A Godly Life In Jesus Christ

The Power Of Your Words

2009-12-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Not many people think about this, but words are sometimes the most powerful tools that a human being possesses.
One word can bring happiness...
One word can cause joy...
One word can hurt...
One word can cause hate..
One word can bring love...
One word can comfort...
One word can ruin a life...
One word can reconcile...
Just one word

We always talk about the physical abuse, which is indeed a very serious matter. But we hardly ever talk about the verbal abuse. This type of abuse (also called reviling) can be as serious as the physical abuse, and in some cases even more. We all at some point in our lives experience verbal abuse.
Did you ever get offended by what others have said to you? or worse, have you ever offended another person with your words? be honest to God. Don't try to hide the facts. If you have done so, "... first be reconciled to your brother" (Matthew 5:24). Apologize to the person you have offended. If you feel that you can't apologize to that person then ask God to give you the grace to do so. Also, and this is very important, ask Him to forgive you, for God's Word says "...'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' " Matthew 25:40. If you've been offended, forgive that person that has hurt you. If you can't then ask the Lord to give you the grace to forgive that person. Forgiveness is one of the first and most important things we have to do if we really want to live by God's commandments: "...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37,39. And do not think that forgiveness is only for the people that we love. No! Jesus tells us "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (...) For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? (...) And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? (...) You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:44,46-48.
Remember, for God our words are very important. Jesus says "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" and "what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man" Matthew 12:34;15:18. In fact, God's Word says that "...the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell. but no human being can tame the tongue -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so." James 3:5-6.8-10. This may seem to be a very basic matter to deal with, but it's actually not. God's standards are very different and more perfect than our standards. Let's not only give Him our hearts, souls, bodies and lives but our lips as well. Let's ask Him to put the right words in our mouths so that we glorify Him and show the world that we really are following Christ.

"I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37

Hugh Hefner, Marriage And Love

2009-12-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

We all heard the lastest scandal surrounding Tiger Woods. We all know that Hugh Hefner is the magazine publisher, founder and chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises - a pornographic magazine -. So we shouldn't be surprised to hear "Hef's" stance on Tiger's infidelity, marriage and monogamy:

"I think the only surprise in it, quite frankly, is that anybody would be surprised. If you're a good-looking guy and young and healthy, the notion that there would be something else going on, well, marriage is just a convenience. It's very nice for raising kids, but the notion that monogamy lasts forever is a wish!"

Like I said, it's not a shocker that Mr. Hefner thinks marriage as "just a convenience" and monogamy as irreal. He's just revealing to the world that he doesn't understand what love, marriage and monogamy really are. After all, he is a pimp. And he's made a carreer out of "pimping". But pimps aren't born, they're made. He once declared:

"I started Playboy Magazine as a personal response to the hurt and hypocrisy of our puritan heritage. Our family was puritan in a very real sense. Never hugged, oh no!. There was absolutely no hugging or kissing in my family. There was a point in time when my mother later in life apologized to me for not being able to show affection. That was of course the way I have been raised. So I said 'mom, because of the things you weren't able to do it set me on a course that changed my life and the whole world'. When I talk about the hurt and hypocrisy in some of our values, our sexual values, it comes from the fact that i didn't get hugged a lot as a kid"

Place yourself for a minute in Mr. Hefner's house, back when he was a kid. His parents are rigid and they think that by being rigid, they're giving their children a good education that's going to make them become godly men in the future. They don't kiss or hug their children and they don't even mention the "s" word, that is "sex". They can't even imagine that one of their children is going to fund one of the most recognized pornographic magazines of all times. As Mr. Hefner grew up he started to step away from his parents values and education and he began to discover sex as the world (or rather Satan) defines it: an act that it's independent of marriage and love and that should be practiced not just with one person from the opposite sex but with many. So he fed his mind and his heart with garbage and later on he fed the whole world with the same garbage. In his search for love and truth, he found lust and lies. All because of a dreadful and legalistic religious education.

