#god saves

[ae-cha08]

[walkswithmyfather]

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:1‭-‬6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬). “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8‭-‬9‬ ‭(ESV). “‬‬For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

“A Gift Already Given” By In Touch Ministries:

“We don’t have to strive for God’s favor; we just need to receive and believe.”

“In today’s passage, Paul uses beautiful language to describe the believer’s position in Christ: “We also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand” (v. 2, emphasis added). This grace is no puddle that barely gets our toes wet. It’s a mighty ocean that stretches on forever. And it’s grander than we could ever fathom.

God’s grace is an essential concept for believers to understand. He freely offers His favor to mankind because Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross granted forgiveness and salvation to anyone who believes. However, many people think they are enjoying God’s kindness when what they are really trying to do is earn it. And the Lord is very clear that works cannot save us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Serving God in order to gain favor or ensure that He continues to bless you diminishes the beauty of His grace. You can do nothing to deserve His kindness! He pours it upon believers freely. So receive it, beloved, and live free in the knowledge that while your efforts are welcomed and cherished by God, grace is a gift already given.”

[Photo by Benjamin Suter at Unsplash]

[gingerylangylang1979]

Sick people are still sick, even if it's addiction or mental illness. We know that but we still don't think and act that way.

I've been wanting to post this for awhile but held back because it's a difficult topic but today I discovered some saddening news that made me feel it was time to talk about it. I'm not going to speak directly to that news or to any of the other situations I'm referencing. You can figure it out if you want but really it doesn't matter who the people are because the people can be anybody.

I'll start by saying I'm the child of a drug addict, my ex-boyfriend was an alcoholic, I've had many friends who have battled addiction and mental health issues. I was deeply hurt by growing up with an addict mother. It is the single most defining thing about me next to being a black woman. I am in my 40's and still grappling with the effects of growing up with her beside me and growing up with her absent from me. The abandonment, isolation, shame, uncertainty, fear, feelings of being cursed, never having normality, all of that will never leave me. All I can do is cope. And I experienced it all over again within a long term relationship in adulthood.

It's probably best that I was estranged from my mother. I know it's best that I left my ex for the last time. I didn't want those people in my live as they were and there was never any way to know if they would ever get better. My mother died. Not a drug related death, ironically she was killed by a drunk driver. Someone else's addiction took her. My ex is still living and the last I knew he was still drinking. A miracle could happen or he could drink the rest of his life.

But what I want to talk about is how we view these ill people. I hated my mother and my ex for a long, long time... until I didn't. That doesn't mean I'm not still angry or no longer hold them accountable. It just means I don't view them simply as my abusers and myself as their victim. It just means I had a shift, not only in how I see them but how I view all people. I had a religious/spiritual conversion at one of the darkest times of my life. Looking back I see that it happened shortly after I left my ex the last time and I was at a sort of rock bottom on every level. I won't go into the long story but will say I came out of the other side loving people. Not in a toxic positivity way, in a genuinely I value people and humanity was put here out of love, made with love, and we all deserve dignity and forgiveness, and can be redeemed no matter what. My whole worldview was rocked. It's a truly radical belief of my faith. Not the supernatural things. I think this because what the average person struggles with the most is just pure love for other people and love for themselves.

And when you view people with love, value life itself, all life, that you can look at a person who doesn't value their own well being and puts the well being of others, even those closest to them, in danger, and still say that person is a child of God who can be redeemed, who is not trash, who is not a loser.

And the funny thing is supposedly we are in a mental health awakening and supposedly see addiction and mental health ailments as sickness. But we still have a hard time accepting that when people are in the worst of their illness that they are indeed sick people. So we label, dismiss, and ridicule them. And if they are a celebrity, forget about it. We want to champion wellness, self care, and therapy but when someone actually desperately needs it and is struggling we shit on them.

I'm in no way saying all behavior is forgiven and there shouldn't be accountability. But after seeing some of what I've seen said recently and especially today it seems like people are just ready to tear someone's complete being down, not just condemn the behavior. I don't think my mom nor my ex were trash. They were deeply broken as we all are, in ways different from myself, or perhaps not and it just manifests in ways different than myself. It still hurts, it always hurts, but they were always hurting, too. It doesn't mean I needed to stay in a place they could hurt me but I didn't degrade their being in thought, speech, or action.

So these people don't deserve to have victims but they also don't deserve to be dehumanized.

We are all worthy of grace. So I'm going to continue to pray for healing of myself and those I know who are struggling.

[corvid-studios]

The gifts we are given by the Lord aren't why we need the Lord, but the gift being the Lord. The gift of Life, through Jesus Christ; being our personal Lord and savior. Giving us the gift of eternal life through him, by repentance of our sins. HE is the gift. HE is love, HE is life.

"I AM" - Jesus

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." ♡John 3:16 ♡

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

♡John 3:17 ♡

[an-unanonymous-messenger]

Where is your heart? Is it on God or the world? Is it on the heavenly riches or the earthly? Is it on succeeding in faith or succeeding in earthly life? We now hear the Parable of the Rich Fool, how he had a lot of increase and didn't know where to store it. He then decided to make a bigger granary, where all he had would be, so he would not ever have to worry about anything, hence live like a king in his riches. But his life ended miserably, and all his possessions were left behind to nobody. This is what happens to all who want to be rich in the world, but not in God. Isn't it sad how people can be corrupted so easily by riches, and allow themselves to be controlled by it? Is that you, or someone you know? Possibly your church or a church you know? We cannot serve God and wealth, and this is what we need to keep in mind as we walk with God. Don't allow the world to deceive you with riches, otherwise the Word buried in your heart will be choked out and fruitless. Let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, for there are our true riches. God bless you in Jesus Name! Amen.

[ieroglyfika]

🕊️ Rip George Karelias & Sons 🕊️

[valtsv]

enough paintings of saints where they're looking heavenward in ecstatic agony or down with love and mercy on their onlookers as they ascend. we need more paintings where the martyr is looking accusatorily directly at the viewer.

[quintessentialpurity]

[hinamie]

trick or treat!

[jaemongus]

my beautiful horse girls

[an-unanonymous-messenger]

The popular belief of getting to heaven through good works or just being good is a heresy, and it is contrary to the Word of God.

[kyoukorpse]

yeahhhh so chirin's first death wasnt even violent or dramatic they just had an anxiety induced loss of appetite and once the adrenaline from their crusade and fight against leshy wore off they starved to death lmao.

bonus:

[imclosertogod]

God's calling for me, my spiritual gift: Praise & Worship

Worship

[lotus-pear]

bugs when you lift up a rock

[loserfae]

friend said "im on some kinda wave tonight" and sent this screenshot that is obliterating my attention span