...I'm so busy it's crazy... which means that I'm way tired too.  But I'm hanging in there by the grace of God.  Soon most of it will be over anyway.  I got two things off my plate just last week.  And after Halloween another two will be down.  All that's really left is to finish the renovations on my room so that I can move back in.  I can't wait.  Living in my little brother's room is not fun... at all...  just in case you didn't already know that.

    Anyway, I thought I'd drop another installment in the Christian basics... thing... I'm trying to write.  The topic is "no condemnation" and it's based on the verse Romans 8:1.  It's my personal favorite.

    "For in Christ there is no condemnation." Romans 8:1

    This is my favorite verse of all times.  Why?  Because I struggle with guilt.  I'm one of those people who feels guilty for things when I wasn't anywhere near them - I feel guilty for things that happened when I wasn't even born yet!  If I see a cop I feel guilty - even if I haven't done anything wrong.  For a long time I felt like the worst sinner on earth.  No, I never murdered, stole, slept around, I hardly even lied (except to say I brushed my teeth when I hadn't when I was four...).  but I yelled when I got mad, and I thought unkind things.  So I decided that meant I was a terrible Christian.  I was constantly asking God to forgive me and wondering why he'd want anything to do with me.  One night at a Church retreat I stumbled across this verse (this was before I began reading my bible daily on my own) and it was like my whole perspective shifted.  God doesn't expect me to be perfect, and he doesn't want me to feel like a horrible person.  Sure I make mistakes and sure I need to be forgiven, but once God has forgiven me the it's as if I never did anything wrong.  Another verse in the Bible says that God removes are sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  So God forgives me completely when I ask in Jesus' name.  Which makes it a little silly not to forgive myself.  It's like throwing his gift back in his face.

   So... If you are a non-Christian and you think you are too terrible for God to love - it isn't true.  He loves everyone and he'll forgive anything so long as we have accepted Jesus as our savoir and we ask.  And if you are a Christian struggling with guilt, remember that you don't have to beat yourself up. God wants you to be free not in bondage.  If God is willing to forgive us who are we to say no?

    Later this week I'll try to talk about three types of people who reject Christ.  It won't be judgmental or anything. I'm just going to present the most common arguments against Christianity and then try to answer them.  After that I plan to start in on the basic truths of Christianity.  Things like: Is there absolute truth?  What exactly is the Bible? What does God expect of Christians?  Those sorts of topics.  Until later then!

    Oh!  And in case you are wondering, the avatar is Kakashi from the anime Naruto.  Those of you who know me know that I watch anime (though I'm very selective.  I don't like homosexuality, excessive gore, sexual content, etc...)  And those of you who know Naruto know that Kakashi's book (that he is hiding under) is not an... appropriate book.  The picture does not mean I approve of Kakashi's bad habit.  I chose it because he looks like he's cringing away from punishment.  I thought that was an appropriate feeling for this subject.  In case you are wondering reading "adult" books is not a good thing, I don't do it, and if I ever get to a point in Naruto where they are showing us the things that happen in those Icha books I won't be watching it anymore.   

 
Current Mood: busy
 

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