Religion -vs- The Gospel

"As sinners, we are prone to pursue a relationship with God in one of two ways. The first is religion/spirituality and the second is the gospel. The two are antithetical (opposite) in every way.

Religion says that if we obey God, he will love us. The gospel says that it is because God has loved us through Jesus that we can obey. Religion says that the world is filled with good people and bad people. The gospel says that the world is filled with people who are either repentant or unrepentant. Religion says that you should trust in what you do as a good moral person. The gospel says that you should trust in the perfectly sinless life of Jesus because he alone is the only good and truly moral person who will ever live. The goal of religion is to get from God such things as health, wealth, insight, power, and control. The goal of the gospel is not the gifts God gives, but rather God as the gift given to us by grace. Religion is about what I have to do. The gospel is about what I get to do. Religion sees hardship in life as punishment from God. The gospel sees hardship in life as sanctifying affliction that reminds us of Jesus' suffering and is used by God in live to make us more like Jesus. Religion is about me. The gospel is about Jesus. Religion leads to an uncertainty about my standing before God because I never know if I have done enough to please God. The gospel leads to certainty about my standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus on my behalf on the cross. Religion ends in either pride (because I think I am better than other people) or despair (because I continually fall short of God's commands). The gospel ends in humble and confident joy because of the power of Jesus at work for me, in me, through me, and sometimes in spite of me."

…the central point of the New Testament is that we are more wicked than we ever feared, yet more loved than we ever dreamed."

"A book you'll actually read On the New Testament" by Mark Driscoll

A Trip well Worth it.

::long, deep breath::

Oh boy... in a minute or so it will be about 2hrs since I got home from the airport; and about 4hrs since I arrived from Puerto Rico. I read my emails, a friend's recent blogs, and well... here I am -half asleep- writting one of my own. I couldn't go to sleep without sharing some words.

I am grateful to God for so many things, including that we arrived home safely and that finally I can sleep at my home in MY bed, but today I dearly express my gratitude toward Him for saving my grandma. Saving? From? Hell. Yes, He gave her another opportunity to live with Him for eternity in Heaven, and not an eternity in Hell.

P.R.
Why Puerto Rico you may ask? Well, my grandma lived there and she passed away last weekend, so we went to show support to our mom along with the rest of our family members. And grandma is now in heaven.

How do I know this?

A few months ago a dear friend of the family and minister of God visited P.R. While he was there, he visited my grandma. He spoke to her about having a relationship with Jesus. Having Jesus in her heart. And I'm sure they spoke of plenty other things.

To make a long story short, that day my grandma's name was written in the Book of Life. That day, she accepted Jesus as her Savior... she asked Jesus to come into her heart.

This is how I know she is now in heaven.

Life can change in an instant!

Whether you belive in the Bible or not, the bible is real, and it says that the only way to the Father is through His Son, Jesus Christ. This means that the way to heaven is by having Jesus in your heart, and having a relationship with Him. And those who choose not to ask Jesus into their hearts are 1- rejecting Life (if you reject the Son Jesus Christ which is Life, then you are rejecting God) 2- cheating themselves of eternity in Heaven, therefore, 3- choosing eternity in Hell.

I am so sad and sorry for those who choose to turn away from God and this gift of Salvation. These people will never know true happiness, here or after 'here.' But well, it is everyone's choice. Hope you make the correct one.

So back to grandma. We will miss her... but we are all well because we know that she is no longer suffering or sick, she is now enjoying eternity in Heaven, and we get to see her again some day. (Of course if we have Jesus in our hearts.)

“Eternally Grateful”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His One and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I just thought I’d give glory to my Savior. I love my God so so much because He gave of Himself for me; and, not only for me, but for all. For all those who would believe, and accept Him.
When I think of Him though, all I feel is shame. Shame at myself. Shame for not living a life totally pleasing to Him. He loves me so much that He would lay down His life to save me. And what do I give Him in return?? Unfaithfulness. Doubt. Pride. A stubborn heart. And yet again… unfaithfulness. I am ashamed at myself for not always giving my 100%. It’s what He deserves! I couldn’t live, if it weren’t for Him. I wouldn’t breathe, if it weren’t for Him! I couldn’t see another beautiful bright sunny day… if it weren’t for Him.
Who do you think we’d be without Him? Where would we be without Him?? We could not live if He didn’t give us life. We could not breathe if He didn’t give us breath. We owe our lives to the Life giver! We owe our future to the Promise giver! We are eternally in debt to the one who Saved us; to the one who Loves us.
I could not live one more day without giving Him my gratitude. I dare not take another breath without honoring my King. I am eternally grateful because when I had nothing, He gave me all. Before my existence, He knew my name. He destined me for royalty. I can be nothing less… cuz my daddy, He’s a King! I am eternally grateful. No longer in shame, I bless His name. I am eternally blessed. I am a daughter of a Mighty King. A daughter, His royalty. I am His little princess, no less I can be. I am eternally His… serving His majesty.
No longer does sin abound in me. Those chains were loosed and now I am free! He loves me, I know that indeed. He’s proud of His little girl. His princess, that’s me.

