Let It Go

Well. I'm back. Christmas is coming up and it has been super busy this past week! Then my computer went whack on me and I had to get it fixed. Now it's all good :)

So, tomorrow is Christmas! Yay!! I can't believe it's already here!! But I wont be talking about Christmas for this post. You will hear all about Christmas from family, friends, and pastors. So, I will not give you something else about it.

Today, I just wanted to talk about forgiveness. What is forgiveness? Why should we forgive? Is it really a big deal to forgive?

Forgiveness is, figuratively speaking, taking a wrong done to you and erasing it as it never existed. Just like Christ did for us when he died on the cross for our sins. He took his blood and put it over our sins and washed us white as snow. As if it we were never dirty.

We should forgive because Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). We are trying to live our life like Christ. Forgiveness is a part of that. It's hard, but not impossible. Yeah, people wrong us, but we wronged God 100 times worse, yet He forgave us. So, why is it so hard to forgive others?

It is a huge deal to forgive others! God tells us that we should. He says that if we forgive each other then He will forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15). Don't you want the Creator of everything to forgive you? Especially when He is the Judge of your life and the only One that can say that you can go to heaven? I do.

I'm not saying that it is the easiest thing ever. I'm saying it's possible.

I started the "practice" of forgiving at a young age. I heard it preached many times in Sunday school and knew that I needed to forgive others if God was going to forgive me. So, it became a habit not long after. Now, forgiveness is one of my strong points in life. It makes things easier for me. I don't have to carry around the burden of being mad and upset with someone because I choose to forgive them.

Not saying that I am a perfect human being for being able to forgive. I'm not. I'm just saying that it is a huge peace for me because I do. It's not too late to start forgiving. You can get into the habit now. Just think of someone that has wronged you and let go of it.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

The Family Tree and How It's Connected

Well, I am finally done with this semester of school! Yay!

Anyway...

So, my favorite holiday is coming up... Christmas!! I just love the feeling of Christmas. The lights and songs. They just get you in the Christmas spirit and makes you feel lively.

You hear all over the town/city that Jesus is the reason for the season! This is true. Very true. We are celebrating the birth of Christ when Christmas comes around. So, of course he is the reason for the season!

Though Jesus is the main person we should be thinking about this Christmas season, let us not forget all the other people that should be recognized.

First, Adam and Eve. We wouldn't have needed a Savior to be born if it weren't for them.
Second, Noah. He was the restart of human life.
Third, Abraham. He was promised to have a great nation come after him.
Fourth, Joseph. He trusted God through his trials and was also in the lineage of Christ.
Fifth, David. One of the greatest rulers because he was righteous in God's eyes and also apart of the lineage of Christ.
Sixth, Mary. She bore Jesus and was ridiculed for being pregnant before marriage!
Seventh, Joseph. He was Jesus' father and stuck by Mary.
Eighth, Gabriel. He was the angel of the Lord that appeared to Mary and Joseph.
Ninth, shepherds. They listened to the angels and went to worship Jesus as a little baby just as the angels told them to.
Tenth, wise men. They followed the star to find Jesus as a young boy.
Eleventh, King Herod. He wanted every baby boy killed because he was afraid of his throne being stolen.

No, I did not name all the people that were a big part of the Christmas story, but these are some of the most known people. We always think of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men, and angels. We don't usually think about the others.

Why should we think of the other people? Because without them, the story would be different. The story could still exist, but it would not be the same. The way everything happened was because of the people from the beginning of time to the birth of Christ (and after). Shows you that God has a plan and purpose for people, even when they don't see it. It just might be for something later on in the future.

Just a thought I wanted to put out there.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Just An Update

Hey, y'all!

I have been so busy and distracted with school (end of the semester and finals are here), the holidays, and my 20th birthday. Sorry about not getting on for so long!

Tonight I don't have anything legit to say. Just want y'all to know that I'm still here. I will get back on in a day or so and do a legit post for you guys.

I have also decided to do this blog once a week instead of daily ('cause daily hasn't been working very well). It will be easier for me and I can have more to talk about each time and come up with new things a lot easier.

So, I hope Thanksgiving was great for you guys and hope the end of the school year is going well! Enjoy the Christmas music and lights!

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Put Your Trust in Christ

I've been reading in Genesis for the past days. You know what stuck out to me the most in the first few stories? Trust.

Trust is something huge. I personally don't like to trust many people with stuff. I have a handful of people that I do and can trust though. They know my secrets, they know my struggles, they know my mistakes, they know anyone and everyone I am crushing on, and pretty much everything. Trust is a huge thing for me. I love it when I can trust people with my stuff and when others can trust me with their stuff. It feels kind of awesome.

So, what about trust in Genesis stuck out to me? Well, trust in God. What each person in the Bible thought about and did when it came to trusting God.

Adam and Eve were the first two humans on earth. They trusted God to provide for them and take care of them, but they didn't trust God to obey what He said. They ate the fruit and were pretty much doomed for it.

Noah trusted God to take care of him and his family during the flood. Noah built the ark even when others were mocking him and just being rude. They were on the ark for a pretty long time, but Noah knew God would protect them. And God did. He provided for them after they came off the ark and blessed them. He even made a covenant with Noah to not ever flood the earth and used the rainbow as a sign of the promise.

