Being good isn't good enough

In high school, I didn’t sleep around, spend time partying all the time and doing other illegal things some high school kids did, but I was far from innocent. I cussed non stop, was very inappropriate with my language and often went for jokes that easily crossed the line. While I wasn’t horrible, I was far from being a saint.

I felt like I was a good person, wrong. I still did things daily that were sins. Even though I thought daily my good outweighed my bad, it wasn’t good enough in God’s eyes. It never is good in God’s eyes without Jesus.

Colossians 2:13-14…

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

The cross was a game changer. No matter what, we are bad in God’s eyes. The only way that is corrected is with Jesus. All of our sins, mistakes, false steps and failures are all washed away when we give our life to Jesus. This is what it takes to get to heaven.

No matter how good we think we are, it’s not good enough. Jesus is an eternal life changer, but only when we give everything over to him.

Where are you with Jesus? What steps do you need to make to be closer to him?

Have a great day.

Marriage Debates: Store Brand vs. Name Brand

Even a trip to the grocery store can be a debate in a marriage. Hailee and I were young in our relationship when it came time to go grocery shopping. We went to the store and started to grab things to buy, except there was one main difference. I would grab the store brand and Hailee would grab the name brand. Soon we stop the cart and it was on.

As a kid, our mom was a thrift shopper. She either had a coupon or we bought store brand for everything we bought. Hailee grew up if there was something she wanted, she would just throw it in the cart, therefore she was used to getting name brand on everything. While we were extremely new to this relationship, this was one of our first conflicts. Who would win?

I started my case based off being cheap and better tasting. The price was so much cheaper for the store brand and basically was better. I grew up on Meijer’s Mac and Cheese to the point when I was in middle and high school my Mom bought a case or two of it because we went through it so quickly. Hailee on the other hand loved Kraft Mac and Cheese, she said that it was worth the extra money and tasted so much better. So we ended up compromising, we went half and half. We would either mix the two boxes together or we would split times having Kraft or Store Brand. Marriage is when two worlds collide.

There is a reason the phrase For richer, for poorer is in the wedding vows. Everyone would like to say we are going to make an abundance of money and we will live happily ever after, but often that is not the case. There is no easy button in life or marriage. Money is still the number 1 reason for divorce in this country. This isn’t because you have it or you don’t but how you handle your money. Are you willing to give up money for marriage? How much is love worth to you?

There is a great phrase, “Love Costs Everything.” Love and Marriage requires us not to care about winning the fight but winning the relationship. Most fights are over stupid and pointless things. What are you willing to give up in order to have a successful marriage? How important is money?

When we look at relationships, Jesus was willing to give up everything for us. 2 Corinthians 8:9…

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he become poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Jesus didn’t have to come to earth and take the burdens of our sin yet he did. Jesus took our sins on the cross for us. He became poor. Jesus took on our debt so that we could be rich in life. Jesus thought we were so worth the cost, he died for us. We are rich in life because he came to earth as a humble servant and died for us like the Secret Service is putting their life on the line for the President.

Great sacrifices have great rewards. Sacrifice and compromise is key for any marriage to survive. What sacrifices have you made for your spouse and expected nothing in return? The more we do this, the better the marriage will be. I read a line, “You have to invest in a marriage for it to be worth the investment.” It’s the same way with faith.

Jesus died and rose on the cross for us. Investing your life into Christ is the single biggest decision you can ever make (Choosing the right spouse is second to me). You can have eternal life. Jesus became a servant who took your sins for you. All you have to do is accept him as your personal Lord and Savior. This week is Easter, the time to learn about the greatest sacrifice ever made. Find a church, find out about the greatest sacrifice that was made for you.

Have a great day.

Going the wrong way down a one way

Driving can be interesting at times.

I remember a time in Lansing I was driving down Cedar Street which at the point I was driving, was a four lane one way road.

I was stopped at a light and there was someone driving right at us on the other side of the one way.

I was very puzzled at this moment.

The person looked around and realized they were driving the wrong way.

After shrugging their shoulders at us (Cars on the opposite side), he turned to go the right way again.

In life, sometimes we go the wrong way, sometimes literally.

We like to have the answers in life.

I for the longest time tried to figure things out on my own.

Only to be left short by my own shortcomings.

I don’t have all the answers and I don’t know always where I am heading.

It takes a lot to admit we are wrong or we don’t have all the answers.

I was hanging out with some people that just lost a friend/relative and this conversation turned to whether there was/is a Heaven or God?

Some expressed they believed in a higher power, some doubted and said they were unsure.

Some said they went to Church but they really didn’t have a clue.

It’s a sad realization that you don’t know what could happen to you if you died.

There are times we can make it without directions or help, there are other times that’s not true.

Jesus tells us this in John 14:6…

“I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

It’s hard to acknowledge God without acknowledging his Son.

This took me a while to grasp.

I spent the first 14 years of my life attending Church a good chunk of time, believing in God and Jesus but struggling with who I was and how the Church played a role.

I struggled with the life I was leading, who I was trying to be and what my relationship with God was all about.

