Intensify your Light.

"He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed." - 1 Peter 2:24


   This verse is straight up. It doesn't beat around a bush. It doesn't coat something in sugar. It straight up says that you are healed through Jesus Christ. He died for you. He was nailed to a cross. He was forced to suffer a brutal, gruesome death, so we can live and be pure. So we can live life purely. The thing is, God, our Lord, He knew you before Jesus was sent to suffer for us. He knew who you were before He sent His son to save you. He takes great pride in you, He loves that you are a child of His. He took you into consideration, He wanted to save you from the evils of sin. He wanted to bring you Light, to save you from the darkness. So, He sacrificed His only son, Jesus, so that we could be eternally happy with Him.

  
   There is a lot wrong in this world. The sin, the darkness, the deception, the evil in the world today, in our society today, is overwhelming. You can't turn a corner without seeing it. You can't turn on the radio without hearing it. You can't read a newspaper without reading it. It is disgusting. It is insanely disturbing when I hear about young children swearing on a school bus, or when I see high school relationships crumble because of a lack of trust and faith. The world you live in, this planet, the one you walk on today, because of Jesus Christ, is a dark and greedy place. Only the Light can change the dark. Only Light can create an absence of darkness in today's world. The Light of faith. The Light of Purity. The Light of our Lord and Savior.

  

"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." - John 8:12

 This Light is hard to find today. Even in some churches it is hard to find a Light. But, it's definitely not impossible. There is a Light in all of us. In you. In me. In everybody. But, it is so dull in so many people, that you can't see it. Sin has smothered it. The darkness has covered it up. But, it is still there, darkness can not extinguish the Light. Somewhere there is a Light in all of us.

   Letting your Light fizz out is easy to do. You lose yourself in the cruelty of the world. You get wrapped into the sin and you lose sight of the Light. The "Light", of course, being Jesus Christ. You lose sight of Jesus when you let yourself get absorbed in the darkness. Darkness is all around, from songs on the radio to programs on local television. The Light is getting harder to find because people are losing their faith, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ.

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." - Romans 13:12

   We have to put on God's armor. We have to follow the Light. God is righteous. His love is unrelenting. His guidance and security are immeasurable and can not be challenged. Once we do this, accept God for who He is and realize His power, then and only then, can we start bringing Light to the darkness. Only then can we show and spread the Light of our Savior.

Look for Jesus. Open your eyes. See His Love.

Intensify your Light.

The Name Game.

"I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." Revelation 2:17. Words can hurt. That old "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." saying couldn't be more wrong. People say things whether in general or specifically to one person, that can rock them to their core. It can hurt them, it can cause one to feel remorse. Some people don't know how to hold their tongue and the after effects can be dreadful. Jesus spoke only of the truth. His words brought forth reality in people's lives. He healed. He is the definition of "right". He spoke wisely and with such insight. He never spoke down on people or called some unruly, cruel epithet. The way He referred to people was with respect and He thought no less of one person than he did any others. Names can be signs. They can have deep meanings. They can be of wisdom, grace, of peace. Some of the names I hear called around the school are so rude, so immature, so degrading. They show the cruelity and darkness inside people. But, God knows no darkness. He only lives in light, He only accepts the light. He calls on us by name, knowing each one of us deeper than we know ourselves. His name alone screams greatness and truth. Our names also have meanings, to Him especially. Recognizing ourselves in the light, finding our meaning through Christ, is important. But, not only do we need to recognize that within ourselves but also within everyone around us. We also need to shine our light upon them, ditching the negative cruelity that seems to be everywhere around us today. Surrounding yourself with people who see your light and recognize their own should be a priority. It is needed if you expect to grow in Christ. Be positive in your walk. Live in the Word. Learn from the teaching of our Savior. Grow. Spread. And pour your knowledge and love for Christ all around you.

The Metaphor of Fruit.

Jesus used the metaphor of fruit to give us the proper criteria for judging. Matthew 7:20. It says "By their fruits you will know them.". We're told to judge people, and also ourselves, by the fruit that is produced, by the fruit someone bears, that is what we are to judge by. Everyone judges, everyone gossips, but that doesn't make it right. Be slow to judge others and quick to judge yourself. That is written in my devotional for today, I read it right before I told myself I would come upstairs and write a blog over judgement. I've posted about this before, but I still see it everywhere. It hurts to know that people can be so rude, so careless about their words, so inconsiderate. In the school, it is terrible, you can't take a step without hearing someone say something about someone who just walked by, or someone who that person claims to "hate", yet they don't even know a last name. We are to judge based on the criteria Jesus has laid out. There needs to be a realization. Jesus didn't just say things because he enjoyed the sound of his own voice, but because he wanted us to listen. He wanted us to hear what he was saying, because we need his voice, his insight, his teachings.

