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| Christianity...a FEEL GOOD religion! |
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2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Notice the past tenses! Folks, this is a done deal!!! (At least, Paul thought so.)
We celebrate Christ's resurrection every year on "Easter" Sunday, but when do we celebrate our own?!? (Eph 2:5)
Christianity is THE "feel good" religion! Is there another religion in which the adherents receive the riches of salvation first, and then begin the practice of their faith?
Do we live as though we've already received the riches???? |
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| You did it again Mike!! Another dynamic thought provoking post. Thanks. |
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Mike, Ofcourse Christianity is a feel good religion ( or should I say way of 'faith') to reach God. Our sins are already forgiven... but for those who believe... individually... all we need to do is have faith in Jesus and follow his commandments. |
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| Thanks Mike I needed that my friend. |
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I know I don't live like everything has already been done for me. I'm always trying to prove something to God and He always shows me how prideful I am. With God's help, actually with God doing everything, I'm learning how to just rest in His finished work on my behalf. Amen. |
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YOUR WELCOME DAVE!!! (it was the least I could do, dear friend!)
Rag, to us in the truth...yes of course!! but alas many don't know! (I am so happy to count you among my fellow believers!)
Cheryl - thank you so much...and SMILE!! (Knowing you, I'll bet you are!) |
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| Zach, regarding "always trying to prove something to God"...you may need to read the book we're reading in our small group. Message me if you're curious! :-) btw, me too! |
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Brandy |
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March 05, 2008 at 9:04pm |
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| AWESOME |
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| man thats God's grace. He didn't wait for me to get good and stop my junk, he reached down and pulled me up out of it... out of a horrible pit and a miry clay and he set me on the rock. His salvation is rock solid man. Ain't nothin I could ever do to deserve such a great love as this. Heres you a star for gettin this mullet all fluffed up for Jesus tonight. Love ya man, God bless. |
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Hmmmm,I really had to stop & think,do I?? My answer would be yes,beacuse I am reminded so often of what He has done,is doing and will do.
The more I learn about who He is,how can I resist?
the fact that you mentioned a "feel good,religion" is deep!!! And He has brought this up to me,more than once.Anyone can praise Him on Sunday,like a check on a list,attendance record.When things are going smooth,"feeling good",True FAITH,is far different subject.It's about giving Him the Glory,when things aren't working out,your car breaks down,people you love get hurt or sick,when you're being attacked,then do you praise Him? I try to,sometimes,I fail,I am stuck down but not destoyed,persecuted but not abounded,His Victory,is mine,through His precious blood! The blood of the Lamb~Sorry this is so lengthy,God is just SO good!!! |
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Great point Mike. I have been doing a little research on the resurrection and I found this poem. I thought that it coincided with what you were talking about.
The day of resurrection? Earth, tell it out abroad; The Passover of gladness, The Passover of God. From death to life eternal, From this world to the sky, Our Christ hath brought us over With hymns of victory. Now let the heavens be joyful, Let earth her song begin; Let the round world keep triumph, And all that is therein; Let all things seen and unseen Their notes in gladness blend, For Christ the Lord hath risen, Our Joy that hath no end. John of Damascus. |
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Cheryl |
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March 05, 2008 at 10:41pm |
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Mike, wonderful, short blog!~
{had to keep the response short too!!!~haha} |
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Glenn |
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March 06, 2008 at 5:27am |
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I feeeeeeeel good! Like I knew that I would, once I gave him my heart, he knew it from the start!.
oops, just had to sing there. HaHa.
I think the thing that I have been thinking about is my response to His grace, and I think this feeling good concept is very important. Sometimes we let our feelings lead our actions and it needs to be the otherway round. Do the actions and the feelings will follow. Remember God's grace and you can't help but feel greatful for His love. So I will feel good even when I am sad, just by thinking on the gifts that God has given me in Jesus! Amen brother great blog. |
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Glenn |
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March 06, 2008 at 5:28am |
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| forgot to check a box. was feeling to good. |
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| whoo hoo!!!!!!!!! amen to that brother! |
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| aweome post , love it........... GBU♥ |
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Eliza |
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March 06, 2008 at 5:41am |
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| Amen! Love it Mike! |
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| Awesome! So much said, with so few words. Good job Mike. |
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Glenn, great response regarding actions. ("Do the actions and the feelings will follow.") In this particular case, I see our feelings following HIS actions!
