Absolutely

Many people worry about giving things up to please God... Just do what is right and just! Proverbs 21:3 says that is better than offering sacrifices.

Still needs to bake, but this one is for you @RodneyRemix . Greek yogurt pizza crust.

Homemade potato soup for dinner tonight

So many people misunderstand what it means that Israel is “chosen.” It doesn’t mean God loves them more. It doesn’t mean automatic salvation. It means He chose them to reveal Himself, His justice, His mercy, and His faithfulness, through their story. From the very beginning, God told Israel He didn’t choose them because they were great or righteous. He chose them to show His character through a people who would constantly wrestle with Him. Through their rebellion, He reveals His justice. Through their repentance, He reveals His mercy. Through their survival, He reveals His faithfulness. When God made His covenant with Abraham, and reaffirmed it through Moses, He set Israel apart for His purposes. That’s what “chosen” means. It’s corporate election, not automatic salvation. Within that chosen nation, there has always been a believing remnant. Elijah learned that lesson when God told him there were still 7,000 who hadn’t bowed to Baal. The same pattern runs through the wilderness generation, all were chosen, but only those with faith entered the Promised Land. Being chosen doesn’t save you. Faith does. That’s why Paul says in Romans 9, “Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” There’s ethnic Israel, the nation, and there’s spiritual Israel, those who walk in faith. In Romans 11, he calls Israel the natural branches of God’s olive tree. Some were broken off because of unbelief, and Gentiles were grafted in by faith. But Paul warns: don’t grow arrogant. If God didn’t spare the natural branches, He won’t spare you either. So Israel is still chosen, not because they’re perfect, but because God’s promises are. He is faithful even when they are not. And their story is a mirror for ours. When we see Israel’s unbelief, it’s meant to humble us, to remind us of our own need for mercy. When we see their discipline, it warns us not to grow proud. When we see their preservation, it proves God’s covenant love never fails. Scripture says a day is coming when the remnant of Israel will finally recognize their Messiah: “They will look upon Me whom they have pierced.” (Zechariah 12:10) That moment will not come because Israel suddenly becomes righteous, but because God keeps His word. So yes, Israel is still chosen. But chosen means being held to a higher standard, not given a free pass. It means being used as the vessel through which the whole world learns who God really is. And the warning is: Those who harden their hearts against Israel, who curse what God has called His own, are aligning themselves against the very plan God is fulfilling. He may use them as tools of judgment for a time, but they won’t share in the blessing of His mercy when it’s revealed. Let’s stay humble. Let’s stay grafted in by faith. Because the story of Israel isn’t just their story, it’s the story of God’s faithfulness to all who believe.

I have grown up in the church and always believed there was a God, but it wasn't until my 30s that I began to BELIEVE God. That was a revelation that opened up a whole new world in my faith walk

11 years ago, I married the person I love most in this world. No, it hasn't been perfect. Yes, there have been some very tough times...but I choose her every day and I am a better man for making that commitment to be her husband. God continues to work things out 🙏

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I have heard that inhaling and exhaling actually is an act of confessing God's name YHWH. Whether true or not, the idea that every breath we take is a profession of God's Majesty is beautiful. Poetic.

It did not disappoint!

Everything loaf, fresh out of the Dutch oven. We'll be making shaved steak sandwiches for dinner with this bread in a couple hours!

Almost 4 months apart. #omad most days, working out 4 times a week for 30 minutes each. Put in the work, get the results. Consistency, over time = @SwolLyfe 💪

If you have just ONE thing you can be thankful for today, focus on that. Not whatever you think is negative, but on that ONE thing. Doing this will realign your thoughts and improve every other aspect of your life. God bless 🙏

Easier said than done at times, but when we focus on God, everything else comes into a proper perspective. I pray each day we all wake and focus on God before anything else 🙏

You only have "today". You can't live in yesterday or tomorrow.

What is the foundation that you have built your "house" upon?

