As I sit here in my room at 12:59 a.m. unable to sleep (due to the LATE nap that I took-silly me! LOL. ), I think upon this.

As being in this human body, we have the tendency to place so much stock on what man thinks about us. We dress the way we think people expect us to dress, we make friends for all of the wrong reasons, and we all want to be liked by everyone.

All of that doesn't mean a hill of beans to God. God loves us so much, he sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, One who was without sin, on this earth to die for filthy rags for us. So, it would make sense for us to care about what He says, right? That's not how the world is. Human nature wants to be liked by man. However, I learned this from personal experience (and by running into a couple of brick walls myself), that you should NEVER place stock on what man thinks about you. Because guess what? At the end of the day, we're all going to have to stand before God for our own selves and give an account. When God asks you why didn't you do this or that, are you going to tell Him: oh, I didn't do it because Mary thought it wasn't a good idea, or I did this sin because Bob said it wasn't anything wrong with it. Oh, no. We're all going to be alone with God when this happens and He takes no excuses.

Your friends are not dependable. Sure, they're your friends. But set them off, make a mistake, and all of a sudden, you're the devil's child. Your job is not guaranteed, I don't care how much seniority or experience that you have. So, why, again, do we place so much stock on what people think. Sometimes, I just want to say, "Do I look like I have nailprints on my hands and feet and wear a crown of thorns? I don't think so." I'm not perfect. No one is. That's why Jesus died for us. He died for our mistakes, for our sins, so that we can be cleansed in His blood.

People are talking. Let them talk. If God is pleased with your life, then it doesn't really matter, doesn't it? What a mere man compared to the Almighty God? Not even the smallest grain of sand.  Pray for them and move on. Don't do evil for evil. Move on. It's not what they call you, it's what God cals you: His wonderful child who has a divine purpose in life.

Always remember that no matter what your imperfections are, Jesus loves you and you're his Child. And that's all that matters.

Today, I had a really great day at church.  It had been a while since I've been inside the four walls of a holy place. I must admit, I was a little nervous. I haven't exactly been living saved and sactified.

You see, my problem was that I had backslidden and forgot about the Lord. I blamed God for things that had been happening for me. I stopped going to church because of distrustful feelings towards the people of God. I wanted to fit in, so I decided to change my act and ways of thinking. And it got me in a whole lot of trouble. More trouble that it was worth. I stopped looking for God. As a result, things in my life started happening. I wasn't being blessed like I used to be. I wasn't hearing God or talking to God like I used to. Things at work began to happen. I started losing things and forgetting stuff that was important. The smallest things began to tick me off.

So, one day, some friends did on me what I like to called, a spritual intervention, on me. They sat me down and they told me the truth. I broke down in tears  and talked to them. I felt better after that. I knew what I had to do: I had to get it right with the Lord.

Today, when I went to church, I felt welcomed. It felt like the Lord knew what I needed (which he did in the first place), and today's word felt like it was just for me. I was reminded about how God still loves me in spite of all of my faults. You see, it doesn't matter what man thinks about you; it's what God thinks. I had thought that God had forgotten about me, but he didn't. He was here all the time, even in the midst of all of my carrying on. God loves me, a filthy piece of rag who's clumsy, forgetful, and nowhere near perfect.  He loves ME. And I feel good. No, scratch that, I feel GREAT!!

For those of you out there who think that God has forgotten about you, think on this. He hasn't. God is always here, with arms out wide for you to receive Him. If you knew Him but think it's too late, it's not. As long as you have breath in your body, it's not too late. Come back to Him. He loves everyone. He sent His most precious gift: His son Jesus Christ, who died for all of our little shortcomings.

Be blessed.