Gashpul

So I spent like 5 hours at Panera today talking with my agnostic friend. For the first time, boldness overcame me, and I was actually able to show her the Gospel. I've shared with her before, but never like this. It's a big deal because I can see a huge calling of God on her life. She's actually one of His chosen people, descended from Israel himself. I want her to find Him. I know there are many hurtles to Christianity in our society. She listed them to me, but I already knew what they are.

Homosexuality
Hypocrisy
Obsessive religiousness

All of these are things that plague Christians. You look at people who "belong" to our faith, and it's hard to get a clear picture of who God is. There are so many issues which cause Christians to look backwards, ignorant, hard-headed, unloving, self-righteous, confused, insert whatever adjective you want. So many who label themselves as Christians only sort of get what it means. I used to only sort of get it. I thought I had it down, but I have learned so much. So much about love. The Bible is thick. It is dense. There is a lot in there, and it is not easy to swallow or understand. It seems crazy, because as far as the world is concerned it is. I tried so hard to show her that following Jesus is a totally different way of thinking. She can accept that everyone can find their own truth, but there is only one Truth. If you live in a plural world, you don't like this. If you live in a dichotomous world, you embrace it. I see good, I see evil, I see light, I see dark. There is nothing in between.

God is judge. God knows our hearts. I am not here to judge how "saved" all the other Christians are, but I can say what I know to be true. After today, I never want to be silent. I think my friend moving might be the best thing that ever happened to us. To her really. If she can just find the Lord, she will find everything I see her looking for.

It is the holes I see in others that convince me God is real. I wish I had more testimony to share. I wish I had a awesome, life changing, amazing grace kind of story to share with people, but all I know is what I've seen. I've heard tale. I know people who know people, but in my life, I see where I was, and where I am. I see a girl who was broken by wanting things, and now I am a woman who has so much joy and peace she hardly can stand it. I see the pain in the lives of non-believers. I see a broken world that needs its Savior. All these things convince me that my God is real!

Do you know Him? I pray you do. It's worth everything.

He is worth everything because His love is never ending. His peace, mercy, joy, grace are never-ending. You will never be empty again. You will never go wanting again. He will always be there. He will never leave. His promises are real and they are true and they will be kept. He has victory over everything that comes your way. He is not dead. He is alive. He has always been. He always will be. You can't deny Him. You can't escape Him. One day you will face Him and what will you say? One day you will stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords, and He will say "Who are you?" How will you respond? I will say, "I am your daughter who you bought with a price!" I have been ransomed from a life of slavery to evil. Now I am a slave to righteousness. I love to do what God is doing. I love to go where God is going. He is moving. He is changing the world. He will do what He will do with or without you and with or without me. God is BIG! He cannot be contained. He does not change. He is beyond words. My paragraph grows and grows as a try to explain Him. John said it best: Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were everyone of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Amen. Amen. Amen.