in terms of liking God. God was selling something I wanted. Still, God was in the same boat as the guy selling knives and Juliet promising to make Romeo new. Everybody exaggerates when they are selling something. Everybody says their product works like magic. At the time, I understood God’s offer as a magical proposition, which it is. But most magical propositions are just tricks. The older you get, the harder it is to believe in magic. The older you get, the more you understand there is no Wizard of Oz, just a schmuck behind a curtain”
Chapter 5:Teaches us we will never be able to understand everything and that is where faith comes in. Don’t get me wrong, Christianity is not based on faith alone, but also by our lives. We should be able to show with our lives the secret of having Christ in our lives and the passion and strength and everything else that it gives us to make us become truly alive in life. These are the types of things you see when you see someone who is not a believer come to Christ and that is what it is all about. Our lives should be our greatest example of who we have in God and in Christ. It’s simple, but so amazing
Chapter 7: "Rick tells me, looking back, that he was too proud to recieve free grace from God. He didn't know how to live within a system where nobody owes anybody else anything. And the harder it was for rick to pay God back, the more he wanted to hide. Though he understood that God wanted nothing in return, his mind could not communicate this fact to his heart, so life was something like torture..........
I would hear about grace, read about grace, and even sing about grace, but accepting grace is an action I could not understand. It seemed wrong to me not to have to pay for my sin, not to feel guilty about it or kick myself around.More than that, did not seem like the thing I was looking for. It was too easy. I wanted to feel as though I earnedmy forgiveness as though God and I were buddies doing favors for"each other.
Chapter 2:“If you don’t love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them you get pleasure from their pleasure, and it makes it easy to serve. I didn’t love God because I didn’t know God.”
Chapter 3: “The whole idea of everybody wanting to be somebody new was an important insight in terms of liking God. God was selling something I wanted. Still, God was in the same boat as the guy selling knives and Juliet promising to make Romeo new. Everybody exaggerates when they are selling something. Everybody says their product works like magic. At the time, I understood God’s offer as a magical proposition, which it is. But most magical propositions are just tricks. The older you get, the harder it is to believe in magic. The older you get, the more you understand there is no Wizard of Oz, just a schmuck behind a curtain”
Chapter 5:Teaches us we will never be able to understand everything and that is where faith comes in. Don’t get me wrong, Christianity is not based on faith alone, but also by our lives. We should be able to show with our lives the secret of having Christ in our lives and the passion and strength and everything else that it gives us to make us become truly alive in life. These are the types of things you see when you see someone who is not a believer come to Christ and that is what it is all about. Our lives should be our greatest example of who we have in God and in Christ. It’s simple, but so amazing
Chapter 7: "Rick tells me, looking back, that he was too proud to recieve free grace from God. He didn't know how to live within a system where nobody owes anybody else anything. And the harder it was for rick to pay God back, the more he wanted to hide. Though he understood that God wanted nothing in return, his mind could not communicate this fact to his heart, so life was something like torture..........
I would hear about grace, read about grace, and even sing about grace, but accepting grace is an action I could not understand. It seemed wrong to me not to have to pay for my sin, not to feel guilty about it or kick myself around.More than that, did not seem like the thing I was looking for. It was too easy. I wanted to feel as though I earnedmy forgiveness as though God and I were buddies doing favors for"each other.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Psalm 32:1-6
I have come to relize the problem wont likely just "go away" I do however understand that God wants me to be safe from harm. I was challegned to read Psalm 32 and write down what it means to me.
(Psalm 32:1-2) My transgressions are forgiven, my sins are covered and the Lord does not hold my sin against me.
A Forgiveness was a not a light thing to David. He regards himself as being "blessed" in receiving it. If we do not share David's appreciation for forgiveness, it is most certainly because we do not share his understanding of sin.
(Psalm 32:3-4)Unconfessed sin leads to a troubled heart.
At one time David thought he could escape the scrutiny of God; he thought it was possible to sin without God knowing it. David tried to cover up his sin. Many men and women today take the same approach – they bury themselves in their work, their career, their kids, their church or community activities so they don't have the time to think about their sin. All we need to is fall down on our knees and cry out with the publican, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!" (Lk 18:13).
(Psalm 32:5-6) Joy of forgiveness
By not confessing his sin, David was needlessly tormenting and torturing himself. So he finally confessed his sin to God. We read his confession in verse 5:
(Psalm 32:5) Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
This is not a quick "Forgive me my sins" appended to the end of a prayer like we so often do. David poured out to the throne of God his sin and his sinful nature.We cannot simply get down on our knees before God and expect forgiveness.
This Psalm tells us about the burden of guilt, the need for confession, and the joy of forgiveness. The main point of Psalm 32 is that if we confess our sins, God – out of grace – will forgive us our sins. First, we are forgiven by grace and through faith. Second, God wants us to confess our sins to Him so we can live in the joy of forgiveness.