He tells us to "beware of false prophets..". This too requires us to judge, we need to be able to tell the difference between truth and falsehood. This is shown, the two are separated through the fruit that people bear. This fruit cannot be judged based on our own values. It cannot be judged by earthly values, such as the clothes someone wears, or the amount of money we have in our name. We must judge based on heavenly values, like the ones stated in Galatians 5:22, we need to judge based on "love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control.". Those are values we need to see, those are the fruits we need to produce. Seeing people in that image, or even trying to show those values through our thoughts, words, and actions, seem to bring out a brighter side of people. It shows that we are being guided through what is right, based on the standards of God, not those of which so many people have set as true here on this planet.

"Our tendency is to judge based on appearance. But God judges based on what we produce, and so should we."

Infinite gifts, from the Infinite Savior.

"Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be his very own, through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault-- we who stand before Him covered with His Love." Ephesians 1:4.

We were made from God's love, right? We were made holy through Christ. God sees us as His children, his perfect children. We are covered in His Love. If you think about it, that's a LOT of love. I mean, a whole lot. For Him to take us, give up His only son for us, to make His only son suffer for what we did, do, and will do, is insane. Our God is insane. Completely insane. I love it, I can't get over it, but I'm totally in love with Him.

The song "How He Loves" is playing in my ears right now. We are his portion. He is our PRIZE. That part gets me thinking. He's our prize.. His love is our prize and we've already got it. What did we do to deserve it though? He gave Himself, His son, and His love to us, to save us from sin, from the evil in the world, from Satan himself. All we have to do is follow God, listen to Him when He tells you that your world is about to be rocked, and move when He says move. God had a purpose for sending His son to save us. Long before He made you, me, or President Obama. This was his purpose.

".. When the time is ripe He will gather us all together from wherever we are -- in Heaven or on Earth -- to be with Him in Christ, forever." Ephesians 1:10.

So, He saves our lives, puts up with all the junk in our lives, handles all the good, bad, and ugly, and He still wants to spend eternity with us.. It says in the Bible that because of what Christ has done we have become GIFTS to God that He actually delights in, as a part of His plan we were chosen from the beginning to be His. We are God's gift? I always saw it as the other way around, but when you back up and look at it from a broad, open perspective, God saved us because He wants us, He obviously loves us, so we have to be of importance to Him. We mean the world to Him, He is showing that to us with everything He does.

"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20.

God is all around you, up, down, behind, in front. Check the backseat, He's there too. He's not going to leave you, but you have to notice that and recognize that He is with you, in order to prosper and live in the Lord and his grace.

Learning that God is with you, is the safest feeling in the world. Knowing that He won't let anything move you or hurt you, lets you know that you are protected. That you are impervious to the sin around you. Our God is great, in everything He does.

He hit me hard tonight, showing me His word and opening my eyes to a view I haven't seen in a while. We are saved by Jesus' blood and that's a gift we seriously can't afford to miss.

Untouchable.

"This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for Heaven -- makes us right in God's sight -- when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As Scripture says it 'The man who finds life will find it through trusting God' " Romans 1:17.

Trusting God is the easiest thing for me to do, I'd say 97% of the time. That other 3%, well in that little percent, trusting God is sketchy at best. I fear that something isn't going to go the way I THINK it should. But, you know what's so funny about that? God doesn't care about what I think is right. Because, HE KNOWS what is right. HE KNOWS when I should or shouldn't do something, go someplace. HE KNOWS everything. Everything. Everything. Off of the top of my head, I can think of the last time where I began to question what was going on in my life. Becoming an intern was a difficult decision for me to make. I mean, it was the best thing I believe I can do in my teenage life. I have grown significantly in my faith and really opened myself up to God. I understand now that trusting God is the only way I can find true life. The only way I can find God.

"And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10.

Trusting God is one of the biggest parts of your faith. Being able to throw caution to the wind and go against anything anybody ever says, just because God says to, is awesome. Believing that God is right in this, that you should do what you are told, is even more awesome. I don't have a problem listening to what God tells me to do, listening to where he tells me to go, that's not a problem. The problem is following through with it, that can seem difficult. You can be torn down, ripped apart by the people around you. It can seem like the world is against you, like you are fighting everybody, just to survive. Well, God told you to do it, He led you there for a reason. Why turn back because of someone on Earth, someone who doesn't know God, or  His grace? Trusting His words, His light AND following through with it is awesome.

