Faithful Fridays ~ What is a Christian?

Hi, everyone!  :)  I'm sorry for my post being a bit late in the day today.  We got out to pick up some dance shoes, and we've been busy all day!  :)

Speaking of dance, some of you may have known from my Instagram that I came down with the flu at the start of this week, and I was really worried about that, because I was supposed to be performing in the Chinese New Year festival with my Chinese dance class this Saturday (tomorrow).  Well, thank you for all your prayers, because I'm doing much, much better and planning to head out for the performance tomorrow!  :D  Thank You, Jesus.  :)  I love seeing Him come through on prayers like that.  It just proves further that we can trust Him!  :)


Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)
*************************************************************** What is a Christian? How do you become one? Why should you be one? What does a Christian do?   "Christian" is a term that gets tossed around a lot, but is not always understood or used or lived out right, the way it was supposed to. What I'm about to tell you is what Jesus said a Christian is.  And He should know, because He's the one who started the first Christians off. You see, being a Christian is all about Jesus.  That's it.  He's everything.   Jesus was Immanuel, God with us.  He was our Maker walking along in the dirty, dusty streets with us, forgiving all the wrongs we had sinned against Him and His perfect law (it's His universe don't you think He gets to make the rules?), reaching down and healing and dusting off the ugliest and dirtiest and most beat up people.  The act of God giving His Son, Jesus, to the world to be slain as a sacrifice for our sins was the only way we could have a relationship with Jesus.  That was the only way someone could ever be a Christian. It started when Jesus called the people to Him. "Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew.  They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake.  It was their regular work.  Jesus said to them, "Come with me.  I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you.  I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass."  They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.  A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons.  These two were sitting in a  boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets.  Jesus made the same offer to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father." -Matthew 4:18-22
Because that's what Jesus did.  He simply called people to follow Him, and they did.  They came from all kinds of backgrounds.  They usually weren't big or important, but they could be.  They were just a bunch of people that followed Jesus without turning back.  Those were the Christians.  They didn't just change the way they lived their lives, they gave their lives to God completely, to do with what He wanted, because they knew it would be good.  Then, God gave them a new spirit.  He changed their heart.  He changed the way they thought.  And that changed the way they lived.  

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." -Romans 12:2 That's not to say that they didn't make mistakes after that.  Of course they did!  It was hard.  It was a struggle sometimes, living for Jesus, especially for those first Christians, because there was a lot of anti-Christian hate going around.  No one liked Christians.  It wasn't popular to be one.  And yet, every day, hundreds of people kept turning to Him.  We find evidence of this everywhere, in the Bible, and in other non-Biblical historical records.  This Jesus man was changing everything.   And when he was put to death, crucified, just like He prophesied, they were devastated.  And then three days later, just like He had said, He rose from the dead.  His corpse was nowhere to be found.  He came and appeared to a great group of people.  This stuff wasn't cleverly fabricated.  It was so wide-spread believed--how could it be?  People that had known Him (as well as people who hadn't) were willing to die horrible deaths rather than denounce Jesus.  Why would they do that for something that was just a big hoax that they would get nothing from? Because, you see, everyone lives for something.  Buddhists live for Buddha.  Muslims live for Allah.  Atheists live for themselves.  We all have a purpose in life, even if it's not really defined, or we don't even really know what it is.  Most people just want to be happy and feel satisfied.  Some want a big house, a fancy car, or a big, important job.  Whatever your "religion," there's something you're living for.  We all have beliefs.

But Christians are living for Jesus.  We're living for something bigger than just us.  I mean, if you really believe that God made us, then our purpose is to live for Him, isn't it?  That's all that matters.  That's what we're created for.  We were created to live eternally in a dazzling, amazing, incomprehensible relationship with our Maker, but when the first people sinned, we were torn apart.  But still, one day, when this life with all its parties and jobs and cars and schedules has passed away, we will stand before God, and how we spend eternity will rest on whether or not we followed Jesus.  If we did, then we'll have our reward, and we'll never taste sorrow or pain or any of those things.  We'll be living in pure joy, because we'll be in the living presence of God.  If not, we'll have to spend eternity in hell.   "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might...." -2 Thessalonians 1:9

