James Is Your Friend

I know a lot of people out there that are scared that they are going to die and a couple of them are thinking that they will be “living in the sky.”  But, while I’m here living, I have to ask, “Why? What am here for?”  I have to figure it out.  Waste my life?  No, I gotta make it count!  If Christ is real, then what am I going do about everything in Luke 12:15 down to 21?  You really ought to go and check it out.  Paul said if Christ isn’t resurrected, then we wasted our lives.  Well that implies that our life is built around Jesus being alive. So, everyday I’m living and trying show the world why Christ is more than everything you’ll ever try: better than pretty women, and sinning, and living to get a minute of any woman or man that you admire.  This is no lie.  We are created for Him, out of the dust He made us for Him, elects us and He saves us for Him, Jesus comes and raises for Him.  Magnify the Father!  Why bother with something lesser?  He made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess Him.  He resurrects Him so I know that I have life.  In matter of fact, what’s better is that I know that I have Christ.  If you don’t see His ways in my days and nights you can hit my brakes and you can stop my lights.  Because, I lost my rights, I lost my life, forget the money, cars, and toss that ice.  The cost is Christ and they could never offer me anything on the planet that’ll cost that price.

I don’t want to waste my life.

Suffer? Yeah do it for Christ!  Are you trying to figure what to do with your life?  If you’re making a lot of money, I hope you doing it right because the money is God’s and you better steward it right.  Stay focused!  You don’t have a ride?  Well, your life isn’t wrapped up in what you drive, the clothes you wear, the job you work, nor the color of your skin because we are Christian first. Some people are living for a job, make a little money, start living for a car, then get a house, a wife, kids and a dog.  When they retire, they may be living high on the hog.  But, guess what?  They didn’t ever really live at all, because to live is Christ!  Yeah that’s Paul, I recall.  To die is gain, so for Christ we give it all.  He’s the treasure you’ll never find in the mall.  Your money, your singleness, marriage, talent, and your time were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine.  That’s why it’s Christ in my rhymes.  That’s why it’s Christ all the time.  See, my whole world is built around Him and He’s the life in my lines.  I refuse to waste my life.  He’s too true to chase that ice.  Here’s my gifts and my time because I’m constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ.  If He’s truly raised to life, then this news should change your life.  And, by His grace you can put your faith in a place that rules your days and nights.

I don’t want to waste my life.

(This post is adapted from the song, “Don’t Waste Your Life” by Lecrae. Yeah, that’s right….this is a Rap song. This might change your perspective on rap music, huh?  Listen to the song below.)

Posted on 05/31/11 at 11:00pm

Is the world going to end on May 21st, 2011?  What about in 2012?

Well, today’s post will not be very long because its topic is not worth spending too much time on.  However, I wanted to still write a post because everyone is talking about it and it needs to be discussed.  An anonymous person asked me this question:

So I’ve been seeming billboards up all over sayin judgement day is may 21. 2011. What’s up with that?? When revelations clearly says no one will know the time of the return of Christ except the Father himself. Where are these people gettin their info? But I’m sure its the same people who are sayin the Maya calendar is right and the end of the world is December 21. 2012. Haha. I know these people are wrong, I would just like to hear your insight on the topic. Thanks

I’ve heard about this whole deal.  Its all over the internet and billboards.  People like that are wrong. We cannot know for sure when the End Times will come. So, where are they getting their information?  They are getting it from some complex mathematical equation and by using some “Biblical code.”  Here is their explanation: Judgement Day May 21st.  Of course, we know that its wrong because Jesus is clear in Acts 1:7 and Matthew 24:36 that no one knows when the end will come. Someone who predicts the end is actually saying that Jesus is a liar.

Am I saying that I know for sure that Jesus will not come back on the 21st? No, that is a possibility….just like tomorrow is a possibility. But, the only thing that predicting the end times does is provide reasons for the secular world to not be favorable to Christianity. If these guys are wrong about the 21st, then its just another reason to make fun of Christians. I wish people would just stop predicting the end times and start focusing on urgently sharing Christ with others.

