I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Giving What You’ve Been Given
Some people are hard to love. Most of us have relationships in our lives that are difficult or painful to engage in. But Scripture encourages us to make every opportunity possible to love those around us.
Christians should be the most loving people on the planet. Of all the people on earth, we have been given the ultimate gift from God. We have not only received salvation and eternal life, but we’ve received the gift of God Himself.
God the Father gave us the breath that we breathe. Jesus brought us to Himself so that we might be saved by His power. The Spirit of God lives within us and empowers us for every good deed. All of these things have been freely given to us with no strings attached.
Having received this amazing love and mercy from God, we ought to love others in the same way. When we love others in the same manner that God has loved us, we exhibit the greatest evidence that we are children of God. Jesus said,
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:35 NIV
Similar to how we can prove counterfeit money by how it looks and feels, we can determine the quality of our own faith by how well we love others.
If we fail to love those around us, we also fail to show them the love of God. We should not deny others what we’ve been freely given. Loving others doesn’t mean we need to willingly be mistreated, or agree with someone else’s lifestyle or worldview. It does mean that we need to use every opportunity to love them the way God loves them.
So when you have an opportunity to give someone a second chance, do so in love. Or when you have the chance to help someone in need, do so cheerfully.
Are there people in your life that you can be more loving toward? Take some time today to reflect first on the love of God that you have received through Christ. Make a list of all of the ways God has been good to you. Next, consider the people in your life who you can love better. Write down a list of some simple steps you can take to show the love of God to people.
Jesus Does The Impossible
Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:26 is often taken out of context. Many people have taken this verse to mean that they can do anything they want in life because God can do the impossible. Often this can lead to selfish prayers and a small view of God.
In order to understand what Jesus is saying, we should read the preceding verses. In Matthew 19:16-22, a young man comes to Jesus asking for eternal life. Jesus tells him that he must give up all of his earthly possessions—something the young man is not willing to do. Because he failed the test, the young man failed to inherit eternal life.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:23 that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. The point is that loving Jesus requires everything we are. Our ultimate love cannot be split between Jesus and something else.
The disciples then ask, “Who can be saved?” Jesus responds in Matthew 19:26 that it is impossible for man to save himself—but it is possible with God. God can do the ...
