Resting in Jesus

Not many people today understand what it means to rest in Jesus. Maybe we should define what rest is...Just so were sure to be on the same page here.

Have you ever had a really long day where nothing went right and you came home just feeling beat? 

Days like that you want nothing more than to just come home and  fall into bed and sleep!

Then you are resting! Just layin there doing absolutely nothing! Thats rest!

One of the first examples of resting in the Bible is when God rested on the seventh day after he had created the world. Was that rest just a break? No He was done! And Adam and Eve were able to enjoy the perfect work that God had done.

As an example of that God gave the Hebrews the sabbath. The sabbath was a day of rest once a week from work. The Hebrews were under a covenant of works at that time, The sabbath was given to provide rest from those works.

Then Christ came and he kept the entire law perfectly! Then he Died for our sins and rose again. Was he still under that law? No he had died! How can a law judge a dead man! The bible says the wages of sin is death, Sin is defined by the law, Christ took our sins then submitted himself to the punishment of the law....death!
So could he be punished for that sin again? NOPE! Already paid for.

So when we submit to Christ we are also submitting to that law. We say "I cant keep the law, Jesus is the only one who did and can, And since he is offering me the salvation that he earned by keeping the law perfectly I am going to submit to the law and die as Christ died and I will be raised again with him"

So now we are in Christ who fulfilled the law for us. We don't have to keep that law anymore! It's been fulfilled! So we simply rest in Christs finished work. What work? The work that he did on earth of keeping the law perfectly and then dying for us!

We no longer need a sabbath day to rest from work! We are resting everyday in Christ. HE is our sabbath.

People still have the idea that they have to do something to maintain their faith or that they need to keep the law and the ten commandments to please God! Christ already did that for you so that now you can look on from those things and focus on the better things he has for the people resting in him!
It is such a freeing Gospel! We don't have to do anything! Christ did it all! All we do is to put our faith in the fact that he kept the law perfectly and died for our sins.

Stop trying to do all this work! and just have faith!

God Bless!

Sesame Street, Pink panther and old movies.

Did anyone else watch Sesame street growing up? It was always one of my favorite things to watch as a kid!
I loved the muppet characters of Big bird, Snufalupagus, Oscar the Grouch, cookie monster and others.
Sadly sesame street is very different now. :( Where there were muppet skits of Bert and Ernie doing their rubber ducky songs, there is now computer animated stories of little fairy muppets. where there was Oscar the Grouch there is...Nothing. They removed ol Oscar from the show because he was to much of a negative influence.
Where there was once a Fuzzy monster gorging himself on delicious round treats there is a fuzzy monster making healthy choices about what to eat. It's silly how people think that TV shows need to take responsibility in raising kids where the parents let down.

Moving on.

I LOVE old cartoons! I was watching Pink Panther and Rocky and Bullwinkle earlier today.
Some other classics are Tom and Jerry, Any Loony Toons, Micky Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck,
Ahh! I could sit for hours and watch those! Mindless running around and silly chases.
I found this old series on Netflix the other day and enjoyed them very much! If you have six plus minutes to spare you should watch this...Very enjoyable!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QNIMueWjG4

Pressing on.

Do you like old Movies? I have always been a huge fan of the Silver Screen.
I just finished watching an old Abbot and Costello movie. Those guys are funnier than any comic actors now days!
You don't find Actors now like you did back then. I have never seen actors better that Cary Grant and John Wayne...Jimmy Stuart was pretty good to.
Course I grew up on the Andy Griffith show and I love Lucy.

The only problem with old TV shows and movies is that they don't make em any more :/

Christians and politics?

So the other day I heard of a Pastor who told his congregation that they should not be involved in politics.
His argument was that as Christians we should be focused on bringing people to Christ and spreading the gospel instead of worrying about who was gonna get elected. I have heard other people take up this argument as well...Saying things like "as Christians we shouldn't be concerned about the things of this world, including governments. Well in my opinion that view point is just downright selfish.

First, I don't think everyone is called to get incredibly involved in politics. It's not everyones job to run for an office or go to every rally for a good cause that comes around.
But to be so flippant about it and say that as Christians we shouldn't vote or worry about what the government does? Really?

First of all I know the bible says that we should submit to our leaders 1st Peter 2:13
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
 2:14  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well."

But does it say anything about choosing our leaders? When Peter wrote that he didn't have the option of voting on an Emperor or a King. 

My view on voting is that God has given this country a gift of being able to vote for a leader we want. And we can take that vote and glorify him with it or simply shrug it off as not a big deal. If I honestly see someone that is so busy preaching the gospel and ministering to the lost that they don't have time to go vote, Then sure! Thats great! But most of the people I hear say that Christians shouldn't vote are usually using it as an excuse cause they don't want to take the time or responsibility to find out something about whats going on in our country. 

Others say "It's all coming to an end soon anyways...we just need to save as many people as we can before the end" Then they go home and watch football or play video games!

Those people are being selfish and uncaring to the people around them and to the future. They are living in a country where they are free to share the gospel with people! By simply turning a blind eye to what happens in the political realm they are bettering the chances of letting their children grow up in a generation where it will be illegal to teach the Bible! I don't know about you but I want my kids (when and if I have kids) to be able to be taught the bible without the fear of being taken away from their parents!

This doesn't mean that we have to be consumed with politics! I have seen people worry and fret about politics and where the country's going to the point that they wind up in a fretful mess running themselves ragged going to every political event that they can. 

You shouldn't fret about it! Vote and try to get the right guy in there for the sake of your children and the world in general. but don't be scared! God is still in control! He gave you the privilege of voting. Use it to vote by his standards!

I apologize if the post seems choppy and doesn't flow real well.

My thoughts were jumping all over this issue as I wrote this. Thanks for reading!

Peace out.

Well here goes nothing!

Hello all you cats!
It's me! Your friend Josiah.
Several months ago some good friends told me I should start a Blog.
The thought had been in the back of my mind for quite some time, but I never took the time to actually start one.
Well today is the day! I was stuck inside because of snow, bored to tears, not able to play my guitar and going crazy from school. so the thought popped into my mind...Start a blog!


Anyhoo I guess I should state the purpose of this blog.
Well the purpose of anything I do is always to bring glory to Christ, I don't see why this blog should be any different. Thats not to say that every post will have something spiritual in it. But I certainly hope that know one gets any negative vibes from it.

Beyond that this will simply be a place that I can post my thoughts and views on everything from music to sports to politics to theology to people to exercise. You will have to excuse my bad grammar throughout the blog...I was home schooled :P

A little about me before we go on.
I am a Christian...Meaning I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I believe that Christ died on the cross for my sins and that he rose again.
I believe that I have been crucified with Christ  in the spirit, and having rose again a new man with him I am now resting in the Perfect work of Christ.
I am a high school graduate currently working on my bachelors degree through CollegePlus.
I was home schooled.
I am the oldest of 9 children.
I have 5 sisters and 3 brothers.
I live in Oklahoma.
I like coffee.

Well thats all for my first post!
I am getting past this because I hate introductions and I already have a plan for my second post.

So with that I will close this out.
God bless.