I have had this commercial from yesteryear playing in my head. I believe it was a commercial for Almond Joy and Mounds and the lyrics went something like this:
Sometimes you feel like nut; sometimes you don’t.
Maybe it is a movie I watched. Maybe it is a word I said out of frustration and/or anger. Maybe it is an angry thought, a thought of retaliation due to my seeing something that I think is wrong, unfair, mean, ignorant, and well…evil.
In other words, I am human, and I think how can God possibly love me and forgive me.
I struggle often with that question. That’s when I know that I need to get back to where I know I will find comfort. It means getting back to God’s word (that I don’t read often enough) and listening to music that feeds my soul with God’s love.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. ~ Psalm 1:1-2
God says to always have His word in our hearts and minds so we have the strength to battle anything that comes our way that can deter us from God’s path.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ~ Ephesians 6:11
Recently I was able to Skype with a dear friend who is traveling the world with her husband. They took a year off, sold their house, and are seeking God’s plan for their lives out where they can experience what He created.
She and I have talked often about our spiritual struggles. This most recent conversation we discussed how we don’t pray as much as we probably should for direction. We don’t read the Bible on a daily basis like God would like us to do. I keep telling myself I will do both. I keep telling myself I will set aside time each day to read; to pray; to ask God’s guidance; to pray for our leaders and our country. But, I don’t do it, at least not daily.
I follow a public figure, Clayton Jennings, on Facebook and Twitter. He recently wrote this in one of his posts:
That post made me stop and think. People overseas are clamoring for Bibles and yet here I am taking it for granted.
I know we are not saved by our actions but by our believing in Christ and accepting Him as our savior.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. ~ Ephesians 2:8
However, in my heart I believe that if I really loved God I’d do the actions, I’d spend time in His word, and I show Him how much I love Him. My saving grace, literally, is Jesus. He knows my heart. He knows I want to show my love for Him. It takes constant learning and growth to move from junior believer to senior believer. In fact, if I spent as much time devoting myself to Him as I do my blog I’d have the Bible read through a couple of times by now (or at least close to it).
I know some are meant to go; to reach out; to risk their lives to share Christ. Others of us are meant for more behind the scenes. However, we can’t be afraid to show our faith. Unlike some people I follow on social media, people who have a true spirit and strength for witnessing, I hover in the shadows. I feel more comfortable writing it out than speaking to a person one-on-one.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean I have a regimen to follow; it doesn’t mean there are rules I have to follow on a daily basis; it doesn’t mean dressing a certain way. Being a Christian means that I love Jesus. I believe He died and rose again for me so I am forgiven in God’s eyes for anything I have done and anything I will do in the future. Being a Christian means sharing my faith and lovingly letting those I care about know when they are walking in a path away from God.
God is my strength. God is my guide. He knows the plans He has for me. In order to experience what He has for me I need to give Him my all and more than just a prayer now and then or a flip of the Bible when I “get around to it.” Only with God, and giving Him my all, will I really feel like a Christian because that is what a Christian is…a believer and follower of Christ.
