Monday, February 2, 2015

Collage of Death and Life; Fear and Love



My Thoughts & Explanation:

In the beginning, God created the universe and our world.  He created everything in and on earth: water, air, land, animals, human beings; everything.  It was more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.  Everything was as it should be; we, humans, had yet to learn of and how to hate, fear, death, and pain.  This early world was paradise and all we've ever needed and wanted.  (Genesis Chapter 1)

However, something terrible happened.  We, humans, listened, believed, and acted on the lie that we are better than God and don't need Him.  We went against Him and choose to do things "our way".  We sinned and from that moment on, things have never been the same; they've ceased to be the way they should be.  It polluted and corrupted our hearts and the world we live in.  (Genesis Chapter 3)

Ever since then, humanity has continued to try and distance themselves from God; and while even in His just anger, frustration, sadness, and even regret, God in His perfect love, has continue to chose to bridge the distance we create and reconcile us back to Him and the perfect existence He envisioned and originally created for us.  (The Old Testament; especially all of Genesis, Exodus, and Isaiah)

All of God's leading and Words in the Old Covenant He made with humanity lead up to the greatest man and promise to ever come true; the birth, life and death of humanities Savior, Jesus Christ.  (The Gospel:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

God, through Jesus, placed His righteous right hand over our sin stained hands.  Through the great, amazing, wondrous, inspiring, crazy, awesome, astonishing, surprising, breathtaking, spectacular,  remarkable, marvelous, and glorious love God showed us through the undeserving and ultimate sacrifice of His Son on the Cross, His love has permanently bridged the gap; righted our wrongs, and given us the pathway back to God; to paradise, to way the way life should be and was always meant to be.

An eternity of indescribable love and the promise of Heaven awaits those who are bold enough, brave enough, and humble enough to believe Jesus was who He said He was.  (John Chapter 14)

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Eternal Longing

All of us have a longing for "something" that never ends; something that brings us everlasting satisfaction and fulfillment.

Many of us try to fill that longing with our jobs, money, sex, relationships, power, food, shopping, gadgets, alcohol, drugs, cars, vacations, etc. etc.; you get the picture.


However, the truth is that we don't actually need more of anything this world has to offer; we think we want more and often try to get more, but only to find we are still left strangely empty even after we get it.  So we start the cycle again, seeking to get more, trying more new things, hoping that some person or path we choose leaves us completely happy and fulfilled.


Here's the tough to admit answer.  What we do need more of, what actually satisfies this never-ending craving, is God; our eternal and inexhaustible source of joy, satisfaction, pleasure, and fulfillment.


Whether you want to believe it or not, you were made by God; a perfect eternal being; our Heavenly Father, who designed you to live in perfect harmony with Him.  We screwed up that up in Eden, but that longing in our souls remained.


Open up your eyes and see, that you aren't an accident caused by chance.  You have a purpose and it's bigger than yourself; seek God and discover who and whose you really are.


"Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”  So God created human beings in his own image.  In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”  Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground; everything that has life.” - Genesis 1:26-30

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." - Ephesians 2:10 
 
Let God renew your hearts and minds to the truth of your existence and how life is meant to be lived.

Love ya'll,

-Matt