sacrifice — BLOG — All Things Jesus

Do I Really Have to Forgive?: Finding Freedom in Forgiveness

Forgiveness isn’t for the person, it’s for you- The second reason we should all forgive is for the mere fact that forgiveness isn't for the person it's for us! Once you forgive, you're essentially saying I am taking on this debt. The word "forgive" in Hebrew is "nasa" which literally means "to lift, carry, or take". Forgiveness is very sacrificial in that way because you're taking the blame and the weight up off of that person for whatever they have done and you are taking it to God and laying it at His feet. The act of forgiveness can be pretty transactional in that way, if you let it. The problem for some lies in the fact that you don't always get anything in return (an apology) and that is okay. John 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” God sees all and He won’t let it go unnoticed because you're being obedient to His word! Don’t believe me? Take a look at some scriptures outlining God’s blessings for those who follow through with His Word:

Why Do We Fast?

In the New Testament Jesus does not explicitly say that we must fast but His words and actions imply that we must lol. So what does He say? In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus says "When you fast, do not look gloomy like hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." So the first major thing to point out here is that Jesus says "when you" not "if you". He is giving instructions on how fasting should be done when you do so because you are most certainly going to do so. Also, Jesus is specifically letting us know that fasting isn't a trend or something we do to impress others like my friend was stating society has made it, but rather that it is to be strictly between us and God. We are not to brag and boast about fasting and we should actually keep it to ourselves as much as we can.

UncategorizedAllthingsjesusFebruary 28, 2017bible, Christian, fasting, god, jesus, mourning, prayer, religion, repentance, sacrifice, scripture Comments

Unplug to Get Recharged

Sometimes I think we go over board on the technology and too much of any good thing can become a bad thing if you let it. I love Instagram, I mean lovvveeee it! And I don't play foolishness on my IG feed, for the most part my feed is inspiring and uplifting. However, in spite of this fact I recently found myself warring against the pesky opponent of... that's right you guessed it, comparison! I would go on my feed and be genuinely happy for the newly engaged couples, newlyweds, first time parents, homeowners, business owners, and so much more but along with that happiness was the undeniable feeling of insecurity in the pit of my stomach that I just couldn't shake. The enemy would begin whispering in my ear, "you will never reach their level of success", "you are not good enough", "you are not worthy enough to receive the blessings you're praying for" "give up". Just plain ol' demonic, evil, and deceitful! But I must admit that I found myself listening and falling into his web of lies. I wonder if you've ever felt that way looking at someone else's "highlight reel" on social media?