Thanks Contagious!
Cheryl- my goal, to say more w/less words. Economy! :-) |
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Jenily |
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March 06, 2008 at 6:00am |
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| amen, amen and amen!!!!!!!! |
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| Thanks Val, Tina, Eliza!! Val, lol - see also my reply to Cheryl :-) |
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| amazing, we should all consider our great inheritance every day! I try not to get too caught up in the matters that can bring me down while I am here on the planet. This life is but a single grain of sand in comparison to the uncountable grains on the beautiful beaches of our lives that we are to share with our Lord in heaven.... always great to get a reminder of that THANKS! |
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I believe that this is how "faith without works is dead" is to be seen. HE loved us... WE follow his comandments because we love Him. We live in His love and show that love He showed us to others which =works.
AMEN Mike! |
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Glenn |
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March 06, 2008 at 6:19am |
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| Amen, to that Mike, how can we not feel great when we think on His actions! |
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| Tammy, in a word - DISTRACTIONS!! If it pulls our eyes from our Savior, that is what it becomes. But if we look at them through the eyes of the Savior.... |
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"We live in His love and show that love He showed us to others which =works."
This is our anchor, right Ruth? (I saw that terminology in a book this week.) |
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| Noelle, wonderful comment, length is not an issue!!! |
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| Absolutely! And it keeps us focused on the things in the start of your blog. |
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| Mike, I just posted a "mini" (in number of words) blog about our worth to God. Then I found this one. Both about the "done deal" ! Oh, Happy Day........................... |
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Thanks Mike & Laura, I needed to hear this this morning...some days there's just not enough caffeine to get me going. Thank you for this reminder that God takes care of all my needs....before I need them. |
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hahaha, Paul i love you man, glad to see we're on the same wavelength!
Janet - we are all in this to pick ea other up! |
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Amen Mike! Distractions are like walking in a snow storm. Like the snow, distractions come from every angle, and some even stick to you, its so important that we stay focused on Jesus, Keep our eyes fixed on Him, On the Power of the Holy Spirit, on the Promises of the Word, Claim them, cling to them, love them, hold them close to our inner-most being believing His Words to activate in our life.We are to eat his Words, digest it and allow it to become real every single day!
God wants to speak through us--through our acting, teaching, writing, counseling, lobbying, parenting, and preaching. Gods people need to recapture our prophetic voice again. |
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| Getting there! lol You know what's cool? My boy's birthday is on Easter Sunday this year! My due date was actually Good Friday for him two years ago (which was in April, but he was early). I think that's special! :) A celebration of my Savior's victory over the grave and a celebration of my only child's second birthday! |
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Lara,
It is special! What a wonderful blessing to celebrate your sons birthday and our Lords Reserection on the same day. May your day be so very blessed! |
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Megan |
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March 06, 2008 at 3:01pm |
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| Thanks Mike that is what I needed to read today. |
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Deb |
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March 06, 2008 at 5:44pm |
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| Great blog again Mike! I used to not live like I had already received the riches, but as I have grown more in my faith, I now live my life as though I have received the riches, since I have! |
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Hey Batman, I figured someone would say that eventually. I'm surprised it didn't come sooner in fact! Really, I believe too much is made of the word "religion". It has become a loaded word! Religion is simply that which a person worships. You can wash your car religiously. Or watch tv religiously. Your "religion" might be humanism (humans as gods, there is nothing higher), sports (nothing more important than my favorite football team), art (my music is my life), etc... The bible uses the term "religion" in both a positive and negative way, so the word is actually neutral. Or in other words, religion is what you make of it!!
(btw, I blogged about denominations of Christianity just a few days ago, you might find it interesting!)