If you think that you think the Creator of the known physical realm, who "stitched you together" while still in the womb, doesn't love and have the best plans for you...I pray you open your heart that you might feel the love that God has for you. 🙏

“My name is Maggie. I’m Christian and transgendered.” That’s the silliness I used to utter. I was raised in the church; that makes me a Christian, right? I went to church on Sundays, sang in the choir and gave to the church regularly. Surely, that means I’m a Christian, yeah? I believed in Jesus since I was a child, and I prayed. I tried to be a good person and respect the beliefs of others. As a transgender woman, I too shared my belief in Jesus occasionally, and I honestly believed that God was OK with my lifestyle. None of that made me a Christian. I had no idea what it meant to be a Christian or even how one becomes a Christian. I heard from an early age that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. It was always said cavalierly, and it was no more important to me than my job or a favorite hobby. I heard that by accepting Jesus into my heart, I could be saved. I never knew that wasn’t biblical, and I never understood what I was saved from, and yet… I was ‘saved’ several times in my life… and nothing ever changed. It wasn’t until my late 50s that I heard the true biblical Gospel (Good News). But I couldn’t understand it until I understood some hard truths. No fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Unless a man be born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God. The wages of sin is death. It is appointed unto man to die once then comes judgement. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Jesus said, “No one is good, not even one.” We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Many trans and gay people claiming to be Christians say, “but I was born this way.” Jesus says you must be born again. Many say, “but Jesus associated with prostitutes and sinners.” Yes He did, and He told them to go and sin no more. Many believe Jesus accepts them as they are. Scripture says come as you are and be transformed. But they say, “God is all loving, He wouldn’t send me to hell.” But is He though? All loving? Where does it say that? God is certainly loving, to a magnitude you cannot comprehend, but scripture tells us He is also wrathful, to a magnitude you cannot comprehend. God is kind and merciful, but He is also righteous and just. He is a holy and perfectly just judge and those who die in their sin will be sentenced to eternal punishment. Even if you are not gay or trans or a thief or addicted to porn, or an embezzler, or any other sort of criminal… if you have ever told just one lie or dishonored your parents, or had lustful thoughts, you stand condemned. His standard is perfection. Would it be justice, if God let everyone go? Of course not. We ALL have sinned and have earned condemnation for ourselves. That’s the bad news. But God loves us so much, that He sent His son Jesus to live a sinless life, and be falsely accused and convicted of crimes He did not commit. He was beaten and mocked, stripped naked and humiliated, spat on, tortured, and nailed to a cross to suffer an excruciating death… for you. You broke God’s law, Jesus stepped in and took the punishment you earned. Greater love hath no man, than to lay down his life for his friends. Suddenly, the phrase – Jesus died on the cross for your sins – doesn’t sound so cavalier. It wasn’t until I saw my sin in it’s true light and that I saw myself for who I was - a wretched sinner in dire need of a savior, that I was crushed. I knew I had no hope in or of myself, I knew I was destined for eternity in hell, and even worse, eternity apart from God. I saw the world differently, I saw Jesus differently; I knew who He was. He laid down His life for me, and He rose again in victory conquering death. I cried out to God confessing my sins and asking forgiveness. I repented (I turned away from sin and toward God) and put my faith in Jesus. And then… the Holy Spirit took up residence in me and completely transformed me. I hated my lifestyle, I wanted to be pleasing in God’s eyes, I wanted to detransition for the Glory of God. I didn’t give up anything to become a Christian. I didn’t stop sinning to become a Christian. I didn’t detransition to be saved or gain favor. I didn’t do any works at all for salvation. I simply repented and trusted Jesus. Then, I was washed clean. I was made new. I was given a new heart with new desires, and that’s why I despised my lifestyle and it is why I detransitioned. For by Grace you are saved through faith, that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works so that no one may boast. So David, you cannot be gay and a Christian. You can be one or the other, but not both. Saying that you are both, tells the world that you are not. I urge you to consider the Gospel, the bad news and the good news. If you do not see yourself as sinful and if you do not see yourself as condemned, you’re missing something huge. David, open your heart, pray that God gives you ears to hear, and go read the Gospel of John. I will pray for you and that you will see the truth.

Lamentations 3. Here's a challenge: From now until Thanksgiving...wake up EACH DAY with this promise on your mind and heart and tell me your life hasn't been completely changed 🙏