I'm Forgiven!

While doing my school work today, I've been listening to K-Love. The song "Forgiven" came on, which is by Sanctus Real. It's one I haven't heard in a really long time and it brought up some past memories of mine in which I do regret but through the lyrics, I was reminded of what Christ has not only done for me, but for you and anyone else born into this world.

Here are the Lyrics..

"Well the past is playing with my head

And failure knocks me down again

I’m reminded of the wrong

That I have said and done

And that devil just wont let me forget

In this life

I know what I’ve been

But here in your arms

I know what I am

[chorus]

I’m forgiven

I’m forgiven

And I don’t have to carry

The weight of who I’ve been

Cause I’m forgiven

My mistakes are running through my mind

And I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night

When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride

Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry

In this life

I know what I’ve been

But here in your arms

I know what I am

[back to chorus]

When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere

When I don’t measure up to much in this life

Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause

[back to chorus]"

I'm quite sure that all of us have done things, said things, thought things, that we wish we hadn't. It's very easy to get caught up in the regretful things we have done and forget the meaningful, God-glorifying things we have yet to do.

If your past ever seems to bug you or even go so deep to ache your heart, I encourage you to remember that you ARE forgiven. Let God's Word speak for itself:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 43:25-26

When you come to Christ and repent, He no long remembers your sins but they are completely blotted out! There is hope in the name of Jesus Christ!

My Challenge to you: Whether you struggle with things in your past or not, praise Jesus for His amazing love, mercy and forgiveness! There is nothing that can hold you back, no sin that you cannot conquer, no challenge that you cannot overcome, no past regret that you can't make peace with - in the Name of Jesus. Beneath His wings, there is a promise for all of our futures! :) What an encouraging promise that is!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus …”

Romans 8:1

Thank You, God!

Okay, so maybe I'm a little late, considering the fact that Thanksgiving was nearly two weeks ago. But hey, who says it has to be Thanksgiving in order to be thankful? :)

I feel incredible today. Absolutely amazing. The best I've felt in weeks.. months! 

And I want all my praise to go to God, my sweet, sweet Savior! 

I've been working hard at work, in school, and in my spiritual life. I'm taking a week-long break from Facebook until Sunday (which also has been amazing - I don't miss it a single bit!). I'm getting things accomplished, I'm doing (what I think is) a good job too! 

My joy is increasing daily and "it is well with my soul!"

There are so many things in my life that God has blessed me with.

I have incredible friends who I love dearly and they, in return, love me! These friendships and relationships have given me the opportunity to share Christ's love, to share joy, encouragement, and courage. They have given me opportunities to help carry the burdens of others, to be that extra support they need in times of discomfort and troubles and vice versa. I have had some of the best laughs, and some of the best cries (haha). :) I've also had some amazing late night phone calls (Thank you Laura for being so good of a friend to let me lose sleep.. ;P) Hehehe. Not to mention my also, amazing, family. My parents... ah! They've done so much for me... I am so fortunate as to have two very loving parents who have taken good care of me all my past 17+ years. :) Love you Mom and Dad! (Even though they probably will never read this, hahah).

I have, probably, one of the best youth groups and church family in the entire world! Youth group and my church have given me so many growing experiences and opportunities! I love it so much! My youth group each Sunday is so refreshing and starts me out for the next coming week. It also encourages me greatly and has been so meaningful. Youth group has been such an important part of my life the past (almost) two years!

I have a job. Yes, at Panera Bread. Now while it's not the most exciting or the most enjoyable... I still have one. And not everyone can say that! God has given me many opportunities there to share about my faith and also to be an example of Him and His love. 

Lastly but certainly not least - I have Jesus. Yes, yes, YES! I have my sweet, sweet Prince. I owe Him my life... all that I am and ever could be. He has been so faithful to me, time and time again. I have had many down times the past few months and He has continued to bring me through those valleys and refill me with strength and love. He has saved me... and I thank Him for that. He has loved me... and I thank Him for that. He has been faithful.. and oh, how I thank Him for that! I love Him! My life would be so different without Him and all that He is to me. God is not a good God--He is an amazing God! 

