Make Every Effort - 2 Peter 1:5-8

I've been slacking with my verses, because of things going on at home. But anyway, here's today's verse:
"Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -2 Peter 1:5-8
God wants us to be productive in our lives and our faith. He wants us to have more than just head knowledge, and put what he teaches us to work in our lives. Everyone needs to put out effort and grow in these qualities, because we all make mistakes and no one person is perfect on any level. This was a really good one for me to read today. I've been slacking a bit. I haven't read my Bible in two days and had to work a bit to catch up, and I've been trying not to swear. Actively trying, I didn't do it as much and I was making an honest improvement - but as I've slacked the past couple of days, so has my language. This is a constant struggle, and we can't afford to take a day off. Not a single day. For every day that we take off, we set ourselves a few steps back on our walk with Christ.

The Lord Your God is God - Deuteronomy 7:9

Today's verse kind of speaks to me. Again, I got help with it. I hope I don't grow to rely on this help as a crutch. Finding verses to post on my own is an integral part of walking with God - but this one makes a lot of sense as far as what's going on in my life right now. Maybe it will speak to you too:

"The Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." -Deuteronomy 7:9

God is love. He will never forsake us, no matter what we have done, because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. He turned his face away from his son so we wouldn't have to suffer him turning his face away from us, so long as we asked for forgiveness in his sight. Like a loving parent, he is the ultimate loving parent, and treats us better than we deserve. We have to honor God as something more than a good luck charm or a weekly guest into our otherwise busy lives. Sunday church doesn't cut it for God. If I was supposed to be your close friend and you only saw me or talked to me once a week, and then acted like I didn't exist during the rest of the week - what kind of friendship is that? I'd feel used and annoyed. God is above us and we will never fully understand his ways, but I'd imagine he has a lot of the same feelings we have, since we were created in his image and all. Loving God and keeping his commands is a daily struggle, a little bit at a time. You can't just worship for everyone else to see on Sunday and then totally ignore him on Monday. Keep his Word in your heart all week, and it'll make a quiet but significant difference in your life. I'm not a zealot. I'm living proof that this is slowly happening for me. Choosing to change your life for God is NOT an easy thing, and NOT something that happens on a whim. It's a process of trial and error, and a lot of freakin' struggling. But making an effort, a true effort, is so much better than just sitting around and saying we'll get to it tomorrow. What if tomorrow never comes for you? Each day is not a given right, but a blessing. Don't wait until you're about to die to make your peace and start a relationship with God. He deserves more than that, as your friend and your Father. He wants a relationship with you and with me...and he wants to bless us. Let's let him do it.

Accept One Another - Romans 15:5-7

Today's post came straight off of Facebook, posted by one of my friends! Usually I'd do a little more work, digging for the right scripture for today, but what's the use when it's already staring you in the face?
"Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God."
-Romans 15:5-7
My personal interpretation of this might be different from someone else's, but I believe that one example could go back to the very beginning of this blog. Christians, as a whole, do not accept people who are not Christian as well. They say they do, but they don't. God teaches us to accept others the way that they are. Yes, it is okay to let people know where you stand and that you love the Lord. No, it is not okay to look down on someone because they didn't choose the same path, or because they don't want to listen to you preach the good news. We need to keep that in mind. God did say that one of our most important duties here on Earth was to preach his Word to others, but he did not mean that we should hound people about it. Think of it this way. Let's pretend the issue isn't someone's faith. Let's pretend I'm trying to convince you to buy something from me. You've already made it clear that you don't want it. If I keep shoving it in your face, you're just going to get mad, right? That doesn't get us anywhere. If someone is anti-God or apathetic, that doesn't mean you should avoid them or try not to be friends with them either. Maybe I can make friends with you and then eventually ease you into talking about what I'm trying to sell - but don't go trying to befriend somebody JUST to sell them something - including the Bible and God. We're trying to sell them a ticket into heaven, basically. They have to make the decision to take it; you can't force anything on anyone.
I can use an example from last night. My fiance smokes. I don't care for it, and it annoys me when he does it without telling me what he's going to do. I got angry about it. He tried to say I'd said I didn't care anymore, and I responded that if I said I didn't care, I didn't mean it. It was only spoken out of frustration because I wanted him to shut up. If I love him, shouldn't I accept his flaws? Yes. That doesn't mean they should be overlooked. They're still flaws...but the only person who can change you, is you. And God, of course. So...we have to learn to accept one another as God accepted us. If he's going to be my husband, I should love him the way he is. When he makes mistakes, I need to forgive them as God would. When he makes me angry, I need to take a deep breath and count to ten, and respond positively instead of blowing up. If you're planning to form that close of a bond with someone, you need to be able to communicate without so much anger. Love doesn't fix everything...but it sure as hell moves mountains. I'm letting go of my frustrations and taking them to God, so I can be a better person - the kind he's happy to come home to. As for the days when he's just being difficult without provocation - I should do my best to ignore them, because "this too shall pass."