"This is how it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." -Matthew 13:49-50 And maybe that's the reason why we can't find true joy or satisfaction anywhere else.  Maybe that's why we find ourselves empty and broken whenever we try to find our purpose elsewhere.  Because only when you're filled with Jesus does life really make sense.  Only when you start living radically, selflessly for Him, with abandon, like you were created to, do you really experience joy.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds." -Matthew 16:24-27 That's what a Christian is.  It's someone who's decided that their whole life is all about Jesus.  It's His.  It's about following Him.  That's their purpose.  That's who their living for.  It's not a title.  It's not a label.  It's not a style.  It's not a flippant decision to lightly hold on to.  It's not just a frail belief.  It's a life-changing, life-altering, life-bettering decision.  What is your life about?  What are you going to live for?  Who are you going to live for? And how do you become a Christian? Oh, my friends, that's the best part.   All other religions and proposals to "fix your life" or "climb the ladder" require you doing something, giving something, working, earning.  But God simply says, "Come to me."  His grace is enough.  He loves us unconditionally, even when we don't love Him back.  No strings attached. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." -Romans 5:8

That's the whole reason Jesus came here--so that we wouldn't have to do anything except trust in Him, ask for forgiveness of our sins, and just surrender it all to Him.  We don't have to work to earn it.  We don't have to climb the proverbial ladder up to God.  We don't have to follow a bunch of steps.  It's just a matter of telling Jesus that you want to be forgiven for the things you've done that are against His Word, and that you want to live for Him, and meaning it, from your heart.   And then, the adventure begins.  :)   "For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end.  Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God." -1 Peter 1:23
*************************************************************** I was really excited to write this post, and I enjoyed it.  I hope you guys got something out of it.  :)   God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)

Faithful Fridays ~ Crazy Love, Crazy Quiet, Crazy Life.

Hey, everyone!  :)  I feel like it's been forever since I've blogged.  For some reason, my computer wasn't letting me access Blogger.  It was so frustrating, but I have it straightened out now, I think (thank You, Jesus)!  :) 


It's time again for Faithful Fridays!  :)  I'm looking forward to sharing today's post with you.  :)











Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)
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Some days are just crazy for me.  A lot of things sort of come crashing down at once, and my mind's whirling, and I don't really know what to do or how to handle it.  Dealing with worries, spiritual struggles, disappointments, fears, problems, responsibilities, and just trying to balance it all and keep in step with God throughout the day can put me in a tizzy and leave me spinning. 
"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions." -Galatians 5:16-17
But, here's the thing: God's got this.

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?  If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" -Romans 8:31

One thing I love about Christmas is getting new devotionals (and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you)!  :)  I got two this year: the Duck Commander devotional, and the Teen-to-Teen 365 Daily Devotions (by Teen Girls, for Teen Girls).  I love both of them, but one I read recently in the Teen-to-Teen one really stuck with me.  I love it, and I wanted to share it with you guys today.  :)
Crazy Love, Crazy Quiet, Crazy Life (By Hannah Thompson, 15, Leesburg, GA, Sherwood Baptist Church, and Sherwood Christian Academy, Albany, GA) "Above all, put on love--the perfect bond of unity." -Colossians 3:14 "Crazy: that's the only way I can describe life as a high school sophomore.  Sometimes I want to sit down and cry with papers due, friend problems, tests to study for, church, and about a bajillion other things I think I need to accomplish right this second.  However, I'm taking these few moments to stop and think.  One of my favorite songs is 'Love Like Crazy' by Lee Brice (written by Doug Johnson and Tim James and released by Curb Records, June 2010).  The lyrics tell the story of a couple getting married out of high school and still being together fifty-something years later.  My favorite part of the song is when he sings, 'Never let your prayin' knees get lazy, and love like crazy.'  Now, it's a little weird walking around saying, 'I love youuu!' to every person you meet, but the little things we do really express our love toward them.  Love others like crazy.  I think we are all used to a little craziness in a schedule, but why not go crazy with loving others, too?  The verse above says, 'Above all, put on love--the perfect bond of unity.'  Perfect unity in my crazy life sounds pretty great.  Also, as I'm thinking through my crazy moments, I think of my crazy quiet moments with God.  Psalm 46:10 says, 'Stop your fighting--and know that I am God.'  When I sit still and talk to my Daddy, everything floods into my head.  Friends, the stress over school, my cousin being deployed, and me getting braces for a third time, etc.  They all just go bam in my head.  I can't even sort out my thoughts!  But, the thing is, God knows.  He knew all the craziness before I ever throught it.  I encourage you, teen to teen, to stop and do a couple of things.  Be crazy in love.  Have crazy quiet moments.  And keep on living your crazy life.  'Cause He promises us that this is only a season of craziness."

I love everything about this.  Jesus isn't kidding or suggesting it lightly when He tells us over and over again to love others.  That's the next most important thing to loving God, He says!  It doesn't have to be moving to another country or selling everything you own at the moment, necessarily.  It can be shooting a text or an email to that girl you don't always get along with, just to start a nice conversation and be her friend.  You don't know why she acts the way she does.  She might need you.  It may be making the new person feel welcome.  It may be forgiving someone who's hurt your feelings, and being kind to them, instead of heaping on the guilt.  It may be offering to do a bunch of chores for your parents without them asking, just to make their lives easier, because you know if our lives are crazy, their lives are crazier! 

