I have a confession to make. I'm not an organized blogger. That's probably not a huge surprise to those of you who read here regularly. :) I tend to blog in the same way I scrapbook...as the mood strikes.
Recently, though, I've begun to dream some dreams and plan some plans for the future that involve setting actual goals for my blogging. What was it we learned about setting goals in school? Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. So I've been working on that. On paper. Long-term goals, short-term goals, goals broken down into bitesize pieces. Getting a little more serious about this blogging adventure.
As I mentioned in the introduction, this series has been rattling around in my mind for a LONG time. I've pondered, and prayed, and bounced ideas off of friends, and pondered and prayed some more.
I started a mental list (which as anyone who knows me knows is a pretty dangerous thing...mental anything is not my strong suit these days!) of topics for this series long before I picked out a title or created the graphic. So I've been planning...in a very loose sense of the word...for a while.
But as I sat down staring at my blank blog template to begin the first "real" post in this series, I realized I wasn't sure exactly where to start. I had several topics ready for the series, but it somehow felt awkward to just jump into them.
So I did what I should have done to begin with. I prayed. I went to the Father of Truth, the Giver of Wisdom, and asked.
And I realized...I need to "start at the very beginning", as the song from my favorite movie/musical of all time says. I need to begin with the foundation.
As I said in Not "50 Shades" or "Magic Mike", But the More We Were Created For,
For those who don't believe the Bible is the true, inerrant, holy Word of God...well, I'm glad to have you reading, and hope you'll stay and read some more, and I'd love to chat with you via the comments or email about that. However, this particular post really isn't for you. Because until a person realizes the depth of their sin against the holy and righteous Creator of the universe, repents of that sin, and accepts the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus...the rest really doesn't matter much. If you haven't taken that step, I'd love to chat with you about it!
But my focus in this post is Christians...those who claim to have been convicted of sin, turned to God in repentance, and accepted that gift of eternal life...those who claim the name of Christ.
Change "post" to "series" and that applies here as well. Most of what we'll discuss in this series applies to those who claim the name of Christ. However, before we get into those posts, I want to lay out some basic premises:
1. In the beginning, God created the world and all that is in it. (Genesis 1-2) Because of this, He is the ultimate authority over all.
2. Adam and Eve walked in the Garden with God, in a perfect world. Then the serpent tempted Eve, and Adam and Eve sinned. From that point on, all men have been sinners. (Romans 3:23)
3. The payment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
4. Jesus Christ died for our sin, and then rose on the third day. He paid the price for our sin. (Romans 5:8)
5. Jesus is the only way to God. He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
6. Salvation is the free gift of God, by grace through faith. It cannot be earned. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
7. Once we accept the free gift of God's grace and mercy in salvation, nothing can separate us from Him, ever. (Romans 8:38-39)
8. If we do not accept this gift, then death leads to Hell...a very real place of eternal separation from God and everlasting torment. (Rev. 20:10, 14-15)
This is the most important truth of all. And anything keeping you from accepting the free gift of salvation is the worst lie of Satan. If you have questions about any of this, please feel free to ask in the comments, email me via the link in the sidebar, or message me on the Ponderings of an Elect Exile page on Facebook. I would love to visit with you about it, and I would count it a privilege to pray for you.
God is Truth. Satan lies.
God loves us more than we can ever begin to imagine. Satan hates God and seeks to destroy God's most precious creation, mankind, in any way he can.
God is Truth.
God is Love.
God is Good.
You can also learn more about the above truths here.
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