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Life is a Mystery...or is it?
Being the last of three daughters, I was a suprise to my parents who were being very cautious about not having any more children. At the age of 30 my mother found out she was expecting her third child, and not very happy about it at that. All my life growing up I was constantly reminded how I was not planned for and consequently not really wanted. But thank goodness I was a good baby and actually turned out to be the best thing that ever came along. But, having this thought in the back of my head, it kind of formed the way I grew up. I actually believed that I was a "mistake" and therefore should not have been born in the first place. Where do misfits fit in? I know that my mother did not mean to instill these thoughts in me but they did have a major role in my self confidence. It wasn't until a couple of years ago actually that I came to realize that I was not a mistake, and even though I came as a big surprise to my partents, I was called forth to become something by a God who knows us even before we are formed in our mother's womb. I now know that life is not a secret, God has a plan for each and every one of us. How do I know this you may ask. Once I became saved, I started getting strong in the Word of God and He has answers to every question we may ever have. The answer to what my purpose is and yours too for that matter can be found in the book of Ephesians. Ephes. 1:4 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Ephes. 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. This tells us that He chose us even before He formed the earth so that we would be holy and set apart to fellowship with Him. He has us picked out to become heirs of His kingdom through His Son Christ should we choose to be His child through adoption. As He created the first man and woman in His own image, He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over every living creature on earth. Just what is the image of God? His image is shown through all His attributes which are Love, Gentleness, Kindness, Humility, Unselfishness...all that is good and holy. As God is the trinity, defined as three seperate entities, so He also created man in three parts, the body, mind and spirit. The body represents our carnal man, the part that is destined to die, the mind is our will and emotions and our spirit is what connects us to God's Spirit. We were created to be a spiritual being having a human experience and not a human having a spiritual experience. Don't get these two confused or you will go through life wondering why you're here. In His agape (perfect) love and His own likeness God created man to be His adopted children so He could bless them, to set them apart from any other living creature on earth. Being consecrated, we are to be righteous and holy and enter into a beautiful relationship with God our Father. Since God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, it is no doubt that it was His intentions to fill the earth and make it one big garden of Eden. But since God is a loving Father and not a tyrant, He gave His new creation the free will choice to love Him back or not. In allowing us to make our own decisions He would know who really loves Him. He won't make anyone fellowship with Him who does not choose to do so. This is the downfall of mankind from the very beginning as God had an adversary the devil who's job was to destroy God's perfect plan. To this very day Satan is still trying to accomplish this plan, but he will stand on trial one day and be sentenced to the Lake of Fire for eternity. Not only himself, but everyone who follows him will experience the same sentence. Since God is holy, He cannot allow the sinners of the world to have entrance into His kingdom. A child of Satan's is no child of God's, there is no hope of adoption for these disobedient ones. Satan's pride and arrogance is what got him thrown out of heaven and as a result he was given full reign of earth and that is why to this day our wars are not against flesh and blood but the powers and principalities (Ephes. 6:12). Satan takes his exile to earth very seriously, he is adament in destroying what God meant for good. His first target of destruction was of course the unsuspecting Eve. He was crafty, sneaky and charming all at the same time. He lured Eve into thinking that God had lied to her and that if she ate the fruit she would be just like a god and would know everything. This sounded so tempting! Temptation is the start of sin which is hard to resist. The first taste is always so sweet and satisfying. It usually feels like more. And sin is also contagious. As she ate the fruit and seemed to be enjoying it so much, Adam did not take much convincing to try it also. He did not correct her behavior, he condoned it and joined in on the forbidden fruit as well. To this day we find it very difficult to resist the temptations that lead to sin. It's human nautre to be attracted to whatever is forbidden. It gets our curiosity up. We don't rationalize the seriousness of sinning until it is too late. If we listened to our spirits, we would know that when things are forbidden it's for our own good to resist them. The catastrophic results usually won't show themselves at first and that is why it is so alluring to go deeper. Just as Satan convinced Eve that she would not die (at least not right away), we too always justify the reasons why we can give in to the temptation. Being human, we tell ourselves that no one will get hurt because no one will find out right? Wrong...as the Bible also says, we will reap just what we sow. We can't hide anything from God. Adam and Eve had their eyes opened to their nakedness and they could not hide from God either. Upon sinning we get our eyes opened to the realization that we too are naked before God and nothing can hide the fact. Sinning takes on an immediate change of events. Once we are found out, just like Adam, we will not own up to our responsibility. As God left him in charge, He was questioned first about the crime. Immediately he pointed his finger at Eve and told God that she made him do it. Does this sound familiar? What goes around comes around. Eve then blamed the serpent for tricking her. After all these thousands of years, we have not changed our sinful nature at all. We still point fingers at others rather than own up to what we have done. We haven't advanced much in this area. But God who is holy and righteous is also the same yesterday, today and forever. He didn't listen to them then and He still won't listen to your lies and excuses. He commanded them to obey and had they only listened, He would have blessed them abundantly. But as a result He cursed them and Satan too. Why then do we assume that God will overlook our sins today? One thing God cannot overlook or tolerate is deliberate sin. Once we know the truth, we can't deliberately sin if we are truly saved. In His Word Paul writes this:Heb. 