Portfolio Website

Hey everyone. I know it's been a while since my last post. But, I'm finishing up my junior year of college and finally have a live portfolio site. I'm still working on finishing the linking but it is up for the most part.

http://rebeccatomb.com/index.html

Suicide

                I was once in the position where I had kids teasing me and telling me to kill myself. My only safe haven was the comfort of my family and the love of God. He protected me and guarded me.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

-1 Corinthians 6:19-20

                A problem that is becoming more and more prominent is suicide. Suicide is not a new or radical idea. The Bible itself records seven suicides, including that of Judas. Suicide is a very troubling topic. God does not want us to kill ourselves. As a matter of fact, it is a sin to kill yourself. We are the body of Christ. Christ lives in us and we are to be a temple for Him. When we accepted Christ as our savior we surrendered our lives to Him; we told Him to do as He pleases. If we kill ourselves, we are not glorifying God. God does not bring death. Rather, He brings life.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

-Romans 6:23

                John 10:10 tells us that the enemy brings death, but with Christ comes life and life alone. Death and destruction are the work of Satan and God says that He does not want anyone to perish. Some people continue to say that they deserve pain and death and that is why they self-harm or attempt suicide. No one deserves that though. God is the ultimate avenger and will avenge someone when He feels necessary (Romans 12:19). If you feel this way, that is just demons attacking you. Don’t let them overtake and control your emotions and thoughts…your life. Christ already paid for your sins and if you have Christ as your savior, you don’t have to pay for your sins through your own blood. Your old person died with Christ. You are resurrected and made alive with Christ.

Think you’re joking when you tell someone to kill themselves? It’s not something to joke about. You never know how hard it can hit someone. And if you have Christ as you’re savior, these are the people you should be reaching out to. The outcast who has no one to talk to. The one who everyone bullies day in and day out. The one who feels like they don’t have a way out. You should be showing the love of Christ so that they would have that desire to have God. Christ is supposed to live in you and if you are constantly being negative towards other people, you’re not letting Christ work through you. Galatians 6:2 tells us that if we bear one another’s’ burdens we are fulfilling the law of Christ. Therefore, you can’t fulfill the law of Christ if you are bringing others down.

Want to kill yourself? Imagine this. You come home from school one day. You’ve had yet another horrible day. You’re just ready to give up. So you go to your room, close the door, and take out that suicide note you’ve written and rewritten over and over and over. You take out your razor blades, and cut for the very last time. You grab that bottle of pills and take them all. Laying down, holding the letter, you close your eyes for the very last time. A few hours later, your little brother knocks on your door to come tell you dinners ready. You don’t answer, so he walks in. All he sees is you lying on your bed, so he thinks you’re asleep. He tells your mom. Your mom goes to your room to wake you up. She notices something is odd. She grabs the paper in your hand and reads it. Sobbing, she tries to wake you up. She’s screaming your name. Your brother, so confused, runs to go tell your dad that “Mommy is crying and sissy won’t wake up.” Your dad runs to your room. He looks at your mom, who is crying, holding the letter to her chest, sitting next to your lifeless body. It hits him. He realizes what’s going on and he screams. He screams and throws something at the wall. And then, falling to his knees, he starts to cry. Your mom crawls over to him, and they sit there, holding each other, crying. The next day at school, there’s an announcement. The principal tells everyone about your suicide. It takes a few seconds for it to sink in, and once it does, everyone goes silent. Everyone blames themselves. Your teachers think they were too hard on you. Those mean popular girls, they think of all the things they’ve said to you. That boy that used to tease you and call you names, he can’t help but hate himself for never telling you how beautiful you really are. Your ex-boyfriend, the one that you told everything to, that broke up with you...he can’t handle it. He breaks down and starts crying, and runs out of the school. Your friends? They’re sobbing too, wondering how they could never see that anything was wrong, and wishing they could have helped you before it was too late. And your best friend? She’s in shock. She can’t believe it. She knew what you were going through, but she never thought it would get that bad…bad enough for you to end it. She can’t cry; she can’t feel anything. She’s numb. She stands up, walks out of the classroom, and just sinks to the floor. Shaking, screaming, but no tears coming out. It’s a few days later, at your funeral. The whole town came. Everyone knew you, that girl with the bright smile and bubbly personality. The one that was always there for them, the shoulder to cry on. Lots of people talk about all the good memories they had with you, there were a lot. Everyone’s crying, your little brother still doesn’t know you killed yourself, he’s too young. Your parents just said you died. It hurts him, a lot. You were his big sister, you were supposed to always be there for him. Your best friend, she stays strong through the entire service, but as soon as they start lowering your casket into the ground, she just loses it. She cries and cries and doesn’t stop for days. It’s two years later. The whole school talks to a counselor/therapist at least once a week. Your teachers all quit their job. Those mean girls have eating disorders now. That boy that used to tease you cuts himself. Your ex-boyfriend doesn’t know how to love anymore and just sleeps around with girls. Your friends all go into depression. Your best friend? She tried to kill herself. She didn’t succeed like you did, but she tried…your brother? He finally found out the truth about your death. He self-harms, he cries at night, he does exactly what you did for years leading up to your suicide. Your parents? Their marriage fell apart. Your dad became a workaholic to distract himself from your death. Your mom got diagnosed with depression and just lies in bed all day. People care. You may not think so, but they do. Your choices don’t just affect you. They affect everyone. Don’t end your life; you have so much to live for. Things can’t get better if you give up. I’m here for absolutely anyone that needs to talk, no matter who you are. 