So, as you can see, you are right. We cannot know for sure and that is based on Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

After more than 7 years of intense theological study, I only know 1 thing for sure about what happens during the End Times: We win.

Posted on 05/19/11 at 10:00pm

I was going to write a “Short Thought About…” blog post today, but an anonyomus person asked me a very good question on my ask page.  This question is one of those questions that needs to be discussed, so I decided to write a “Reply” blog today.  Here is Anon’s question:

I think that if God is all knowing and that He has predestined everyones futures and people do horrible things then that makes God apart of the problem more or less. It’s about knowing bad things happen and actually letting them happen. I don’t want to believe in a God that would be apart in or controlling all those things. Please explain?

Unfortunately, I am in a dilemma.  This is a very important question that I want to answer, but it would take forever to adequately answer this question.  So, I am going to be limited in this post, but I will do my best to provide some sort of answer to this difficult question.

Introduction To The Problem of Evil

Behind your question is a classic case of the Problem of Evil.  I’m not going to say that I know all the answers and I must admit that this is a very difficult topic.  But, lets just start with defining the Problem of Evil.  The Problem of Evil is a term used to describe the tension with the simultaneous existence of a perfect God and of evil.  Within this tension, there has come about an argument to show that the existence of evil actually challenges the belief in the existence of God.  Here is this argument in a simplified form.

First, there are 3 premises:

1. God is omnipotent (all-powerful)
2. God is omnibenevolent (all-good)
3. Evil exists

Second, these premises form into the actual argument:

1. If God is all-powerful, then He could destroy evil
2. If God is all-good, then He would destroy evil if He could
3. Since God is both, then He could and would destroy evil
4. However, evil still exists.
5. Therefore, the conclusion is either: a) God does not exist, b) God is not all-powerful (impotent), c) God is not all-good (malevolent) or d) God is neither.

This is a very logically valid argument.  However, there are a few problems with the argument that causes me to conclude that, even though it is logically valid, it is not logically sound.  This leads me to my short-version response.

Response To The Problem of Evil

There are four presuppositions behind this argument that actually show that it has a problem.

1.  Presupposes Evil - How do you know what evil is unless you know what good is?  And how do you know what good is unless there is an objective standard of good beyond yourself?  In my view, the existence of evil actually confirms the existence of an objective standard of good and God is that objective standard of good.

2.  Presupposes No Self-Application - When people believe this argument, they forget about themselves.  If God did exist, they would want God to stop evil completely right now.  You really want God to stop evil?  Then, suppose He starts with you?  If God stops evil right now, then He will stop you and me, because we all do evil.

3.  Presupposes No Past Action - This argument presupposes that nothing has been done to defeat evil up to this point.  Actually, the Bible teaches that evil was defeated in the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Of course, evil has not yet been ultimately destroyed.

4.  Presupposes No Future Action - This argument also presupposes that since evil has not been destroyed up to this point, it never will be destroyed.  Actually, the Bible also teaches that the complete destruction of evil will come in the future.  The Crucifixion and Resurrection were the beginning of the destruction of evil by defeating it and then the final destruction will be in the future.

The Story of the Problem of Evil

In the beginning, God created humans with a will to choose.  With the creation of these humans with a will to choose, the natural by-product is the possibility of choosing evil (this is potential evil, not actual evil).   When humanity chose evil, the actuality of evil came into existence.  It is humanity who brought evil into this world.  So, here is a summary of the entire story:  God created this world good and perfect (Gen. 1). But then humanity in a willing choice messed up the world with sin and evil (Gen. 3). God, in His love and mercy, sent Jesus Christ to fix the world, and with Jesus’ death and resurrection, He started the fixing process (John 3; 1 Cor. 15). Right now, Christ’s true followers are continuing the fixing process (Matt. 28). In the future, Christ will come back to complete the fixing process (Rev.). In other words, Christ defeated sin and evil in his first coming and then Christ will ultimately destroy sin and evil in his second coming. In order for humanity to be truely fixed, we need to fix our spiritual problem. Without fixing the spiritual problem, all the other solutions are in vain. But, we can’t fix it ourselves, we need a Savior to rescue us and fix it for us. Only faith in Christ can solve the problems and bring true and lasting peace. Then, He can work through us as tools to continue to help Him fix things, because it is Christ who lives in His true followers (Gal. 2:20).

