Love Your Enemies

Hey everybody!
First of all, thank you guys so much for even reading this blog like wow you all are so cute! Since last night, I've gotten 148 views on this blog which is INSANE! So I could make a whole post about that... but I won't. :)

So I was reading my bible last night and I came across a pretty well-known section of verses in Matthew... and of course it still had new meaning. Here's the verses:

Matthew 5:43-44
HCSB
“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

Seems simple, right?
Then why is this so difficult? I mean I don't know about you guys, but I'm not in the mood to even talk to people who don't like me, let alone PRAY for them? What have they done to deserve my love?


Oh wait.


What I'm often ashamed to realize is that I am absolutely no different. I did nothing at all that could ever earn God's love, yet he loves me unconditionally. Isn't it only right that we, as imitators of Christ, imitate his act of love? It strikes me as odd that I would even think of anything else. We are to BE LIKE CHRIST. We were nothing but dirty rags to God, defying him in everything we did, and still he loved us as his own children. It seems pretty small in comparison, this simple act of kindness. When you do not conform to the ways of this world, you will have people who persecute you. Sometimes, a lot of people. Pray for them! Don't stop showing them kindness and generosity. Go out of your way to help them when they drop a book, offer to help them with homework. Do the same that you would do for your best friend. Nobody is better than anyone else, so if you treat your neighbor with kindness, do so with your enemy.

Don't think you can do it? Here's what helps me. My God is the God who crafted the entire universe. He can part seas, cause mountains to move, and sent his son to DIE for me. He is surely with me in EVERYTHING I do. God calls us to live radically for him, and thats exactly what he equips us to do.

I love all of you!

In Christ,
Jackie

By Faith, Not By Works.

Hey guys! So today I want to talk about something I actually heard a lot today in my English class. We were having pre-reading discussion, and my teacher asked us why people volunteer and even risk their lives to help people in natural disasters. The overwhelming response was that people wanted to do good so that they could get into heaven. I was shocked at how many people were convinced that you had to be "good enough" in order to earn God's approval. I am reminded of a verse in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8-9
New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.


This is, of course, a very humbling verse, but It can also be extremely encouraging. It makes me realize that no matter what I do, I am nothing without faith. My good works do not amount to anything. Rather, my faith pushes me to do good works in order to display the glory and love of my God. 

So many teens grow up hearing that you have to do good and try your hardest to get into heaven. However, there is no way that we will ever do enough good to get into heaven. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It is only through Jesus, the holy and perfect sacrifice, that we can claim our eternal life and relationship with God. 

Jesus isn't just a free ride to heaven, however. Christianity cannot be taken lightly. We are sinful in nature, and so what we desire can often contradict what God desires for us. I struggle daily with being absolutely undignified and open to my peers about God. However, I know that God has a perfect plan for my life, and each day, I am reminded of his grace. 

I'm not saying at all that once you are a Christian, you don't have to even try. Rather, your good works should be based in gratitude and a knowledge of true salvation through God's overwhelming grace. 

I want to keep these short enough to read, but long enough to give you something to think about throughout the day. 

In Christ, Jackie :)

A Little Introduction

Hey everybody!

So here's the dealio. I created this blog to encourage other Christian teens to live radically for God, and also to be able to connect with brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world! I am totally new to the whole blogging thing, so bear with my very basic knowledge of this site.

You probably want to know a little about me. I am a 15 (but only for another month!!) year old living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US). I go to a performing arts charter school; one that is very secular in some aspects. I currently work at a Christian Campground and I lead a small group at my church for the 7th and 8th grade youth group. I am by NO means perfect.
I came to really know God in 6th grade, about 4 years ago. I accepted God when I was 4, and when I was 6, I had a dream in which God told me that I was to be a missionary. After a few years though, I was just going through the motions. I grew up in a Christian household, but I never really developed a deep personal relationship with God. However, in 6th grade I started to feel really alone. I felt as though I didn't fit in, and that no one cared about me. I wanted to turn to God, but I knew that I wasn't living for him. I open my bible one night (the first time in months) and the first verses I saw were in Lamentations, ones about how wicked Jerusalem had been and how God was angry with them. I was terrified. I knew that I couldn't be good enough, and I didn't want to keep living down that road. Because of my background in the church, I knew that God would forgive me if I confessed and believed. So that's exactly what I did.
Life wasn't always uphill from there. I really struggled with my faith last year, the start of freshman year. However, I got accepted to work at Seneca Hills Bible Camp as a waitress for the summer. I had grown up going to the camp, and loved the environment and the people there. I thought I was going to have a fun summer and earn a little cash. What I didn't expect was to really be challenged in my faith, and to be able to realize what it meant to be radical for Christ. Being a follower of Christ means giving you ALL to God and trusting him in everything that you do. God has blessed me with so much, and I don't have the words to express how grateful I am.
This blog is totally interactive in the sense that I will gladly post about any topic you guys want, even if its about silly things like celebs and what not. Honestly just let me know! I will usually post once a day-ish...
That's all, really! Thanks for taking the time to read this little blog. Let me know what you want to talk about!

In Christ, Jackie