Predestiny

                A major problem that I’ve been hearing lately is the idea of predestination. So many people I know, including Christians, believe that people are chosen before they are born to go to heaven or hell. This keeps people from having a relationship with God because they feel that no matter what, they can’t help where they end up after death. They believe that salvation is given only to chosen people and that the elect will come to have faith and believe until the end.

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan

of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order

 that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

-Ephesians 1:11-12

                A lot of people take this verse as confirmation that there is undoubtedly predestination. However, what God means is that He chose them to have certain spiritual gifts. He chose the disciples and He chose the apostles. He has a plan for each and every one of us to do His works; we just need to accept the duty and responsibility. Also, the next verse contradicts the idea of predestination.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word

of the truth, the gospel of your salvation.”

-Ephesians 1:13

                This verse declares that those who hear the Word and believe in it will receive salvation and a place in heaven. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 talks about the people of Israel being the chosen people. This doesn’t mean that they are the only ones permitted in heaven. What this means is that they have a special ranking in Heaven (see Revelation 7).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God

did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does

not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed

in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

John 3:16-18

                No one is excluded from having everlasting life in heaven. All who believe will see the kingdom and reside in it! God loves each and every person that has ever walked this earth. He does not choose to send anyone to hell; He did everything to save us. He sent His only Son to perish for us. He became like us to be a sacrifice for us. He remained compassionate while Israel was arrogant and judgmental. The Bible tells us that whoever confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Christ and commits their life to God will receive life in heaven. We are told that we have our own will. Therefore, we are not predestined.

                Don’t be convinced that you can’t help set the way for where you will end up after death. One thing is, you are on a predetermined course. But you don’t have a predetermined destination. The course that you take, can have detours based on your decisions and if you stray from God's will, and so does your destination. Satan is not omnipotent or omnipresent. He can only attack you every now and then, putting thoughts in your head for short moments, hoping that those thoughts will turn you from God. So don’t let him convince you that you’re either set to go to heaven or hell. YOU make your own decisions and if you love God and live by His word than you are going to heaven. If you disobey God, then you are on a wide path to the lake of fire. You are not Satan’s to have-you are God’s. So live your life for Him and know that your destination is not predestined.

