Jesus loves you!

My apologies for the long break in blogging. My husband was on spring break one week, and I decided to do some spring cleaning (even though it feels like winter outside) the next. So, here I am 2 weeks behind! I was going to continue with talking on subjects my husband talks about in class (and I still might later this week), but something really hit me today that I wanted to share.
I listen to K-love daily. I enjoy having the app on my phone and being able to carry my phone around with me as I'm cleaning different areas of the house. A song came on this morning that I've heard several times, but this morning as I sang along I really thought about the words. The title is 'Someone Worth Dying For' by Mikeschair, and although I see where they are going with the song and I really like it, it made me think about the fact that really we are not worth dying for! Why?

We are sinners(Romans 3:23)

It's a plain and simple fact, and we know it all too well. Even for us who have grown up in church and were saved at an early  age understand how evil our hearts and minds can be. I think about things I've done, or thought and realize just how much of a sinner I am. If I was worth dying for, Isaiah 64:6 would not be true. Something I have done would have had to be good if I was worth it.
Your a sinner, and nothing you could do can save you from your sins. I am not worth dying for! But you know what?

Jesus Died for you anyway! 

Really this is the beauty of the cross, Jesus died for us while we were sinners.He suffered beatings and mockery, crucifixion, and God's rejection so that we could have salvation and a relationship with Him. Why? Because He loves us!
Romans 5:8, But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Isn't this amazing? That God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us on the cross so that through him we could have eternal life! (John 3:16) I pray that as Easter gets closer, you'll read about Jesus' death and realize just how much He loves you and wants to begin a relationship with you!

I can't believe she did that!

Gossip...It's a topic that I don't like talking or writing about, because I struggle with it. Why am I talking about it then? Not only is it something that most of us girls (and some guys!) struggle with, but my husband talked about unity in the church, and I thought that nothing spreads disunity as fast as gossip.
We love gossip, as hard as it is to admit, we love it! In Proverbs 18:8 it says "The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body."  I am not sure what gossip does to make us love it so much, but I always seem to feel better about myself and worse about someone else when it's over.
I never start out with the intention of gossiping, normally, but because I love to talk so much it seems comes out at sometime or another. I don't like to see myself as a gossiper but when I read Philippians 4:8 I realize that what I say about people isn't always lovely or honorable! Unfortunately my flesh self tells me that talking bad about someone isn't that bad. This is especially the case when it is true about that person! But I have to understand a couple of things that the Bible teaches, first:

Gossip is a sin!

God says that he hates it (Proverbs 6: 16-19). A lot of times we see gossip as something harmless, but when we put down and judge a fellow believer, we are spreading strife, and can lose friends (Proverbs 16:28). Not only that, when we are worried about and talking about other people, we are taking our focus off Christ and onto someone else's faults.
Another thing we must see is:

Gossip is not limited to false information

When what we say about someone is true, then it doesn't seem to be quite as bad. The Bible teaches us that "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" Philippians 4:8 Even though this says to 'think', whatever is in our hearts and minds comes out on our tongues (Matthew 15:18)
If we don't have something that is an encouragement, or doesn't build someone up, then we should not say it at all.

Finally, God gives us an example of how we should speak:
He would like us "To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." Titus 3:2 That verse is my challenge to not only you, but myself!