#forgiven
* EXCERPT* Forgiven by Carrie Aarons
FORGIVEN by Carrie Aarons is now live!
PURCHASE NOW: mybook.to/ForgivenAMZAbout the book:
In a split-second, a car crash killed almost everything between them. Ten years later, can one accidental ride fix tattered spirits, uncertain futures, and broken hearts?
Lily Grantham has always done what she’s been told. The daughter of a senator, she grew up as the good girl of Fawn Hill, and carried…
“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” - Luke 1:30-31
Who would not be afraid? Who would try to escape a fate that will definitely bring you shame and hardship? Who would not try to escape the possibility of getting hurt? Everyone at this present time would never have the courage that Mary had when she was conceiving Jesus. She was a virgin, and she was betrothed. It would only bring her shame and her partner shame. However, she willingly accepted and trusted the Will of God. So, our verse today is for us to remember what really happened during the time of the birth of Christ. Angel Gabriel comforted Mary and told her that she should not be afraid because she has found favor with God, and that she will be conceiving the Son that would be called Jesus.
Jesus Christ is our Savior, and we should take time to appreciate and thank Him for His grace especially during this season. He came to save us, and that’s why He is called Immanuel. He is our God, but He humbled Himself, came as a baby boy and saved us from our sins. The reason why this season is the most wonderful time of the year and the most cheerful time of the year is because our Savior came, and now we are saved and forgiven. Although, we have to understand that the first Christmas was not a happy Christmas. It was a sad and dangerous Christmas for Mary and Joseph. They were hunted by the king and Jesus was being pursued so the king will kill Him.
Now, we must then realize that it was a sad moment that time because the moment Christ was born, He was instantly sought to be killed. Yet, this season still remains the most wonderful and cheerful time of the year for us because we are once again reminded how much God loves us to the point of sending His Son into the world, suffered its cruelty and finally died so that He can fulfill the prophecy.
Therefore, we must always be grateful, we must celebrate every Christmas more joyfully than the last. Let us appreciate and see the grace of God, even amidst the chaos we are in right now. May we not forget that the reason for the season is Christ– not our gifts, not our parties or anything that can distract our minds from really understanding the sole purpose of Christmas. Let us keep in our hearts and minds that as we celebrate Christmas this year, let us not forget to pray and just thank God for His grace and mercy.
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“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.” - Romans 2:12
In the previous section of verses, Paul divided all of humanity into two categories: Those who lead good lives and are given eternal life by God (Romans 2:7) and those who are self-seeking and earn God’s wrath (Romans 2:8). God will judge each person according to that standard, Paul wrote, no matter whether Jew or non-Jew.
This seems, at first, like an endorsement of salvation by works. However, as Paul will show later, the first category is empty. Nobody is able to escape their own selfish and disobedient nature. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” he will say in Romans 3:23.
Now Paul begins to answer all of his readers who are asking, “What about the law? Won’t the law protect the Jews from the wrath of God?” Paul describes two more categories for humanity: those who sin “apart from the law” and those who sin “under the law.” Paul is referring to the law of Moses, given to Israel by God at Mount Sinai, as described in Exodus 20 and beyond.
Notice that both of these categories contain those “who have sinned.” There is no third category of people, no group who have not sinned. Sinners without the law of Moses to follow—the Gentiles—will die and be judged by God without the law, because their sin is still sin. Sinners under the law—Jewish people who adhere to the rituals and sacraments of the law of Moses—will be judged by God according the law of Moses when they die. Each person is held to the standards of their own knowledge, and as Paul has already pointed out, God has given every person enough knowledge to be without excuse (Romans 1:18–20).
The point Paul is building towards is that the verdict will be the same in all cases. All have sinned, no matter what standard of good and evil they lived under.
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Knowing God’s word is settled in Heaven is so comforting to me. No mistake will ruin what has already been decided. Being anxious won’t change the outcome because God’s plans don’t rely on my actions. I sit in His perfect peace knowing that He will fulfill His promises to me.
To be love, is to be loved by you. So I won’t worry about tomorrow, ‘cause all I wanna do is know you.
“Abide” Kingdom Culture Worship
“The temptations you lean towards are the areas in your life you aren’t allowing God to fully satisfy”
Kirbyisaboss
Haha this made me laugh!!