Revenge

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written:

‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

-Romans 12:19

                As humans we tend to be impatient and take certain matters into our own hands. When we get angry at someone, we try to take revenge-something that isn’t our duty to do. When we try to avenge what someone did to us or to someone we cared deeply for, we are taking away one of God’s rights and giving it to ourselves. When we are angry, and attempt to avenge ourselves, we should remember, therefore, that we are infringing on the prerogatives of the Almighty.

                To "avenge" is to take satisfaction for an injury by inflicting punishment on the offender. To take such satisfaction for injuries done to society, is lawful and proper for a magistrate; Romans 13:4. And to take satisfaction for injuries done by sin to the universe is the province of God. But the apostle here is addressing private individual Christians. And the command is, to avoid a spirit and purpose of revenge. But this command is not to be so understood that we may not seek for "justice" in a regular and proper way before civil tribunals. If we are forced to go against our faith, if we are oppressed contrary to the law of the land, religion does not require us to submit to such oppression and injury without seeking our rights in an orderly and regular manner. If it did, it would be to give a premium to iniquity, to countenance wickedness, and require a man, by becoming a Christian, to abandon his rights.

“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of

the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”

-Isaiah 1:17

                Besides, there is a leader who is appointed for the praise of those who do well, and to punish evil-doers(…or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right; 1 Peter 2:14). Further, our Lord Jesus did not surrender his rights to man. The command here "to leave room for God’s wrath" means, that we are not to take it out of the hands of God, or the hands of the law, and to inflict it ourselves. It is well known that where there are no laws, vengeance is pursued by individuals in a barbarous and unrelenting manner. In a state of savage society, vengeance is "immediately taken," if possible, or it is pursued for years, and the offended man is never satisfied until he has covered his hands in the blood of the offender. But Christianity seeks the authority of the laws; and in cases which do not admit or require the interference of the laws, in private assaults and quarrels, it demands that we bear injury with patience, and commit our cause unto God. To "leave room," then, is to leave it for God to come in and execute wrath or vengeance on the enemy. Do not execute wrath; leave it to God and commit all to him; leave yourself and your enemy in his hands, assured that he will vindicate you and punish him. Psalm 140 is a great example of giving the punishment of oppressors to the Lord.

“Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil men

preserve me from men of violence;

who devise evil plans in their hearts

and stir up war every day.

They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;

the poison of vipers is on their lips.

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

protect me from the men of violence

who plan to trip my feet.

Proud men have hidden a snare for me;

they have spread out the cords of their net

and have set traps for me along my path.

O Lord, I say to you, ‘You are my God.’

Hear, O Lord, my cry for mercy.

O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,

who shields my head in the day of battle­—

do not grant the wicked their desires, O Lord;

do not let their plans succeed,

or they will become proud.

Let the heads of those who surround me

be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.

Let burning coals fall upon them;

may they be thrown into the fire,

into miry pits never to rise.

Let slanderers not be established in the land;

may disaster hunt down men of violence.

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor

and upholds the cause of the needy.

Surely the righteous will praise your name

and the upright will live before you.”

-Psalm 140

               

                Deuteronomy 32:35-43 declares that the Lord will take vengeance upon those who deserve it. Its design is to assure us that those who deserve to be punished shall be and those who deserve to be vindicated will be; and that, therefore, the business of revenge may be safely left in the hands of God. Though "we" should not do it, yet if it ought to be done, it will be done. This assurance will sustain as, not in the "desire" that our enemy shall be punished, but in the belief that "God" will take the matter into his own hands; that he can administer it better than we can; and that if our enemy "ought" to be punished, he will be. "We," therefore, should leave it all with God. It may take a day or it may take several years, for the person who oppressed you to receive their just punishment, but patience and trust in God is key.

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people,

but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

-Leviticus 19:18

“Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants;

he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.”

-Deuteronomy 32:43

“God is jealous, and the Lord revenges; the Lord revenges, and is furious; the Lord will take

 vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies”

-Nahum 1:2