Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Christ, eternity, fear, God, stress, worry
Which of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life? – Matthew 6:25-27
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
In our everyday lives, we come across a lot of things that make us worry. Are the kids okay at school? How are this month’s bills gonna get paid? (Or sometimes in my case, how are last month’s gon’ get paid?). There are plenty of things that we should be concerned about, but to worry and stress over things is not the way to go. As Christians, we should remember that Jesus commanded us not to worry or fear, and remember that He is with us always.
Think about that…
He is with us all the time. No matter what situation we’re facing, He’s with us. In June, I went through short-term kidney failure and had my right leg amputated. And all the while I was in the hospital, I was just as pleasant and cheerful as I was before I was admitted. I can’t tell you how many times different nurses and aides would talk to me and would actually expect me to be depressed. Even the chaplain was surprised at how upbeat I was!
See, a long time ago, I changed my mindset about how I view life. I started thinking that as a Christian, I’m promised eternal life. Why should I get all bent outta shape about things that happen to me now? Let’s say I live to be 150. Not likely, but let’s say I do. 150 years ain’t jack compared to ETERNITY!
And I’m sure there’s a verse that says we’re supposed to focus on heavenly things, and not things “down here”. Once I started looking at things like that, life became a lot easier. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect. Sometimes in the heat of the moment I forget about that, and allow myself to get overly upset or a little worried about something I shouldn’t. But overall, I’m cool.
How about you? How do you handle life’s pressure? Do you cave in and stress out, letting the devil steal your joy? Or do you remember that He is with us always, even until the end of time?
Later,
Elroy
Filed under: Family, Friends, Relationships | Tags: Bible, Christianity, Elroy, Forgiveness, religion
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15
Forgive others, as God forgives us.
Yeah, sounds good…
This is a challenge for anybody, regardless of their religion. Why is it so hard to let things go when stuff happens to us? Even if the Bible didn’t command us to, common sense should tell us that hangin’ on to ill feelings and carrying drudges is not good for us, and it doesn’t accomplish anything! The inner turmoil from not forgiving others can lead to more stress, have higher blood pressure, and put a strain on your relationships.
But it’s easier said than done.
When my wife did something to me in the past, it would sometimes take me a couple of days to get over it (My dad says I get that from my ma!). But I’m gettin’ a lot better. Several years ago, there was an incident involving my Dad, my son’s mother, and myself. I won’t go into all the details, but I was pissed – at my dad! Had he not lived in another city, I would’ve been ready to fight. For the next couple years after, I didn’t say one word to him! The hurt and anger, it was too much on me. I wouldn’t have been able to have a conversation anyway. I was too hurt and too angry.
Luckily, I began reading my Bible, praying, and making an effort to just “do right”. Eventually I realized I had to forgive him, for me and for him. It was rough at first. Having a kind of “street” mentality, I thought that forgiving him was something soft and wimpy. The man thing to do would be to stay mad at him. But deep down I knew that wasn’t right. God forgave us when Adam sinned, and He continues to forgive us everyday! So I have to do the same thing.
Later,
Elroy
Filed under: Marijuana
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. – Genesis 1:29
I started smoking weed at age 20, which was a late start considering where I grew up. For years I got blew out (high) without thinkin’ whether it was ok in God’s eyes. I think there’s a verse that talks about not overdoin’ it with wine and/or “strong drink” (?). But I still wasn’t sure about how He feels about marijuana.
Now that I’m a little older and trying to get back in good, I struggle with this issue. If God said He is giving us every herb and every tree, wouldn’t that include marijuana? And how are we to use these herbs and trees? Did He mean specifically for food?
And what’s so wrong with smoking a little anyway? The Bible mentions lots of occasions where people drank wine. I’m sure that not all of this drinking was just “a glass with a meal”. People had to have gotten a little buzz from it. So why not get a weed buzz?
High is high, regardless of the source.
Another reason I’m confused about whether weed is ok is that there is a lot of evidence that marijuana is helpful to people with illnesses like cancer, HIV, and glaucoma. Couldn’t marijuana be viewed as a blessing from God?
What do you think?
Alright, later…
Elroy
Filed under: Uncategorized
If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray,
Does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains
To seek the one that is straying?
And when he finds it, assuredly, I say to you,
He rejoices more over that sheep
Than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
Matthew 18.12-13
Hey y’all, this is Elroy. My main purpose of this blog is to share my experiences as I try to be a better person and get myself right with God. I accepted Christ as a young child, but by the time I got 16 I got away from church and just started “wildin’ out”. But the lessons and teaching never left me. So as I’m getting older and realizing the errors of my ways, I’m trying to live more on the path that God wants. Hopefully, if there are any of you are new Christians or backsliders who are “comin’ back home”, we can learn and grow together.
I definitely ain’t an expert on what I’m writing about, so if you see me say something wrong, misquote a bible verse, etc. please let me know! My writing style is kinda funny in that I’ll end my sentences with (?) meaning I’m not sure if what I just wrote is correct. Or I’ll end with (verse?) if I don’t know where a certain Scripture is. Again, we can learn and grow together so don’t hesitate to correct me. I can take it! The only thing I ask is that if you are correcting me, or proving a point, and that involves language from the Bible, that you provide the Scripture to back up what you are saying. If we are going to grow then the Bible should be what we are basing every aspect of our life on.
Alright, I’ll be back soon.
Gone,
Elroy
