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.
A Gift Worth Receiving
After Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for almost four decades, the religious Jews were angry with Him. This may seem strange, because healing is a good thing, but Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath—the day of rest. In the Old Testament, God gave believers a long list of rules to follow in order to stay right with Him, and these rules included honoring the Sabbath.
But in the New Testament, Jesus was sent to change our relationship with the Father. By sacrificing Himself on the cross, He gave us access to a relationship with God—so that long list of rules was no longer needed. Throughout Jesus' life, He shows people the nature of this new relationship. But because it didn’t line up with what the religious establishment believed, they were angry with Him.
In John 5, Jesus justifies these changes through revealing His true authority. By calling God His Father, He shared that He was equal to God. This angered the religious Jews, but it gives us a deeper look into the relationship between the Father and Son.
Jesus tells us that the Father and Son are united in love. The Son does not ‘work’ for the Father—instead they work together, and the work Jesus does perfectly reflects the will of His Father.
This relationship reveals that Jesus has authority to give us eternal life with Him.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5:24 ESV
When we hear God’s Word and believe in Jesus, we have access to a relationship with Him that will last forever. Unlike the Jews in the Old Testament before this new covenant, we don’t have to follow strict laws perfectly to gain salvation.
All we have to do is accept the gift Jesus has given us through His authority. Have you accepted this gift?
Prayers for Anxiety
The feeling of anxiety might be one of the most common human experiences. Every person, at some level, has felt anxious or worried. While it is a common human experience, that doesn’t mean that it’s the ideal human experience that God wants for us.
Anxiety can often occur in moments when we feel like we’re losing control of a situation, or maybe even when we feel helpless. We can feel anxious when we’re uncomfortable or nervous.
In each of these scenarios, God wants to provide an answer and a help for when we’re struggling. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul encourages the church community there to bring all of their worries and anxiety to God through prayer.
While we sometimes think we can fix our problems, we’re actually inadequate at it. God is the only one who truly knows exactly what we need.
In Scripture, God is called our Provider, our Healer, and our Sustainer. He is ready and willing to help us when we’re in need. Because of that, we have so much ...
