Viewing the cross from the perspective of God is not the usual way of thinking about it. We almost exclusively think of the cross in regard to our own loves, to its impact on us who believe. "Christ died for us," we say. "Christ died for us," we fit. He died to rescue us from judgment and hell. That is absolutely true, and certainly we should celebrate what the cross means to us, but that is only secondary to the fact that Christ died for God. Just to hear the statement, "Christ died for God,"" may cause wonder in our minds. That's only cause we haven't understood the glory of God in the death of Christ. Romans 11 end with a great doxology: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomably His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36.)
My mind attaches itself to that phrase, "From Him, through Him, to Him are all things,” What things does the apostle have in mind here? Paul's specific emphasis here is on things related to salvation as revealed in the previous 11 chapters of Romans, things that he says are from God, accomplished through God and ultimately intended to be to God. God is the source, the means and the object of all redemptive work. Everything is for Him. Paul goes on to say in Romans 1:5 that we have been given the ministry to preach the Gospel so that people can obey it in faith for His Name's sake. The Apostle John says in 3 John 7, Jude's Epistle we hear the benediction, "To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now forever. Amen"
Everything points to God, And from Jesus' own perspective, He came into the world, He says in John 17:4, to glorify God. He came seeing on the glory of the One who sent Him. (John 7:18). Everything He did was for God. It was not without a struggle that He did these things to the glory of God. In John 12:27-28, as Christ anticipates the cross He says, "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, glorify your name' He looks at the cross as the consummate way in which He will glorify the Father. Jesus knew that His life was to be lived to the glory of God and that His death was likewise for the glory of God. We think so much of what the cross means to us and so little of what it meant to God. In order for the cross to mean anything to us, it must mean everything to God. As we understand this, we understand the cross.
The Death Of Christ Was A Sacrifice To God. As the Old Testament reminds us of the divinely ordered and carefully detailed system of sacrifice and offerings to God. To no other gods or persons was any sacrifice ever to be offered. God alone was to be the recipient of every single sacrifice, every offering. They were all for Him. They were to rise to His nostrils as sweet smelling savor, as incense to please Him. The offerer was guilty of sin before a holy God and was, therefore, subject to God's wrath. God had been offended and dishonored, as He is by every sin committed by every person who has ever lived. In the Old Testament God provided a way in which the sinner could come before Him and temporarily have his sin death with, The offered would bring an animal to the priest at the tabernacle or at the temple and the offerer himself would lay his hands upon the animal as a symbol of transferring his sin and guilt to that animal (Leviticus1: 1-4)
The animal was then killed because God requires death for sin. The wages of sin is death. A soul that sins, dies. The blood of the animal was poured out all over the altar, and the offerer would be temporarily cleared by God But that animal could offer no permanent sacrifice, so the practice had to be repeated again and again and again and again. What the people were learning was that God's wrath is deterred by the sacrifice offered to Him. Sometimes I think we miss this point: Jesus was a sacrifice to God for sin. Every other sacrifice merely pointed toward His full and final sacrifice. Jesus was the only offering to God that would really take away sin, and He was also the priest. He was the true High Priest, and His offering of Himself -- a sinless, perfect life was the full and final and acceptable blood sacrifice to God. Jesus died as a sacrifice to God, as a sweet-smelling savor, finally, once for all. The atonement never needs to be repeated God was pleased.
The Death Of Christ Was A Submission To God. As Christ speaks about the sacrifice that pleases God, He borrows language from the Old Testament: "Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have taken no pleasure... Behold, I have come... to do your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:5-7). Sacrifices and burnt offerings for sin from the past are not what God desires, but instead, as seen in Hebrews 10:10, "We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." The death of Christ was an act of obedience to God. He did everything the Father wanted Him to do. He repeats that again and again, particularly in the Gospel of John. Always, at all levels, even in childhood, He obeyed God. His delight was to do the will of God. And it is this perfect, flawless righteousness in all its fullness that we receive through salvation. That is the righteousness credited to us. Christ's entire life, every single moment of it was perfect, unbroken obedience that is therefore the standard of perfection that puts us into a right relationship with God when that perfect life is credited to our account.
But that was very different than receiving the wrath of God. In all of His life of obedience, never was there agony of obedience wrought in His perfect soul that could match the agony of the cross. Never had e had to receive a curse from the Father in order to bear all the weight of God's wrath on sin. The level of submission, which Jesus offered to His father on the cross, is inconceivable. So in His living as well as in His dying there was saving power for us. His perfect life is credited to our account as righteousness, just as His obedience in death is credited to our account as payment for our sin. God had to be satisfied with both Christ's submission and His sacrifice before it could eve be applied to us.