One of the most common blunders that prudish people believe is that sex is bad and that our bodies were corrupted by the original sin. But God has never told us that sex was evil or that our bodies are corrupted. Humans and sexual relationships were His idea in the first place. He created us in his own image and He created sex to be a sacred act between a man and a woman that love and have married each other. He wants men and women to live marriage, sex and love in the way that He created them to be, in a godly way. Marriage is in God's eyes, between one man and one woman. And spousal chastity, which is about being faithful to your husband or wife, is the key to a good, lasting and godly marriage
In fact, to say that sex is evil and that our bodies are bad is a heresy, it's unbiblical. When we cover up our bodies, we're protecting the sacredness, the holiness of our bodies from the degradation of lust.

As Pope John Paul II said in his "Theology of the Body": "The heart has become a battlefield between love and lust. The more lust dominates the heart, the less we experience the spousal meaning of the body". The spousal meaning of the body is that call to love in the image of God that is in our sexuality, deep in our hearts. Love is meant to be a gift of oneself to others without expecting any kind of reward. And spousal love should be that. As Saint Paul says: " 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:31-33. Spousal love should always be a reflection of Christ's love to His bride, the Church. That's what love and sex really is in God's eyes. Jesus came here to redeem us, to pay off the debt that humans had for having sinned against God's commandments. "...with his stripes we are healed" says God's Word in Isaiah 53:5. Indeed, with his stripes, with his death on the cross and resurrection we and our sexuality are healed.

Expose The Evil Actions

2009-12-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

On January 23, 1996, Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate. But his prayer wasn't the usual, "love and peace", "politically right" kind of prayer. Instead, he said this:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good,," but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We confess:

We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the Name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen."

Many people walked out during the prayer in protest. Indeed, it was a "controversial" prayer. And it was "controversial" not for the pastor but for the non-christians and the lukewarm christians. It exposes our flaws and sins as a society. We are de-christianizing the world, not just the U.S. We are mocking God's Word, we are offending him more than ever, we are allowing women to kill their babies, we are allowing a minority to re-define marriage and family in order for them to please their selfish and abnormal desires, we are allowing people to take drugs legally, we are telling children that masturbation, pornography, prostitution, lesbianism, homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexualism, and other deviant practices are fine and even good and healthy. We are clearly living in the last days, as the Bible says:
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

People, we MUST take action. We MUST defend life. We MUST defend marriage and family. We MUST defend religious freedom. We MUST combat drugs. We MUST speak out without fear. And we must do it NOW. Today is the day that we can change things. The foolish, ungodly people are going to fight back and persecute us. Yet we should not be affraid of them, for the Holy Bible says: "The LORD is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear?The LORD is the stronghold of my life;of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1. ""Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10

This is what God wants us to do. He commands us: "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light." Ephesians 5:11-13

Expose the evil actions. Be a "good soldier of Christ Jesus" 2 Timothy 2:3.

Save The Babies

2009-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

"You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born" St. Barnabas ("Epistle of St. Barnabas" c. 70-100 A.D.)

"A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction as to its being completely or unformed is not admissible among us" St. Basil The Great ("Epistle 138" c. 375 A.D.)

Modesty: An Attitude

2009-12-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

Strapless tops can be inmodest. They can show too much skin. But, can you adapt it? Latin american christian singer Luna Eikar shows us we can:

Again, layers are one of the keys for modesty. And what if you have a short summer dress? this Pure Fashion model wears a pair of leggings underneath it.

My priest told me one day: "When you're happy, you attract people. When you're unhappy you seduce people". Ask yourself: Am I happy? What are my intentions? Do I want to seduce or attract? Modesty is not just about the clothes. Modesty is an attitude that comes from a heart that is filled with God's love.

"Certain fashions will be introduced that will gravely offend my Son" Our Lady of Fatima

Advent!!!

