Beyond Criticism

        Criticizing others is easy and there are plenty of Christians and non-Christians who criticize Jesus or God. These people are not obviously with God yet; for God, being wise and omnipotent, is perfect. The only alternative for us is to submit ourselves to him ~ only being in harmony with our creator can we attain inner peace and spiritual freedom.

Worst possible feeling

        We feel bad if no one appreciates us or we lose the winning lottery ticket or a loved one dies or we fail to pass a test ... ~ there are a millions things that can sadden us. But there is no feeling worse than knowing that you are a lost soul, for the consequences can be grave. It follows that there is no better feeling than knowing that you have been saved through the mercy of God and are heaven bound.

Christ Admired

        The chaos of the world made me admire Christ even more, for his teachings expose the evils of the world, putting it to great shame.

Prayers Analyzed

        God hears all our prayers whether we are saints or sinners. How he responds to us is dependent upon how sincere and earnest we are in saying the prayers.

Faith Analyzed

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus commanded an unclean spirit to come out of a man, and the spirit convulsed the man and with a loud cry came out of him. I am thinking that the Lord does not command us in such a way, for he wants us to exercise our free will to listen to him so that we may have faith. In other words, faith is necessary for us to know God, and it is brought forth by an act of our free will.

Reality of Eternity

        Eternity is real, for if not, with a beginning and an end God cannot exist. We die and it's over and there would be no soul everlasting and thus no salvation to speak of. That eternity is reality makes life meaningful,  prompting us to seek the eternal God.

How to Connect With God

        Simple ~ just pour your heart out to him, crying out to tell him everything that's in your heart. This in effect breaks down any barrier between you and God, because it shows that you trust in him enough to share all your "secrets" with him. In fact, constant pouring your heart out to God is a sign that you are in union with him.        

Fool's Dream

        The U.S. Powerball lottery jackpot has grown to an estimated $1.3 billion. The next drawing is just three days away. Despite the fact that the odds of winning this largest lottery prize in U.S. history have already reached 1 in 292.2 million, people continue to buy tickets, dreaming about how they would spend the money should they win. Well, good luck to all. Records show that almost 1/3 of past lottery winners went bankrupt. Suicide, murder, robbery, drug abuse, and legal battles have all happened to the various winners. Personally, I'd rather quietly store up treasures in heaven, not even dreaming about how happy I'll be up there.

Most Grateful

        Today I am grateful that God has given me eyes to see, ears to hear, and even my teeth properly shaped to help me consume the food I need or enjoy. Most of all, I am grateful that he has given my heart the capability of feeling his Fatherly love.

My Best Friend

        Communion time thoughts. If someone saved my life, I would be most grateful and consider him or her to be my best friend. Now Jesus saves me from eternal damnation! Naturally, I should be most grateful and make him my best friend for all eternity.