Category Archives: SPIRITUAL INTEREST

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Salvation of a Soul

What makes a Christian a Christian?

A Christian is a believer in Christ Jesus, someone who has accepted Christ’s gift of salvation. They believe Jesus died for their sins, that He was buried and then rose again. Their belief is personal, and life changing. Christ is now the most important part of their life. They’re changed from the inside, out.  They are a new creature in Christ.

Christians are born again. They’re “saved” people, saved from condemnation. They’re in the Beloved. Christians are redeemed. Christ has redeemed their soul from death. He paid the price for their sins when he died on the cross. Their salvation was purchased by Jesus’ shed blood. Their redemption was costly. It cost God His son. It cost Christ His life. They were lost (as unbelievers), but now they’re found (as believers). “Christ in you the hope of glory,” says it well.

Becoming a Christian is making a decision for Christ that starts at one point and continues for the rest of their life. They are a new creature in Christ. The rest of their life is spent becoming Christ-like in their spirituality, and in service to Christ the Son, and God the Father. The Spirit of God is actively helping them as they navigate through this life.

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Here are some verses that explain why we need salvation. As you browse these verses, ask yourself, what does this verse mean and how does it apply in my life.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.  -Acts 16:31

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  -John 3:16

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  -Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  -Romans 6:23

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  -Romans 5:8

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  -Romans 10:9-10

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  -Romans 10:13

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ – John 3: 6, 7

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For further clarification, let’s look at a story from scripture. Here we see Jesus with Nicodemus. “‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!'”

I encourage you to read  John 3:1-21, here Jesus explains to Nicodemus what salvation is and why it matters. When Nicodemus asked Jesus how a person could be born again in his mother’s womb, he was thinking of physical birth. Jesus explains what spiritual birth is and that without it, we are condemned for we do not have the light of Jesus in our soul.

Spiritual life is in those who believe in Christ. These people are redeemed, Christ redeemed them (their soul). They are a child of God.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  -John 20:31

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You may not know Christ as your Savior. You’re reading this post out of curiosity. Simply put, you can know today and you can believe today. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. This is the most important decision you will ever make. It will determine your destiny here on earth, and in heaven. Your belief comes from the heart, confirmed by the mind, and of the will as you place your trust in God through Christ.

I leave with you a passage of scripture which clearly defines the gospel of Christ. The apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15: 1-4

Why this message? I care about your soul, and I care about you. I care about your life in the present, and your life in the future hereafter.

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I wish you well on your spiritual journey.

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Little by Little, Piece by Piece

How long is it going to take?

None of us likes waiting. But waiting is a fact of life. It takes time for embedded emotional wounds to heal. There’s no easy path to wholeness. But, I’m here to say, that it’s worth the time, angst, vulnerability, rawness, and the whatevers to hang in there until the light begins to shine in and your spirits begin to lift.

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I used to email back and forth with a friend that lives in New Mexico. He is a friend that likes words, and writing, sunsets, stray dogs, and the big picture. My book ladies read one of his books where he blended his experiences with his story: PTSD, Vietnam Vet, adjusting to civilian life, his love of caring for abandoned dogs, and coming to terms with God. (Andrew writes here. He is battling the big “C.”)

Andrew shared a true story with me in 2016, and now I share it with you.

“A few years ago Barbara and I were shopping at a Pier One store, when we were startled by a CRASH! An unsupervised child had knocked over a large decorative ceramic plate, and it lay shattered.

The parents were horrified, and offered to pay for the breakage, but the manager demurred, saying it was part of doing business. I looked at the plate, and thought of what it had been just a few minutes before, and asked the manager if I could buy it – full price.

She looked at me as if I had grown a second head, and said, no, I could have it if I cleaned it up. I finally negotiated her up to half-price, and she threw in a box for the pieces. Meanwhile, Barbara was rolling her eyes dangerously far. One is still stuck.

We took the box of bits home, and every evening for months I sat with magnifying glass and ceramic glue, finding the mating pieces and slowly putting them back together. About 80% could be restored. For the rest, there were gaps.

When I was done, Barbara looked at it, and said “I still think you’re an idiot, but I’m glad you saved it.”

The plate is on a custom-made stand, on a shelf, looking over my shoulder as I write. And if a plate can smile, it is smiling.”

My response to Andrew’s story:

“I’m speechless. That’s who we all are. Broken pieces. I wrote about that once. I asked God how He heals us, and He said, piece by piece. It’s so true…and the process takes a life time.”

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An Analogy:

I think I can use an analogy here, that this is what God does with us. God painstakingly puts us back together. Our scars still show, but we are whole. Someone, The Someone, loves us enough to mend us and make us new. And, like Andrew, God wishes to display what He has done for us. God works in us, and I assume He wants to show off this wondrous trophy of His grace.

The thing is doable.

Do you wonder how long it’s going to take until you experience healing? I wish I could answer that it won’t take too long, but most likely it will take quite a while. Only God knows how much time it will take. I do know God will be with you on the journey. It is best to reach for it, rather than ignore it. Give yourself grace in the meantime.

Be patient, be willing, be aware. I’d like to encourage you to invite God to help you. Then you will have extra strength and support.

I wish you well on your spiritual journey.