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Almost ready to give your heart to Christ?

9/28/2014

6 Comments

 
“I have chosen. Jesus, into your righteous hands I place my soul. I have been saved by your sacrifice. My path is lavish in your grace. You’ve changed the course of my life forever.”
T. Garafola


You know, one of the things I love about Christianity is that you are not bullied into blind belief. Christ doesn’t want you to walk with Him with your eyes closed. He wants you to ask questions. He wants your trust and love. He wants you to see Him for what He is, a spectacular gift from God. 

I’ve been asked, if Jesus were the Son of God why would He allow Christ to die in such a heinous way?

If you’re not sure, let me try to explain. We are all children of God. From the moment we come into this world kicking and screaming, to the very moment we exit it, we are the children of God.

 It doesn’t matter where you come from, where you’ve been. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin, nor does it matter what sex you are. God does not discriminate. He doesn’t love you less because you don’t fit in societies mold of what you should look like. God does not care what man made religion you have chosen to follow. He certainly does not want you to be harmed, especially, in His name. To God and Christ, you and I are His beautiful children.

The Lord does not want us to suffer; He does not want to condemn us but as any parent would, He has commanded us to follow His rules, thus the 10 commandments and the Holy Bible.

Jesus is not a fictional character, He is not a prophet, He is the Son of God. Plain and simple, God told us that Jesus is the way to Him. John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

I’ll give you a super brief overview but as always, speak with a pastor and read from your Bible.

Just as what we see happening now, humanity fell away from God. They were deceived by Satan and began worshiping false idols. Hay, they don’t call him the great deceiver for nothing. The devil knows what tickles our fancy; he knows how to tempt us and does a good job to-boot! We first became separated from God back at the Garden of Eden. Later, as the world plummeted into chaos, God cleansed the earth and gave us another try. But then we did it again; the world turned it’s back on God, so… He sent us His Son.

Jesus taught His disciples and commanded them to share their knowledge so that others could be saved too. Those who feared the changes feared Him and accused Christ of blasphemy, demanding He be crucified.

God knew they would sacrifice His Son but as He always does, God never allows suffering to go without purpose. By the sacrifice of Jesus, we were given the amazing opportunity to be reunited with our Creator, God. Christ died on the cross for all of us; even those who deny Him and His father.

How do we know this? The Bible is not a fairy tale. It isn’t a collection of stories meant to frighten people into submission (as it’s often said). It is, in fact, a collection of books written by the prophets who witnessed the wonders and works of God Himself and His Son.

When you reach out to Him, the Lord is there. Why should you believe in God you may ask? I say to you, why not? You have everything to gain! Think of it this way, if I believe in God, and I’m wrong (He doesn’t exist) then I’ve lost nothing. I’ve lived a good life. I’ve respected others. I’ve loved others as I wish to be loved and lived believing whole-heartedly that there is something more to this existence than me. I had faith that comforted me through my darkest hours. But, if I chose not to believe and I was wrong... I have a whole lot to worry about when I stand before God in judgment. It will cost me everything.

Is the life of a Christian easier? Nope, it’s not easy at all but we have an amazing support system! Regardless of how society ridicules us, regardless of how foolish they say we are, God does exist; Christ is the way to heaven and the very best part of it all, They want us back. They don’t care about where we’ve been. They do care where you are going...

Are you ready to give your heart to Christ? Then do it right now, don’t let another moment go by. You can talk to the Lord right there from your chair, go ahead, He’s waiting for you. 

There’s no need to fear or to be embarrassed. Speak what’s on your mind or if you need a little help…

     “Dear Lord, I’m ready for you. My heart is open, and my spirit is willing to receive you as 

      my Lord and Savior. I’m here and ready to run into your open arms. Jesus, I know you gave
      your life for me, and I thank you with all that I am. Please Lord, wash away my sins and 
      take control of my life. You are my God, and I am your child.”

Your next step is to pick a church that adheres the Bibles teachings and standards. It’s okay to shop around for the one that makes you feel at home. Talk with the pastors and the people. Then take bible studies to grow in your understanding of God’s word. When you are ready, becoming an active member of your church is a great way to continue your spiritual growth and become part of a great community.

Do you have more to say on the matter? Do you have questions or need to talk to someone? Comment below or send me an email. I always welcome and respond to respectful comments.

May the Lord bless you and keep you now and forever.

