Maturity

I don't know if I'm the only one who has seen it, but i feel like i have matured a ton over the past year. I say this because I recently noticed that facebook has a thing that tells you your status' on this day last year. Mine a couple days ago last year was something about bush and obama and all that president stuff. My view this year on that stuff? that my King is in heaven and will return soon so i need not worry about the troubles of this life. I have also matured a ton spiritually through this past year. What makes me say that is at this time last year i was living for myself instead of living for God. Wayumi really made me think about that and what i needed to do to get back on track spiritually, but not just back on track, but exceed my previous closeness to God. And through that ive learned to not be contempt in my relationship with God and to be contempt no matter the situation in life because i realized there is always something good out of bad things and always a lesson to be learned to help me grow in my faith. None of this maturity would have been possible without God because He is the one that gave me opportunities to grow and the ways how. This summer ive been getting into the word more and that has really grown my faith to levels ive never been before because instead of feeling like i should read the bible, i have a want to read the bible and i dont feel the same without reading it. God truly has changed my life in so many ways. Legalistically, i have been saved since 3rd grade or so, but i realize know that me being saved back then was not out of faith but because i felt left out for not doing it. it wasnt a life changing thing then, just something that i thought i should do. but once i started really feeling God and knowing  Him personally, i gave my life to Him again, not out of obligation but out of wanting it. The bible puts in perfectly by saying, For God so loved the world that He sent is one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Yes, that is John 3:16, and it gets cliche a lot of times, so much that we skip over it. but look that verse, He loved us enough to die for us. What would you die for? last year i  would have said God, but i definitely didn't live my life accordingly and didn't really mean it. but this year, i do mean it. God is my creator and my savior who i owe everything to, even my life. I want to live my life for Christ. The bible also says (and i believe this with all my heart) that, "I have been crucified with Christ and i no longer lives but Christ lives in me. The life i live in the body, i live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. and also,  "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead" Philippians 3: 7-12. And finally,  "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:1-10. Because of this i want to live my life for Christ, not out of obligation but out of faith that He has done what He promised and that i want to show others the same power of His love that He has shown me. Christ owes me nothing, I owe Him everything.