2009-11-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

We are officially into the Christmas Season. Today we're celebrating our first sunday of Advent. Advent is one of the most beautiful times of the year. It is a time of wait, but it's also a time of hope and joy, because we're getting ready to celebrate the Lord's birth: Christmas. It's not a coincidence that, in today's Gospel, the Lord is asking us to "watch at all times" (Luke 21:36) and pray. He's asking us to be prepared for the Second Coming, the day when He's going to come "with power and great glory" Luke 21:27.
Let's ask the Lord Jesus to prepare our hearts for Christmas and to forgive our sins. Let's rejoice and persevere, for the Gospel tells us: "Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28)

The Lies That The Devil Tell Us

2009-11-28T15:46:00.001-08:00

"For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" Ephesians 6:12

One of the hardest goals for today's christians (and non-christians) is to stay PURE. Satan knows that purity is one of the hardest things to achieve and mantain. So he tries to deceive us all the time. But if you're LGBT, the battle for purity is even worse. So I decided to expose a list of the most common lies that Satan tell to all LGBT people:

1-All sexual orientations are perfectly normal
2-Homosexuality cannot be cured through therapy or medical treatment
3-Same sex "love" is normal, healthy, and just as likely to lead to fulfilling, happy, committed relationships as straight love
4-You have to "come out of the closet" because you cannot change your orientation
5-Same sex "love" is totally natural because it occurs in throughout the animal kingdom
6-There are MILLIONS of LGBT people around the world.
7-You'll have to get some "experience" before you decide your sexual orientation.
8-There's no point in remaining chaste. You won't make it because sex is a natural need and studies show that half of the people that pledge to abstain from sex break their promise eventually. If you want to abstain for some time, you'll have to refrain from having sexual intercourse, which means that other types of "sexual relationships" are allowed.
9-Masturbation and porn are normal, healthy tools that can help you define your sexuality

The last 3 lies are for straight people as well. How many people have bought the lies the devil sells??? I have. For some time I thought all of this was true. But it's not true.
The truth is:
1-God created men and women in his image & likeness (Gen 1:26)
2-He created them for the purpose of getting married and having a family (Gen 1:28. 2:24)
3-He created sex as a marital act of intimacy between the spouses (Gen 2:24) and opened to life (Gen 1:28.9:1.35:11). The marital act is sacred and blessed by God when practiced in marriage and between a husband and a wife.
4-Contraception is a sin and a punishment in His eyes (Hoseas 9:10-17; Exodus 23:25-26; Deuteronomy 7:13-14;Genesis 38:8-10)
5-Sexual impurity like lust, adultery and fornication are condemned in the Bible (Matt 5:27-32; 1 Thes 4:3-5.7;Ephesians 4:22-24. 5:3;1 John 2:16;Jude 1:7; Gal 5:19; Col 3:5; 1 Cor 6:18)
6-Homosexual relationships are not blessed by God (Lev 20:13.18:22)

People, God called us ALL to be holy and pure (Matt 5:8). Do not be deceived by Satan. He wants you to believe that you cannot reach purity, that you cannot be loved by God, that you cannot change. Do not believe him. He is "...the father of all lies" (John 8:44).
Jesus Christ came here to redeem us, to make us pure. In Him we will have eternal happiness and eternal life (John 3:16). He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Seek Him and you will be truly happy. You are beautiful in God's eyes and He wants you to come to Him. Remember: He loves you

"For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost" Luke 19:10

Thank you Lord

2009-11-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

May we always give thanks to the Lord, EVERYDAY, for all we have and for His amazing love and mercy

Listen to this song by Donna Lee, "Thank You Lord":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB0vs1ifeoQ

"I give thanks to thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify thy name forever" Psalm 86:12

Dressing Up Modestly For A Formal Occasion

2009-11-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

To dress modestly in your everyday life is quite easy. But what if you have to go to an event? Can you dress modestly for a formal occasion? Keke Palmer shows us that we can:

But, is black the only color for a cocktail dress? absolutely not!!! check this one out:

So remember: when you buy cocktail dresses, make sure their cleavage is not too low and the lenght is not too short. And, above all, remember God's Word:

"like a gold ring in a swine's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion" Proverbs 11:22

Plastic Surgery - A Hot Topic

2009-11-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, Carrie Prejean (you know, the ex-Miss California that stood up for true marriage) said this:
"I don't think there's anything wrong with getting breast implants as a christian. I think it's a personal decision. I don't see anywhere in the Bible where it says you shouldn't get breast implants"

Some people agree with Ms. Prejean, stating that plastic surgery is good because of 2 reasons:

it shapes and modifies that part of your body that you dislike/hate
it makes you feel more secure about your body/yourself

For others, plastic surgery is perceived as a superficial proceedure and even a sin. But what does the Bible say about plastic surgery? Does it even mention it? and if it doesn't, does that necessarily mean that God likes people getting plastic surgery?

