Being a light!
I had a great time on our 4 day New Years trip to Iowa to spend time with our family on my moms side! I had lots of fun spending alot of time with the girl cousins my age. We basically had a slumber party each night and stayed up til 2 to 3 in the morning (that may explain why I got my cold...since I didn't get alot of sleep) but it was fun and I had some wonderful opprotunites to share God's truths with them.
I had one wonderful talk in paticular on the last night with one of my catholic cousins (they are all catholic). She was talking about how her dad isn't really good (religious) because he doesn't go to church and do good works like their family does. And I just started to share with her that doing good works, going to church a certain amount of times, not doing this or that, etc is not what makes us "good" or what is going to get us to heaven. I went on to explain how we are sinners and that we can't do anything good that will make God accept us or that will get us to heaven....we are totally unable,"There is no one righteous no not one" and that we need to relize that we can try to do good and try to do things, but that is not what gets us to heaven. That is not Gods way. And I went on to say that the only thing we need to see is that we are sinful and can't do any of it on our own. But Christ died for us and took our place for the punishment. And we need to repent and trust that God paid the punishment for us and not on the basis that if we do so much he will accept us. It is paid for....He said...."It is finished" And he covered me in is blood! I don't have to live as if I need to try to do things to win Gods love.....he gave it freely.....though I do have a desire to please Him" and told her that I have the assurance that I will be with Him for eternity and quoted the verse "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life"........anyways I explained alot more and basically was trying to make the point that "We can't do it on our own and work for our salvation by doing good workds etc. Only by the blood of Jesus are we paid for and clean"
She was listening and I hope I planted a seed....and that she would be thinking about that....or maybe somtime in the future.
It was really wonderful and I thank God for opening the door there and letting me be a light! He really blessed me!
I hope you all had a wonderful New Year! Its so exciting to think of what God has in store and will doing in 2005!
Ephesians 5:8
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light, find out what pleases the Lord."
I had one wonderful talk in paticular on the last night with one of my catholic cousins (they are all catholic). She was talking about how her dad isn't really good (religious) because he doesn't go to church and do good works like their family does. And I just started to share with her that doing good works, going to church a certain amount of times, not doing this or that, etc is not what makes us "good" or what is going to get us to heaven. I went on to explain how we are sinners and that we can't do anything good that will make God accept us or that will get us to heaven....we are totally unable,"There is no one righteous no not one" and that we need to relize that we can try to do good and try to do things, but that is not what gets us to heaven. That is not Gods way. And I went on to say that the only thing we need to see is that we are sinful and can't do any of it on our own. But Christ died for us and took our place for the punishment. And we need to repent and trust that God paid the punishment for us and not on the basis that if we do so much he will accept us. It is paid for....He said...."It is finished" And he covered me in is blood! I don't have to live as if I need to try to do things to win Gods love.....he gave it freely.....though I do have a desire to please Him" and told her that I have the assurance that I will be with Him for eternity and quoted the verse "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life"........anyways I explained alot more and basically was trying to make the point that "We can't do it on our own and work for our salvation by doing good workds etc. Only by the blood of Jesus are we paid for and clean"
She was listening and I hope I planted a seed....and that she would be thinking about that....or maybe somtime in the future.
It was really wonderful and I thank God for opening the door there and letting me be a light! He really blessed me!
I hope you all had a wonderful New Year! Its so exciting to think of what God has in store and will doing in 2005!
Ephesians 5:8
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light, find out what pleases the Lord."