Your Sins Are Thrown Into The Sea

The 7th chapter of Romans speaks of Paul's struggle to do what is right. If Paul ended the book of Romans with chapter 7, we would feel like there is no hope. But thank the Lord here comes chapter 8. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1,2 So what happens when we ask God to forgive us? We fret, worry, feel guilty and forget we are now under the grace of our Lord. God forgives and then he forgets the sin. If we keep asking God to forgive us over and over, his reply is, what are you talking about. God threw that sin into the sea; he does not remember it.

Now, does this give us a license to sin? No, what it does is remove existing sin in your life (permanently). Romans 8:12-17 says "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1 John 1:8-10 Ask God to forgive you if you fail or sin, then let it go, forget it because God has. Then read the Word and work towards a walk in the Spirit of God. You will sin, you will fail, you will make mistakes but if you ask God to direct your path, he will not leave you or forsake you. Ask him immediately when you sin to forgive you.

The worst thing to be without...Hope

To live without hope is to live a sad life. How do you obtain hope? I have been reading the Old Testament of the Bible and it is amazing to me that Israel so often turned it's back on God. They worshiped idols and lived a detestable life of sin, but are they so different than you and I? A somewhat famous quote states "the problem with sin is, "i" am always in the middle of it." We may not worship idols like statues or golden calves, but whatever we put in front of God becomes an idol to us. One way to gain hope is to put God in charge of your life. When we try to run things we tend to mess up anyway. Trusting God to take care of you is tough sometimes. We think God should do things our way. Well, our way is often the wrong way. God is God after all and he truly knows best.

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish my family and friends a very merry Christmas. God has blessed me with a wonderful family and great friends. I pray that each of you will enjoy this our Lord's birthday and that you will reflect on the blessings you have received in 2007. To my friends who I have not met but who may find and read my blog, I pray that if you do not know the Lord as your personal savior that you will not hesitate to ask him into your heart. Jesus died so you can live. I am not worthy of his sacrifice and neither are you. He took your place on that cross because he loves you, no other reason. Give Christ the greatest gift on his birthday, your life. "He died for you, can't you live for him?"

You Are Different Than Me...

We are all different. God made us that way; some of us are white, some are black and some are shades in between. Some of us are rich, some are poor and some are just content with paying their bills on time. Some of us are outspoken, some are quiet and some can't speak at all. Some of us believe life is fun and some of us just struggle to make it through the day. We all have opinions and many are not afraid to share them (I guess I'm one). God loves us and made us all different when we were born; then circumstances and life changed us even more. We all deal with the storms of life; some of us cope very well and some of us do not. God is always there for us; God wants to help us. The question is do we want God's help? Are we willing to trust him? God accepts our differences but he wants to help us change for the better, to be happier and to love life.

Christmas or X-mas?

Christmas or X-mas? The X was used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"). Many Christians believe that the X is a way of blocking out Christ from the word Christmas. Some people believe that the X represents the cross of Christ crucified. There is no background truth for this because the cross is really shaped as a T or+. Europeans in the 16th century started using the X in place of Christ's name as shorthand for writing Christ. So is it OK or not to use an abbreviation of X for Christ. I can only go with my heart and for me I feel very uncomfortable using the X. Christ deserves our full respect and honor. Christmas is a festival of Christ's birth. He is the Son of God. He died for us. I say Christmas is correct and to abbreviate Christ is a sign of laziness and disrespect. This is my opinion; you must follow your heart.

Helping others...

I have been fortunate to have a job that helps others for over 25 years and it is very rewarding. I was a firefighter and paramedic in Florida before moving to Kentucky taking a job in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. I have seen a vast amount of suffering and trauma over the years and being able to help save a life is what allows you to continue. I enjoy my line of work even though I have shed tears over what I've encountered.

We all have a purpose in life. You may not be a life-saver (and I'm not taking about candy here) but you can still offer hope to those who are hurting. Saying a kind word, buying someone a meal when they are hungry or just offering a smile does wonders for those who need help. I believe that whatever you do as a job, God can use you. What we do to help others is really all that matters in the end. It's not about how much money you have or how many toys you own. If we're lucky we may have seventy years on this earth. What are we doing with the years God has given us? Are we helping others with their earthy needs? What about their spiritual needs? Seventy years is really not that long when you compare it to eternity.

Time is running out...

Are You A Hypocrite?

"I don't want to go to that church because there are too many hypocrites there!" I'm sure you have heard this said before or maybe you have said it yourself. Well, no one is perfect and what better place for hypocrites to go than to church. Our Christian walk is a work in progress; we will make mistakes and we will fail. There are hypocrites in all walks of life and no one likes to be called one. This term is not unique to Christians. Some people think that once you become a Christian that you should never make a mistake again. That would be nice if it were true. Unfortunately it is not only false but also unrealistic. We should, with that said, keep striving to be more like Christ remembering that only He is perfect and this is why we need Him so much. Please don't ever give up because it will be worth it in the end.