So as of late I've really been making some lifestyle changes so that I live a spirit led/filled life. I've been celibate, I don't really drink liquor anymore (although I did have a drink Sat)..well it's few and far between I should say, my conversations have changed, my choice of diet has changed, I don't do the things I used to and I must say that I'm truly in a happy place in my life right now. God has been good. Things I used to struggle with are no longer a struggle...often times I may get tempted but it's no longer a STRUGGLE to resist. Although I say all these things it was certainly a long road for me to get to this point trying to battle the demons of my past and the temptations/lusts of my flesh. I've learned to love myself, love others, and to love God. I don't mean to just SAY I love God and others but to TRULY love Him...and them :). So anywho I thought I'd share a few things that have been on my heart as well as some Word that was preached. This is for those who still struggle with sin...which essentially should be all of us...maybe it will help some of you guys but if not then yea it was certainly for me!
There are three things that sin kills in your life:
- Your Innocence
- The effects of sin can still remain. (guilt, shame, loss of self worth, etc)
- Your Ideals
- Our moral compass is compromised. We now begin to compare ourselves to the World who don't know Christ instead of comparing ourselves to Christ and convince ourselves that compared to the people "out there" we're living right. We begin to do that which we thought we'd never do and say things we thought we would never say. We begin to now walk upright in sin saying things like "Don't judge me" or "God knows my heart". The truth is that he DOES know our heart and it's far from Him.
- Your Will
- Our soul then becomes enslaved to sin. In the losing of our ideals we sinned because we ENJOYED it, now we do it because we NEED it. We can't stand life without it and will even go through withdrawal when we can't do it/ have it. We have now become a slave to our own nature.
At the same time that this is going on we still stumble into church for a good Word and then go home and continue to sin. We ignore the spirit of conviction or in some cases manage to drown it out so that we don't even notice it anymore. Oh it's always there because He never leaves us or forsakes us so when we don't hear it it's because we've walked away from it. We become like Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12). As Paul is preaching downstairs Eutychus sits in a window sill upstairs. He's close enough to hear the word and yet he's in the window so that he doesn't miss the beat of the street. Close enough to see church and close enough to touch sin. Eutychus falls asleep and falls OUT of the window (into the street representative of his sin) to his death. When he falls, church stops and Paul rushes outside to COVER Eutychus WHERE HE FELL and brings him to life. In this story Paul represents the grace of God.
The thing is...GRACE AIN'T CHEAP. It was bought with a price and it can NOT be earned. We can't continue to live on the fringes of disobedience. The pastor Sat. gave this example for God's grace:
A woman has a 2yr old son who is riding his tricycle in the street and is struck dead by a drunk driver. Although the driver is convicted and serves his time in prison NOTHING he does can bring the woman's son back. If he dedicates his life to doing good deeds for this woman and her family it will NEVER bring her son back. He can never EARN her forgiveness. For her to forgive him it has to be GIVEN because there is nothing he can do to earn it.
This is how we are with God. We sin..over and over again. Often times we think that we can make up for it by doing good deeds or making promises that we continue to break. God's grace is bigger than our broken promises. He died on the cross while we were yet sinners. Our past mistakes nor our future mess ups will prevent us from communing with God (He STILL communed with His disciples KNOWING that they would deny him and betray him at the time of His death). God's grace is given..it is never earned. Just as we can't earn His grace, we can't earn salvation. He ALREADY died on the cross, salvation is freely given, we simply have to accept it. It's hard to understand how a God can offer love, grace, salvation etc to a sinner like me but this is where faith steps in.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesias 2:8) ..while you're at it go ahead and read Ephesians 2:1-10 good stuff!
In light of God's grace, mercy, and His love we are to live a life of Thanksgiving. This is why we are obedient to Him and his commandments. God's grace must produce in you a heart of thanksgiving. My obedience is the result of a heart that is thankful. I want to live a life of Thank You. For those who come behind us, the life we live is proof that God is good and that He saves, cleanses, and redeems DESPITE our past. This is also why it is important for you to live a life that reflects Christ because essentially we are the light of the world, the salt of the Earth. People should see God in us through the way that we live and the love that we show them.
God's grace and His mercy has surely kept me. At this point in my life I am determined to life a life of Thank You. I am trying to do this in EVERY aspect of my life. Whether it be my diet/exercise (for my body is a temple), the things I watch, the things I say, the places I go, the things I do...I want it all to say Thank You. Question. How many of us have role models? There's a man/woman out there who makes you say to yourself "I want to be the kind of mom/dad that ____ is" or I want to have the kind of marriage that ____&____ have. But how many of us have Christian role models that we look up to? Do you have any friends that inspire you to strengthen your walk with Christ? For many of us the answer is no. The truth is that we should have someone like this in our lives and more importantly we should BE that person.
So yea that's my post for today..a bit lengthy and perhaps all over the place but I tried to hit on the things that I've learned. I hope this blesses someone out there. Have a happy Monday! :)
-Jess
So yesterday after leaving from my scheduled doctor's appointment, I decided to go to the Nashville Zoo! It was REALLY nice! I thought it would be kinda HOT and that I'd be all sweaty but for the most part the zoo is pretty shaded with lots of trees and bamboo. It doesn't even stink there becuase they've planed so many honeysuckle and other sweet smelling plants which really masks well...everything. Afterwards I went thrifting and bought lots of fruit to make smoothies and I picked out the SWEETEST pineapple! I did the absolute MOST with HOURS of walking yesterday in the WRONG shoes so by the time I got home and actually sat down my poor feet were DONE. Woke up this morning and they are just defeated, I'm even walking with a limp :/ so I'm relaxing today and finishing up some reading. The weather is cooler today so I'll probably go for a jog later this afternoon. I've always known that I enjoy outdoor activities but now I just LOVE outdoor activities whether it be hiking, running, sightseeing...I'm just a country girl. So yea anywho thought I'd share a few pics I took yesterday! Hope you enjoy and God bless! Take some time out of your busy schedule to do something random and kinda fun to relax as well! For the most part I just stood in awe of how beautiful the natural scenary was. God is good :)
