About
I was raised in the Arkansas Ozarks, near Eureka Springs, by a Christian family that never had a lot of anything other than love. We always had plenty of love. In fact we had so much love that we shared it with the people next door, the people down the road, the people in town, and the people in the next town over. At times we even had occasion to share it with people in the next county over and beyond. This was a love that was deeply rooted in the Word of God. My prayer is to share that love through my writings, based on truths from the Word of God. Thank you
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Location: Springfield, MO
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Country: US
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Blogs: 11
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Songs: 1
Just some thoughts
Depending on interpretations of what is required to become a Christian, I suppose I was "saved" at about 6 years of age during Vacation Bible School at a little one room country church called the Lone Star Church in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Or maybe I was saved at 14 years old at a youth revival that was held in the Little Chapel, which was the church I was raised up in, also in Eureka Springs? Or was it one of the other 12,785 times (guesstimate) that I ran to the altar to lay all my sins at the foot of the cross in various churches in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma? Who knows, and does it really matter? What matters is that I am saved!
Over the years I've heard preachers tell the exact date, hour, and minute they were "saved." They tell how their lives were miraculously changed instantaneously right then and there, and how they were freed from the grip of sin. The sailor who never swore again, the addict that never used again, the alcoholic that never drank again, the liar that never lied again, the gossip that never bore false witness again, the adulterer that never lusted again, etc. Based upon my experiences as a Christian I have grave doubts about the validity of their claims, but maybe it's just my own inability to live a sin free life that causes this doubt?
Throughout the Apostle Paul's teachings, he clearly struggled with his spiritual being warring against his physical being. Paul instructed us to pray without ceasing, and spoke about the daily renewing of our faith. Through his teachings I have become satisfied that sin is an inevitable consequence of living life in the flesh. Being satisfied with that is one thing, however becoming complacent in it is another. We must never become complacent in sin. We all have our crosses to carry, and as we press on toward the prize, it is my thought that our crosses will become lighter as onward we go until we finally meet Jesus and our crosses are gone for eternity.
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon his face
The One who saved me by his grace
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the promised land
What a day, glorious day, that will be!
It's been 45 years since I first prayed for Jesus to forgive my sins and be the Lord of my life and I still feel like a miserable failure. I still struggle constantly with things that (in my opinion) should've been removed from my life long ago. It's a battle I cannot win, but thank God I don't have to, because Jesus won it for me long, long ago. His grace is sufficient for me. Thank you Jesus!
Over the years I've heard preachers tell the exact date, hour, and minute they were "saved." They tell how their lives were miraculously changed instantaneously right then and there, and how they were freed from the grip of sin. The sailor who never swore again, the addict that never used again, the alcoholic that never drank again, the liar that never lied again, the gossip that never bore false witness again, the adulterer that never lusted again, etc. Based upon my experiences as a Christian I have grave doubts about the validity of their claims, but maybe it's just my own inability to live a sin free life that causes this doubt?
Throughout the Apostle Paul's teachings, he clearly struggled with his spiritual being warring against his physical being. Paul instructed us to pray without ceasing, and spoke about the daily renewing of our faith. Through his teachings I have become satisfied that sin is an inevitable consequence of living life in the flesh. Being satisfied with that is one thing, however becoming complacent in it is another. We must never become complacent in sin. We all have our crosses to carry, and as we press on toward the prize, it is my thought that our crosses will become lighter as onward we go until we finally meet Jesus and our crosses are gone for eternity.
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon his face
The One who saved me by his grace
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the promised land
What a day, glorious day, that will be!
It's been 45 years since I first prayed for Jesus to forgive my sins and be the Lord of my life and I still feel like a miserable failure. I still struggle constantly with things that (in my opinion) should've been removed from my life long ago. It's a battle I cannot win, but thank God I don't have to, because Jesus won it for me long, long ago. His grace is sufficient for me. Thank you Jesus!
Great blog post....Thank you
I'm with on this Jack. We will have to war against the flesh, until we die, or are translated. Theologians use the word justification, to refer to our legal standing with God (accounted as righteous because of what Christ has done). They use the word sanctification to refer to the process by which we are transformed, and "set apart" by God. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime, and involves many ups and downs, through a progression from sinful to righteous, in our daily living. A striving for perfection, a spiritual journey - but until we are glorified at the resurrection/translation, we still have the flesh to contend with. Sometimes it gets the upper hand, especially if we lose our focus. Even the great Apostle Paul did not achieve perfection of character, this side of Heaven. Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. I think that as we mature as Christians, we should certainly see progress, (as the Spirit works in us), and habitual sin should fall away, but we still stumble - thank God for grace. James 3:2 We all stumble in many ways... When you meet someone who is perfect, let me know, so I can tell everyone you met Jesus.