There are so many things I could blog about. But there's some things that should be kept private. For now, at least.

Let's just say that God is amazing. I don't know what He's doing or what His long or short term plan is.. But it's His plan. And that's such a relief off of my shoulders.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

So this might be a little silly, but on my list of 5.5 billions reasons as to why I'm thankful for my God is the music! He has gifted His people with such amazing talent and passion for Him to be able to create such phenomenal music.. All to glorify Him.

Oh worship music..

How sad for non believers.. This is an entire genre of music that they will never fully appreciate or understand for as long as they are called non believers.

This is the newest one that is stuck in my head. And, apparently I'm not the only one.

Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

I don't know how many times I've heard sermons about suffering.

Some preachers approach it in a "YOU WILL SUFFER!" attitude, some address it in a "well, we deserve it, so we're going to suffer", and then others don't talk about it. They don't want to talk about the wrathful side of God and the "ugly" side of our faith.

I don't like calling it the ugly side. Because honestly, it's the side we deserve.

Every single time a pastor addresses it, I get excited. Well, excited might not be the right word.. I get.. Impatient.

I can't wait. I want to suffer for Christ. I want to.

But I feel like pastors always say things like "We've all suffered. We all know what it's like to be an outcast and made fun of for our faith".. And I always sit there and think... When?

When have I ever felt that way? And I promise that I was not one of those public school kids that just did the church thing on Sundays and then during the week pretended that I was just another kid. Yes, I had my phases where I did things where I wasn't who I should have been. But I can almost guarantee that anyone that has talked to me for more than an hour knows where my heart lies.

My friends and classmates all knew that I was a believer. But I don't feel like I ever suffered. I always try and genuinely think about when I've felt like a true outcast because of my faith.. At a party when I'm not getting plastered? No, because I'm fine with them knowing that the reason I'm not doing it is because that's not for me because the Bible tells us not to get drunk. Sitting in a room when my friends talk about sex? I don't feel like an outcast because I can't contribute. I'm proud of the fact that I know how to control myself and that there's more to relationships than that. Deciding to leave before other people on a Saturday because I have church the next morning? If they think it's weird, then they know they are more than welcomed to come with me!

Maybe I've just been surrounded by upstanding citizens that are okay with people that are different? No, I haven't been. But I still don't feel like I've suffered.

Have I suffered like losing my house? Losing my parents? Breaking bones? Going broke? Being jobless? No, I haven't. And I'm thankful for that. But even my car accident. Car totaled.. But I don't consider that suffering. That's just a part of life.

But Christ tells us that we will suffer. We will suffer.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)

We will be persecuted. We will suffer.

We will ache, agonize, be wounded, deteriorate, hurt, writhe..

Sounds fun, huh?

You can also look at it as enduring, experiencing, letting it happen...

It's about how you handle it.

2 Timothy 4:7 tells you what you should be able to say before, during and after the suffering.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

We will suffer. Expect suffering. Be eager for suffering.

Christ tells us that we will suffer, so don't be surprised when it happens.

I don't understand these religions with multiple gods (that is lowercase on purpose, there's one God, not several wannabes).

I won't pretend that I can even pretend to grasp what these different gods do. But from what I've heard.. In some cases.. Each god represents something different (happiness, disease, wealth, fertility, etc). And if something happens (for example, if you lose all your money), it's because you didn't satisfy the god that would be directly related to the action (so in this case, you ticked off the wealth god). Or if you can't get pregnant, you need to make offerings and pray to the fertility god.

I just don't get how people could fall for that. And not just a few people, but hundreds of thousands of millions of people (from scholars down to high school drop outs) that believe that everything that happens is their fault because they upset these.. "spiritual beings"..

They call it faith. I, honestly, call it stupidity. And that might be harsh.. But faith isn't about the things that make you feel good. It's not just about the promise of Heaven. It's not just about the unconditional love. It's about remembering the pain and suffering - and being grateful beyond belief for what He went through. It's about knowing that the only thing, the ONLY thing that we deserve is Hell - but again, being grateful and in awe of Christ's grace and mercy. It's about knowing that adding or subtracting anything to the Bible - which is God's word - (like adding more "gods").. Well, according to Revelation 22:18-19, you will lose your share in the Tree of Life and in the Holy City.. Oh, and plagues! (I think that several other religions like to ignore those verses about adding and removing to the Bible).. And it's knowing this, and knowing that anyone who does add or subtract is not a believer, and is not leading you in the right direction. Quite the opposite (direction), actually.

Anyways, back on topic.. One God (that's with a capital G) is all that there is. Karma doesn't exist, because God already has everything planned out. God doesn't make someone infertile because they didn't burn enough incense in His name.. They're infertile because it's part of God's plan. And part of having a real relationship with Him is throwing your hands up in the air and admitting that it is completely out of your hands.. And being okay with that.

I don't know if that got me back on topic. I just watched Eat Pray Love with Julia Roberts in it.. And those type of movies drive me absolutely crazy. And it kills me when they resort to these other religions for "happiness" in movies.. Or when they feel like their life will be incomplete, and they can't be truly happy until they're married. Drives me up a wall.

I'm thankful for my God and what He sent His Son to do for me. And I'm glad that I know the Truth. And my heart breaks for those that are blindly following and trusting in false gods. I pray their hearts, eyes, and minds start questioning the things they're being taught, and that they find people that can point them in the Right direction..

Sent from my iPod

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift from God. Not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5

How can Catholics believe in the Bible, and yet believe that Salvation is works based?

In fact, according to faithforcatholics.org, "...the Catholic Church teaches that faith is important; but it also insists on the necessity of good works to merit eternal life."

Maybe I'm reading that with a negative tone.. But how I interpret that is "yeah, faith is important, but it is necessary to do good works to gain good works."

I'm so thankful that I know my salvation isn't something that I can gain or lose based on how many bowls of soup I serve at a homeless shelter or how many kids I tutor in math.. And that verse proves it. Our salvation is because of God's grace and mercy. And nothing more.

Mercy: not getting something we deserve (Hell)
Grace: getting something we don't deserve (Heaven)

We deserve Hell, but God gives us Heaven. And not because of "good works".

There's nothing wrong with doing "good works". But the reasoning behind it is important. "Good works" is something we do as Believers because we know it honors God.. Not because it's something we have to do to earn favor with Him to reserve our spots in Heaven.

Jesus already did the "greatest good" that anyone could do. His "good work" is the only reason we can go to Heaven.

Doing "good works" to ensure our salvation is like people still believing that sacrificing a lamb is necessary. It demeans what Christ did for us on the cross. It's like saying what He did for us wasn't good enough, so we have to keep doing it.

Thank You for the cross.
Thank You for the cross.
Thank You for the cross, my Friend.

(Once Again - Matt Redman)