I decided to get creative and make my own pic. :)

My challenge to you: Remember your blessings! Whether life is good or bad or even in between for you right now, remember your blessings. What has God given you? What has He blessed you with? What can you praise Him for today? :)

Psalm 103:1-5

"Praise the LORD, my soul;
   all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
 Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits— 

who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,  

who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,   

who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."

(Check out the rest of Psalm 103 here!)

For Those of You Tempted to Read the "Last Chapter"...

Have you ever read a REALLY good book? One that either has you completely intrigued or engrossed in its pages? ...Ever been tempted to flip the pages to the end and read what happens?

Me too! :) It's hard not to isn't it?

Sometimes I wish I could see what is coming in my life--to "flip the pages" to the end to see what happens. Sometimes I wish God would answer my questions about my life and what is going to happen... just so I could know and then not have to be concerned or anxious. 

Nevertheless, God doesn't tell us directly or fully what is going to happen in the future of our lives. In fact, it's rather like a book, where there may be foreshadowing or hints of what is to come. Our lives are the same, we may receive some guidance from God as to what direction to head that could "hint" as to where we are going to end up. Even then, they can be very subtle and sometimes you really can't make anything of them... just like with reading a book. You have to wait. 

And why do you wait when it comes to reading a book? Because if you didn't, it would ruin the story. You wouldn't be able to appreciate all the chapters that lead up to it--the struggle to reach the success, the happy ending, the coming together of the plot, etc.

And it's the same with God. If God were going to tell us what the outcome of a certain situation was, it would not only ruin the surprise of the ending (which we know with God, it HAS to and WILL be amazing!), but it would also lead you to not appreciate what good ending you received from God. You wouldn't appreciate it because you didn't have to go through the previous stages (chapters) of trusting in God and having faith in Him that He will bring you through that circumstance/uncertainty/etc.

My challenge for you is: Be patient! If perhaps, right now, you have some questions for God or you wish you could know what was going to happen in a particular area of your life, my advice is to simply be patient and to trust in God. Trust me, I know that's easy to say in those simple seven words and a lot harder to do in reality, but it's the best thing you can do (along with prayer)! Just keep progressing through each "chapter" while waiting for God to do His good and perfect will, and I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised! :)

Psalm 27: 13-14

"I remain confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living. 

 Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD."

Beautifully Selfless

Beautifully selfless is the main theme of this blog. Being selfless completely for Jesus Christ. Why? Because He gave himself up for me, He died for me, and now it's my turn to live for Him. 

Dying to self is probably one of the hardest things any of us could do. It goes against every part of our hearts and minds, which is telling us to do the opposite. It's letting go of all we ever wanted, of all we ever dreamed for. It's letting go of all that our heart cries out for and rather, crying out to God for what HE wants. 

My heart aches in certain places. Places that I have yet to completely die to self. I bet you know what I mean. Sometimes it's hard to understand why we must do this. Let's see what God's word says....

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

This verse describes the exact truth of how we must be. When we come to know Christ, we are saying "Yes Jesus, I am giving up myself to You. It is no longer I that lives, but I am dying to my sinful nature, to my selfish wants, and living for Your glory and Your will." Now, we can't always be this way, simply because we are bound to stumble at times. But, ultimately, when Jesus comes into our lives, we are commanded and called to release all that we are to Him.

Sometimes we think it would just be much easier to have what we want and NOT die to self. And hey, it IS easy! But is that really the life we're called to live? 

One thing I've learned is that being a follower of Jesus means having a life of sacrifice. 

I can tell you, 100% assurance and in complete honesty, it is worth it.

Yes, it is ridiculously hard. It's a constant battle.

But it is so worth it. Jesus is worth it!

I may try to plan the steps I will take or the things I want to do. But do I have any assurance or certainty of those working out? No.

With Jesus, I may not have any planned steps, truthfully, I may actually have no idea where I am going. I may have no certain direction. But, what I do know, is that Jesus knows where I am going. He has planned steps, he has my direction. While I may have to rely completely on Him with all the faith and trust in me, I also can know that Jesus is doing something amazing, something I cannot fully see. And the best part is, I do have assurance and I do know that the way I'm headed is one that is blessed with joy and meaning. One that is full of surprises... things I could have never dreamed of! 

What could be of any greater worth than dying to self and living for Jesus?

Luke 9: 23-25

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?"