Ah, the blessing of resting in Christ. When you are first saved, it seems really easy to be a Christian. Your faith is new and strong and everything seems to be going right. Then, the first "bad" thing happens to you. You lose your job, your car breaks down, your bank goes bankrupt, you are not able to pay your mortgage or rent. Then, you start to wonder if Christianity really makes your life better. Be strong. This is where you prove your faith. Christ didn't promise a smooth journey on Earth and a wonderful reward in heaven at no extra cost to you. No, Christ said, "Take up your cross and follow me." Everyday, you have a cross to bear for Christ. Do you think Christ carried His cross easily up the hill of Calvary? No, He buckled under the weight of it. But, although chased with whips and denied any assistance with His burden, He kept walking, all the way, step by step, to make the supreme sacrifice for us. He walked alone, forsaken by the world and seperated from His Father. Our cross is significantly lighter than His was. And we aren't trudging away to our death. We are hiking to our victory in Christ Jesus. We don't walk alone, but we walk with our Savior and with the fellowship of believers. Christ said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." To our mortal bodies, our yoke may not seem so easy and so light. But look at what you are comparing "easy" and "light" with. You are comparing it to the standards of the world. According to some people in the world, having a burden that is easy and light would be owning a million-dollar home in Hawaii, with no debt, and a yearly income of $3 million dollars. However, according to the standards of the Bible, having a burden that is easy and light is not paying for your sins with your blood, and having a Savior who did it for you. This is what Christ has promised. This is what you should expect, and receive. This is what salvation is. Your daily mission as a Christian must be to glorify God in everything that you do. So what about that bankruptcy? What about that car that broke down? Give it all to God. He gave this to you for a reason. Whatever mishap or trial you are going through now is all because of His grace. He has put this in your life for a reason. God will never inflict you with something that you can't take. If you put your trust in Christ, then you will find rest.
When it all boils down, no matter what happens to you here on Earth, you will always have a Savior whose promises never fail. And no matter what, you are still going to have the wonderful reward of living in heaven with Jesus, if you keep your trust in Him, and find delight in His grace and bringing Him glory.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
With Love, your Savior
The beauty of salvation is love. Salvation is not dependent upon whether we are good enough for it or whether we deserve it. If it did, no one would be saved because "ALL have sinned and fall SHORT of the glory of God". Salvation is not about us. It's about Him. Christ is the only one worthy of the glory of God, but, in His amazing love and mercy, He gave Himself up for us and made the supreme sacrifice for all of our sins. Not just a few of our sins or just a bit of all of them- every single one, fully paid for. We can't reach the standard to have this glory unless we are covered with the blood of Christ. If you have not been covered with the blood of Christ, this is something that MUST be done for eternal life. If you want to partake in the glory that is Christ's, then He must live in you and you in Him. If you don't, God will not pardon you because you did not accept the covering for your sin that Christ offered.
With love, Christ came down from heaven and its glory to walk on this lowly land as a man. With love, Christ made disciples and taught them of God's plan. With love, Christ bore the ridicule of those who did not believe in Him. With love, Christ bore the pain of being beaten, caned, pierced with thorns, spit upon, and mocked. With love, Christ bore the sentence of death for not doing anything wrong. With love, Christ took all of your sins, all of my sins, and all the sins of the rest of the world. With love, Christ paid the price so that we could take part in His glory. With love, Christ hung on the cross. With love, Christ said "It is finished." With love for His Father and His will. With love for us. When did we deserve this love? Our SIN put Christ on that cross and yet He will forgive us? What a wonderful Savior! Don't wait another minute if you have not accepted Christ! Another minute could be too late!
On Thursday, April 9, 2009, we remember the torture that Christ went through for us! On Friday, April 10, 2009, we remember how Christ was nailed to a cross for our sins. On Saturday, April 11, 2009, we remember that Christ was laid in a grave with a big stone rolled over the door. On Sunday, April 12, 2009, we remember that the grave was empty! He arose! And He LIVES!
With love, Christ came down from heaven and its glory to walk on this lowly land as a man. With love, Christ made disciples and taught them of God's plan. With love, Christ bore the ridicule of those who did not believe in Him. With love, Christ bore the pain of being beaten, caned, pierced with thorns, spit upon, and mocked. With love, Christ bore the sentence of death for not doing anything wrong. With love, Christ took all of your sins, all of my sins, and all the sins of the rest of the world. With love, Christ paid the price so that we could take part in His glory. With love, Christ hung on the cross. With love, Christ said "It is finished." With love for His Father and His will. With love for us. When did we deserve this love? Our SIN put Christ on that cross and yet He will forgive us? What a wonderful Savior! Don't wait another minute if you have not accepted Christ! Another minute could be too late!
On Thursday, April 9, 2009, we remember the torture that Christ went through for us! On Friday, April 10, 2009, we remember how Christ was nailed to a cross for our sins. On Saturday, April 11, 2009, we remember that Christ was laid in a grave with a big stone rolled over the door. On Sunday, April 12, 2009, we remember that the grave was empty! He arose! And He LIVES!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Long time no post...
Hey,
Yes, I'm still living and breathing and being myself. I'm so sorry that my blog has just sat here with no post. Truly my life has been so busy, I can't narrow it down to one thing that I want to post about. Well, today, it's different. I'm going to talk about how a God can exist even with so much torture, crime, and death in the world.
First of all- We are all sinners. There is no way to explain any goodness in us except by the blood of Christ. And even then, it's not our goodness, but the goodness of Christ in us. The fact that we have moral laws is based upon Christ, our ultimate standard. We know what sin is because of God's ultimate righteousness. Seeing God's amazing goodness, we are able to see how horrible we are.
Second- God is just. His punishment falls on us- the sinners that only deserve eternal hell. We only deserve to die by His Holy Hand. We have only earned the right to be punished for our sins.
Third- God is merciful. Even though we deserve hell and eternal damnation, He gave us the option of eternal LIFE through Christ Jesus. He sent His Son to take the wrath for us so that we don't have to bear the unbearable pain of being subject to His punishment. We can't be saved on our own- we need Jesus!
This is all I have time for today, but if you have any questions, please post. I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope that it was encouraging to you!
From your sister and friend-
Lydia
Yes, I'm still living and breathing and being myself. I'm so sorry that my blog has just sat here with no post. Truly my life has been so busy, I can't narrow it down to one thing that I want to post about. Well, today, it's different. I'm going to talk about how a God can exist even with so much torture, crime, and death in the world.
First of all- We are all sinners. There is no way to explain any goodness in us except by the blood of Christ. And even then, it's not our goodness, but the goodness of Christ in us. The fact that we have moral laws is based upon Christ, our ultimate standard. We know what sin is because of God's ultimate righteousness. Seeing God's amazing goodness, we are able to see how horrible we are.
Second- God is just. His punishment falls on us- the sinners that only deserve eternal hell. We only deserve to die by His Holy Hand. We have only earned the right to be punished for our sins.
Third- God is merciful. Even though we deserve hell and eternal damnation, He gave us the option of eternal LIFE through Christ Jesus. He sent His Son to take the wrath for us so that we don't have to bear the unbearable pain of being subject to His punishment. We can't be saved on our own- we need Jesus!
This is all I have time for today, but if you have any questions, please post. I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope that it was encouraging to you!
From your sister and friend-
Lydia
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