Favorite Youtube Video of the Day

my bestest friend Beth and my favorite 2-year-old Michael

I've Been Thinking...

That the Twilight series is a story that isn't just pure entertainment.

They represent what a lot of people yearn for--a true unconditional love like Edward and Bella's

An "I'd die for you" kind of love. I think so many girls obsess over Edward especially because they know some how that they will never find that kind of love in a real guy.

But I think we're missing the point.

We will never find that kind of supernatural love in another human being. Which is why I think these stories had to be told in the context of vampires. There had to be some magical explanation for why Edward and Bella were able to love each other like that.

Anyway...to my point...

We CAN have that kind of love. It IS supernatural. It's something that I've known for a while but weirdly enough needed Twilight to show me how real it was.

God loves us like that. God loves us more than that. It's really hard for me to grasp...to wrap my mind around. Because even though I've been told this my whole life...Jesus didn't just have the "I'd die for you" kind of attitude...he DID die for me.

He died for everyone past, present and future. And while he was on the cross...he thought of each and every person that he was dying for. And it's not because he just had a lot of time on his hands while he was hanging on the cross, because I'm sure there was a lot of pain that he could have been thinking about, but because He truly DID die for each of us because he truly does love each of us and doesn't want to see any one of us spending eternity in hell without Him.

I heard a really good metaphor for what Jesus did for us once that really stuck with me. It's actually a pretty obvious and easy metaphor...but...those are the best kind right?

anyway...

So, imagine that you're in court. You're about to be sentenced to life in prison. You've plead guilty. When all of a sudden someone stands up and volunteers to go to jail FOR you. They didn't commit the crime...you did. But you get to go free. It's simple...yet the most mind blowing thing once you really think about it. Because really...which one of us humans would be willing to serve someone ELSES' jail sentence. We're all about justice..."you do the crime, you do the time" kind of thinking.

It's weird, I know, but if I WAS the only person he could have saved by dying on the cross, he STILL would have done it. crazy right?

It was a gift. A gift that he gave willingly, but we still have to accept it. --another metaphor, it's like getting a present on Christmas...and leaving it under the tree unopened.

When we open the gift, when we believe and accept what Jesus did for us, we get to spend ETERNITY in heaven. That's not a Christmas gift I would want to leave unopened.

If we DON'T open the gift, if we reject Jesus, we have to spend eternity in hell, without Him. That's like Bella not caring at all that all of her family and friends risked their lives in every single book to save her...but on a much larger scale.

So because Jesus did that for me, how can I NOT be willing to live my life for him?

That's all he asks for in return.

One of the first bible verses you learn in church is John 3:16. I used to say it so much, it started to become irrelevant in my mind. But I know now the reason for why we spent so much time committing this verse to memory. It spells everything out so plainly, yet it's the most loaded verse in the whole Bible.

For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him SHALL NOT PERISH (you don't have to go to hell) but have EVERLASTING LIFE (you get to spend forever in heaven) John 3:16 (emphasis by Jillana)

I really think that the reason so many people are turned off to the idea of Christianity is because of the people who may have presented it to them in the past.

They base their opinions of Jesus and Christianity on people. People who are flawed, who could have impure motives. People can distract other people from getting to know Jesus. Who is perfect and won't EVER disappoint you like so many people can.

Not every person in the church is a hypocrite. But even if they were, it still doesn't take away from what Christianity is about. Just because you might have a math teacher who doesn't know what he is talking about, it doesn't mean that 2 + 2 isn't 4.

I know this might seem like it's rambling, but I needed to get this out. Thank you to whoever read this and I really hope and pray that something I said got you thinking.

Jillana

For anyone who wants to keep talking on this subject I'm open for discussion. Or you could read this -http://www.everystudent.com/features/faith.html?gclid=CNnI7retpJwCFRlinAodJGZllQ

or most importantly...THE BIBLE! :)