Mad At God?

I used to be mad at God and I wanted nothing to do with him or his church.  I thought he was cruel, unfair and uncaring.  I wondered how people could preach of a loving God who demanded worship and tormented people for an eternity, no matter what the sin.  But that was before I learned the truth.  There are still a lot of folks out there preaching that kind of God and once you study the Word for yourself you see through the lies.

Christ died for our sins and he paid the penalty for our sins which is death, not eternal torment.  And since he died for our sins, he paid the price so that we could live because of his righteousness.  But if you are preaching that folks are tortured eternally and that they never die then you are teaching two lies.

 

1) You are teaching folks that they have eternal life no matter what they do in life, which is false because the wages of sin is DEATH (Romans 6:23) and not going to a place where the devil is in charge because the Word tells us that even the devil and his angels will be BURNED UP (Matthew 25:41, Malachi 4:1).  So the devil and his demons will not be in an eternal burning pit, tormenting forever those who decide not to follow God.

2) You make void Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sins because he's not suffering eternal torment but he's acting as a high priest on our behalf (Hebrews 8:1) and so essentially, you are saying that we are all lost and God is a liar when you preach that.  God doesn't want for anyone to be lost (Ezekiel 33:11) and he wants you to worship him because you see that he is good, loving and only wants the best for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

With Christ's death at the cross came another promise for those who believed, that we would have eternal life with Christ in heaven.  We are told that he went to prepare our heavenly homes and that he would return to come and get us so that we would be with him forevermore (John 14:1-3).  There's one thing that's preached at so many funerals that simply isn't true but some may find comfort in it.  If you are preaching that folks die and go straight to heaven, that's not in the Bible either.  

The bible teaches that at the return of Christ the dead in Christ will rise first and then those who are alive and remain will be caught up in the air also.  Christ brings his reward with him when he returns, so teaching that you get your reward immediately after death is not biblical (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 22:12).  And that was also a relief to me because I surely didn't want some of my deceased loved ones looking down on me and being disappointed when I turned my back on God and generally when the family suffered in this life.  How could anyone look down on the mess that's happening on this planet and be happy? (Revelation 21:4)  Even God isn't happy with these things.

I encourage you to read and study the Bible for yourself.  Don't just take my word or anyone else's word on it.  Pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit and let the Lord show you his truth.  Christ died for our sins so that those who believe in him should have eternal life.

Let the Words of My Mouth...

Today I want to to talk about something that I'm familiar with but it baffling at the same time.  Please note that this post is referring to those who claim to be followers of Christ, more so than a person who claims no religious affiliation.  As Christians we are admonished to minister to one another, especially to those who are new to the faith, that if we see something that is amiss we should address it.  And this is why I'm writing, it's not to bash anyone with my beliefs but to help my sisters and brothers in Christ to do well in the Lord because it gets hard sometimes.  Especially if you are the only believer in your family or in your social circles.

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.   James 3:9-10

A lot of people say one thing and do another.  And then there are a lot of people who speak in one manner and then the next they speak in another which is unbecoming.  For example, a friend makes a Facebook status about how the Lord has blessed them and that they aren't worried about the people that are trying to bring them down.  And in that same status they will call family, friends, loved ones and perfect strangers every foul name in the book and end it with..."But I'm not worried because God has my back."  Really?

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.  Psalms 19:14

I hear a lot of people say that swearing isn't a bad thing and we even have television shows where even the priests curse and accepted.  Yet, if a small child were out in public and they began to use the same language it would be embarrassing or mortifying to most of us.  Why?  Because for a Christian, cursing/cussing is out of character.  A perfect example is found in Mark 14:70-71 when Peter was found out to be one of Jesus' disciples.  He was told that his very speech betrayed him and proved that he was a follow of Christ so what did he do to try and change the minds of the people around him?  He started to curse and to swear.  See, the truth of the matter is the more time you spend with Jesus, the less you want to and find yourself using foul language.  Does that mean that you aren't a Christian anymore?  No, it just means that you have something that needs to be worked on and fortunately for you, you know exactly who can help you with it.  Because as long as you stayed close to Him, you didn't have that problem.  It only became a problem when you took matters into your own hands.  When you decided that you'd had enough and you were going to give so and so a piece of your mind or that you would no longer hold your tongue.  And that he/she said something nasty to you and you were going to say something just as nasty, if not worse, to them.  For the tongue to be such a little part of the body it can cause a world of trouble, hurt and pain.  And we ought to be more careful of the words we use when we speak.  Leave that in the hands of Jesus.  Take a deep breath and if you have to, walk away.