"I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.

Christ gives you strength when no one else can. He gives you the ability to do things no one else dreams of doing. He gives you your gifts, your callings because He knows only you can perform them to his liking and he isn't going to give you instruction and not back you up. Knowing God has my back, in every battle I face is the only motivation I need, the only motivation that can keep me in it, keep me standing every time I fall. My God is the only thing in my life I can say is 150% certain. 150% guaranteed. The only one I can depend on no matter what.

Have faith in God. Put your trust in Him. His track record is perfect. As long as you're with Him, under his guidance and love,  you're untouchable.

His awesome terror.

"O God, there are two things I beg you not to do to me; only then will I be able to face you. Don't abandon me. And don't terrify me with your awesome presence." Job 13:20-21.I was just skimming through Job this evening. Saw this. Fell in love. I'm not sure why but I am extremely in love with this. Terrifying, awesome presence. Who do you know with a terrifying, awesome presence? I'm at a loss for words. I expected to get on Blogger, type in that verse and the rest would just stream out. Like, it usually does. I'm good at babbling on, even over the internet. But, tonight. I'm stuck. Kinda like writers block. Kinda like my brain just farted out my ability to process thoughts. I know that God is amazing. I know that God sent His only son Jesus, to save us from.. well ourselves. I know that God forgives you, no matter what. That explains the "awesome" part. But, the terrifying part.. I know you should fear God, be afraid of everything he is capable of.. Yet love him with all your heart, mind and soul. He is quite confusing. That's what makes believing in Him and having faith in Him, so exciting, so amazing, so wonderful. Being able to completely trust someone who has the power and ability to tear your world apart.

Psalms 33: 8. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." Ecclesiastes 3:14. "I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him."

Deuteronomy 6:5. "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your mind, heart and entire being and with all your might." 1 Corinthians 8:3. "But if one loves God truly, he is known by God."

See what I'm getting at.. God, is simply amazing. Simply awesome. Simply terrifying. We need to fear God, love God and simply stay in awe, in wonder of all He can do. Of everything He has already done. I know this a shorter blog, but I think I have made my point. God is dangerous, in my opinion, that's what makes Him so loveable.

Pleasing God..

It's late. I've brushed my teeth, put on my deo and said my evening prayer. But, here I am. Sitting in the dark, typing away, burning up these laptop keys. I had this feeling, this urge to come and blog about what I read earlier in the Bible.. I was sitting on the sofa this afternoon, watching these kids play, bouncing around the house, "rasslin" as my great grandmother calls it. I don't know why, but it made me want to read the book of Romans. Maybe because it talks about power and when I think about "rasslin" I think power. It talks alot about God's power. His power over us, over sin. It talks about how we receive forgiveness through God's mercy. It's a big ole' book talking about how awesome and powerful God is.

I was stuck in chapters 5-8. These chapters are big on sin. About how we receive forgiveness for our sins. About how sin's power over us is broken. About how God's law reveals our sins. About how there is no condemnation in Christ. Chapter 8, Verse 3. "We aren't saved from sin's grasp by knowing the commandments of God, because we can't and don't keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful, and destroyed sin's control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins.". This leaped out from the page at me. The minute I finished that, I pictured in my head Jesus on the cross, blood all over his body, beaten, bruised, the crown of thorns on his head. It hit me hard, I stopped reading, went upstairs and prayed. I thanked God, with everything I had, all that was in me, for giving his Son, his ONLY son, for me. Later that day, I picked back up where I left off. Chapter 8, verse 4. "So now we can obey God's law if we follow after the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us.". Now that Jesus has died for us, now that He has sacrificed himself for our sins, we can live again, pure and through the Holy Spirit, we can be saved from sin. Verse 5. "Those who let themselves be controlled by their lower natures live only to please themselves, but those who follow after the Holy Spirit find themselves doing those things that PLEASE GOD.". Pleasing God, that's big. I want to do everything in my power, put all I have into doing what pleases God. I mean, that is the least I can do, right? After He gave up his son, for me.. It just seems right, seems like the logical thing to do. Verse 6. "Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after the old nature leads to death." Verse 7 goes on to say. "Because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God's law and it never will." We all sin, we all slip up and do things out of our "old, sinful nature". That's why God gave up his son, so that no matter how many times we slip up, no matter how many times we fall. He will always be there, lifting us back up, helping us and pointing us in the direction we need to go. All we have to do is try our hardest to please God. We do that and we get peace, we get life. That seems like a pretty nice offer to me. Of course, could you expect anything less from such a generous God?