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. (vs. 27) But a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. As a result of the disobedience to the first man, God cast them out from a life of blessings to one of hardships. This curse is inheritently passed on in every generation. It's our free will choice to turn from sin and enjoy the blessings of God or to die in disobedience after facing Him in judgement. Remember, He doesn't make exceptions to the rules. Just as God created man from the dust, He promises man's return to dust lest he accepts his eternal life through Christ. Do you know where you will be spending eternity? If you're not sure, it's not too late to get right with God who is always ready to forgive and forget your sins. He loves you and invites you to be a part of His kingdom through His Son Christ. Is Satan worth serving when he does not have your best interest at hand? Remember he comes to steal, kill and destroy. No matter how attractive his offer may seem, just realize he's a liar and the father of them. Know the truth! Ask God to forgive you of your sins because you are a sinner and you need to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior to take over your life. He will intercede on your behalf when you ask God in prayer. Admit that you believe Christ died, was buried and rose again to give you eternal life. Let Him lead you and soon you will see a change taking place in your life.Know that your purpose is to serve a loving God who wants to bless you and give you eternal life. To be a friend of Jesus is to be a friend of sinners. Make a difference in someone's life today. Vivian Gordon is an inspired follower of Christ to get the good news of the gospel out to all who will listen. It is her job to plant the seeds of eternal life in hearts that may otherwise have stoney soil.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. DailyMe: News tailored to your individual tastes (The Christian Science Monitor) Column: Custom news websites come and go, but this one gets it right. Sarah Palin docu wins record ratings for Fox News (Reuters via Yahoo! News) In a week of records surrounding the Republican National Convention, Fox News Channel earned another one with its weekend documentary on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. MySpace ad business ahead of target: News Corp (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's (NWSa.N) MySpace advertising business is operating ahead of expectations and its digital ad business is performing better than the marketplace, the company's chief operating officer said on Tuesday. STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Erdemir shares fall on iron ore prices (Reuters via Yahoo! Malaysia News) STOCKS NEWS Reuters Results diary News Buzz: Recreating the Big Bang, Gates Urges Slow Iraq Drawdown, Ike Gains Strength (US News & World Report) Top news from the Associated Press For consumers, good news down the line (Sun-Sentinel) Whether you buy a new iPod or not, there may be good news for you in Apple's release of new iPods on Tuesday . Fox News Vaults To Top Of Primetime Ratings (MultiChannel News) Who says no one watches political conventions? Fox News Channel?s coverage of GOP Presidential nominee John McCain?s Sept. 4 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention drew 9.2 million viewers, topping all other basic cable shows last week, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Site: news - Google News Palm Unveils New 'Nova' Software, 'Palm Pre' Phone - CNNMoney.com
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for inspirational Inspirational Experts in Fashion, Cuisine and Lifestyle to Share Tips and Trends at Orange County Head to Toe Women's ... (PRWeb) Southern California's premiere women's consumer show, the Head to Toe Women's Expo returns to OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., October 10, 11 and 12, 2008. Presented by Ralphs Grocery, the Head to Toe Women's Expo gives mothers, daughters, and girlfriends a chance to reconnect during a weekend of shopping, pampering, makeovers and inspirational speakers. Several experts, ... http://firepit-plans.com Introduces "The Fire Pit Planner Guide" a Comprehensive Inspirational Guide to Building ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) http://firepit-plans.com is a new site that offers a unique do-it-yourself inspirational plan to building fire pits, the guide offers tips and advice on operating and constructing fire pits in the outdoors, house garden or backyard. Reporter's Notebook (Dallas Morning News) Certain parts of Irving City Hall will soon be getting makeovers. Residents and visitors can expect to see inspirational quotes on walls and prominent displays of the city?s mission statement within a couple of months. Bob Walter: Iraq hero gets moving tribute in Elk Grove Park (The Sacramento Bee) For a hero: As if anybody could forget Joe Nurre of Wilton, a fitting and permanent memorial to the inspirational Elk Grove High School football captain is attracting plenty of attention in Elk Grove Park. Joe Nurre A plaque dedicates an Elk Grove barbecue area to Joe Nurre. MCC Honors 9/11 Victims and Families (R News) Monroe Community College hosted a special 9/11 commemorative ceremony at the Remembrance Walk on the Brighton campus. The hour long event included music, inspirational speeches, a moment of silence and flowers placed at the base of the 9/11 monument there. Local review: 'Bill W. and Dr. Bob' entertaining, educational (The Pantagraph) For a gripping evening of theater as educational as it is inspirational, ?Bill W. and Dr. Bob? at Heartland Theatre Company, can?t be beat. Steve Amerson to Sing at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Convention (Christian News Wire) DENVER, Sept. 11 / Christian Newswire / -- Steve Amerson, well-known Inspirational music artist will be singing at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Annual Convention, A Celebration of Honor, in Denver, Colorado at the "Patriots Award Gala" on Friday, September 19, 2008. Radio pirate suspect arrested in Wilton Manors apartment (Sun-Sentinel) When you tune into FM 103.9 in Broward County , you're supposed to hear a sermon by Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Pastor Bob Coy or inspirational music from the likes of Mercy Me and Steven Curtis Chapman. Randolph Reads kicks off with celebration (Asheboro Courier-Tribune) ASHEBORO ? A Randolph County initiative to unite the community in reading and discussing an inspirational non-fiction book about a nearby town?s struggles with change is under way. Honor Text Helps Americans to Remember (WCAV Charlottesville) The clock strikes 9:11am and your phone beeps, but it?s not your average text message. Instead, it?s an Honor Text, a brief inspirational message about some of America?s service men and women. Site: inspirational - Google News Gerard Lucien Gaudreau, inspirational speaker - Baltimore Sun
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