Hebrews 10:15-25

Our God is faithful. Sometimes we need reminding, but He never changes. We can always count on Him. He doesn't hold our sins against us when we accept Him for who He is. We can not offer Him anything for our sins, because they've already been paid for. All we can do is grow closer to Him so we can witness for ourselves His majesty.

Hebrews 12:1-12

It's a race we're running, and we have to endure. We have to resist our urges to the point of bloodshed, because blood was shed for us. God is there, disciplining us out of His mighty love. We can conquer any obstacle before us with Him on our side.

Psalm 16

He is there, and He cares for me. He will not see my soul in Hell. He will carry me through my troubles. I only wish to grow closer to Him. I am no good without Him. It is quite clear. Let it show in my actions.

2 Timothy 2:1-13

He cannot deny Himself. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful.  He is the one who enlisted us to fight for Him, to be a soldier of Christ. Onward we must fight, even when we are stuck in the mud. I need to pray for understanding, because I'm forgetting what it is I believe in all too often. It needs to click. I need to die to live.

Deuteronomy 8:1-10

I feel I've been living in darkness. I have slipped back into a place I didn't want to return, and an apathy has plagued me. These verses out of Deuteronomy remind me of the hope I can still have in Christ. There is good to come out of fearing the Lord and adhering to his ways. He will bring me out of the darkness. I just need to let go of it.

Psalm 105:1-11

On this Thanksgiving day, we can be thankful for all we have. Not only for the good times that we rejoice in, but also the hard times through which God strengthens us. "Be thankful in all circumstances..." 1 Thess 5:18. A lot has happened this year. Definitely some troubling times where I have had to put my feelings aside and trust that God knows best. But He really does. He is just, He is reliable, He has been the same forever. Our all-powerful God will see us through any situation. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Revelation 1

Revelation reads like an epic. It's mind-blowing to think that this is how Jesus will return.  Jesus is almighty and powerful. Eyes like fire, sword in mouth, hair as white as snow, He died and will return for us. I wonder what the significance is of the seven churches and the seven angels that represent them is. How will it play out when He finally returns? The End is near.

1 Peter 3:8-22

"Who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?"
This reminds me of John Cook who failed a class in the name of Christ. He refused to be part of a sinful project, and as a result was unable to complete the course requirements. This is just a great example of boldness that I want to acquire.  I wish I was able to stand up for Christ when my short film was in its early stages.
There are such wonderful blessings that come from living for Christ. A tender heart, a humble mind, peace. Its letting go of the life you've known that will get you there.
It feels like sin has been taking over recently. I need to break free. The chains are unlocked, I just need to take them off.

John 3:16-36

These words are so powerful. I can't even fathom the love needed to give up your only and perfect son for the lives of countless messed up sinners. Almost unbelievable. It takes a lot of time and commitment to the Word in order to even begin to understand this kind of love. Offering us eternal life? Really? We did nothing to deserve that. Unending joy in the presence of our creator forever? After ruining ourselves over and over again in this life, we have that opportunity?  Mind-blowing.

1 John 4:7-21

God is love. We can not love if we do not know Him. Love is so foundational. People of the world get it all confused with their feelings, but it's way more than that. Love is sacrifice. It's putting someone else's needs above your own. We love God, because He loved us first. We must love others, because since we know love, we are capable of loving others. By His love can we be IN HIM, and He in us. We just have to believe.

Luke 7:36-50

We as humans have it all backwards at times. We expect to earn our way to God, but really, no matter how we judge ourselves, we will never be good enough for God. That is why He gave His son for us--to be able to forgive us. Our debt has been paid in full. "He who is forgiven little, loves little." I love this idea. We are forgiven of ALL our sins, so we are able to love A LOT! And what a powerful thing love is!

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

God is sovereign. He gave up His son according to scripture, and resurrected Him according to scripture as well. He is the same, true, and righteous forever and always. Paul humbly writes that He did not deserve to see His savior risen, for he had persecuted the church. By God's grace was he transformed and able to see Christ resurrected. God's grace can overcome anything. We should not believe in vain.

Isaiah 53

Jesus died for every sin we commit in our lifetimes. They are only past, present and future in our minds, when it reality, they are all the same. Jesus died once and for all.
As a spotless lamb, He had God's wrath poured out on Him in our place. He bore all the evil and terrible things we do. I've known this for so long, I'm afraid I'm losing sense of the meaning it holds. I know it should wreck me, but it doesn't feel like it right now. There's a distance--I feel almost numb. I don't like it.

2 Corinthians 5

Christ is the perfect example. He is everything we are born the opposite of. Perfect, blameless, holy. He is the status to strive for. We are born so different from Him, we must DIE to our old selves to become like Him. We must be made new. Then we become selfless, living for the glory of God. There is a house in heaven waiting for every one of God's chosen. We are not of this world. As LeCrae says, Homie, I ain't local! Our home is in heaven. We must walk by faith, not by sight to get there.

