Well, I was reading a passage tonight, and this really jumped out at me. I want you to read this, and think about it. The end of “mankind” as we know it is really coming sooner than we think. The Bible says that we aren’t even guaranteed tomorrow. What are we doing with our lives? Why are we wasting them trying to please our “flesh” instead of trying to please the one who matters in the end, our God, our Creator, the One who loves us UNCONDITIONALLY?

I really want you guys to get this. I am not trying to force this down anyones throat cause that is not what I am about. I care about you guys believe it or not, and it makes me so sad to see and hear what I see and hear, and this coming from blood bought, redeemed, saved, Christian youth kids. You are the future of the United States, and you represent the future Christians of the United States. You guys have such a powerful anointing on you, it’s not even funny, and the Devil is trying soo hard to blind you guys so that you can’t see this. You guys are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. I want you now to read this passage, with all this in mind. May the Lord speak to your heart, soul, mind and spirit through this, and I love you guys .

Romans 1:18-32 (New International Version)

God’s Wrath Against Mankind

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God,(reading and memorizing the Bible) he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Hmm… Sound familiar? I am sure that all of you can relate to this passage in one way or another, myself included. God wants us to be close to Him. To love Him, just like He loves us. He doesn’t want you to live a life that doesn’t glorify Him, because He knows that you can be so much better, and that you were NOT created to be evil! That is right. You were NOT created sinful. You were created “good.” In fact, read the book of Genesis, and you will find that when God created man and woman he called them “good.” What makes us “bad” is us giving in to sin. We are NOT born with sin in our hearts. We learn sin, and then we live what we learn. Remember my little thing I said about “input output”? You guys laughed cause yea, it was corny but, it is the truth! What we put into our minds by what we listen to, etc. is what we will live. So… what are you doing with your life? Are you living to please God, or man? Just some things to think about… Love you guys

Pastor Erin

Today I want to share with you about love. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging symbol. And thought I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

When we speak, or do something, what is our motive behind it? Selfishness or selflessness? Think about this… We do something for someone, for example, we give someone a gift, or do them a favor. Do we expect them to do or give something to us in return? If that was our motive for being generous then we can say that our motive for that was totally selfish, even though it might have been a “good” thing we did. Like it says in the verses above, I can do all these things, I can give to the poor, use the gift of prophecy to benefit others, but if my motive is to look good, or be patted on the back for what I did or said, and it is not just to love others, then “it profits me nothing.”

Well, you might wonder, what is love, and how do I show it, instead of showing selfishness? 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 “Love suffers long is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked(easily made angry), thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity(evil), but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Hmm, ouch. How many times have we been kind, instead of rude? How many times, when we are driving, do we speed up so that we don’t let someone in, especially when we are in a hurry to get somewhere? How many times when someone is purposefully trying to make us mad, do we give in and say something hurtful back to them? How many times, when something bad happens to someone who in our eyes is “bad,” we are happy, when really we should be praying for them, that they would see the truth and ask God for forgiveness? Do we bear all things in love? Do we really love, or are we so into ourselves that we can’t see the hurt of other people? Our we so into the fact that we have been hurt, and wronged, and “woe is me,” “pity me, pity me,” “me, me, me,” and “look at me, it’s all about me,” that we forget that, uh… here is a little secret for you… IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!!!! Ok let’s say it together… It’s… not… I repeat, not… about… me! There, doesn’t that feel better?

Well now that you know that, let’s do something about it. Don’t worry, I am saying “let’s,” and “we” cause I am including myself in this too. I by far am not perfect. Yep, I said it. I am not perfect! (gasp) Woa… you mean you make mistakes too Pastor Erin? Yep, tis true. That just makes me a human being. But here is the awesome thing about all this. God still loves us!! YAY! Isn’t that such a relief? He is willing to help us overcome our selfishness. As Napoleon Dynamite would say “Yessssss.” The best part is… all we have to do is ask! Just ask God, “Dear God, I am so sorry for being so selfish and only thinking about myself. It is NOT about me. It’s all about You. Please help me to live for You, and to love others, just like You love them. Amen” There that wasn’t hard now was it? I love you guys, and I will talk to you soon!

God please bless all who read this, in every part of their life, in Your holy name, Amen.