I fought through this during middle and high school.

As I was in my freshman year of college, I realized exactly who Jesus what and acknowledge this through baptism.

I firmly believe this scripture with all my heart.

Jesus is the way.

Jesus is the truth.

Jesus is the life.

Without Jesus, I would not know I would be in heaven if I died.

That is a scary thing to think about.

In older generations, that was how people came to Christ, people used to say, “Believe in Christ or you are going to Hell!”

People would turn, listen and give their lives to Christ.

This method is often called turn or burn.

I prefer to ask questions.

Do you know where you will go when you die?

How sure are you that’s where you will go?  What percent would you say you are right?

What proof do you have that is where you will end up?

What if I can give you a 100 percent guarantee you will end up in heaven? 

Would you like that?

I don’t claim to know much, but I know faith in Jesus is what gives me the grace necessary to get to Heaven.

Have you found this grace?

Sometimes going the wrong way can be interesting; there are times when it can be more serious.

Do you know you are heading in the right direction?

Have a great day.

Following the Lions is not always fun

We are followers, more than we like to admit.

Very rarely are any of us trendsetters.

We follow diets, workout routines, other people, our boss’s or other leaders, famous people and people we look up too.

If we follow other people, is that a bad thing?

At what point is following some things or people a good thing or bad thing?

Jesus tells us this in John 10:27-28…

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Following some people might have some great effectives and privileges, other times…not so much.

I love the Lions and for pro football, follow them with my heart.

I get made fun of for being a Lions fan, but I am still a faithful follower thinking one day things will turn around.

Following Jesus is often referenced to us followers being the sheep and him the shepherd leading the way.

For following Jesus we get eternal life.

What do I get for being a Lions fan?

Grief, a headache, not looking forward to Sunday afternoon, frustration and headache come to mind.

What do I get for following Jesus?

Love, grace, compassion, forgiveness, joy and a life past the life we live right now.

I follow the Lions and it causes grief.

I follow Jesus and it causes love.

Who do you follow?

Does it make you a better person?

Does it give you eternal life?

Jesus can give you what no one else can?

It is worth being a follower?

In order to be a follower you have to be ready to give your life to gain a life?

It is the best decision I have made.

What about you?

Have a great day.

Who's Jesus?

Many times this question can come up.

There are many different ways to express and say who Jesus is.

If you are confused on this the, Bible is full of different sayings of who Jesus is.

Chapter 7 verses 25-44 of John is titled “Is Jesus the Christ” in the NIV (New International Version).

People wondered who Jesus was and were confused because they kept hearing contradictory stories.

They heard what Jesus did and the miracles and they wondered if he was the Messiah.

Jesus told them this in verse 37-38…

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Water can quench our thirst, but eventually we will be thirsty again.

When we believe and have faith in Jesus with our lives, it will not only last in this life time but we will live eternally.

This is something that is available to everyone.

No matter how much you think you mess up, how you struggle with life, Jesus loves you.

He wants a relationship with you.

No matter what happens, Jesus still loves you and cares for you.

I love ya to and want to see you in heaven one day.

If you never made a commitment to Christ, what’s stopping you?

Faith in Jesus is the reason we get to go to heaven.

Wonder what this means?

Let me know, I will try to answer all your questions to the best of my abilities.

Have a great day.

Is Osama as dead as Elvis?

Are they alive or dead…
Elvis?
Tupac?
Hitler?
Jim Morrison?
Andy Kaufman?
Osama Bin Laden?
Jesus?

Facebook and twitter had been blown out of proportions with this revelation.

Osama is dead, and people’s different reactions to it.

How do we know he died?

I was watching TV last night when it got interrupted with news on Laden dying.

I heard he was shot in the head.

Did I see this happen….no.

I don’t have DNA proof it was Osama.

I haven’t seen a body yet, but I trust the news sources.

What do we believe?

Who do we choose to believe?

This goes beyond Osama dying.

Some people believe that Elvis is still alive and kicking.

People hosted a party for Andy Kaufman at the 20 year anniversary of his death, because he always wanted to stage his own death.

Everyone has their own opinion on Osama dying and whether this is a good thing or not.

Baseball crowds starting yelling USA! USA! USA! When the crowd found out.

Everyone dies.

It’s a fact of life, even those who are rumored to have lived past their death die.

Except one.

Jesus.

Jesus had eye witnessed account that he was dead and three days later he was alive again.

Nobody…

Nobody has been able to do this.

People were shocked, a cover up was in place saying Jesus was dead, but people showed he was alive again.

Not only is Jesus the only one who came back after dying, he tells us this in John 6:40…

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

What do you believe?

Is Elvis or Osama dead?

Jesus was proven to be alive after he was physically dead.

This is what Christianity and my faith is based on.

I believe there are enough credible sources to prove Osama is dead, I believe the same with Jesus.

Through Jesus being raised from the dead, and living my life for my live for him in faith, I will have eternal life.

What do you choose to believe?

What would happen if you were wrong?

While all the people at the top of the list are proven dead, Jesus is not.

Do you trust this?

Have a great day.