Forgiven By God

It's a new year. A time when time itself seems to start over. The first of the year is so full of hope for what may happen. Many people make resolutions at the first of the year. Some people are able to keep them and some resolutions have already been forgotten as I write this. I think for some of us we try to change ourselves too much, too quickly. Then when we can't keep up with the demands we place on ourselves, we throw our hands up and just give up. I encourage you this year as you make resolutions to not put yourself down if you mess up, instead just start back over and accomplish your goals. As a Christian, I am determined to grow closer to God everyday. When I first got back into church, I had that same determination, only then I thought I had to be perfect. I would mess up, (like we all do) and I would give up. I would get so frustrated and say what's the point I can't change. I'm not good enough to be a Christian. At that point there was a lot of goi...

There is nothing messier than 2 little boys. Just when I think I have my house clean: BAM!!!!! In they walk leaving a trail of dirt in their path. As people we also leave a trail everywhere we go. Yes some of it is physical dirt, but our physical dirt is not usually what people remember us by. The main thing people remember us by is our attitude and how we treat others. As Christians the attitude we portray is very important. You see some people have never heard of God. Some people know about Him, but have had a negative experience with a "Christian". Some people know Him, but may be running away right now due to hurt or confusion. Others may be serving Him wholeheartedly. How we act when we call ourselves a Christian determines peoples perceptions about God. If our attitude is negative then people's attitudes about God will be negative. We need to watch ourselves so God can use us to reach out to others. Everywhere we go, we should be leaving a trail that others w...

This week I have had the opportunity to go fishing with my family. I am proud to say I finally caught one! Now that may not be exciting news to some of you, but when you have waited 31 years to catch a big fish, it means a little bit more. This week while I was fishing I was reminded of an important lesson. Sometimes it takes a while to catch the fish. You may sit for hours and even get a few bites, but it still make take a while to catch the big one. This can be applied to our Christian walk also. When we are saved we don't automatically know everything there is to know about being a Christian. We may not even have a clue on where to start reading the Bible. We can become very discouraged if we began to think about all the things that are still wrong with us and let me tell you the Devil will remind you constantly of all the things you are doing wrong. Just like when we have to wait to catch that big fish, we also must wait and have patience as we learn God's Word. God...