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.
God’s Greatest Gift of Love
In the New Testament Book of Romans, Paul describes what life without Christ is like: heartbreakingly distant from the God who made us and loves us. But he also describes the goodness and grace of Jesus, the only path back to God through salvation.
In Romans 5:8 Paul explains that while we were still distant from God and running from Him, God sent Jesus to die for us. It’s through this that God displays His ultimate love for us as children.
Paul isn’t just speaking in theory—he is speaking from experience! God met Paul in the midst of his work to persecute Christians. And while Paul was an enemy of God, God still made a way for Paul to come back to the heart of Jesus.
The same is true of us.
Regardless of what our life looks on the outside, we all start at the same place as Paul–we were all once distant from God. And it is only through Jesus that we have been brought close to God, and are now part of God’s family. You have a way back to God, thanks to Jesus' sacrifice!
Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We'll have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but other times, these experiences come together.
In either case and in any situation, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to pause and praise God.
This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritize prayer. And when things are going well and we're feeling cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not stop long enough to praise God for it. But every season of life is actually just an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about…
When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are cheerful or happy, let us praise God. When others are happy, let us praise God with ...