The Author of Hope

I know that the above is a very limited discussion on the topic and does not answer all the questions, but I am limited on time and I am not going to pretend to know everything.  However, I would like to end with a thought on the sovereignty of God.  The sovereignty of God does not make Him out to be Author of Evil.  The sovereignty of God makes Him out to be the Author of Hope.  Since we know that He is in control, He has a reason behind everything that happens.  Our finite minds are limited and cannot completely understand God’s infinite mind.  It all ultimately comes down to this: We can trust in the promise that “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28).

(If you would like to ask a question like Anon did, I just want you to know that anyone can ask me any question!  Just go to www.jamesisyourfriend.com/askme.)

Posted on 05/10/11 at 11:15pm

I was asked an interesting question yesterday by an anonymous person.  And I would like to answer it.  Anon asked:

I have a real issue with your info. I don’t believe that God is such a self-centered ###hole that he put us on this Earth to spread his message to one another. That’s like building an anthill for the sole purpose of the ants acknowledging our existence. What kind of logic is that?

Good question, Anon!  This does seem to be the case, doesn’t it?  I mean, seriously, who wants to serve a “self-centered” God?  It would seem like a weird logic if the “anthill” analogy is accurate.  I would love to have a face-to-face conversation with you about this because that’s what I find most effective.  However, I am limited to the confines of the internet, so I guess a post will have to do.  By the wording of your question, it seems like you believe that some divine being exists.  Of course, I may be wrong, but I’m just going to assume that truth. Unfortunately, I am limited on time, but I will answer your question with three general points:

1.  The Authority of Divine Revelation

I would first like to point to Scripture.  You see, Scripture is authoritative in my life.  I believe that God has revealed Himself and His message to us in written form, which is the Bible.  Since this is the case, I believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority in my life.  Therefore, I must submit my will and my mind to it.  There are times that I might think that something does not line up with reason, but ultimately I must submit my reason to Revelation.  Of course, I have a very analytical mind, which has led me to do a lot of theological, biblical, logical, and philosophical study, and I believe that logic and reason do not contradict, but rather, they complement Revelation.  But that’s not the point.  The point is, that even if I were to believe something is unreasonable in Scripture (which I don’t), Scripture is God’s Word and I would have to trust in the reason of His unlimited mind.

2.  The Story of Divine Revelation

So, since that is the case, what does Scripture teach me about who God is?  Well, it teaches that God is perfectly great and He is perfectly good.  In His greatness, He is infinite, eternal, glorious, supremely valuable, spirit, personal, unchanging, life, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present.  In His goodness, He is Holy, pure, righteous, unique, truth, faithful, and love.  

What does Scripture teach me about what God has done?  It teaches me that in the beginning there was God, in all His glorious greatness and goodness.  He decided, out of His love, to create the universe, the earth, and humans.  Since He is Creator, He owns everything and He’s boss.  He gets to decide the rules and how things work.  Therefore, whatever He says, goes.  If this sounds unfair, just think this: your existence depends on His conscience.  That puts things into perspective.  

So, what does Scripture teach me about what God wants us to do?  Well, He wants us have fellowship with Him.  He wants to spend time with us, bless us, and love us.  In return, He gets the praise and glory because we are the creature and He is the Creator.  But, we can’t have fellowship with Him because we all have sinned and gone against His rules.  Instead of us glorifying God, we selfishly glorified ourselves.  This puts a barrier between us and God.  However, God loves us so much that He provided a way to restore the fellowship with Him.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins so that we can fellowship with Him.  This is great news!  Therefore, those who have accepted God’s way, which is Christ, want others to also experience the satisfaction and joy of fellowship with God.  So, I share with others this good news out of my own satisfaction and joy in Christ because I want them to experience this new life too.  God also has told His followers to share this message with others.  That’s why I share.