The Death Of Christ Was A Substitution Offered To God. The New Testament is rich with the language of substitution. Christ was offered once to ear the sings of many. He didn't die for His own sins; He had none. He offered as a substitute for us. One died for all (2Corinththians 5:14) God made Him sin for us. (2Corinthians 5:21). "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24) and borrows language from Isaiah 53, which says that He was oppressed and afflicted. And for whom? Our grief’s He Himself bore. Our sorrows He carried. He was smitten of God and afflicted, pierced through for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our sin fell on Him By His scourging, we are healed. The Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. That's substitution. He takes our place. 1 Peter 3:18 says it this way: "Christ...died... the just for the unjust." Christ died as a penal substitute. Understand, God is absolutely holy. Sin is by definition a violation of God's law, which is perfect expression of His holiness. Any violation of His law must be dealt with. All sin must be punished. No sin ever committed by anybody who has ever lived in the history of this world will go unpunished.
With the cross, God acts as a just lawgiver, giving a proper punishment for violation of His law. God determined that the penalty for sin, the just and the right penalty for sin is death. That's what is required. We live in a therapeutic society where we sometimes struggle with that. We tend to think the remedy for sin ought to be therapy rather than punishment. We even tend to look at prison as an environment where criminals can get better, as a place to rehabilitate people. We think about personal vengeance and we think about therapy. But we don't understand penalty. Society as a whole has begun to regard the idea of penalty for wrongdoing as outmoded thinking. We've lost the concept of law and justice. The exception, of course, is when we are personally victimized by wrongdoing. Then we tend to want justice. We don't object to the idea of punishment so much when the idea is to get back at someone for what he or she did to cause us pain. People who've had a family member murdered may say,” I hope that guys goes to prison, I hope he rots in hell! I hope they electrocute him,” We want vengeance when the offense is against us.
The truth is, justice demands a penalty for wrongdoing that is commensurate with the seriousness of the crime committed. Since all sin is an affront to the Almighty Himself and a violation of His infinite holiness, every sin is very serious, requiring an equally serious penalty. That’s why the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
Jesus died on the cross because a just penalty was required. God, the Lawgiver, executed that penalty on His son. A death was owned to divine justice. What is staggering is that Christ suffered on the cross for only about three hours, and then he died. How is it possible that He could bear the full penalty for sin for all who will ever believe in just three hours when, if we had to bear it, we would all spend eternity in hell and it would never be enough? Because he was the perfect sacrifice. But these truths also remind us of the severity of the pain Christ suffered on our behalf. Jesus endured an infinite punishment. He took the full guilt of all our sins and the full fury of God’s wrath as our penal substitute. All the horrors of hell that all redeemed should have collectively suffered were endured instead by Christ as the fury of God spent in itself in three hours. It is an amazing thought that He bore so much for us and that He did it willingly!
Christ’s Death Was A Satisfaction To God. When the Bible says in 1 John 2:2, 1John 4:10 and Romans 3:25 that Christ was the propitiation for our sins, it basically means satisfaction. The offering of Christ was enough and God was satisfied. God could never be satisfied with us until He was satisfied with His son. He could never be satisfied with us until he was satisfied with His son being alienated. He couldn’t reconcile us until He had alienated Him. But Christ placated the wrath of God fully, and He was satisfied. How do we know that God was satisfied? Because He raised Christ from the dead and because He took Him into glory and seated Him at His right hand. (Hebrews1: 3). This is not a loving son trying to appease an angry father. This is a loving God offering Himself as a sacrifice. When we talk about being saved, when we talked about being delivered, it’s important to know what we are being saved from. You many then might ask, “Aren’t we saved from sin? Aren’t we saved from hell? In a sense, we are, of course. But even more importantly, we are being saved from God, by God, through God. A loving, gracious, merciful, compassionate God provided Himself as the substitute to bear the full fury of God’s judgment so that we can be saved from Him. Christ died as God, sent from God to satisfy God that sin had been paid for.