Galatians 4:1-20

These verses are slightly terrifying. Paul is telling the Galatians that he fears he labored over them in vain. They don't seem to be learning. They know God yet turn back to the worthless ways of the world.  Paul's tone seems to shift though as I read this. After all, he does say he is perplexed by them. I would like to learn more about each of the churches Paul wrote to. Maybe then I can have a better understanding of who the Galatians were.
We need to grow out of our elementary ways. God gave His son so we would have this opportunity.

1 Timothy 2

God wants everyone to be saved. God didn't just sacrifice His Son for the people who have their acts together, but for ALL sinners. In this chapter, Paul also describes the role of women as subservient to men. This is can be a very touchy subject in today's society. I believe it takes a real woman to be able to humble herself to that level. It takes the power of God.

Titus 2

We have authority. It is a God-given right to proclaim His word. Not only must we proclaim it, but also live it. In our actions and appearance, we should reflect the life of Jesus Christ. This life should be taught down through the generations. We are called to live upright lives. Lives lived in separation from Christ are hollow.

1 Peter 1:13-25

"Prepare your minds for action..."
We are called to DO something, to take ACTION. Having faith is not a passive event. It takes preparation of the mind so that we can effectively live out our decision to follow Christ.
"do not conform yourselves to the passions of your former ignorance" Yes. Yes yes yes. This verse right here is what I need to cement into my head. I feel oftentimes when I sin, I know better. I know that it's not going to put me in a place I want to be because God knows that it won't work out well for me. It is written in the Bible right there plain for everyone to see. I'm not the only one who needs to read this.
We purify our souls by obedience. I want to be clean. I have hope of achieving this through Jesus Christ. He is holy. I need to commit to following his example, so I too can be holy.

John 10:1-18

We are sheep, in need of protection. We are loved unconditionally by our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He is not paid, nor obligated to love us, but He does enough anyways to lay down His life for us. Others will try to lead us away from Him, but those will only lead to destruction.

Romans 3:20-31

We can not be justified by works of the law because by the law we have knowledge of sin. I find this interesting. What would it mean if we did not have knowledge of the law? What difference does that make?
It is by faith we are justified. No amount of work we do would ever suffice. Without faith, works are meaningless. I'm only confused about the law. I would like to learn more about it, and what purpose it has served, and how we are to treat it today.

Romans 8:31-39

I will forever love these verses! They are just so powerful and reassuring. We can trust in God for all that we need, because He is the most high and powerful. We are with HIM! and NOTHING will separate us from Him! He has spoken it to us in His word, that we shall not have to fear anything on this Earth, because He is FOR us! We are MORE than conquerors. <3

Philippians 4:1-20

Think about things that matter. I feel this is the most important lesson I can learn. When you cloud your mind with things that don't matter, you stray and you get yourself into trouble. We must keep to the path in order to live with purpose.  It is possible through God who strengthens us.

Romans 5:12-21

God is just. He orchestrates things to work out fairly, even if we don't always see it right away. Just as one man brought sin into this world, there is one man who can take it out. I think that's absolutely brilliant. The Gift of God is life. we have the opportunity to live forever with Him if we so choose.  Beautiful.

Romans 5:1-11

I love these verses. It reminds me of the process it takes to grow in God. We can not be expected to jump in and be great at living for God right away.  It takes suffering to produce endurance, endurance to produce character, and character to produce hope, and hope in Jesus will carry us through this life. I really love these verses so much! It's a process, I have to remember, and I must keep pushing forward. Every time I suffer, I am building my endurance. But there is hope at the end of this. There is hope for an eternal life spent with my creator who loves me, who died for my sins while I was still a sinner. I will be able to thank Him for eternity.

Romans 4:16-25

Jesus was raised for our justification. It was nothing we did. We did not earn it, and we never could. Jesus was the only one worthy to please God. Even Abraham, a very Godly man whose trust in God never wavered would not have been even close to worthy. His body was dust. His soul through the power of Jesus Christ though, is eternal.

Romans 4:1-15

I see here that we are not justified by works, but by faith. This is to say, we can not work our way into heaven. This is the difference between Christianity and other religions. It is nothing that we have done that saves us. It is merely understanding and believing what has been done for us.  We can not be "good enough" for Heaven. When we have that genuine faith, we will act on it, but it is not because of what we do that we are saved.

Isaiah 55

The main point I got out of this chapter would probably be the difference between me and God. As creator and provider, He knows so much more than I ever could. There is no point trusting my own uninformed ideas of what I want when I have a God willing to take care of me, all I have to do is trust His judgement. He is always there, no matter where I find myself in life. No matter what I'm struggling with, He is there, and the same forever. If I call on Him, he will lead me down the road I was meant to walk, with purpose.