Psalm 32:1

 

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

Psalm 32:1 (NKJ)

    Amen, and amen!
    The Lord's forgiveness is sweet and strong. Sweet and joyous in the fact that it's made acceptance by and a relationship with Him possible; and strong in the fact that it actually happened, that God found a way to forgive us of our sins without compromising His perfect integrity.
    At the end of the day, when there might be some regrets on one's mind, remembering the completeness of the Lord's forgiveness is not only a huge relief, but it's strengthening because it lets us know that we're still covered by Christ's redemption, that He'll still gladly be with us.
    Being forgiven, redeemed by the Lord so freely, is a blessed thing indeed. Amen?

Romans 14:9

 

"For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living."

Romans 14:9 (NKJ)

    The day of Easter, the day of our Lord's resurrection from the grave, is an awesome, awesome holiday! When that tomb was opened and people saw it empty inside, it showed the world that Jesus Christ is alive! That He defeated death, and that He won salvation to give to mankind, so that we could be saved from eternal death.
    And it also means something this verse proclaims: that when Christ rose again and created a way to salvation, He also became King of those He redeems. When He saved us and made us part of His family, He founded a future in which He'll rule as rightful King over a righteous, eternal kingdom! What a great day that'll be!
    So many good, good things happened on that first Easter Sunday; God is good! Amen?

Solomon's Fall

    Solomon was a wonderful king. The wisest of all the rulers of the earth, he had a very close walk with God for many years. He judged wisely, built a magnificent temple for people to worship and serve the Lord in, he wrote over a thousand proverbs (many included in the Book of Proverbs), and Solomon really loved the Lord (1 Kings 3:3).
    But then in his later years, things went wrong. He married multiple wives, and they convinced him to start worshipping their pantheons of false gods. Worshipping and building temples for idols this way and that, Solomon totally turned away from the true God. He fell, and it was a long, long, long fall.
    Personally, I think Solomon eventually turned back to the Lord later in life. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, he recounts times where he sought fulfillment in construction projects, knowledge, and endless pursuits of fun; this could easily be an account of the years he spent in idolatry, looking for purpose in life without considering the Lord. But at the end of it all, he resigns with the conclusion that true fulfillment comes with taking heed to the true God, that it's "the whole duty of man" to "fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13; NKJ).
    If Solomon really did turn back to the Lord and repent, then the situation wasn't a complete tragedy. But still, the way that such a wise man fell away from the Lord is sobering. Solomon had a very strong spiritual walk before he slipped; plus, as king of Israel, it's doubtless that he was doing serious praying for guidance in leading the nation. Solomon was ultra-righteous, and if he could slip up in idolatry (or anything that would divert someone from their walk with God), anyone could. Temptations and distractions are frighteningly powerful and destructive.
    But yet, even when someone has fallen back, there's incredible hope and relief from the Lord; His grace is vast, "forgiving all iniquity" (Psalm 103:3), and God is so merciful that He not only forgives us when we ask His forgiveness, but He also helps us repent from the things that made us fall. He offers redemption and restoration in Christ, reaching down to us so we can come back to Him, even when we've fallen; even like Solomon did.
    Now that's amazing grace. Isn't it wonderful to notice these kind of redemption stories in the Bible that we see in our own lives as well?

Self-Depreciation: Not as Good as it Might Seem

This is the kind of view one gets of oneself when they
take self-depreciating comments to heart instead of
holding to the Lord's comforting words.

    Am I the only one who's believed that calling oneself "stupid" after making a dumb mistake is just humble self-depreciation?
    It kind of seems okay. It isn't calling anyone else those names; just oneself, and it feels deserved most of the time. Such self depreciation (insulting, chiding, mocking) can be seen as self-discipline, an improvement strategy.
    Only now I'm pretty sure that "self-depreciation" isn't humble, helpful, or okay to do at all.
    For one, there's just something fishy about putting the responsibility of scolding (or complimenting) into the hands of the person who's going to receive it. It's too tempting to pass on the scolding, for one, and just ignore the problems. But a bigger issue is that when one puts themselves in charge of monitoring their own flaws . . . well, there are probably a lot that a person would never realize they had until someone else pointed them out.
    It's not our job to judge ourselves like that anyway. Discerning problematic attitudes and flaws that need fixing is one thing, but when one calls themselves an idiot (a vague insult) and don't even fixate on the issue that prompted the scolding, nothing is being improved. The only one who's really able to instruct us in how to change is the one who actually has the right to: God. He alone sees all the core issues that need to be addressed, He knows the correct way to mend those issues, and He instructs us on doing that in a kind, loving way, whether by people in our lives or by the Good Book.
    Which doesn't involve name-calling. That's another evident problem with self-demeaning. Typically, when a person scolds themselves, they mutter something like "idiot," and feel cruddy about themselves. But after that? Probably not much else.
    Which is eerily a lot like what the enemy does to us. In Revelation 12:10, Satan is said to be accusing us "day and night." Accusing, condemning. Drawing attention to all the mistakes, sins, all the bad, but not in a way that helps or gives hope. It only hurts.
    But God gives hope, healing, forgiveness. The salvation He gives has redeemed us from all our mistakes; another reason not to judge oneself with self-depreciation. Yes, we make mistakes, but we're redeemed from them. The amount of wrong choices we make even after accepting Christ is not going to annul that grace, but allowing self depreciating comments to fill our minds (and actually believing them) will definitely distort one's memory of it.
    God wouldn't call any of us "idiot," and He definitely doesn't want us calling other people things like that (see Matthew 5:22), so logically, it makes sense that He wouldn't want us calling ourselves that.
    So; personal conclusion? Calling oneself "stupid" or "moron" is probably not right.

1 John 4:10

 

"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be propitiation for our sins."

1 John 4:10 (NKJ)

Exodus 15:2

 

"'The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him."

Exodus 15:2 (NKJ)

John 3:17

 

 

"For God did not send His only begotten Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

John 3: 17 (NKJ)

    Just about every Christian has John 3:16 memorized--it's the embodiment of the gospel message. However, maybe not as many people know the verse after it by heart.  But John 3:17 is also very vital to remember as a Christian. It's a fantastic proof for remembering God's character and for showing it to the person who thinks God is nitpicking at people's sins. The verse clearly verifies that God doesn't look for reasons to punish us or to condemn us whenever we slip up, but that He lovingly and graciously sought out salvation for all mankind.
    God is good, and this verse is awesome. Agreed? :)

Mark 16:6--He Is Risen!

 

"But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.'"

Mark 16: 6 (NKJ)

    The tomb is empty! He is risen!
    What does this mean? It means that Jesus Christ came back from the dead. And what does that mean? It means that Jesus is who He said He is--the Son of God--and that His sacrifice on the cross has atoned for all of our sins. It means that God's plan to redeem humanity has succeeded, and that we can now be forgiven and have a personal relationship with Him!
    How good it is to remember what the Lord has done! Not only did He die for us, but He rose again and came back. He's showed us His incredible love in both the day He went to the cross and the morning He went out of the tomb.
    He is risen! What a wonderful reason to rejoice!