Forgiven

Hey guys! Happy Good Friday. I hope everyone is having a good day. I know some people can find it hard to accept this day as joyful. When Jesus was dying on the cross it wasn't a very joyful time. It was dark and painful. The reason why I find myself being so joyful today is because I know what took place. Although today represents the day that Jesus died, it also represents the day that He took our place. The day that He was beaten, tortured, and killed for us. So today I am overwhelmed with joy because of what Jesus did for me! Because of His sacrifice I can live. Because of His blood I can walk in forgiveness and be empowered by the Holy Spirit. The chains and sin that once bounded me are no longer in control of  my life all because of the precious sacrifice made by the most precious person. Right before Jesus was captured He prayed this for us. "Father, I want those you gave me to be with me, right where I am, so they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me, having loved me long before there ever was a world. Righteous Father, the world has never known you, but I have known you, and these disciples know that You sent me on this mission. I have made Your very being known to them- who you are and what you do- and continue to make it known, so that Your love for me might be in them exactly as I am in them,." ~John 17:24-26. Isn't this wonderful!? Right before Jesus was taken to be persecuted He prayed for us, the very people that caused His persecution.  Jesus could have easily gotten off the cross. He could have commanded angles to come to His rescue, but He didn't. He had something better in mind. You and me. He wants us to experience His love and His glory. He wants to live inside of us. So He went to the cross. Everything that I am starts at the foot of the cross where Jesus poured out His life for me. Through this sacrifice Jesus has captivated my heart and set me free into His love. Today I encourage you to take a minute to really allow what Jesus has done for you to sink in. We are so undeserving and yet Jesus still willingly went to the cross to pay for all of OUR wrongs. We are forgiven. Thank you Jesus. 
                                            Today is Friday BUT Sunday is coming.

                            "It was our sins that did that to him- our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through His bruises we get healed. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him." ~ Isaiah 53:5

This shirt is perfect for today's occasion. It's perfect for any day actually :) But I got it last summer at a Lecrae concert. It's one of my favorite t-shirts. It's a great conversation starter and a fun way for me to share the gospel with people everywhere. Jesus and clothes (two of my favorite things).

Love, Sofia.

Forgiveness

               I love when God reveals things to me, even if He does it in the midst of my weakest times. So what have I learned recently? Christians need forgiveness too. I have accepted Jesus into my heart. I have been forgiven and strive to live life not for myself but for Jesus. I study God's word, fellowship with other believers  and spend time with God. So why do I still need forgiveness. I shouldn't right? I've already been forgiven. I'm a Christian now so I should no longer do anything that causes forgiveness to be needed. Wrong. Being a follower of Christ does NOT make you perfect or in any less need of forgiveness than someone who isn't a believer. Sometimes this can be hard to accept. When we are truly in love with Christ and are following Him in our lives, failing and messing up can take a pretty big hit on us. We can become mad at ourselves and think things like "I can't believe I just did that, I knew it was sinful and wrong." Accepting Jesus into our hearts and becoming a Christian does not mean we are perfect, we are still going to fail, give into temptation, hurt others and so on.That is why it is so important to understand the depths of forgiveness. Jesus didn't say, "I'll forgive you once and that's it." He has forgiven everything we've done and everything we will do. All we have to do is ask. We are sinners. Messy, broken, and dirty people who no matter how much we serve God, deserve to worship Him or come face to face with Him in heaven. The good news out of all of this? We get to experience how wonderful God's grace is. The fact that He continually offers forgiveness throughout our whole lives is amazing. Don't ever think that because you are strong in your faith you don't deserve forgiveness when you mess up. Because no one deserves it, but God gives it anyways. I learned this lesson today and it's really opened my heart and mind to the depths of God's love. You're never to strong or far in your faith to learn more. So if you're struggling with somethings and find yourself failing and falling into your desires, don't beat up on yourself. Repent, accept the grace that is freely yours, and pray for God's help to give you the strength you need in order to forgive yourself. And here is a great bible verse for all of us to remember when we fail, sin, or do something wrong.

            For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:15-16