3.  The Misunderstanding of Selfishness

From what I have said above, it may seem selfish or self-centered of God to require us to glorify Him.  I do not have time to answer this extensively but I will give you the best short answer:

Scripture teaches us that God seeks to glorify Himself.  That does seem selfish, but we misunderstand because we are thinking from a human perspective.  But, what is selfishness?  Selfishness is when someone is thinking about himself more highly than he ought to.  Since God is the highest being, He cannot think too highly about Himself.  He is the the only one with the right to think of Himself as the highest being.  Because of who He is, it would be wrong for Him to not glorify Himself in everything.  God would actually cease to be good if He were to stop seeking to glorify Himself.  If God were to cease to be good, then He would no longer be God.  One of my favorite quotes is by a guy named Jonathan Edwards.  His statement really helps us understand this whole thing.  He said, “if God is supremely valuable, then He should value Himself supremely.”

Well, I hope that I have answered your question.  Unfortunately, I may have just caused confusion or just more questions.  But, I would like to leave you with this thought:  The infinite-all-powerful God sent His Son down to the earth in the form of Jesus Christ as a human being.  He became like one of us to pay for our sins so that we can have fellowship with God once again.  Think about that….He became like one of us…and we are like ants compared to Him.  How awesome is it that the all-powerful, infinite Creator and Ruler of the universe loved us so much that He became like an ant?

(If you would like to ask a question like Anon did, I just want you to know that anyone can ask me any question!  Just go to www.jamesisyourfriend.com/askme.)

Posted on 05/05/11 at 9:15pm

News of the death of Osama bin Laden hit the world by storm last night as the blogosphere and social networks were exploding with announcements, tweets, status updates, and posts.  As I first heard of the news, I was skeptical at first, but after some more investigation, I saw that there was credibility to the announcements.  After my first response of denial, I immediately thought:

How is a true follower of Christ supposed to respond to this event in light of the radical teachings of Christ?

Well, I had my own biblical convictions on the issue and I decided to see what others were saying.  So, I went to my Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.  Sadly, but not surprisingly, Christians were divided on the issue.  Over the course of the last 20 hours I have seen and been involved in many different debates over discussions with Scripture and emotions on full throttle.

I have noticed two main groups of Christians in how they are responding.  One group is joyously celebrating and usually responding with arguments from God’s justice.  The other group is soberly calling into question the celebration with arguments from God’s love.  The question is: which of these groups are right?

Well, when it comes to how a follower of Christ must respond in any situation, there are a two principles that must guide us:

1.  We must not respond emotionally, but rather, we must respond biblically.  There is a difference between our feelings and our response. Our feelings are not necessarily bad. We can’t always control them and God does not condemn us for feeling a certain way. However, what ultimately matters is how we respond to our feelings.  The truth is hard to hear sometimes. Truth is not based on emotion or experience, truth is ultimately based on divine revelation (which is God’s Word).  We are to conform to the Word of God, not the other way around.  For example, there are times that I feel that God is not there listening to my prayers, that my prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling, and I feel lonely.  However, just because I feel that way, does it make it true?  Has God truly forgotten me and left me?  What is the test of truth: feelings or the Word of God?  The Word of God.  So, What does the Word of God say?  ”I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).  So, in the midst of those feelings, I will hold to the Word of God.  Even though I am truly feeling that way, it is not reflective of the truth in God’s Word.  When our hearts are in the hands of God, we can have the strength to trust God’s Word over our feelings.  Therefore, how Believers FEEL about Osama’s death is not necessarily right or wrong, what matters is how they RESPOND.

2.  We must respond in wisdom.  Most of the time, wisdom has to do with a balance between extremes.  In many situations, both extremes may be partly right, but they may have taken the implications too far.  Wisdom guides us to take the right parts of either side, remove the weaknesses, and find a balance between the two.  Of course, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Prov 9:10).  Therefore, we must seek God’s Word in how to wisely respond to Osama’s death.


With these principles in mind, I find wisdom pointing out that that both extremes in this current situation are not right.  They each have a point, one focusing on the justice of God and the other focusing on the love of God.  However, wisdom teaches us to not separate the two characteristics of God.  In fact, they are inseparable. We must remember that God is lovingly-just and justly-loving.  Therefore, I have decided to respond with a simple sentence that seeks to sum up my thoughts on Osama’s death:

I do not condemn the actions of justice, but neither do I celebrate the death of the lost.

