"You're the God Who Stands With Wide Open Arms"

Wow! I haven't written in a while! I'm just going to get right to it. I've been listening to a lot of music lately (Let's be honest. I'm always listening to music), and it's crazy how amazing some lyrics are. As most of you know, I've been attending Redeemed Ministries for over two years now. In that time, I've seen lots of broken people come to know Christ, and watching Him transform their lives never gets old! I've also noticed that they sometimes have a hard time letting go of their past. I'm not saying that I'm any better than them because I have never struggled with substance abuse, but it's a lot harder to let go of the life decisions that come with addiction than the ones that come with yelling at your sibling or being disrespectful. OK. Back to where I started. I love the song "The God Who Stays" by Matthew West. The whole song keeps saying "You're the God who stays. You're the one who runs in my direction when the whole world walks away. You're the God who stands with wide open arms, and You tell me nothing I have ever done could separate my heart from the God who stays!" Nothing we have ever done, or could ever do, could separate us from God's love. If you really think about it, who are we to think that we have the power to separate ourselves from the all powerful, all knowing, love of the Creator of the world? We can't! 1 John 4:16 says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." Now, just because God loves us doesn't mean that we are free to do whatever we want. Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" Why would we live in sin by worrying about our past decisions and not forgiving ourselves or those who have hurt us? Not forgiving is a sin. When we forgive someone (or ourselves) we can experience the freedom that comes with that, and that's basically the same thing as letting go of the past. Letting go of the old, and putting on the new! God is willing to forgive us, and let go of our past, so why aren't we? We've all made mistakes that we aren't proud of, but God is willing to wipe the slate clean and make us new if we let Him! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!" God is the only way that you can find freedom, and He is more than happy to help you put off the old man/woman. He doesn't see you like the world does. He knows your mistakes, but that's not how He defines you. Yes, He knows what you have done, but He knows that's not who you are! Ephesians 1:7 says, "In Him we have redemption through His (Jesus') blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." You are a new creation in Christ Jesus!

Click here to check out "The God Who Stays" by Matthew West

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHMVSdIjBcg