Whom Shall I Fear?

     Hey guys! So it's definitely been a while since I last posted something. Lately I've been so busy with moving and trying to make a new life here in Arizona that I almost forgot about how much I love to sit down and write with a cup of green tea in my hand. :) I've never been so happy to have graduated high school and have a general idea of what I want to do. Most times when I tell people that I don't have a perfectly clear plan for the future, they usually look at me as if I'm already living in a cardboard box on the side of the street. I may not be going to college this year, but I have been striving to dig into God's word and let Him lead me in the direction that He wills.
     It wasn't until recently that I realized that all of the pressures of going to college shouldn't impact the way that I live my life. Because I am my biggest critic, I've decided that it's time to clean out the person who I used to be and start over. But the one thing that I plan on doing is investing my time and efforts in fellowship with the Lord, and friends who can help me grow into the person that Christ has destined me to be.
     I guess the question is, "where do I go from here?" The answer? Well, that's the beauty of it. I can go anywhere! I've always been a dreamer and because of that I honestly do believe that anything could happen. All I want is to be able to grow old and tell my grand kids true stories that they wouldn't believe. Whether those stories include a grand adventure across the world or how Christ helped me to endure the hardships of life, I want them to be able to know that they as well, can do or be anything with the Lord by their side. I think that passing on that kind of hope to a younger generation would be the greatest of all. The only problem is that nowadays more and more people struggle to hold or even start a relationship with the Lord. From what I've seen, people think that God is unfair, unjust, or unloving. In my bible study this morning I saw something that I would like to share.
     In Josh McDowell's book, 'Jesus: Dead or Alive?' He said this about the question of "Why can't God just forget that we sin and save us anyway?",

     "What if a judge failed to administer justice in his court? What if someone keyed your brand new car? Now, imagine a judge, when hearing the case, decided to let the guilty party go free because he wanted to act lovingly... Naturally you would cry out for justice. Letting the vandal off would trivialize the crime and ignore the fact that justice must be done. What kind of world would we live in if every judge chose to "act lovingly and kindly" and forgive crimes instead of administering justice? It would be a great deal worse than the world where we live today."

     He goes on to say that God is the judge of the universe, the ultimate moral authority (see Genesis 18:25). Most people ask why bad things happen to good people. The real question is, why do good things happen to bad people? If God didn't want you to wake up this morning, you wouldn't have. But by His grace, and His alone, you did. Every one of us have rejected Christ to His face, but very few of us have asked for His forgiveness.
     So this year, my goal is to walk where God is leading me. After all if anyone has my best interest in mind, it's the one who knows my strengths and weaknesses inside and out. All that's left for me to do, is sit back, dig into God's written word, let go of my pride, and let Him take control. :)