Psalm 36: 5-9
"Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgements area a great deep; O Lord, You preseve man and beast.
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust underthe shadow of Your wings. They are abudantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."
Lord, God, I am feeding on you today, give me strength. I wait on You. Thank you, Lord. When I think about the way you love me, You are so jealous for me! 'Love like a hurricane, and I am the tree; bending beneath the weight of Your love and mercy. And all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory! How you love us!'
God, bless my time today, you know what work I need to get done, give me Your joy this week. Thank you, God. In your Son Jesus' name. amen.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Church member verses Christian
The two are not synonymous. But I feel like I keep seeing and hearing that people believe they are. A Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Church of Christ member, Lutheran, Bible Church member, all can be Christian. But church attendance and/or membership is neither a requirement nor does it automatically make you or I a Christian.
It is two different things altogether.
A Christian by definition, is a person who sees themselves as a sinner in need of God's forgiveness, AND accepts God's forgiveness given freely through Jesus Christ, knowing that they themselves can do nothing to remedy their sin.
One could attend a church for years, and not be a Christian. People have different reasons. It could be that going to church, maybe a particular church, is the social norm, and it is expected that they are there. A person could think that their participation in the rituals somehow makes them better or more worthy before God and/or other people. This makes them a church member and a good church participant even, but it does not make them a Christian (see the definition above).
Let me also say, that a person who reads the Bible also does not automatically make a person a Christian. An atheist can read his Bible, and still be an atheist, so that does not make one a Christian also. The same goes for service work. A Muslim, Jewish person, Buddhist, Christian, and Atheist (sounds like I am going to start a joke) could all be at a soup kitchen lovingly serving folks.
To quote a paraphrased version of John 1:12-13 (Jesus Storybook Bible)
"For anyone who says yes to Jesus
For anyone who believes what Jesus said
For anyone who will just reach out to take it
Then God will give them this wonderful gift:
To be born into a whole new Life
To be who they really are
Who God always made them to be -
Their own true selves -
God's dear Child. "
I know this blog post may upset some people, and many may disagree with me. But honestly, I just had to post it, it's been on my heart and on my mind for a while. And I write it with love in my heart, and with the intent of just clarifying and not hurting anyone's feelings. If you disagree with me, and think what I said is wrong, that's fine. I just encourage you to pray about it, seek His answers. Ask God to reveal His truth to you.
It is two different things altogether.
A Christian by definition, is a person who sees themselves as a sinner in need of God's forgiveness, AND accepts God's forgiveness given freely through Jesus Christ, knowing that they themselves can do nothing to remedy their sin.
One could attend a church for years, and not be a Christian. People have different reasons. It could be that going to church, maybe a particular church, is the social norm, and it is expected that they are there. A person could think that their participation in the rituals somehow makes them better or more worthy before God and/or other people. This makes them a church member and a good church participant even, but it does not make them a Christian (see the definition above).
Let me also say, that a person who reads the Bible also does not automatically make a person a Christian. An atheist can read his Bible, and still be an atheist, so that does not make one a Christian also. The same goes for service work. A Muslim, Jewish person, Buddhist, Christian, and Atheist (sounds like I am going to start a joke) could all be at a soup kitchen lovingly serving folks.
To quote a paraphrased version of John 1:12-13 (Jesus Storybook Bible)
"For anyone who says yes to Jesus
For anyone who believes what Jesus said
For anyone who will just reach out to take it
Then God will give them this wonderful gift:
To be born into a whole new Life
To be who they really are
Who God always made them to be -
Their own true selves -
God's dear Child. "
I know this blog post may upset some people, and many may disagree with me. But honestly, I just had to post it, it's been on my heart and on my mind for a while. And I write it with love in my heart, and with the intent of just clarifying and not hurting anyone's feelings. If you disagree with me, and think what I said is wrong, that's fine. I just encourage you to pray about it, seek His answers. Ask God to reveal His truth to you.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Alex's answers to common questions, part 1
I found this link to the website of Christian apologist, Alex McFarland. Thought I would share it because of his precise, intelligent, and easy to understand answers to common questions we face today. His answers speak the truth in love, and are biblically sound. enjoy.
Alex's answers to common questions, part 1
Alex's answers to common questions, part 1
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