December 20, 2006

  • I Believe

    Two years ago, a friend, in her blog, asked the question, "What do you believe?"  I answered and typed here exactly what was in my heart. I've been working on this for 3 days.

    Tuesday, November 30, 2004

    This is what I believe:

    I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I have a tree that I put up in the living room, with a star at the top. The star symbolizes the star that led the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus. Sometimes I put an angel at the top that symbolizes the angels divine messages to the shepherds the night Christ was born. My tree represents the humble stable where Jesus was born. The lights and ornaments are there to represent the sparkling night sky and gifts that the Wise men brought to the newborn King. I look at the gifts under my tree, that Santa brings and the ones we give each other, as representing the gift that God gave us, His Son. More precious than any gift that could be given. (and it was given to me ) Have you opened your gift yet? You got one too! It's just like mine!

    I didn't read this anywhere, this is just how I have thought of my Christmas tree and Santa for a long time. I've been condemned for having a tree and Santa (you know you can spell Satan with the letters in Santa , they say), but it has always been tied in with the greatest gift for as long as I can remember, before these people switched the letters around. So my Christmas tree stays and Santa too. Nobody in my immediate family is greedy. Christmas presents are optional. Then on Christmas Eve, I use to go to Church and watch little children in a Christmas play, usually about the nativity. That was a gift in itself. My family, friends and I give and recieve gifts to and from each other (the kids do anyway)...which symbolizes love that we feel for each other, which is the closest thing that I know to the love God gave us, his Son, our Saviour. (Only he loves us more than we love our own family. My God how can that be? But it is.)

    An angel appeared to Mary, a virgin, and told her she would concieve and bare a son and to name him Jesus. She was engaged to a good man named Joseph.  The angel also appeared to Joseph and told him too. Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem to pay taxes. While they were there, the son was born. It was a prophecy fulfilled, of long before that, that there would be a new king, born of a virgin and a great star would shine over the birthplace when He was born.  Wise men, who knew of the prophecy, followed that star to find the baby. In that time, Sheep herders would stay awake at night, making sure no wild animals attacked their flocks. Angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields. The shepherds were fearful. The angels told them not to be afraid because they had good news. The angels told them of the miracle birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

    Long ago, before Jesus was born, people had to go to a priest and have an unflawed animal sacrificed for their sins. People began to save the good animals for themselves and started sacrificing blemished and flawed animals to God.  Jesus,  their Savior, walked the earth as a human. He taught, he performed miracles, then, when he was 33 years old, he was put to death on a cross. He was sent here, by his Heavenly Father, God, to take the place of the burnt offerings. God made it easier for people to be resolved of their sins. The people would no longer have to make  sacrifices to rid themselves of their sins. The sacrifice was already made for them. God provided his own son as a sacrifice.  All that was required of the people to be forgiven for their sins was to believe, with all their heart, that Jesus was their sacrifice, their savior. When Jesus ascended to heaven, after his death and reserection, He said he was going to prepare a place for us to be with Him. If we have accepted Him as our savior, we will be with him throughout eternity. If we have accepted him as our savior, the one who was sacrificed for us, God will no longer remember our sins.  ALL humans sin. The only human without spot or blemish....was sacrificed... for us.

    Some think of God as a great, destructive judge. God does not create evil. Everything that God created is good. The bible is an instruction book given to us by God, showing us how to live the best, most prosperous, happiest life possible.  Satan is the creator of evil and bad things that happen to us, not God. So, when we sin, (as we all do) God does not shake his mighty finger at us and condem us. What he does is, lovingly, let us know that there was a man, His son, who died, a long time ago, on a cross, for our sins. All we have to do is realize that we have sinned, and we are sorry for it, and believe, with every fiber of our being, that he has already taken care of that for us. He died for it. He was our sacrifice and God has forgotten the sin. That sounds almost too simple but He made it simple so that every human being on earth could do it. No one would be left out of the plan. He had to make it simple so that all people, with all different levels of intelligence, could accept Him. 

    I am a Christian. I don't want to be overzealous and make people angry and run them away from anything to do with a bible. I've seen some people here that make me angry too. I've seen people prod and poke or condemn a person and then when someone stands up for themselves, the "Christian" spouts that they "forgive" and "love", to make a big show for themselves. They would condem someone else to make themselves look good. That's not what being a Christian is all about. I understand why some would run away.

    We're not all like that, honestly.

    Some people have the idea that good deeds or being good or going to church will give them salvation.  Some think that talking excessivly about being a Christian, shaking a bible in other peoples faces will do it..(I know several people who do that.) No...that's not it... It is a true, down in the pit of the heart, belief that Jesus died for us, personally, that is recognized as salvation by God. It has nothing to do with what other people think or what sins you do or don't do. Once you "believe" you'll have a new outlook.  You won't want to sin because you won't want to lead others down that path. You'll want to set a good example for them. You'll do this because you want people to know you love and believe Jesus. You'll want to do everything you can to bring people you love to be believers too. You won't want them to miss out. That's why I'm writing this piece.

    I have studied the bible for 42 years (wrote this in 2004) and even before that. Then I became a Christian at the age of 13.
    It has tried to be undone by the devil himself, but my faith (my Lord) was always there and I remain a Christian today.   It makes me happy to be a Christian.

    Men, inspired of God, wrote the bible. It all comes together so miraculously that I don't understand how anyone can not believe it. Science has proved most of it's scriptures. I have had so many miracles in my life, I know for sure, there is a God who is merciful and kind and loves me.

    Along with other things, it's all in the bible what to do and what not to do. The "what not to do" part is called "sin". It's for our own guidance that these things are in there. Not to condemn but to help us avoid the consequences of sin. (and consequences are no fun at all.) The worst thing about the consequence of sin is that, you may not be the one to suffer for your own sin. It could be some other innocent person or thing that suffers. I don't want to be the reason some other thing or person suffers! Another bad thing is that you may have to suffer the consequences of someone else's sins. Whoa! Hold the phone! (think deeply about it, you can think of things that others have done that you are suffering for.)
    So the best thing to do is try to not sin.
    But, alas,
    We ALL sin. Even if it's just a thought that runs through our head. Sometimes we sin just to get through life! It can't all be avoided.
    Also, read the bible. Yes, it's in there, all these controversial subjects a lot of you are talking about are in there. The ones you think are not wrong...they're in there.

    And when we sin, God does not shake his finger at us and say "You will pay for this!"
    No. no.....What He, lovingly, said was, "Don't worry, I already paid for this a long time ago."
    And he did, on the cross.

    You can't work for it. You can't crawl on your knees for miles for it....You can't buy it. ....You can't preach to get it....and it matters not how much good you do...

    All that is required of us is to BELIEVE he paid for it for you.

    It's that simple! He made it so simple that even a child could do it.

    I don't believe Christians are here to point a finger and shake it in someone else's face and say "You sinner!" (because no matter how hard they try not to, we all/they sin too.)

    I'm just here to say,

    "Whatever you do ... ... ..." BELIEVE."


    (This blog does not have any need for comments because this is MY belief. If anyone disagrees, they can say so on their own blog.)

    I would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.

    Sincerely,
    Gail