God’s justice: “I do not condemn the actions of justice”  
God is a just God and He requires retribution for sin and evil.  Psalm 1:5-6 states:

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

We also must remember that God can use government to enact His judgement on evil and injustice.  In Romans 13:1-4, Paul says:

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

In the midst of this need for justice, we must remember that human justice is not revenge.  Justice is not based on the emotional appeasement of humanity, it is based on the righteous character of God.  It is clear that Osama bin Laden truly deserved the wrath of justice because of the great evil he brought on this earth.  Considering that my brother serves in the Air Force, I am grateful and supportive of all our armed forces for standing for justice and fighting against evil.  There is now a great cause of relief because we have seen justice prevail over injustice and good overcome evil.  However, this now leads us to the next point.

God’s love: “But neither do I celebrate the death of the lost” 
 I am in no way saying that Osama did not deserve physical and spiritual death. I am in no way stating that it was wrong that the government killed Osama. I am in no way justifying Osama’s actions or condemning the US’s actions.  I am in no way downplaying God’s justice and wrath.  But, here is what I am saying:

1.  We tend to forget that when we look at sinners that we were once in their shoes.  It is only because of God’s grace and mercy that we are saved.  We all equally deserve death and Hell.  Our lostness is not “kind of lost” vs. “really lost.”  We were all completely and equally dead, blind, captive, lost in our sin.  So before we judge too quickly, may we remember who we were.

2.  While most Americans were praying for his death, some followers of Christ were praying for Osama bin Laden to come to the saving knowledge of Christ.  In addition to who we were before we were saved, many Believers forget who Paul was before his conversion (a mass-murder of Christians).

3.  So many forget Jesus’ radical teachings in Matt 5:43-48 about how we are to handle love and how we are to respond to our enemies:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

4.  I recognize that his choice to reject the gospel of Jesus Christ (as far as we know) resulted in him not receiving the gift of eternal life, but that does not mean that we should be happy about and celebrating his eternal damnation.  This is true especially because of God’s heart for the lost: 

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” 1 Tim 2:3-4.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9.

5.  Lastly, we must remember that if there is anything we should do is that we should respond with Biblical wisdom.  Here is what the wisdom book in Scripture teaches us:

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him” Proverbs 24:17-18.

I guess there are many more things that can be said about this, but I am a limited man.  So, I will end by offering up a prayer:

Lord, please break my heart of any pride or self-righteousness in this post.  Please help me to not be a stumbling block to Your Word.  If I am wrong in my understanding, please reveal my mistake and rebuke me.  Please keep me humbly teachable about Your Scripture.  Thank You for Your grace and mercy.  May You be glorified in both Your justice and Your love.  Amen.

Posted on 05/02/11 at 9:10pm

Boys are jerks.  Boys are stupid.  Boys are clueless.  Boys are shallow sex-addicts….

….Yep.  But that’s because boys are not men………yet.

You can’t expect boys to be gentlemen.  You can only expect men to be gentlemen.  The best thing to do is just wait for these boys to grow up and be men.  

How do you tell which guy is a “boy” and which guy is a “man?”  Well, Men are guys who are seeking Christ and trying to be who He wants them to be so that they can be what they need to be for their future wife.  Boys are guys who just want to get in your pants, but without you completely understanding that.

The guy who wants to use you sexually actually does not want you for you.  He wants you for your body.  In fact, he doesn’t even care about you at all.  Your name could be Monilia for all he cares.  You want a man who will prove his love for you by sacrificing his sexual desire in order that you remain pure before God and the world.  If a guy cannot be pure before God, he is not a guy that can be pure before you.  The man you want is the man who puts all his energy into getting to know you for you and the depths of your heart and mind, not how much skin he will see or how many physical things you will do for him.  The guy who thinks with his eyes and not with his heart for God is not a man at all. 