And when we do these things in the love of Christ, being the hands and feet of Jesus, we draw close to Him.  We work toward that "perfect bond of unity." 
And taking time to just sit down and spill everything out before God is so, so important, too.  Lay it all out before Him; surrender it.  He can do so much with your mess.  He can turn it into a message for you and all the world to see and be changed by.

So, love like crazy, have crazy quiet moments with God, and yes, keep faithfully living your life out for God, following His lead, even if it's crazy at the moment.  He's not going to leave you hanging.  :)

God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)
Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ Seek Him.

Hi, everyone!  :)  Hope you've all been having a good week!  :)  We've come down with strep throat, but we're getting better.  :)  I tried to get this post on last night, but our internet stopped working, so I couldn't.  :/  But I'm here today!  :)



Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)
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I was reading in my little devotional book (His Princess--it's a great one and I highly recommend it) and it talked about how if you were given a tiny, fragile newborn baby girl, you'd treasure and protect her with all of your being, wouldn't you?  You'd consider her precious, and you'd do anything to take care of her, wouldn't you?  Would you leave her out in the cold on her own?  Would you desert her?  Make her fend for herself?  I don't think you would.  
"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." -Matthew 7:11
And then it talked about how our hearts are the same way.   I think this is especially true for us as teens.  Our hearts are fragile.  We're in a shaky stage of life.  It's rough.  We're rowing upstream against the current in a culture that's drifting complacently downstream. 
 "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. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." -Hebrews 12:1-2
God's placed a heart in us for a reason and that's to worship Him, to have a relationship with Him.  And when we accepted Him as Lord of our life, He completely washed that heart clean from the sin it had taken on before.  We have a new, pure, vibrantly alive heart within us and we have to protect it!  I'm like a fragile, newborn baby girl in my Heavenly Father's arms--if I'm separated from His love and care, my heart will suffer.  I can't make it on my own!  
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me." -Psalm 51:10
That's why it's so important to seek God all. the. time.  Constantly.  Stay in touch with Him throughout your day.  My mind's like a pinball machine.  It's all over the place--bing-bong-bing-bing-bong.  It's so important that I read my Bible, stay connected to God throughout the day through prayer, and keep feeding my faith.  It's so important that I seek God in the morning when I get up, throughout the day, and into the evening.  All the time.  
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Seek God all the time; in the morning, throughout the day, and in the evening, because He is everything!  This whole life is His, so give your day's plans and expectations to Him and let Him order your steps.   God bless you guys and have a great weekend!  :) Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ Crazy Love.

Hellloo, everyone!  :)  I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve/Day!  :)  We celebrated New Year's Eve by staying in, chilling out, and watching It's A Wonderful Life as a family.  :)  Then, at midnight, I played the song "Praise Like Fireworks," because that's an awesome way to start of the new year.  :)  On New Year's Day, we went to see the new Disney movie.  I absolutely LOVED it!  It was so adorable.  It would probably have to be one of my new favorite Disney movies.  :)




Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)
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I've been reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and it's got me thinking.
You know how there's this case of lukewarm Christianity going around?  Sometimes we just get complacent.  We forget.  We forget how crazy God's love is.  And that kind of puts us on the road to not loving God as much.  Our love for God springs out of His love for us.  
I want to keep reminding myself of that.  

"The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

    before you were born I set you apart;

    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'"

-Jeremiah 1:4-5

Read that over and over again.  The God who formed everything, who OWNS this whole thing, formed us!  He made us!  He thought about us!
God knew me (and Jeremiah) before I ever existed!  He was not only with me from the the start, He was with me well before the start!  All other relationships seem trivial in comparison to that of having an intimate relationship with the God of the universe.   
Not only that, He planned out what I was going to do in my life--He had great, out-of-this-world-amazing plans for my life!  
"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:10
And, I mean, He's God--He knows the best that my life could be. 
 "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

"God treasures and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him, and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by." -Francis Chan, Crazy Love

What makes me love God truly, intimately, is thinking about and knowing His love for me.  God's love is crazy and amazing and outrageous, even though I keep sinning against Him every day, and I broke all His rules.  Not only that, He gave his life for me as a ransom.  To save me.  From eternal death!  The only right response to that is to surrender my life to Him, is it not?
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galations 2:20
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." -Ephesians 2:4-5
As a Christian, I need to show a heartfelt, on-fire, pure, sincere passion, the truest passion, for God's crazy amazing love.  I don't know about you, but when I see someone with a sincere passion for something, I think it's beautiful and I want to know more about it.  Let's be that way for this love of God that is incomprehensible; completely stunning.
God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)
Joy :)