Abram trusted God to have the land that he was promised. He went away from what he knew and went to different lands and God provided for the needs of his people. Abram didn't trust God to help him when he came to Egypt and lied to the pharaoh about Sarai being his wife. He didn't trust God to provide a child through Sarai when God said he would. Abraham (called that after God told him about him having a child through Sarai) trusted God later on with the child coming from his aging wife Sarah (called that after being promised to give birth to a son). Abraham trusted God to do His will when he went up the mountain to sacrifice his own son, Isaac, and he lived. God did everything He said He would for Him.

Lot did not trust God for land and he was taken prisoner. Lot did not trust God to bring him what he needed in his land and his own town was destroyed by God's angels. Lot trusted God when they ran away from Sodom and he was spared his life (because of his uncle Abraham), but his wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she didn't listen to God when He said "Do not look back."

So, why do I give you these examples? Because these people trusted God with pretty much their lives! And we can't even trust Him to provide for our little needs! We need to be able to place things in the hands of God and not worry. God promises that He will provide, we just need to trust Him. We need to go to the cross and lay everything at the feet of Jesus and say "Here, take this. It's too much for me to worry about, but I know that all I need to do is give it to you. So, do what you will and I trust you enough for me not to worry." And we need to just walk away and let God deal with it all. We can't do anything on our own, so why try? Trust God to be what you need and give what you need.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Where Can I Flee From Your Presence?

Do you believe that God is everywhere? That He is in heaven, on earth, inside of you, etc.? I mean, if you believe what The Book says, then of course you do! God is omnipresent. He is everywhere.

Ok. Well, then do you believe that God is in heaven AND hell? Harder question, right? Most people I know would answer "No!" in a heartbeat. Why would you say no? Because only sin belongs there? Only the ones that don't believe in God are there? Well, where's your proof of that? Yeah, the Bible talks about how unbelievers go to hell. It's the home of the devil when he gets thrown into hell in the end. Where does it say that it is only meant for that?

If you agree with the fact that God is everywhere, then you should believe that God is also in hell. Not His good, righteous, merciful, and loving side. No. His wrathful, vengeful, just, and angry side. He pours all His wrath into hell and on the people there. The Bible talks about how God gets angry and about His wrath. Where else, but hell, would he release all of it?

Now let's look at a passage that can help show you that God is everywhere...

Psalm 139:7-12
-Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
for the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

David wrote this passage in the Psalms. He says that God is everywhere and that he cannot hide from Him no matter where he goes. He can't go to heaven for God is there. He can't go to hell because He is there. The darkness is not dark to God. There is no where that a person can go that they are away from God.

Just a thought.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Eternal Life for Babies

Do infants go to heaven or not? Yes or no? And why would you say that?

That question was asked in my Sunday morning class yesterday. I thought I would biblically answer it now because the class didn't wanna get into an "argument" over this issue even though there is biblical proof pointing one way.

An infant's mind is not developed enough to understand right from wrong or understand the concept of heaven or hell or even saved or not saved. So, why would a just God send a helpless child to hell?

He doesn't. Now here is the biblical proof and examples...

Deuteronomy 1:39
-And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad -- they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.

God knows that children do not understand what good or bad is and He lets them come to Him when they die at that age.

In 2 Samuel 12 it talks about King David's son being dead. David moaned for the death of his son, but then he had to stop because he finally realized that he would see him again. He said in verse 23 "...I will go to him, but he will not return to me." He knew that he would be going to heaven and that he would see his son again there.

Psalm 132:11 says "The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: one of the sons of your body I will set on your throne." One of the sons was going to be on David's own thrown in heaven.

God is a just and righteous God. He says that people have no excuse not to believe in Him when the evidence is all around us in nature. So, if we choose not to believe even when we see that beauty of His creation, then we will go to hell even if we haven't heard the gospel. The people that refuse to believe after seeing the creation are the one's that can comprehend it and their minds are developed enough. God is fair. He wont send a child to hell since he is too young to understand anything. It's not that the child wont listen and believe, it's that he can't comprehend it. So why would he be sent to hell for that?

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

When Can a Person Morally "Lose" Their Virginity?

I used to think that the Bible never said anything about being a virgin until marriage. I only heard of staying pure, but it never really explained what "pure" really meant. I knew not to have sexual relations with the same sex, not lusting, keeping my language what God would want, and all that. I knew those just because other verses in the Bible had talked specifically about them. I just never could find a verse that talked about saving your body for marriage. And then I did.

It's one of the verses in the beginning. In Genesis. It isn't as obvious, but it is implied in the verse.

Genesis 2:24
-That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

So, the man leaving "his father and mother to be united with his wife" is the marriage part. The part where a man publicly shows that he loves the woman and wants to spend the rest of his life with her and have a family. He leaves his parents so that they can both have a life together alone. And then the "they become one flesh" is the sexual intercourse. I mean, it's not the greatest verse to show you specifically what God's plan was. But you don't see people in the Bible not getting married before sex unless they are a harlot or prostitute. Throughout the Bible, the man and woman see each other and fall in love and then get married. And then they have kids. This is the most clear verse of what God wanted though. He would have said it differently if He didn't care if you had sex with anyone you wanted before sex, but He said it the way it is.

Short post tonight, but just something simple I thought I would bring up.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13