Reflections

This is super late, but I really want to do it. Sorry! Please check it out! It's a great way to get insights and reflect on Jesus' words. Tessa Emily Hall's Friday Reflections.

This Week's Verse

"When you were spiritually dead because of your sins,

and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, 

God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins. 

He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. 

He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross."

~ Colossians 2:13-14 (NCV) (From her website Christ is Write)

Tessa's Questions

Do you ever feel guilty and condemned after sinning? Why do you think God wants us to feel convicted rather than condemned, and what do you think the difference between the two are?

Sometimes I do... a lot. I think God wants us to remember that though we have sinned, there's still hope for us. When you're condemned, you're punished. God knows we sin. So we're convicted of it.  Even though we are convicted, Jesus interceded for us and paid our dead.

Do you often find yourself trying to please God through a performance rather than giving Him your heart?

Yes. My human nature can't accept that fact that there's nothing I can do to earn salvation. Sometimes, I forget and try to do it anyway.

What are some steps you can take to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Like I've said before, I want to pray more. I should established a more personal 'quiet time' with Him.

 Describe the time you first accepted Christ as your Savior. Did you feel free from your sin and as if you were a new person? Or did you still feel guilty every time you messed up?

I did that once when I was a kid. It was too long ago to put into many details, but I do remember when I recommitted my life to Christ and He accepted me last year. For me, when I recommitted my life to Christ, part of me just wanted to strive to be completely perfect in every way. But once I looked past all that, I realized Jesus had already paid the price for me. Though it is hard for my flesh to realize, I have been forgiven by Jesus.

Discuss your own reflection of this Scripture (as I did above -- at least one paragraph).

The first step to giving your life up to Christ, is to realize that there is no way you can do it on your own. Even when you are a Christian, it's hard to see past all your sins. When we sin, sometimes we try to make it up by doing good things. One of the reasons this is such a great verse is because it reminds us of the Truth:

We are failures. There is absolutely nothing we could ever do to change that. But because Christ forgave us, those things don't have to haunt us anymore. Some bad things I've done in my life have been a constant reminder of why I am a failure. Instead of just remembering that sin, I remember that Jesus forgave me for that sin. By God's grace, I want to put that into practice.

Please check this out! I hope you like it!
This thing reminds me of one of my new favorite songs. So I thought I would post it.

In Christ,
Sarah