…yeah, that’s me!

PSalms 68:19

Matthew 10:37-39

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot.

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, there will always be sunshine after the rain... Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;

But God's alway's ready to answer your call...

He knows every heartache, sees every tear. A word from His lips can calm every fear. Your sorrows may linger throughout the night, but suddenly vanish dawn's early light.

The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, to give you His grace and send you His love...

Matthew 11:28

"Come unto me, ye who are weary and overburdened,

and I will give you rest."

PSalms 68:19

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

His Mercies

Lamentations 3:22-24

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.”

Talk about His mercies are new every morning!! Something huge just finished hitting my car and not a dent was made! Most importantly, I’m alive and well! (And so is everyone else who was at the scene!)

The Scene:
I was behind a truck on I-4 (the Expressway) going 70-75mph at rush hour around 5:15pm with cars to my left, front and rear, on a double-lane road. Suddenly, this ‘thing’ came flying toward my car!!! It hit the hood of my car and bounced off toward the car behind me! It looked like a lid or something to that nature. The truck rode right over it without noticing it, and this ‘thing’ bounced off of its tires and hit my car, bounced off of mine and so forth.
-End of scene-

I didn’t panic—thank God! But, seconds later, it hit me! That ‘thing’ could have hit and broken my front glass window, yet it hit the hood instead- and even more so, it bounced off of my car and it didn’t hit any other car!! It could have been a rock and, at that speed, it could have instantly broken my window! It could have been… but it wasn’t... and it didn’t… and I am more than grateful that God saved me from a terrible accident, and He saved those around me too!

I absolutely have to quote this verse!

Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”

Simple as that! God is an awesome God!

Today He was pleased in giving me another day of life and I am totally in debt with Him; nothing new—I always have been. But, God knows I messed up on Him just yesterday. Where would I have been? I think of how He saved me today, and how He saved my soul even before I was born! (He knew me even then.) There is no way I can repay Him... but this I know… His blood was not shed in vain. His blood and sacrifice cannot be measure or priced. I will do my best to serve Him and to lead others to His wonderful saving grace.

Prayer:

Thanks Dad. You gave me another gift. I cherish You and I Love You so SO much. My heart breaks for those who still don’t know You—this Wonderful God. My Daddy. And my heart breaks even more for those who have rejected You. They don’t want this awesome love You offer? Then I’ll have it!

XOXOXO I am in awe of You. XOXOXO

I LOVE YOU!!

Yari

Luke 1:50

“His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.”

'One Drop at a Time'

“…Hark! The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled."

Is it Christmas yet?? Gosh… it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and this is what I found myself humming while on the way back home from work yesterday. “Ooh I absolutely love Christmas,” I thought. Then it hit me! Christmas??!! Christmas is just around the corner! Oh my God! Christmas is almost here and that means that New Years is almost here and that means that… OMG! Here goes another New Years resolutions list aaall over again!! I haven’t even fulfilled last years ‘resolutions!’ ::humph::

I wanted to do so much.

So many plans… so little time! { Sure, I had an entire year! }

Is it too late to start a new list??? Hey I know! I’ll call it “Pre-Year’s Resolutions”
—How about that??

Then, I remembered a blog that I had posted some time ago entitled, “Set Realistic Goals.” Hmmm... I think I should re-read and re-post that. (Maybe even print it out and carry it with me in my purse!)

"Set Realistic Goals" by Simple Truths
"When I was a freshman in college I learned an unforgettable lesson. I was having a rough week when there was a lot to do and very little time to do it. I was overwhelmed. I panicked.
That night a friend stopped by my dorm room. When I told him my problem, he said, "Mac, I'll share something with you that my grandmother told me a few years ago. She said to always remember: 'Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard.'"

I said, "Bob, here I am drowning in work and your lifeline is a quote from your grandmother. Come on!" After he left, however, those twelve little words kept dancing in my head. I took out a piece of notebook paper and listed all the things I had to do in the next three days. That night I began knocking them off one by one. Three days later I took out that paper and marked through the last thing on the list. It felt great!

And then I took out another piece of paper and wrote down the words: "Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard." I then folded the paper and put it in my wallet. As many of you know, I've been collecting quotes ever since.

You see, over the years I've learned that success doesn't come cascading like Niagara Falls; it comes one drop at a time through short-term, realistic goals. Experts on motivation disagree on a lot of things, but one thing they all agree on is that your levels of motivation are directly tied to your expected probabilities of success.
In other words, if you believe you can do something (the goals are realistic), you're likely to be highly motivated. If, however, you think you can't (because the goals are unrealistic) your motivation level falls greatly. The lesson here is to continue to dream big dreams, but realize that the short-term goals that take you to the next plateau are the real keys to success."

And from me... Let me also remind you what the word of God says in

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"Life & Me" Part I

This is not today's but I thought it would be good to let you in on what I was thinking back on...

