BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS »

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Romans 5:1

I've just listened to 2 podcasts from Bible Study Podcasts on the above verse. I really like the guy who does these podcasts. I stumbled upon them on iTunes. Last night I listened to a podcast on Romans 5:19, and decided to back up and listen to the whole series on Romans 5.

Here are some thoughts I had while listening that I want to remember:

We can't be righteous on our own.We can only find peace by putting our trust in God.

Our words are external evidence of God in our lives....are they always?? We need to be aware of what we say, because people may be turned on/off to Christianity because of our words and actions.

Our works are not what saves us, but they are evidence of our justification.

If we reject God's peace offering(i.e.:,Jesus), we are saying we want to continue the war within us.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

He Is My Messiah

Is He? Is He truly YOUR Messiah? I hadn't thought much about this exact phrasing until recently. In fact, I took offense once when someone was arguing about what MY God had done for someone else. I guess I took it, at the time, to mean more like the person was referring to Him only being God to me, not to them. But I look at it a little differently now, from a different perspective. He IS my God, whether or not others accept Him. He is Messiah to me....He came to deliver ME from sin, and loves ME unconditionally. Even if He were not going to save anyone but me, He still would have come to Earth and died on the cross for MY sake. That is some overwhelming and powerful love! And to think that He is capable of loving each one of His children in this manner....just wow! Even those who might irritate me, who I might not see tons of worth in, to Him, they are each as precious as me and on equal footing with me. Humbling, isn't it? And to think He celebrates just as much when someone who has lived a sinful life comes to Him as He did when I professed my faith in Him.....that is some mighty love!

If you are a parent, think of how much you love your children. You don't love each one more than the other, but it is different kind of love you have for each. And though you may wonder when you have a second child how in the world you can love him/her as much as you do your first, your heart has a fantastic capacity to increase your love. You can love many people in many different ways. That is how God is....we were created in His image! Isn't that just awesome and wonderous?? Amazing!!

Though I have had some news brought about lately that brings some uncertainty in my schooling, I am so blessed. I have a healthy and happy family who love each other, we have steady jobs, we have income each month, we have jobs we love, we have a home and more than we need to provide for our needs. He is ever so gracious to us, and continues to shower us with His blessings even when we fail to show him our gratefulness. I know that He has a plan to prosper me and not to harm me. I know that He has my interests and desires at heart, but they may not be completed on my timetable, but on His. Though this is difficult, I can withstand it knowing that He is with me. On Friday when I was so distraught, I kept asking him to just hold me and wrap His loving arms around me. He did. He brought me rest, and with it, some of His peace. How blessed I am with this knowledge, and once again the sadness came to me for those who don't know Him and don't know His comfort. It makes going on in the face of uncertainty and adversity much, much easier!!

My prayer for each of you today, whoever and wherever you are, is that YOU know HIM as YOUR Messiah. He is greater and can do more than we can even imagine!!