Christ’s Death Was Our Salvation To God. When we were rescued, when we were delivered, it was to take us out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. This salvation can best be understood by understanding two words. The word redeemed means to buy back, to purchase. Ransom is the price that is paid for the release of a person. In Matthew 20:28 we read that Jesus came to give His life as ransom. To whom is the ransom paid? Some people think its paid to the devil. It’s not paid to the devil. God destroys both soul and body in hell. God is the final judge for every life. The ransom price has to be paid to God. The redemption price is paid to God. And yet it’s God Himself, in Acts 20:28, who purchases us with His own blood. We recall these wonderful words from 1 Peter 1:18-19, “You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a Lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ”
Romans 3:24 says that we have redemption in Christ, and 1 Timothy 2:6 says that Christ came as a ransom for all. God set the price for our redemption, the price to ransom us, to buy us back. What was the price? Death. Through death Christ paid the ransom and bore the curse (Galatians 3:13) He took the curse to remove us from the curse. His death was a sacrifice to God, an act of submission to God, A substitution that satisfied God, a salvation that paid the full ransom price to deliver us from sin to God.
Christ’s Death Was The Means Of Our Sonship With God. Christ reconciles us to God and provides all that is necessary for us to become sons of God. God take this into His most intimate relationship and fellow-ship as family. “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). We put a lot of emphasis today on the sinner’s hostility to God and talk about how sinners need to stop being at odds with God. I think sometimes people picture God as a happy, loving, benign deity sitting up in heaven just hoping people will stop hating Him, hoping they’ll stop being angry with Him or indifferent to Him and that they’ll start liking Him and loving Him.
That’s not the good news. The good news isn’t that God is really a lot nicer than you think and that He would really like it if you’d like Him. The good News is not that you don’t need to be angry with God. The good news is that God is no longer angry with you. The good news is that God’s wrath has been satisfied by the death of Christ and that all who believe are now welcomed to come into His family. What Christ did on the cross was not designed to remove our hostility toward God, but to remove God’s hostility toward us. The only reason we can even come to Him by faith is because in a decisive act on the cross, God’s hostility was ended toward all who believe. The cross can’t be anything to us until it’s everything to God. With all that said, I hope this has given you a clear true, solid, understanding, about the Death Of Christ.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Christ Died for God
Wrong Way Jonah.
2:"Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."
3: So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk.
4Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."
5:Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.
6:When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
7:He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.
8:But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may urn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.
9:Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."
2:He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
3:"Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life."
4:The LORD said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?"
5:Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city.
6: So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.
7:But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered.
8:When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, "Death is better to me than life."
9:Then God said to Jonah, "Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "I have good reason to be angry, even to death."
10:Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
11:Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?"
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Beginning at Death Valley
On the 16th we arrived at our campground and Dad started setting up the trailer. We are on a campground more like a parking lot. Surrounded on all sides by hills of dirt of mud.
We climbed up the hills around the campground for a little bit. They are fairly fun, you can get up high and overlook the entire camp site. After setting up our campsite we went to the visitor center. There I found they have an internet connection (therefore this post came to being).
On the 17th we went to Scotties Castle. At Scotties Castle we took a tour through the house. It was interesting and I was surprised how well preserved everything was. We went on a tour and the guide, Mike, took us around the house as if we were in the late 1930s.
We went on a hike to a dead waterfall. I'm not sure what I was expecting, I should of known when it said that it was a "dead" waterfall. The fall was probably somewhere around 20' tall. My mom and I went up a rock scramble to get on the top of it.
On the top of the waterfall we were placed between two huge walls of rock. It was kind of cool looking up those big rocks as they'd get really narrow. Rebekah and my dad stayed back at where we had lunch. Daniel came up to the dead waterfall but was too small to attempt the scramble. So only my mom and I continued.
We went on another hike where we saw a bunch of dirt, rocks, and hills. The temperature came up to the high 80s and we were out in the middle of the hot son. I don't have all the pictures from the camera yet, so I'll post them later.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Blades Of Steel!
If you're reading this, chances are you already know me. If you don't, however, it should soon become apparent through my writings that I'm a deeply complicated individual with multiplexed interests and a raging conflagration of clashing opinions about the shifting state of my own sanity. In all seriousness, however, I'm just a guy writing about my thoughts on love, life, and the universe.
It's a defining moment in a young man's life when he shaves for the very first time. It is a sign of impending maturity, of changes both large and small that are equally beyond control and/or extremely embarrassing. Nonetheless, it is a joyous and memorable occasion not soon forgotten. I still remember looking in the mirror with immeasurable anticipation on that great day, hoping that the few meager, nearly invisible bits of peach fuzz on my upper lip would grow back, and do so in force. If they did, it would mean the ultimate confirmation of my journey from childhood to manliness.