Look for the man who will one day be a husband modeled after God’s own heart.  He must be striving to place patterns in his life that follow Eph. 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER, so that He might sanctify her, HAVING CLEANSED HER by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that SHE WOULD BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS.” 

A guy who isn’t following hard after Christ isn’t worth it.  Don’t waste your time, energy, love, and tears, on a stupid boy.  Don’t focus on boys right now, focus on your relationship with God.   A woman should be so close to God that a man has to seek Him in order to find her.

(Now, to you guys who are reading this, there are a lot of young women out there looking for real men.  You know, things could be a lot easier on these young women if they actually saw real men loving God and striving hard after Christ.  So, boys…grow up and be a man!  Read this post I wrote to you guys about manhood:  A Short Thought About Manhood.)

Posted on 04/29/11 at 8:00pm

Some random geese hanging out at the mall.

Randomentary is just a random documentary of random moments in my life.

Posted on 04/28/11 at 3:30pm

I was recently asked about the topic of forgiveness and the question was: “Do you know a verse about forgiving someone for a grudge?”  I wanted to share my answer so that maybe others can benefit.  I know that this is such a big issue for so many of us today.  All you have to do is either go on Facebook, Tumblr, or listen to today’s top songs to see the world’s view of forgiveness. So, here was my answer:

Well, I do know of many verses that would be relevant for this topic.  However, in order to not go too long, I am going to just give a brief summary of the Bible’s teaching on forgiveness, by focusing on two verses.

1. “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions” (Mark 11:25-26). 

A) Isn’t this verse so convicting?! It specifically says that “if you have anything against anyone” (a grudge), then you are to forgive them. This is a command. It doesn’t matter what we think or feel about it, we have to forgive and not hold the grudge any longer. 

B) This verse also says why we are to forgive - so that God will forgive us!  Look at the verse again: if you do not forgive, then God will not forgive you.  This is a serious issue here.  Now, this point may seem weird in light of a truth that we all know: God forgives us not based on what we do, but what Christ did for us on the cross.  So, how can our forgiveness of others affect our salvation?  Well, this verse is actually Jesus speaking to those who were still under the law, unlike us, who are under grace.  So, we actually look at this verse differently, in light of many other verses that we don’t have time to go over at this time.  So, what Jesus said here still applies to us, but differently.  Instead of our forgiveness of others being a basis of our salvation, it is a result of our salvation.  In other words, those who are truly saved and forgiven by God will forgive others and those who do not forgive others may not truly be saved.  Those who know mercy, show mercy.

2. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). 

A) Here is another command to forgive. We are to forgive, no matter what. It doesn’t matter how hard it is or how bad the person hurt us, we must forgive because Christ tells us too. Forgiveness is a choice. Sometimes it feels like we can’t forgive, but the feelings don’t determine our choice. Of course, feelings definitely do influence our choice. The feelings will make it hard to forgive, but it does not excuse us from forgiving. 

B) This verse also gives us another reason why to forgive - Because God forgave us. This factor alone should motivate us to forgive. Think about it: We sin everyday against God and, yet, everyday He loves us and forgives us. And what we do to God is far worse than anything that someone could ever do to us. So we should forgive those people. We are to forgive because we have experienced the forgiveness of God.

In addition to these verses, we are to forgive because holding a grudge against someone is actually bad for us.  When we hold a grudge and don’t forgive, it festers and eats away at us and our hearts. This then leads to bitterness. We become very bitter people when we don’t forgive. God knew this and that is another reason why God commands us to forgive. 

Look…I have tried and tried to follow those Scriptures, but I can’t do it on my own. Christ alone can do it. When we surrender trying to do things on our own to Christ, Christ will live through us. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).  Remember to sacrifice your grudge to God. Also, remember this verse: “cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Posted on 04/26/11 at 8:30pm

Watch a 20-minute thunderstorm in only 5 minutes! On 04/23/11 from 1:10am-1:30am in Louisville, KY (St. Matthews) I watched a decently big thunderstorm and I wanted to share it with you. So, I sped up the footage to only take 5 mins to watch the whole thing.

Randomentary is just a random documentary of random moments in my life.

Posted on 04/23/11 at 12:45pm