Deb, it is awesome that you live like that! Shouldn't we all? The verse in this blog went onto one of my index cards yesterday morning, been meditating on it off and on since. Today I was struck by the idea that I'm alive, really alive, and I'm walking around among a bunch of dead people!! Feels good to be alive, but really weird to see dead people. This helps me keep their ridiculous behavior and priorities in proper perspective! |
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| ps... Batman (Andrey), thanks for the friend request, the comment on this blog, and the star!! |
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| hehehe...thank you so much 'cella, I just love you sister. To me this particular entry was just God's word being....well, God's word! Nothing out of the ordinary...you know? I've been having a hard time finding time to blog lately, so I just put what I'd been meditating on out there. I thank you for your unbelievable kindness and grace, from the bottom of my heart. I'm gonna really enjoy praising God with you in heaven, dear friend!!! |
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Gene |
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March 08, 2008 at 10:59am |
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Awww. All this feel good stuff is getting me all teary eyed. . *sniff*
Seriously though, Great blog, Mike. Christianity IS a feel good religion. And that becomes the initial irony. We find comfort in knowing God and accepting His gift for us. And yet at the same time God shows us that we need to reach out just as He did to us to those who do not know Him and to those who need the Love that Jesus told us about. And knowing that we must do that keeps us just uncomfortable enough to actually get to and do it. Which brings about comfort in knowing that we are doing God's will, which. . . . . |
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Steve |
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March 08, 2008 at 12:59pm |
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| There are some that believe that God may be omnipotent and yet leaves man to fend for his own. The word of God contains so many verses, including the above, that show He actively involves Himself in our lives. I Peter 3:10 shows that we can "love life and see good days". Certainly there will be times that we are sad, such as when a brother/sister dies. Though even then we can feel good knowing they are now in paradise, in the bosom of Abraham! |
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His grace, love,faithfulness, How can we NOT feel good???? Feeling good is one thing, having faith, knowing, understanding is another. My faith keeps me feeling good, knowing that he loves me keeps me feeling good and understanding his word so I can understand WHY I feel good are his gifts to me. I am not religious but CHRIST filled with his truth. The trials that we go through as christians deserves a feel good feeling when we come out triumphant in Jesus name.
Thanks Mike |
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"The word of God contains so many verses, including the above, that show He actively involves Himself in our lives." ....AMEN Steve, how can we NOT feel good (great!) about that? Thank you for commenting!
Mary, how lovely to hear from you (as always). Your comment really conveys the excitement you feel as a result of the Savior's love in your life! I would agree you aren't "religious", but I would say it's true you follow Jesus "religiously". :-) |
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Trukki |
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March 09, 2008 at 6:50pm |
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| Good Question. I will add that I appreciate short (concise) blogs. Thanks. |
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TIGERT |
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March 12, 2008 at 12:39pm |
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| i like.... |
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I thought religion was "Mans way of reconciling with a god" and that Christianity was "God's way of providing reconciliation to man". Isn't Biblical Christianity the un-religion? (I believe you're are alluding to the concept, despite the use of the word 'religion'.) Not posted in a combative tone. Just pinging ya' for feedback. |
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Why thank you Jennifer, great to hear from you!!
Shane(Man), for the record, I didn't think you came across as combative at all. I deeply appreciate your questioning.
The word "religion" is really not a bad word at all. It simply means something a person is devoted to with singular focus. The word is actually used in a positive way most of the time in the bible, including the way James uses it here: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
I think I know what you are getting at though. Christianity is more relationship than religion. But one can pursue a relationship w/Jesus religiously, can't they? :-) |
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POWERFUL BLOG!!!!! THANK U FOR THE GUT CHECK!!!!! |
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| Thank you Carlita! And if you really want a gut check, check out this one! |
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Larry |
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March 19, 2008 at 6:34pm |
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| WHOA!! Mike so little words, but yet so powerful. How do you do it. Oh yeah, the spirit. Thanks Mike, my night just got turned around even more. Please don't stop speaking what the Lord puts on your heart. It"s so enlightning to the soul. God bless you... |
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Mr. Mike....Are you sure you are not a spy following me around...listening in on my conversations....hmmm....Great Word! Praise God that He chose me first.....For the Lord is my Inheritance therefore I will hope in Him.
One thing I might add though is even though Christianity is the "feel good" religion....we should walk by faith and not by feelings! I guess that comes with maturity, and we are just human, but that is how so many fall away....experiencing this right now with family.
We hope and pray for the feelings, but Jesus says.....because you have not seen yet believed!
Mr. Mike...you bless many here with your words...keep them coming! Here is another star (I think you hold the record with me for the most stars ever given)! |
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| Thank you LaT, I mean Grasshopper.....uh, MissHappyHopper! Your words about my words mean much!! I really really appreciate your stroll through my blogs! |
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