Carrie Prejean is right. Nowhere in the Bible does it mention plastic surgery. Why? because it didn't exist back then. The Sacred Scriptures were written centuries ago. They didn't have the means to develop such a complex proceedure. But - and this is a big "but" - THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT GOD APPROVES OF IT. The Bible doesn't mention plastic surgery as a sin, but it does condemn vanity (2 Kings 17:15), it warns us not to be conceited (Phil 2:3-4) and it tells us not to draw attention to ourselves by the way we look but "by good deeds..." (1 Timothy 2:9-10). When we do things out of vanity, we turn our focus away from God and put it into another thing (concept defined as "idolatry"). Vanity leads to pride and idolatry and, as we know, the Bible condems them (Mark 7:20-23; Galatians 5:19-21). Plastic surgery, then, can be a form of idolatry.

Besides, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it says: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body". Is getting plastic surgery (especially cosmetic surgery) a way to glorify God in your body? no, it's the opposite. But, you see, this is the problem with a lot of today's christians, as they tend to take some verses of the Bible and give them a wrong, incomplete and/or lame interpretation to the Holy Bible. Therefore, the result is a sort of "cafeteria christianity", where you take the passages that you like and discard the ones that you don't. Cafeteria Christians are lukewarm (Ap 3:15-16)

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" Prov 31:30

Barlowgirl - Examples Of Modesty

2009-11-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite christian bands is Barlowgirl. These christian sisters have experienced success without sacrificing their love for Christ. And they are great examples of purity, chastity and modesty. They even have a song - that I highly recomend everyone to listen to - that encourages modesty. It's called "clothes". Here's a picture of them wearing modest and modern clothes:

A key tip to create modest outfits is LAYERING. Alyssa, the one in the middle, is wearing a black t-shirt and on top of it, she wears a cute strapless top. Lauren is wearing a black t-shirt and Rebecca is wearing a yellow t-shirt with a short sleeved jacket. By layering, they've managed to get a cute, modest and unique style.

This is another example of how modest can also be trendy. This "rocker" look is the perfect example of that. Long t-shirts are another key tip in modesty. And as we see, they're close to the body but not tight. A couple of accesories and you're ready.

Just remember: layers and long t-shirts that cover up your midriff. And of course, a godly sense of style.

Modesty

2009-11-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

As christians, we have to live a life of purity. We have to include our love for Christ in everything we do. Yes, everything. Even clothes. That's why I will be posting pictures of celebrities and models wearing modest clothes. Why? because:

I want to encourage women to wear clothes that are not so revealing
I want to show women that modest clothes can be worn everywhere everytime.
I want to give women tips on how to be modest and trendy - yes, both are posible -
I want to prove to women that modesty isn't about wearing a sack of potatoes or your grandma's dress and that modesty is an attitude more than the clothes you wear
Last, but not least, I want to tell women that they are beautiful creatures made by God Almighty and that they deserve to be treated like ladies, with respect and dignity.

Who knows, maybe I will even change someone's mind about this issue of modesty...