In most cases, a guy's first shave is usually a nightmare. Handling the strange, T-shaped device is neither easy nor intuitive. The sensation of placing a cold, razor-sharp… uh, razor, against pale, pock-marked pubescent flesh is nothing short of terrifying. Also, it seems that a select few geniuses inevitably choose to completely forgo the use of shaving cream, erroneously assuming exemption from massive chafing and discomfort. Boy, was I ever wrong.
Making matters worse, though, is that guys don't instinctually know the proper angle at which to hold the razor, much less the ideal stroke direction. We usually shave backwards, upside-down, sideways, diagonally, and, if particularly bored, sometimes in circles. While these methods have been known to occasionally produce semi-passable results by government standards, considerable personal injury and/or minor blood loss is never far behind.
Lastly, a guy will almost undoubtedly re-enact what has come to be known as one of the most classic moments in all of cinematic history. Imagine if you will the battle-ravaged, crater-infested surface of an average male teen's mug: resplendent with gouges, blotches, and missing chunks of skin. Bare, raw, exposed. Tender, unprotected. Vulnerable. Ugly. And yet, in our ignorance, we gingerly produce a potent slap of alcoholic aftershave to our faces. In the words of Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
So yes, a young man's first shave is an adventure wrought with danger, intrigue, and stupidity. But it's also a learning experience, and something that only happens once. Well, that's not entirely true, as I still manage to slice myself up pretty good at times. Of course, that just goes to show how much of a manly man I really am.
Now then, what'd I do with those Pokémon and Mario band-aids?
Impressions
Generally speaking, I think I make lousy first impressions. Much of the reason for this has to do with my personality and my sense of humor. To many that do not know me well, I'm happy, I'm a grumpy, sarcastic, curmudgeonly old stick in the mud. To those that do know me I'm happy,, I'm a grumpy, sarcastic, and sometimes even old stick in the mud... but sometimes I make them laugh.
When I meet new people, I sense that they regard me as the quiet, mild-mannered, potentially depressed and suicidal type. They're right, of course.
The trouble is, unless someone comes alongside these folks and casually demonstrates that Dan is OK, whether by joking with me or having an easy-going conversation, it can take a long time before they don't feel awkward talking to me. But why do they? Am I really all that imposing? Do I instill fear into the hearts of the newly acquainted? Does my presence magically suck away all hope and joy from a room?
Certainly not. At least, it shouldn't.
I guess the point of this lament is to explain that, like a book, you're foolish to judge me by my cover. Also, the new, strange, and unfamiliar will only feel comfortable until they're no longer new, strange, or unfamiliar. Basically, once you get to know me, you won't be so scared. You'll probably be comatose. Just kidding. ;)
First Day Out on the Road
At 7:00 this morning we all got in our truck and started off down the road.
I hope to be able to upload pictures every once and a while to give updates on our trip.
So far I've been sitting in this seat in the car listening to Adventures in Odyssey for four hours.
PS If you do not want to get these posts from my vacation then subscribe to the feed using Internet Explorer or something and filter out posts tagged Personal.
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Man Who Thought He Knew
I need a break from my theological thoughts,views, and opinions. So therefore, you'll get to see the other side of me in the next few blog posts, hopfully my sense of humor won't be to dry. Anyways, enjoy.
Life's a funny thing. The less you know, the easier it is to learn. The more you know, the less willing you become. Or, if you're like me, what you think you know is actually very little, and everything you've forgotten was probably important. But since you can't tell which is what and where it went, you end up wondering what you're talking about and go off to the corner to sulk. Alone. Wearing a dunce cap.
Well, something like that.
If you haven't grasped it yet, the idea here is that my memory is shoddier than a toothpick. Which is not to say toothpicks are shoddy, but you probably wouldn't want to build a suit of armor from them. Unless that's your thing, in which case my slew of issues suddenly seem less problematic.
Let's face it, though. All that I know, all that I'll ever know, all that I've forgotten... most of it's useless, pointless, and meaningless. Sure, learning how to eat with a fork and knife are worthwhile skills, unless you need to aerate your forehead, but I'm talking about "important" things. Preconceptions, evaluations, high-concept ideas and delusions of grandeur. You with me so far? No? Where'd I lose you, back at toothpicks? Yeah, it was a pretty questionable comparison.
Anyway, it's time to fill my head with worthwhile pieces of information and history. Less self-loathing and regret, more enthusiasm and vigor for life. More... dare I say it? A select few are reading closely. Yes, I dare. I must fill it with passion! No, no, not that kind of passion. I don't need any more of that, thanks. I'm hopeless enough as it is. No, I mean a passion for something other than my own selfish whims. A passion for something much greater, something eternal.