September 14, 2007

Well, I was sitting here beginning to analyze my life and you know what?--I have a good life! Sure I can talk about certain things I’d like to be different, and sometimes I feel down and would probably looove to go on and on complaining. (But I don’t go on and on… I just stop after a lil while. 'smile' ) I suppose, at the moment, I’m just not analyzing my life, as I am now.

So, here I am… almost 27. (My birthday is in 5 days. Whoopee.) Notice the sarcasm. (Not good.)—Still alive and not in hell. Breathing and thanking God for another day! ANYway… so, I’m 26 and ¾, still single (I won’t go there right now), with no kids, and nobody bothering me (nagging strangers, neighbors, parents or friends I mean). I have a job (that’s as far as I’ll go with that)—getting some type of money at least. I have a good relationship with my boss. I go to a nice church with a great worship team. I have friends! Some people can’t say they have those. I have wonderful parents. (And I truly mean that.) You kind of learn to appreciate them as time goes by. (I won’t say—as you get older.) My brothers don’t beat me up anymore. We actually get along. (At least when we’re far from each other! ha ha) I have a great cook for a mom, and she saves the left-over’s for me so I don’t have to spend money on lunch—or my taste buds on bad food. I have nieces and nephews that I love with all my heart… and the youngest is my God-daughter. Plus there was an addition to the fam. 6 months ago. My great-nephew is gorgeous!
I’m not in trouble with the law. I don’t have baby-daddy drama. I own “my own” car and I’m responsible; for the most part. I own at least or almost 150 books—including the bible. Do You own one?? You should. So, Yes… I love reading. Believe me; it happened during the course of time. Warning: It can happen to you! I’m a girly girl. I can actually do my own make-up (thanks to my fav. girls here in FL)… I accessorize, and sometimes wear heels. (he he) I don’t owe my life and possessions to bill collectors... only to Christ! I can manage my money pretty well. My only drug is chocolate and even that I’ve cut down on. So let’s call it a ‘craving.’ I have a great sense of humor—& if ya couldn’t tell, I can be pretty comical too! I’m a people person. I have good moral values. I keep a journal. Well, probably 5 or 6! All of which I do NOT write in every day. lol Not even weekly. But I own them. I Write. I call it, “Thoughts on Paper.” I also blog and post bulletins! You should try it too! I sing—and I’m beginning to write my own songs. I usually start them and never finish them. But I promised myself I’d finish them all some day. I have goals (and fantasies). Not all are clear, but I know certain things I’d like to do before I go home one day.

Aaahhh ::sigh of relief and daydream:: Heaven.

My hair is real. (No offense to the buyers and users—I’m just being thankful.) I know how to cook. And when I do, I do it well! I know how to do the laundry without messing up the clothes. I speak 4 languages. English, Spanish, some Sign Lang., and Spiritual Tongues (Acts 2:4). I have all 5 senses in tact… and most of my teeth. (You couldn’t tell any were missing had I not mentioned it huh?) I can walk, talk and type, think (straight), ride a bike, and make pretty hairstyles with my hair—not all at the same time… but I can. I have a cell phone and I can call and receive calls from whoever I want, whenever I want. (Well, almost.) Being that I only have one ovary, my period lasts 3 days. Seriously, only 3 days. And they are almost always painless. I don’t get cranky (all the time). Men, don’t believe that women have-to-be cranky and get what they want every single time they get their period. (You can give them everything they want every other days of the year! he he) Really, it can be bad, but it’s not all that bad.
I don’t think men are dogs. Dogs are "man's" best friends. hehe j/k Seriously though, Why do some women wanna bash men and then cry when they don’t have one and visa-versa?? We all have ‘issues.’ Some just don’t know how to deal with them—men and women alike. I plan on getting married someday (hopefully soon) and I sure know I ‘aint’ marrying a dog. I’m marrying a man of God, who’s gonna enjoy a woman of God. ::wink:: “I know who I am.” He’s gonna be glad he found me—Proverbs 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds what is good (treasure) and receives favor from the Lord.” Got that ladies? We are God's treasure. I can enjoy a nice peaceful day at home and not think it’s “boring.” I’ve traveled to other places by air. And no, I don’t mean a punch that threw me across the room. (he he) I enjoy a nice automotive ride from time to time. A specific destination is not necessary. I love smiling and laughing. And I love causing others to smile and laugh.—In short, I enjoy life.

With that said… let me remind you that none of this could be possible or testified of if I didn’t have Jesus in my heart. Yes, I’ve gone through situations that at times I feel were “unfair” or straight out “bad” –and they were. But even through those times, I see that I’ve only survived because I have Jesus in my life. Now I thank God for every situation in my life because I have matured through them. I still have maturing to do—perhaps even a longs way to go, but I have God. And I have the Bible. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It’s our manual—one we shouldn’t live without. I’ve seen first-hand that I am alive and well because I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit who is my Comforter and Counselor. I seriously know that I am alive due to this. I know that no matter what may come, I am alright because God loves me, I’ve accepted His love, and I love Him.

So, that’s Life… and Me! :)