And I believe what you say to me
When God Won’t Give me my Boaz
Have you ever prayed for God to work things out between you and a boy? I have, in fact just this week I asked God if He would tell a boy I liked that he should date me. Imagine my frustration after I prayed for three whole days, finally got the courage to send the boy a text, and then got left on read. Angrily, I told God: “God this boy would be perfect for me! He loves you, is involved in ministry, and is also taller than me! Why would you not work things out between us?!”. But here’s the thing: God loves us more than we could ever love ourselves, and He wants the very best for us. We see our imperfections and mistakes, and sometimes we have the mentality that anyone who goes to church, and has a relationship with God is the very best we can do. God sees us as His most treasured creation, and loves us more than we could ever fathom; When God withholds something from us, He is not doing it to be cruel, or because He thinks we aren’t enough, He is protecting us from anything less than the very best. A “no” from God is a reminder that He has greater things in store for us, and that our best is not His best.
Wow this is so convicting.
Something I really struggle with is comparing myself to other Christians. Lately there seems to be a trend of what I’ll call “aesthetic Christianity”. A picture perfect Christian life portrayed on Instagram, and I am NOT saying there’s anything wrong with having a nice Instagram. In fact, it’s awesome that people are sharing their faith so boldly! What I’m trying to say is just because you don’t have a closet full of “Faith” T-shirts, or thousands of Instagram followers doesn’t mean you’re failing as a Christian. You don’t have to look like that beautiful Christian blogger, or be as successful as Sadie Robertson (no shade, the girl is awesome!!), to be who God called you to be. The Bible tells us to imitate Christ, not other people in the world. So don’t spend time worrying about looking like other Christians, instead make sure you’re doing your best to reflect Christ.
She’d thought her makeup was her armour. Warpaint she could dress herself up with to fight the world. She’d thought it was a disguise, a way to become one-step removed from herself, so whatever happened, she was safe. She’d used it to embellish the parts of her that were strong, and smooth over the parts that were weak.
She’d thought all this, but he’d seen through it in a second. He’d cut her to the wick, with an offhanded comment, and in a moment stripped her bare. She was crying before she realised it, her shoulders slumped, her head hung.
This wasn’t the way it went. This wasn’t the way she’d planned it.
The hand on her shoulder, calloused as it was, pulled her back from that precipice. He’d taken her home, his low voice a reassuring rumble in her ear, formless, the words drifting into one another, glaciers in the summer. It didn’t matter what he was saying, only that he was saying it.
He’d run a bath, taken an age to undress her. She liked that. There may have been an apology somewhere. She didn’t care.
The water was warm.
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There’s a saying in Ishgard that all roads lead to Halone and, perhaps, there was some truth in that adage. For, on this late evening in particular, one of her flock stumbled from the tavern, into the streets of the city, and eventually found himself in Her house.
He entered the Cathedral and slumped onto one of the massive oak benches that sat sentinel on either side of another door. Beyond stood row upon row of empty pews, like soldiers in a wooden army. The sleep he so desperately needed eluded him, however, and he found himself lost in the river of his own thoughts.
Then stay and burn with the rest.
Raven pressed the heels of his palms against the sockets of his stinging eyes. "Stop,“ he said to himself. Against the tears that threatened to breech the tired lids of his eyes? Or the memory of his own words that echoed in the cavern of his mind. Words spoken on this night, some years ago. The last words his father would ever hear from his son.
Then stay and burn with the rest
"STOP, DAMMIT!” he hissed, shoving himself to his feet a little too quickly. He stumbled into a candle stand, knocking it to the marble floor with a violent clatter, sending half-spent candles rolling until stopped by their own melting wax. Like a ship at sea, he listed back and forth and watched their flames flicker and carve through the white wax, gathering it into pools against the cold floor. Raven sagged and finally sank to his knees before the mess of bent iron and untended flames.
Then stay
“Please…”
and burn with the rest
Unbidden, the tears finally came in great sobs. He sagged backwards against the unyielding wood of the bench and spread his arms along it’s seat and peered upward through hazy eyes at the visage of the Fury that adorned the stained glass window above the door. A glow, warm at first, and then all consuming and furious, lit her from behind and shone down, lending a divine aura to the crumbled form of the knight.
He squinted in defiance against the light. “No,” he growled. “It’s not your sin to forgive.” As if in answer, the sun moved upon its natural course and left the window dim with overcast, morning light. Raven closed his eyes against the sparks that dazzled his vision and fell into an uneasy sleep.
(The story this refers to can be read here.)