"...women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as benefits women who profess religion" 1 Timothy 2:9-10

The Gift Of The Resurrection

2009-11-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

"The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he called the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now He's not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him." Luke 20:34-38

A lot of people think that marriage is just a step in the "right" direction. Others consider marriage as an unnecesary form of "slavery". And many others, as a union between two people that love each other and want to spend some time - not necesarily their whole lives - together, with or without kids. For Jesus Christ, marriage isn't any of these options. For Him, marriage is a sacred, indissoluble union between ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN (Matthew 19:4-6). Not only that, but it is also temporal, natural and necessary for the preservation of the human race. Jesus gives a new meaning and a new importance to marriage. Marriage, then, is the most important institution for a human society. Therefore, the changes that men do to such a natural and sacred vocation will necesarily represent a NEGATIVE change for all societies.
Secondly, as today's Gospel states, the saducees didn't believe in resurrection as we believe it. They thought of resurrection as a prolongation of life on Earth. But Jesus Christ gives a important explanation: resurrection isn't just a prolongation of our earthly life. Resurrection is a free state of life where there won't be needs to satisfy. Humans won't have anything to worry about and they will not have the need to preserve the human race because those who are chosen by God to live eternally will not die. Saint Paul states in Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"

God will give the gift of resurrection freely to his sons and daughters, the ones that have confessed with their lips that Jesus is Lord, believed in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9) and that have kept their commandments (Matthew 25:34-40).

Finally, Jesus gives scriptural evidence of the resurrection when he states that Moses called the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He proves, therefore, that God is God of the living. All the saints and all the people that are now in heaven are alive for Him. Our aim in life is to obey, know and love God, so that we get to receive the most beautiful and gratifying gift: the gift of the resurrection

"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" John 11:25-26

Anticonformity

2009-11-20T18:19:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite christian songs is "Anticonformity" by Krystal Meyers and it goes like this:

"It's all around, pressure from my so-called friends, (...) I'm measured by some stupid trend (...) so i'm anticonformity (...) inside i've made a change, and i'll never be the same, no way!"

Yeah, i know. The song's attitude - and the singer - may be a little reminiscent to Avril Lavigne. But Krystal is just echoing a message. A deep, transforming, renewing message. She's inviting us to take a look at Romans 12:2, that says:

"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect"

How many of us have surrender to wordly trends, pressure from friends, the temptations of the devil, etc.? how many of us have walked away from Christ to follow something that was just going to destroy us? How many times have we relied on our own insight instead of trusting in the Lord with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5)? Do we ask God to give us strenght and faith to face the world and go against the grain in order to be faithful to Him?
We're all called to sainthood. We're all called to a life of purity. But our sins, our past and the world are big obstacles to a good and deep relationship with Christ. We all want love. We all want peace. We all want freedom and happiness. We're "wired", created that way by our Father. But, as we have a tendency to sin, our spiritual sight is blurred and we can't discern the things that are godly from the things that are wordly.

God is calling us all to conversion. He's calling us to live a life of obedience to Him and Him ALONE. He knows our struggles, our sins, our wounds, our needs. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He loves us unconditionally and wants us to spend eternity with Him, even when we actually don't deserve such a beautiful gift. He gave his only son so that believers can all have eternal life (John 3:16). HE LOVES EVERYONE. That's why he calls us today not to be conformed to the world. The world is full of lies because the world is ruled by the father of all lies, Satan. The world denies God and His Son Jesus Christ and disorts God's plan for humankind.
Are you living in a worldy way? then stop. Start living a life of sainthood, in accordance with God's plan. Our time here on Earth is short and we're here to make a decision: live eternally in Heaven with God or be condemned and go to hell. We choose to love God and be faithful to Him and we choose our eternal destiny as well.

So tell me: what are you gonna choose: God's way or the world's way?

Welcome to my blog :)

2009-11-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone, welcome to my blog!! I'm excited cause this is my first entry in a blog that I hope brings joy, learning, healing, and most importantly glory to my Lord Jesus Christ.
In this first entry i'll tell you a bit about me...
I'm a 19 year old argentinian who's currently studying public translation. I'm a catholic christian, i'm single and i'm conservative. I'm pro-life and pro-family. I'm struggling to keep a life of purity in my Lord and Savior. I've re-discovered my catholic christian faith last year, but I will tell you more about that in another post. I love writing poetry and reflexions. I love music, especially pop, rock and country. And above all, I love Jesus :) He's my strenght, my confort, my happiness, my everything...

I hope you guys like my blog and I hope you and I learn more about living a godly life in Jesus Christ.