Well, I won't find it while writing this blog, nor will you while reading it. So go do something else for now.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Can You Lose Your Salvation?
This is something that I have heard contested many times. Is it possible for someone, once saved, to lose that salvation?
John 10:25-30
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you did not believe; the words that I do in My Father's name, these testify of ME. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater then all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
Not only is this a great verse to prove the deity of Christ, but it should also be a comfort to Christians. "And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand." If Jesus says that we will never perish, does that mean that we will never perish except if we somehow don't act good enough to go to heaven? If there is no one that can snatch you out of Jesus's or his Father's hand after you become part of the flock, how then can you ever leave? Can you snatch yourself?
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Would not salvation be by works if one said that, "You are saved as long as you don't do this."
Let's take a look at a verse that should be familiar to most of us, John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
When does this everlasting life come? It comes at the point in time that you believe in the Son. Not at the point that you die believing in the Son. Not if you do certain things. But the moment that God opens your heart so you can believe in him. Then you are promised eternal life.
Can eternal life have an end? Are we to call God a liar by saying that something can happen that makes us no longer saved?
Many times we are told to put off the old self (such as Ephesians 4:22) and to put on the new self, but never is there a way mentioned to go back into your mother's womb and come out with your old body.
I could put many more verses in here such as Ephesians 4:30 ("Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption") but don't want to make this post go too long. Instead I want this to be more of a blessing to those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus.
Although you can loose fellowship with God, it is impossible to ever loose your salvation once God has given it to you. Your sins are covered and you are an adopted son of God, he will never betray you!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Relationships.
Relationships are either heaven or hell, sometimes both. Making relationships last mystifies the most sincere seeker and the most casual. One out of every two marriages in America today ends in divorce, it is so sad. High school relationships have gone even further down the line; the casual age of a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship usually starts at age 15. -- Which personally, I see nothing wrong with having a girlfriend at that young of age. Yet, I would slightly disagree with what I just said. Young relationships usually don't last long, or if they do, the chance that you'll still be together with that same guy or gal is rather slim. Actually about less than 10% actually make it... Most relationships at a young age between 13-18, do not last.
I have known so many young teens, to instantly fly into a relationship with a young girl, not knowing, expecting, and how to make a relationship last or work. In any event, most high-school relationships always end in a so called "break-up" -- As hard as a break-up may be or feel, there are some things that all young Christian guy and girl must know before starting a relationship with each other. These are three crucial points.
1. If you're a Christian and seeking a relationship, please pursue another godly Christian woman or man. Getting involved with a non-Christian in a relationship such as dating or marriage is a bad decision and can be very harmful.
2. Are you pursuing this relationship because of lust? Now before you consider the word lust, let me explain something. When I refer to lust, in this context, it has two meanings. a) Sexually. b) Relationship. These two are very important to understand. Lust in its first context means intense sexual desire or appetite. Wanting or having a relationship for that pure reason alone is a sin. Lust in its second context means pleasure or delight, a desire inclination; or wish. How is wanting a gf or bf lust you might ask? I would not consider it lust, however, it can become lust, and that's what you need to understand. If your soul purpose is just to have a bf or gf, just to have that is lusting after a relationship, which is wrong. Having a bf or gf, just to have one, should be avoided. That right there is a big sign for a break-up. And sadly, that is the tendency of most of high-school relationships to this day.
3. And finally, you both should love God, above all else. My advice before getting into a relationship with a guy or girl; do some prayer, and wait for God's timing. Don’t rush in.
Btw, You won't get married any faster by getting a bf or gf at a young age you'll have to just wait a lot longer, though I shouldn't be speaking, hehe lol. :P At least, you'll get to know the guy or girl a good 5 or 6 years before marriage though =D
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
He's The God Who Brings Change
The beginning of a year is a time when people's thoughts turn toward making changes in their lives. The great news about God working in our lives is that He's ready at any time to help us make changes that will bring benefit to us. Too often we allow our past to determine who we are today and where we're headed in the future. God makes it clear that we can leave the past behind and begin making new choices. These new choices will bring us to new places in life, eventually helping us become what we've only dreamed we could be.
In Isaiah 43:18-19 God says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing…" God's will is that every day you're looking to Him and to the Bible to tell you who you are and who He wants you to become. I encourage you to ask God to give you strength to make new choices during the new year that will help you in your Christian life. New choices about your relationships, career, generosity, godly lifestyle, and commitment to church or anything else! If you'll choose every day to follow His lead, in the big things and small things, at the end of 2008 you'll be able to look back and see the new person you've become!
