Our lives as Christians are all about the relationship we share with our Savior, Jesus Christ, but this relationship is based on His Word. At the very base of this relationship, of Christianity as a whole, stands the Holy Bible; the inspired and inerrant Word of our one True God. This book is not just full of stories and rules, but it is a guide book. It is our manual for how to live this life. It is the Truth.
The text within the pages of this Holy Book cover any and every topic we could ever imagine; if you've struggled with it, its in there. Now to simply say that the Bible is a guide book does not do it justice. This book is literally the Word of God, one of the ways we can communicate with our Heavenly Father. It is the truth, the rock, and foundation of Christianity, and I cannot stress enough the importance of becoming familiar with it.
Verse:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
God uses His Word to teach, to heal, to lead, to comfort, and to exemplify what the Christian life is all about. We are not the first to live this life, and we will not be the last, but the amazing part is that we have a resource to look to in our times of trouble, in times of praise, and when we simply want to hear what He is trying to tell us. We need to delve into this Book, into these truths, and commit to a life of learning, leading, and serving our Savior. In order to do this, we have to be well-versed, we have to be prepared, and we can only do that with the Holy Bible. I understand that there are other ways to worship, to communicate, but so often this most essential bit of the Christian life gets swept to the side.
We claim we don't have time, or that we can get the same truths out of Christian music, or our pastors' sermons. Don't get me wrong, those are all ways of getting closer to God, bringing Him praise, and honoring Him with your life, but it is so crucial to be in His Word in order to understand His will. So often we write off what God is trying to tell us by saying we just don't understand, when in actuality, we just haven't done the work. We need to soak it in, memorize it, and lead the life it calls us to lead. It is when we commit to reading, learning, and loving The Truth, that we can truly be set free.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Clinging to the Cross
Today it was again made so evident of my absolute need for Christ. Without Him, I would be lost, alone in a world to try and fend for myself; I cannot even begin to fathom what that would look like, a life without the love of my Savior. It is with a grateful heart that I recognize these truths, these blessings that have been bestowed in my life, and with them that I so readily take my place at the feet of Jesus Christ. I have realized that to live this life, we must daily cling to the cross of our Savior; for in good times and in bad, He is the only One worthy of all our praise. He was the only One that loved us enough to die for us, to give up His perfect life, and die on a cross for the crimes that we committed. He was innocent, and yet He paid the price.
Verse:
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
~John 3:16
I know you've heard this verse. Chances are, many of the non-believers we know could even quote this one, but have you ever thought about it? Have you ever considered the depth of the love conveyed in this message? God gave up His Son so that we could live; we do not deserve it, and yet we are given it freely. I screw up daily, but He still loves me. Before I was born, He knew me, He knew my flaws, He knew my faults, but most of all He knew my heart, and the love He had for me, and He decided I was worth it. He decided we were all worth it, flaws and all; worth the cost of His own Son's blood to be shed to pay our ransom. With this in mind, how can we not cling to the cross of Christ? He gave it all for us to have the chance at salvation. He recognized that some would choose their own way, and yet He died for all of us, with a hope that we might accept His gift.
I cannot speak for you, but I know in the depth of my soul that Christ lives, reigns, loves, and has redeemed me by dying on that cross. It is my duty to live that life He died to save, to cling to His cross, and to spread that love so that others may experience it. I may be capable of living an alright life following my own dreams and aspirations, but just alright was never what God intended for my life. He has incredible things planned for each and every one of us, but in order to find His way for our lives we must cling to His cross, to His love, and to the perfect plan He has devised for our lives.
Verse:
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
~John 3:16
I know you've heard this verse. Chances are, many of the non-believers we know could even quote this one, but have you ever thought about it? Have you ever considered the depth of the love conveyed in this message? God gave up His Son so that we could live; we do not deserve it, and yet we are given it freely. I screw up daily, but He still loves me. Before I was born, He knew me, He knew my flaws, He knew my faults, but most of all He knew my heart, and the love He had for me, and He decided I was worth it. He decided we were all worth it, flaws and all; worth the cost of His own Son's blood to be shed to pay our ransom. With this in mind, how can we not cling to the cross of Christ? He gave it all for us to have the chance at salvation. He recognized that some would choose their own way, and yet He died for all of us, with a hope that we might accept His gift.
I cannot speak for you, but I know in the depth of my soul that Christ lives, reigns, loves, and has redeemed me by dying on that cross. It is my duty to live that life He died to save, to cling to His cross, and to spread that love so that others may experience it. I may be capable of living an alright life following my own dreams and aspirations, but just alright was never what God intended for my life. He has incredible things planned for each and every one of us, but in order to find His way for our lives we must cling to His cross, to His love, and to the perfect plan He has devised for our lives.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Change
God is so evidently at work in my life right now, and I just had to share with you all. In good times and in bad, trust in Him; give Him the praise, the glory, and the honor, and He will bless you in ways you cannot imagine.
This journey has taken so much work, but without Him, it would not have been possible at all. He is a good God, and when we ask Him for things that will better our lives, and the lives of those around us, He will go to work to help us make that happen. My need for Him is brought to my attention on a daily basis, and He deserves all the credit for what has been accomplished so far, and what He will continue to do in my life.
The following links are a C Tolle Run episode I did with Carrie Tollefson, and a Marshall Independent article that will explain a little bit more about this journey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZXoJYDoLsw
http://marshallindependent.com/page/content.detail/id/530359/Conquering-goals-at-Twin-Cities-Marathon.html
Verse:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
~Proverbs 3: 5-6
I cannot stress enough how important it is to acknowledge Him in all we do. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, the only One we can truly count on. He has brought me through some of the hardest battles and darkest places of my life. I am so very grateful to the One who gave it all, and also to all of you for all the support you have given me. I am truly blessed. Much love, and God bless!
