Category: Beliefs

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Lifetime and Eternity

Ok, I hate to admit it, but I watched that show on Lifetime called Drop Dead Diva, and I kinda liked it.  It is about this cute model who dies, and when a gate keeper is trying to decide whether she should go to heaven or hell, the girl hits a button to make her go back to earth.  The twist is that she returns into the body of an overweight, not as cute, girl, Jane. Now, she has to pretend that she is Jane, who is smart and a lawyer.  It is actually a pretty cute and funny show.  The actress who plays Jane does a really good job of trying to be this self-centered model trapped in a plus-sized woman’s body.

When the girl first dies on the show, the gate keeper looks on a computer and can’t determine where she should go because she has done just as many good things as bad things, so there is this straight line across the computer screen.  I know I used to think that that’s how it worked: you do more good than bad, you go to heaven.  The only problem with that is, who decides what’s good enough and what’s bad enough?  If it’s us, well, we can always find someone worse than us.  And if it’s God, well, we could never reach the perfection of God.  Thankfully for us, that’s not how it works!  We do not work for our spot in heaven.  Grace is given to us by our Father.

In Bible, it says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, what the show really should have looked like is this.  The gatekeeper looks at the computer, and he doesn’t see “Was she good or bad?”  He turns on the screen, and looks: “Did she love Jesus?”

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He who loves his wife loves himself

This is a shout-out to the best husband in the world!  I had planned on doing some homework for my online math class today while I was off of school.  Then, I was sent a reminder that it was due at 8:00 am this morning.

I stayed up REALLY late last night finishing it up.   Well, this morning, my wonderful hubby got up a little earlier and scanned all 21 pages of my assignment in for me so that I could upload it by 8:00.  He is so great, and he was able to help me with a few problems last night because he is super smart.   I’m so blessed!

Chad really demonstrates the kind of love described in Ephesians 5:8. “Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”

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“Saved”

After a recent sermon at church, I was inspired to write this post.  In many churches and Christian circles, the word “saved” is thrown around a lot.  But what does it really mean?  I grew up Catholic and this term wasn’t used in my church.  I know before I started going to other Christian churches, I didn’t know what people meant when they asked if I was “saved.”

What are you saved from?

Being saved means that you are saved from having to spend eternity without God, and it also means that you get to spend eternity with God in heaven.

Don’t all good people go to heaven?

Matthew 7:21 quotes Jesus as saying, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

What do you have to do to be saved?

Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Is it really that easy?  Sort of.  If you believe in Jesus Christ and confess that He is your Savior, you can be saved.  However, just believing that He exists is not enough.  James 2: 19 states, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.” In order to be saved, we must do more than just acknowledge that Jesus is real.  2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” If you are a believer of Christ, you should live for Him, giving Him honor in the things you do, think, and say.  The way you live your life should reflect Christian values.  We are naturally sinful and selfish, but once you begin living your life for the Lord, you will stop thinking only of yourself and begin thinking of how you can please God.

How do you know if you are saved?

1 John 2:3 states, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” If you are obeying God and are truly living your life for Him, you can be assured that you are saved.  You can find these commands by reading His word, the Bible, and also by hearing His instructions preached at a Christian church.  You must also pray to Christ and He will reveal His commands specifically for your life.   In John 13:34-35, Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” If we obey this command, we can be Christ’s disciples and be saved.

What if you mess up?

Yep, that will happen.  After all, we are human, and are naturally sinful.  The good news is God is faithful even when we are not.  1 John 1:9 reveals, “But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, he will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.” What an amazing God!  When you fall to temptation, pray for forgiveness, and Jesus will always forgive you.  Then, turn away from that sin and continue striving to live your life for Him.

There are so many people who say that they are Christians, and yet do not know that it requires more than just knowing Jesus is real or simply praying when times get tough.  Being a Christian means having a personal relationship with God, almost as you would with another friend.  I am saved!  I know this because I have professed Jesus Christ as my personal savior and I am daily trying to live my life for Him.  Christ died for the sins of everyone.  He did so in order to offer us eternal life with God.  I am no different and no better than anyone else in this world, but I am saved because I accepted this gift of salvation that has been offered to us all.  There is such peace that comes from knowing that I have a Savior who loves me and whom I will spend eternity with when I leave this world.

Another part of being a Christian is sharing this saving news with others.  Sadly, I don’t do this enough.  For this reason, there are many people in my life who I don’t know if they are saved.  Perhaps they don’t either.  What joy it would bring to know that even if they died today, they would have eternal rest with the Lord.  If you are not saved or aren’t sure you are, then pray to Jesus Christ asking Him to come into your life and into your heart.  Acknowledge that you have sinned and ask Him to forgive you.  Profess that you believe that Jesus died for your sins and that you will live your life for Him from now on.  And then do it.  Pray daily and read the Bible.  Go to church and tell others of the good news.  Don’t forget to tell me and Chad.  Or if you have any questions, let us know.  We will be praying for you.