...Shall Men Give Into Your Bosom

This is just a random picture of me and my friend, Natasha, from a few weeks ago. I figure no one wants to read a blog without pictures sprinkled in here and there. Ha! So, enjoy! Hopefully the brightness of my skin doesn't blind you. I'm pretty sure you can see straight through to my skull, but anyway...

HI! =)

The major discovery in my life recently is that God is teaching me how to receive. I have a problem with people giving me things because I feel like I'm in debt to them. So I usually refuse help...even gifts, unless I can conceive some worthy reason as to why I "deserve" them. Weird, I know. It's also wrong.

We know that grace is given to us by God simply because God is love. We cannot do anything to DESERVE forgiveness or to be called children of God. I mean, think about it. Let's say there was a king...a modern day, physical king, who walked up to you and was like, "Would you like to inherit my kingdom?" You'd probably be like, "Depends. What do I have to do?" and when he said "Nothing. I just choose you" you'd probably think to yourself, "This sounds like a shady deal." Things that are too good to be true usually are, right? That's what we're taught, isn't it?

Maybe that's why many people have such a problem receiving Christ. They think it comes along with all these requirements because the idea that you could be made holy without DOING anything is inconceivable.

The reality is that true belief is the key...it is the one "requirement." Just believe. And when you believe (in anything!), you act upon it. That action is called faith. (My pastor preached a message once called "Faith is a Corresponding Action")

In the scenario above, just believing that the king would give you his kingdom would not make it yours. You'd have to follow him back to the palace. You'd have to move in. You'd have to perform these actions to show that you believe what he told you. And the reason you do them is because you understand that if you're going to inherit the kingdom, it makes sense to watch how the king manages things. You don't feel like you're being FORCED to do them, you CHOOSE to do them.

Some people would likely look at you and think you were foolish for believing that a king you didn't even know would give you everything. But, as you began to get to know the king through spending time with him, you'd come to understand that wow, he really is just genuinely a loving guy who wants to ensure that what he has doesn't die with him but rather lives on forever. He is a good person with good things that he wishes to persist and multiply through someone who believes in what he believes - which is that love is the single most important thing in the world.