1 Timothy 1:13 NIV “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

6 Comments

September 16th, 2014

9/16/2014

0 Comments

 

Hello again, this was sent to me by email and I thought I'd share it with everyone. This is a good reminder that great things come in unsuspected packages. It's also a reminder to be grateful and loving to those who love us because we never know what the future brings or when our loved ones are called home to the Lord. And we should always remember to give God our time, after all, he took the time to wake us up this morning. 


This is from an unknown author, it is not my work.


Subject: Good story - I wanted a car not a Bible!
I wanted a car - Not a Bible
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealers showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study, told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed him a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with his name embossed in gold.
Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said,"With all your money you give me a Bible?" He stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible behind.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old. He thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to him. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father's house, sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important documents and saw the Bible, new, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

If this touched your heart, please pass it on!!
Please read before you go home or you are at home already, read this to the end. My name is God. You hardly have time for me. I love you and always bless you. I am always with you. I need you to spend 30 mins of your time with Me today. Don't pray. Just praise. Today I want this message across the world before midnight. Will you help? Please do not cut it and I'll help you with something that you are in need of. Just dare Me! A blessing is coming your way. Please drop everything and pass it on.




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God's gifts

9/9/2014

0 Comments

 
“Father help me please. Be merciful my Lord and hear my plea.
I have been lost in this vast wilderness without hope.
May your Devine light shine upon my wilderness and set my thirsty soul free.”

                                                                                         T. Garafola

I once read a cute but true saying, “No one ever promised us a rose garden but with the amount of fertilizer we get, we should have prize winners!” Author unknown.

It’s easy to get lost in this world. So many days we feel alone and filled with uneasiness. While of course there are physiological reasons that can’t be ignored, there are so many more reasons why we feel the way we do. Life is stressful.. really stressful. And oh yes, we can’t forget about the news. If you want to feel bad, just watch the 6 o’clock news, with more at 11!

There are days that the troubles of the world seem to be resting on our shoulders and then there are days it just feels like the whole world is out to get us. 


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Even those with complete faith in God struggle with sadness and emptiness sometimes but it is inevitable, after all, we’re human.

Quite often, many of us struggle with these feelings more often than not. Some even fear that they don’t have a secure foundation in the Lord or that they somehow have failed to believe strong enough to break out of the sadness that confines them. But we all have to remember that God knows our hearts! Thankfully, He loves us in spite of ourselves!

Personally, I’ve learned the hard way that being a Christian doesn’t mean we are exempt from the heartbreak, it does mean that we have a pretty amazing support system!

I’m a firm believer in prayer! When we pray (thankfully) He listens. He understands our pleas for help. Whether or not we feel beat down by the world, we should always reach out to Christ and ask Him to show us the way. God is there, waiting for us to call home, we just need to pick up the phone.


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Those of faith understand that God always answers our prayers. Of course though, the answers are in His time and are always what He knows is best for us. Sometimes the answer is ‘yes’ and it just fills us with joy. Then there are times that the answer is ‘no’ and we’re not so filled with joy. But, whenever He turns us down, it’s usually because it wasn’t the right choice for us. But… we have to be listening. We have to open our ears and quite our minds to hear the message being sent to us.

When the answer is no, we should remember that God always has something better in mind for us. I know it’s sometimes hard to accept when you’re praying for an ailing loved one or praying for freedom from a difficult situation but it is the truth nonetheless. It is during those difficult times that Christ is the closest to us but… that’s a whole other discussion.

The days that we are chained to despair and pray for freedom but don’t seem to get the loud and clear answer we hoped for, then maybe the Lord is waiting on us. Pray loud and hard, give your love and thanks to the Lord and then go out and seek some happiness. We have to look past the madness in the world and check out the goodness God created for all of us.  

As they say, don’t sweat the small stuff. Reach out to an old friend, make a new friend out of a stranger, love your family, sing a song of praise, go for a walk, go to the beach and watch the clouds sail by, enjoy nature, cuddle your pet, paint a picture, go to church or seek a bible study group to make new friends. There are so many things we can do to help ourselves become free of our burdens when pray and take full advantage of the wonders God has given us. Most importantly, know that God has everything under control.


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“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I               will help you.
                                      Isaiah 41:13 NIV


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Welcome to my site

9/8/2014

2 Comments

 
"Father, use me as your vessel always, may the Holy Spirit work through  me.  
That my words be the planter of the seeds that bear the fruit of your perfect love 
and Devine purpose and that my actions be a reflection of your Glory."

T. Garafola

"I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in Him bears much fruit. ~"
John 15:5



2 Comments

    Victoria Garafola

    Hi there! This devotional blog is a place for followers of Christ to share thoughts and experiences. Please remember to be respectful.  

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