Taking Advantage of Grace

Grace [greys] noun- the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

For the past few weeks as I have been reading through the Old Testament books of 1st and 2nd Kings, I have seriously wanted to jump into the pages of the stories and literally shake some of the kings and scream "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!!!" So many of the ancestral kings followed in their father's footsteps of sin even though they saw how much sin had ruined their lives.


Punishments for sin were handled very differently before Jesus came. People paid the price for their sins in the Old Testament times. Once Jesus Christ came and died for all of us, He alone took upon Himself the punishment for all of our sins. Many of the Old Testament kings were stuck in their sin--as well as the sins of their forefathers and they had to face the consequences. Yes, we do have consequences for our sins today. If we make a wrong choice for example, we may end up not in the best of circumstances. But here is a problem.....and I know that I deal with it too! Today we have the grace of God when we sin. God unashamedly 24/7 loves us and forgives us....and we know that. Have you ever heard of the phrase "pet/favorite sins"? Many times we keep walking in our sin simply because we know that we will be forgiven of it. We try to water down what we are doing by telling ourselves that our sins are not that bad and that God will always forgive us. Let's be honest here. Sin is sin. It doesn't matter if you are gossipping, binge-eating, or having pre-marital sex. There is no sin that is greater than another. Yes, God will forgive us every time we mess up and confess what we have done. However, if you are asking for forgiveness with the intention of repeating that very same sin, if that true repentance? I don't think so. True repentance is filled with sorrow for what was done and the drive to move on. True repentance in God's eyes is seeking His forgiveness and making the conscious choice to learn and grow from your mistakes. Is God's grace ever limited? Absolutely not. And thank goodness for that! But let me challenge you today to stop taking advantage of God's grace. Jesus will always love you and forgive you, but today, let's make the choice to learn and rise above our sins. You can't truly grow in your relationship with Christ if you are stuck in sin. That's definitely something worth thinking about.

My Journey Towards This Thing We Call Beautiful (Part Two)

Beauty is pain. No. Beauty is growth. I believe that true beauty radiates from within and spreads throughout. A fire is sparked by one tiny flame that engulfs everything it can lay it's hands on. I believe what our Mom's told us when they said that beauty is about the "inner you." Beauty isn't all in what you see.

My daily routine goes something like this: I get up and get ready for school. It doesn't take me too long. After I am dressed, I spend time reading my Bible. This year I am reading through the entire Bible! It has been amazing so far. I am really learning new things every day! I eat a bowl of honey nut cheerios and then head off to school. At school I do my best in my classes so that I can not only make good grades, but so I can also bring glory to God. After school I head to the gym to workout. It is extremely important to me that I stay healthy. I want to honor God with my body. Later I do my homework and hang out with my family. I thank God for every day that He blesses me with--even the rainy ones!


I have heard it said that "beauty is happiness," but I don't totally agree with that statement. I watch the "pretty" girls at school and they honestly don't seem all that happy. They strive so much for perfection in their appearance that they are missing out on some great opportunities. I don't think it is wrong to want to be beautiful. I enjoy looking my best too! But, I have learned that beauty alone cannot be my sole focus. I think that you do need to focus on how you are following Jesus and pointing others to Him. Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised." You see, human beauty doesn't last for forever. It fades away. Character lasts a lifetime and is remembered. Now, do I ever have days when I feel inferior? Absolutely! I am living in the same world that you are in. I see the cover of magazines and wonder what kind of response I would get if I spent more time doing my make-up and had the right hair style. But then, in those moments when I wonder about how people would respond to me if I changed how I looked, I also take the time to ask if they really would care about me. Would I be popular simply because of how I looked? Probably. I like my personality. I love who I am in Christ. I don't want that to change. I have really prayed about this whole thing and I only have one solution--God-confidence. I must get my confidence from Christ alone. It doesn't matter how I look, who I hang out with, or what my GPA is. The only thing that matters is my relationship with the God of the universe. The God who created the sand on the seashore created me and says that I am beautiful.