Are You for Real?

So how can you tell is someone is sincere and just had a "slip of the tongue" or if they are only pretending to be Christlike because it suits their needs at the time?  We are told that we will know them by their works.  Romans 3:13-18 also paints us a picture of the type of person who lets their mouth rule over them.  It says, "Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes."  So when you find yourself around people like that then you need to separate yourself or else you'll find that you get caught up in all kinds of drama, losing your religion and, yep.  Cussing somebody out.  It's a shame, but it happens.  "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." I Corinthians 15:33

Seek Peace and Pursue It

So I leave you with this, let's strive to follow the example of our Lord and Savior, able to accept his robe of righteousness, so that we can be found blameless when that time comes. "And finally, all be of one mind, having compassion on one another, loving the brothers, tenderhearted, friendly. Never give back evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, giving blessing, knowing that you are called to this so that you might inherit blessing. For he that wants to love life and to see good days, let him restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile. Let him turn aside from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears open to their prayers. But the Lord's face is against those who do evil. And who is the one who will harm you if you become imitators of the good?  I Peter 3:8-13

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

New Beginnings

It's been a while since I last blogged anything. Time has flown past and so many things have happened, good and bad. I happened to read someone else's blog and it inspired me to update my own. I can't promise I'll stick with it daily, weekly or monthly, but I'm here for now.

So, my kids are all grown up. They will all be in their 20's this year, God willing. I still remember the first day I took the oldest to kindergarten, and when the twins went also. I remember thinking, I have just a little more time before I could also have the youngest in school too and then I'd have a little more time to myself. Those years flew past, mercifully, and now they're all in college. They're getting old.

I couldn't take classes this past semester due to some financial setbacks but I plan to go this summer. Funny enough, my son is taking a class with me this summer. That should be interesting. The previous semester I had a class with my oldest daughter, she didn't finish the course. I don't know if I felt a little betrayed by that at first. I mean, her not finishing somehow, in my mind, reflected on my character. The professor never asked why she didn't continue but he knew she was my daughter and I imagined in my mind that somehow I had failed to teach her to stick with things even when they seemed a little rough at the moment. But in her defense, she was going through a very hard and emotional time. I might be able to talk about that later in more detail but not right now. My youngest has struggled this semester also...I attribute it to burn out. Not everyone can push through a full load during back to back semesters. They aren't me, I have to come to that realization sometimes that they aren't clones of myself. We handle stress differently.

I would like to share that the best decision I made was in October 2011 to renew my faith in Jesus and get back involved in church. Honestly, I've never been at more peace and happier in life. I've been going to a church for the majority of my life. Out of 40+ years, I can say I've probably not faithfully attending services for maybe 12 of them and those were some of the darkest days of my life, literally. Devoid of any true connection with God, life was as hopeless as having a glazed doughnut for a lifesaver in the middle of the ocean. I went through depressions, I had thoughts of suicide, my relationships with spouses, family and friends were tense and some were non-existent. I had nothing to look forward to but my eventual demise and who would miss me?

Looking back on events, I can see how God was working with me, setting events and people into my life that would call me back to the joy and love that I knew as a child, when I wasn't so caught up in what the world had to offer (illusions of wealth, fun and love). There's not enough praise I can give the Lord for taking me out of the world I once lived in. And as a bonus, me and my husband were baptized on the same day so me and my best friend can truly share everything with one another. Our hopes, our dreams and our faith. When people aren't really practicing their faith they sometimes think nothing of attaching to someone who has little to nothing in common with it. I've been there and done that. It's hard when you try to get back into it and you don't have that support from the person who's supposed to be the closest to you. Not that it can't be done, it's just harder. So I thank God for a husband who has a common belief as mine. And to make the prize even sweeter, my children are also more involved in church so we can now worship as a family.

I had to add this to my blog because it's an important part of who I am and my growth as a person. I don't plan to preach but I will share what I learn and know. Hopefully someone will get something positive out of reading about my life experiences. I hope that it will bring them some happiness, laughter or peace in their lives. I hope that it will give someone hope that life does get better and to hang in there. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. God bless.