(Psalm 32:1-2) My transgressions are forgiven, my sins are covered and the Lord does not hold my sin against me.
A Forgiveness was a not a light thing to David. He regards himself as being "blessed" in receiving it. If we do not share David's appreciation for forgiveness, it is most certainly because we do not share his understanding of sin.
(Psalm 32:3-4)Unconfessed sin leads to a troubled heart.
At one time David thought he could escape the scrutiny of God; he thought it was possible to sin without God knowing it. David tried to cover up his sin. Many men and women today take the same approach – they bury themselves in their work, their career, their kids, their church or community activities so they don't have the time to think about their sin. All we need to is fall down on our knees and cry out with the publican, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!" (Lk 18:13).
(Psalm 32:5-6) Joy of forgiveness
By not confessing his sin, David was needlessly tormenting and torturing himself. So he finally confessed his sin to God. We read his confession in verse 5:
(Psalm 32:5) Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
This is not a quick "Forgive me my sins" appended to the end of a prayer like we so often do. David poured out to the throne of God his sin and his sinful nature.We cannot simply get down on our knees before God and expect forgiveness.
This Psalm tells us about the burden of guilt, the need for confession, and the joy of forgiveness. The main point of Psalm 32 is that if we confess our sins, God – out of grace – will forgive us our sins. First, we are forgiven by grace and through faith. Second, God wants us to confess our sins to Him so we can live in the joy of forgiveness.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Swear Not!
I’m going to make an admission. At home, I’m sometimes a little bit of a potty mouth.
I remember my first day in public middle school. My delicate virgin ears were burning by second hour, having heard words I never knew existed.
Now, it just doesn’t bother me like it used to. I don’t swear loudly in public or in front of elders or children and I don’t care for people who do. But swearing in movies or with friends just doesn’t get me all hot and bothered like it does some people.
Even if you’re a complete teetotaller when it comes to swear words, chances are you have a few choice exclamations you use. Guess what? If you fall down the stairs and repeatedly shout “sugar bricks!” people still know you’re swearing. When they dub over cuss words in movies, we all know what they’re saying. Any ten year old watching a TV movie knows they aren’t really saying “French toast” or “melon farmer.”
But if you aren’t ten years old and you write swear words, but censor yourself, you’re just lame. If you want to swear, then stop using swear words like a preteen girl. It’s not like taking the v*wels out of w*rds st*ps people from kn*wing what y*u’re saying. No one reads “d*mn” and says, “Gee, I don’t know what that means, but thank you for not sullying my pristine Christian mind with your dirty words.” Same with the whole “h-dash-dash-dash” thing. You’re not fooling anyone. Even if I typed a bunch of random symbols, I’d still look like a %*#@ loudmouth. See?
Why do people curse and swear? There's only one reason: authority. Now I openly admit that I swear for this exact reason. People want to sound forceful and authoritative when they speak, so they spice their speech up with all sorts of catchy little "power words". Unfortunately, such words often dishonor God, the Bible, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, TRUTH is all of the authority you need. Just speak the truth as it is revealed in God's word and you'll have no use for "Christian cursing".
I remember my first day in public middle school. My delicate virgin ears were burning by second hour, having heard words I never knew existed.
Now, it just doesn’t bother me like it used to. I don’t swear loudly in public or in front of elders or children and I don’t care for people who do. But swearing in movies or with friends just doesn’t get me all hot and bothered like it does some people.
Even if you’re a complete teetotaller when it comes to swear words, chances are you have a few choice exclamations you use. Guess what? If you fall down the stairs and repeatedly shout “sugar bricks!” people still know you’re swearing. When they dub over cuss words in movies, we all know what they’re saying. Any ten year old watching a TV movie knows they aren’t really saying “French toast” or “melon farmer.”
But if you aren’t ten years old and you write swear words, but censor yourself, you’re just lame. If you want to swear, then stop using swear words like a preteen girl. It’s not like taking the v*wels out of w*rds st*ps people from kn*wing what y*u’re saying. No one reads “d*mn” and says, “Gee, I don’t know what that means, but thank you for not sullying my pristine Christian mind with your dirty words.” Same with the whole “h-dash-dash-dash” thing. You’re not fooling anyone. Even if I typed a bunch of random symbols, I’d still look like a %*#@ loudmouth. See?
Why do people curse and swear? There's only one reason: authority. Now I openly admit that I swear for this exact reason. People want to sound forceful and authoritative when they speak, so they spice their speech up with all sorts of catchy little "power words". Unfortunately, such words often dishonor God, the Bible, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, TRUTH is all of the authority you need. Just speak the truth as it is revealed in God's word and you'll have no use for "Christian cursing".
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