Jacob
This journey has taken so much work, but without Him, it would not have been possible at all. He is a good God, and when we ask Him for things that will better our lives, and the lives of those around us, He will go to work to help us make that happen. My need for Him is brought to my attention on a daily basis, and He deserves all the credit for what has been accomplished so far, and what He will continue to do in my life.
The following links are a C Tolle Run episode I did with Carrie Tollefson, and a Marshall Independent article that will explain a little bit more about this journey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZXoJYDoLsw
http://marshallindependent.com/page/content.detail/id/530359/Conquering-goals-at-Twin-Cities-Marathon.html
Verse:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
~Proverbs 3: 5-6
I cannot stress enough how important it is to acknowledge Him in all we do. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, the only One we can truly count on. He has brought me through some of the hardest battles and darkest places of my life. I am so very grateful to the One who gave it all, and also to all of you for all the support you have given me. I am truly blessed. Much love, and God bless!
Jacob
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Marathon
On Sunday, October 2nd, 2011 God gave me the strength to run my first marathon. Not only was this 26.2 mile run a symbol of the physical change He has brought me through in the past year and a half, but of the spiritual journey as well. He has broken the chains of weight and sin in my life over and over again, and all the glory for these things goes directly to Him, the Creator, Giver, and Sustainer of life.
I cannot begin to describe to you the emotions that played out within me on Sunday, but the experience was a perfect metaphor for the Christian life we are called to live. The first 13 miles were going particularly well; I felt good and was ahead of my goal pace, but as in life, things come up that bring you down. I tweaked my ankle that I had rolled a few weeks prior during my training, and this brought me to a decision that I needed to make. Do I drop out here, forfeit all the training and hours I had put in to this, and take the easy road or do I rely completely on God for the strength I know only He can provide? I decided to "run with endurance the race God has set before us." It was brutal at points, but it allowed for full reliance on God. At about mile 25.5, with the finish line in sight, God used some pretty severe cramping to remind me that it is alright to rely on other people for help. My calves cramped, my knees locked, and I went down. I looked up to find my brother, Jarrett, standing over me and trying to stretch the cramps out of my legs. He helped me up, and I continued on knowing I would not have been able to continue with out him. In this life we are continually faced with trials, with hardships, with pain, and we are forced to make some pretty tough decisions, and often have to allow ourselves to rely on the people God has placed into our lives. We have to know that He has planned this out, that we are in His hands, and that with God all things are possible.
Giving up control and relying on God did not make the remainder of the race a pain free process, but it did give me comfort to know that my God had me right where He had called me to be, and that He would get me through. This is also true in life; we must give Him control, but with that does not come an easy life. Satan will continue to torment us, and probably even up his ante, but with God we have to know that we will make it through, and be better because of it. He will use the trials to teach us lessons and the pain to show us love.
Verse:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
~Hebrews 12:1
With emotions high, and tears in my eyes, I finished the marathon, all 26.2 miles of it, but only through His power. It was not in my goal time, but it was definitely in His. I thought God had brought me to this race as a pinnacle in my weight loss journey, but it was so much more than that. He used it to teach me a lesson in how to continue to walk in this Christian life. He showed me that He has helped to change me physically, but that is only the beginning of this transformation, just as this marathon was only a taste of the race of life God has called me to in this world. I must continue to fully rely on God, to be wholly surrendered to His love and His call for my life, and to run with endurance the race He has set before me.
About to cross the finish line.
Dad and Mom after the race.
Mel, who also ran the marathon.
I cannot begin to describe to you the emotions that played out within me on Sunday, but the experience was a perfect metaphor for the Christian life we are called to live. The first 13 miles were going particularly well; I felt good and was ahead of my goal pace, but as in life, things come up that bring you down. I tweaked my ankle that I had rolled a few weeks prior during my training, and this brought me to a decision that I needed to make. Do I drop out here, forfeit all the training and hours I had put in to this, and take the easy road or do I rely completely on God for the strength I know only He can provide? I decided to "run with endurance the race God has set before us." It was brutal at points, but it allowed for full reliance on God. At about mile 25.5, with the finish line in sight, God used some pretty severe cramping to remind me that it is alright to rely on other people for help. My calves cramped, my knees locked, and I went down. I looked up to find my brother, Jarrett, standing over me and trying to stretch the cramps out of my legs. He helped me up, and I continued on knowing I would not have been able to continue with out him. In this life we are continually faced with trials, with hardships, with pain, and we are forced to make some pretty tough decisions, and often have to allow ourselves to rely on the people God has placed into our lives. We have to know that He has planned this out, that we are in His hands, and that with God all things are possible.
Giving up control and relying on God did not make the remainder of the race a pain free process, but it did give me comfort to know that my God had me right where He had called me to be, and that He would get me through. This is also true in life; we must give Him control, but with that does not come an easy life. Satan will continue to torment us, and probably even up his ante, but with God we have to know that we will make it through, and be better because of it. He will use the trials to teach us lessons and the pain to show us love.
Verse:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
~Hebrews 12:1
With emotions high, and tears in my eyes, I finished the marathon, all 26.2 miles of it, but only through His power. It was not in my goal time, but it was definitely in His. I thought God had brought me to this race as a pinnacle in my weight loss journey, but it was so much more than that. He used it to teach me a lesson in how to continue to walk in this Christian life. He showed me that He has helped to change me physically, but that is only the beginning of this transformation, just as this marathon was only a taste of the race of life God has called me to in this world. I must continue to fully rely on God, to be wholly surrendered to His love and His call for my life, and to run with endurance the race He has set before me.
Dad and Mom after the race.
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