Love You

God loves you. As Christians we hear that statement often, in fact, we might even say it to people. But do you believe that applies to you too? See, it's easy to say "God loves you" the tough part is saying "God loves me." It's easy for us to believe that God loves that other person but when we think about ourselves we can get into the dangerous habit of believing we are unlovable. God doesn't believe that, and neither should you!

1 John 4:9 (NLT)

⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

God loves you so much he sacrificed his son! If that's not love then nothing is! How can we even think he doesn't love every one of us! God loves us, but most importantly he loves me. We have to accept that he loves us before we can tell people that he loves them.

When we accept the truth of God's love we must come to the understanding of it. His love never runs out, he loves us all equally. He doesn't love Jimmy because Jimmy praises better or has a better family. That doesn't matter to God all that matters to him is that you know his love. A love so strong that he gave us his son. A love so strong that, if you put your faith behind it, nothing can stop you! A love strong enough to cover every sin, no matter how bad. A love worth living for. God wants to share that love with you. A love so bold that his son died for it. I promise that if you give into the love that is love, you're life will never be the same from this point. Because God loves you, and we return that love by loving ourselves.

Being a Doer

Recently my church held their annual Impartation conference, with Doug Jones and Keith Moore coming to speak with us from Saturday-Wednesday. To say it was an awesome experience would be understating it. I had come expecting great things and God gave me that and more!

I've heard some of the awesome things that God did in other people's lives during Impartation, but for me, it wasn't about what God did, it was what he promised. For the past couple months I had been content on living  a modest life, not really concerned about being an example of Christ and doing what he's called and more with living life as I saw fit. Content to live life in my own little bubble.

Monday night that bubble was shattered. Monday night was Keith Moore's first night and he got my attention instantly with these words."Don't tell me what you believe, tell me what you've done, then I'll know what you believe."

Immediately I perked up. "He's talking to you..." my mind would tell me, and he was. (Of course he wasn't just talking to me but you get the point.) I then asked myself a very important question...what have I done?

The bible tells us to be doers of the Word. (James 1:22) To not just live our lives for ourselves but for Christ, who gave his life for our redemption. That means doing the work he's called us to do. And up until that night, I hadn't been, he had laid on my heart for a long time to wise up and start being an example for him and for whatever reason, I neglected to do it.

God has given us the promise that if we follow him we will live a life free from the hold of sin, free from death, that nothing can ever hope to hold us back because the God that created the stars is with us! Looking at it now, I don't know what I was so afraid of.

I've come to the conclusion that if we truly want to make a difference in this world, we must be doers, our actions, more than anything, speak the message of Christ. "Tell me what you've done, then I'll know what you believe." Every action we make speaks to who we are. Be a doer, and you won't believe what God does through you!

Life After Death (Part 2)

So why do we have death? We have death because of the sin that's in our world and Sin originated from Adam and Eve.

"But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge and good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die"

Genesis 2:17 (NIV)

God wasn't lying, because when Adam ate from that tree Sin was brought to Earth and death came upon us. Because of this we are separated from God, in fact, that's why Jesus came.

Jesus came to give us access to God. Before Jesus, people could not talk to God without covering they're face because of their sins. Jesus came to take all of our sins and give us power over them.

Before Jesus, the temples of God had a veil over them to signify man's separation from God. When Jesus died that veil was torn from top to bottom. Because of Jesus, Sin and death have no power. Jesus rose from the grave and conquered them. Most importantly, Jesus gave everyone access to heavean, as long as they believe that Jesus died for them. It's that simple. Because of Jesus, we all can have hope for the future.