2 Timothy 1:9 - God Has Saved Us and Called Us to a Holy Life

Because I wasn't sure where to start, I got a little help with today's Bible verse:

God has saved us and called us to a holy life -- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

-2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)

"Before the beginning of time." That's a tall order. Can you imagine? Long before we were even conceived, God was drawing blueprints for us! I used to think that it was impossible to walk with God, because you had to be like him...and we were so far off the scale that we could never be like him, so what was the use in trying? I'm no seasoned pastor. I'm not even trained in the Word of God. I, just like anyone who wants to learn to walk with their savior, am simply praying and asking for guidance. I just want to do the right thing. I think when we try to act like God, we're going to fall off the wagon now and then. We're inherently sinners and there's nothing we can do about it. I, for one, am glad that I'm not a saint. It's okay to fall off the wagon. It's okay to make mistakes. When we believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and when we are truly sorry for what we have done and make a valiant effort never to do it again, God forgives and forgets. I'll give ya that one mo' 'gain. He forgives and forgets. That means he doesn't remember what the heck you're talking about when you bring it up again, so what's the point in continuing to feel guilty? Let it go. Problem is, when we say we're sorry, we have to really mean it. Think about it. If your significant other cheated on you and said they were sorry, they'd never do it again, and begged your forgiveness, would you take them back? Let's say you would, for the sake of argument. And if they just kept cheating...you'd be like, "Yeah, right. I've heard this one before. Who's to say you're not just going to do it again? Why is now different from last time?" We're permitted by God to make the same mistakes now and then because he knows we're not perfect...but taking advantage of his grace is a different story. When you say you're sorry and you won't do it again, you need to mean it. Even if people won't forgive you, take comfort in the fact that God already has. Even if they say they've forgiven you but can't let go of their anger...don't let guilt eat you alive. God's mercies are new every morning, and you deserve them because he loves you. Sweet, right?

And in the Beginning...

We must all begin somewhere. Of all the accounts of my life I have kept, this one may be the most difficult. How does one write about their life without including too many details? The Internet is a feeding frenzy these days. I have volume upon volume in which my handwriting, progressing from childish to simply messy, fills actual pages. You know, the kind you can touch, and maybe even rip? Ooooh. Sooner or later, finding a handwritten journal is going to be like finding velociraptor bones in your backyard. The handwritten letter, sometimes romantically spritzed with a squirt of perfume, is also a forgotten art. I find it amazing that we humans have become idiots as a result of the increase in technology. Why write an elegant letter, waiting days, perhaps, for it to arrive to its intended, when you can just TEXT someone? "My dear sweetheart" has been replaced as an opener for "omg ily." Seriously. We live in times where teachers (people who are supposedly college-educated) send our children home with flyers bearing stupid typos and spelling mistakes. If you want to make a spelling mistake in any other line of work, I don't give a damn. Go nuts. But if you're teaching our future leaders how to read and write...do it right. Notice that "write" and "right" SOUND the same, but are, in fact, very different.
Okay, I'm done. That was my mini-rant for today. I'm prone to fits of those.
On to the next point. I am a Christian. I refuse to be ashamed of this fact, although I am not the sort of Christian who shoves my religion down the throats of everyone else. Perhaps others believe that's what being a good follower of Christ is all about, but I'm laid-back enough that people have thought I needed their Bible-thumping philosophies...or better yet, to be thumped over the head with said Book. I am not an advocate of that kind of behavior. Maybe I'm too secular, whatever. You want to be gay? I don't care. You want to be pagan? I don't care. I'm not judging you, because it's not my place. Far too many Christians say they don't judge because it's God's job, but when you tell them you don't follow their religion, they look you up and down like you're a bug - or worse, they're disgustingly sweet and try to slyly convert you, as though you can't see what they're attempting. I don't care what path you decide to take; I'm not going to think any less of you for it...but I will say, from the get-go, that this blog is going to be largely Bible-oriented, in my attempts to study it and get closer to God. I don't believe in religion, I believe in relationship. If you've stopped reading by now...you're probably better off, because I'm something of a crackpot. If you haven't, I'm also quite secular. Issues of the day will be peppered in as well, along with random musings that probably won't make sense to most people. The purpose of this is to get to know myself, and maybe even some people around me, a little better. If you want to come along for the ride, that's on you. Wear a freakin' seatbelt, kiddies!