In this two-part series, we have looked at two very different approaches to this thing we call beautiful. In part one, beauty was defined as one's outward appearance. Part two, however, took a very different approach. Which girl sounds familiar to you? Do you seem more like the girl in the first segment or the second? Please hear my heart, beauty begins within you. The most beautiful girl in the entire world could be drop-dead gorgeous, but if she has a rotten character, her beauty isn't too gorgeous anymore. Ask yourself a couple questions:

1. Do you have a relationship with God? The only way that you can ever be satisfied along this journey is if you find your confidence in Christ alone. Proverbs 31:30 is so true. All you have to do is ask Him to be your Lord and Saviour. I would love to talk with you. Send me an email at emilybc91@yahoo.com.
   
2. Which girl are you? Why?
   
3. Is there anything you need to change? How will you do it?

I am right there with you. I am on this exact same journey. If you have questions or want to talk further on this issue please email me at emilybc91@yahoo.com.

I Am Now On Twitter!

I thought I needed to stay up-to-date on all of the new "technological advances" taking places. So, what did I do? I created a Twitter account! You can now follow me on my twitter for quick and easy updates on what I'm doing as well as daily encouragement from me that can be sent straight to your cell phone! Check it out at twitter.com!

My Journey Towards This Thing We Call Beautiful (Part One)

Beauty is pain. Definitely. But it is certainly worth it. I mean, a little pain on the front-end awards me the approval of others, right? Beauty today isn't about the "inner you" like our Mom's try to preach to us. No, beauty is all in what you see.

My daily routine goes something like this: I wake up about two hours before I need to leave for school. Yes, I am tired, but it is more important to look drop-dead gorgeous than to sleep. Come on! That's what Starbucks is for! Anyways, I shower, blow dry and straighten my hair, pick out my outfit, and put on my make-up. No time for breakfast....I don't need the calories anyways. I am already around 115--yikes! I totally need to hit the gym after school for like a three hour work out!

Someone once said that "beauty is the promise of happiness." I believe that. Well, I think I do. You see, I am beautiful. That's what everyone says. I work for my beauty. I make sure I eat the right foods and buy all the right products. I live by the words of my magazines and covet the advice of popular celebrities. As far as I am concerned, I am on the journey towards this thing we call beautiful, but lately I have been having doubts. If beauty is the promise of happiness, then why am I not happy? Why am I not satisfied with the attention that my appearance demands? I have been so focused on how I appear on the outside, that I don't even know who I am on the inside. I know that when people see me, they only see my face. No one truly sees me for who I am. I actually enjoy photography, but no one knows that because they are too busy judging my appearance. I guess I have fallen into the same trap. I don't know who I am either. I let go of the things I want to do because I am obsessed with being perfect. I want to be flawless. And so far it seems as if I have done a pretty good job masking my imperfections, but that is really all that I have done. I have covered my imperfections so that no one can see my weaknesses. I am not really happy. If beauty is supposed to guarantee happiness, then why do I feel this way?

I am beautiful. It is time to put up the facade one more time. The prom queen never cries, right?

Thanks for reading part one of "My Journey Towards This Thing We Call Beautiful." Please note that while this is a fictional scenario, many young woman have this view of what beauty looks like. Throughout the next several posts, we will be discussing what true beauty is and what it really means to be considered "beautiful." Please keep your mind open to any new ideas that God may be putting in your heart. Many of us do have skewed views on this thing we call beauty. As I have been praying, God has shown me that there is only one way to successfully walk along life's "beauty trail." Stay tuned to learn more!

My Very First Car!

This past Friday, God brought a HUGE blessing into my life! My family and I have been praying and looking for a good car for several months now. As I am starting college, working two jobs, and being a CFCC Ambassador, I have had a lot of driving to do....and I think my Mom was definitely ready to be done picking me up and dropping me off everywhere! God blessed me with a 1999 Acura that runs beautifully and will hopefully last me through my law school days!--then I can buy my first convertible! =)