Theo 104 Research Paper

Ashley Simmons
THEO 104
Reflection Paper #1

Introduction: God gave us two gifts, life and love. God has given us the ultimate gift of love, by sacrificing his only son to give us eternal life. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." God has endless love for us, even though we are sinners by nature, his love is never ending and never changes. John 4:8 says “God is love,” people have different views on what love means to them, but the true meaning of love is what God gives us.
Love:
A lot of people may think they know the real definition of what love means, but many don’t even come close to understanding exactly what it
means. Many come up with their own idea of love, or base it off of emotional ideas. A true understanding of love must be based on what God’s definition of love is. To love God, it is necessary to follow His commandments and knowing exactly who He is and what He stands for, and what he expects from us, as His children. We can not truly love God, if we do not know Him personally and if we don’t follow and practice His commandments. John 14:23 states,
“Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” By the continuation of learning God’s Word, we build a stronger and better relationship which helps us to trust in Him more, and walk by faith.
Our love for others is usually based on how they treat us, and what they do for us. Even though we could do nothing for God, He still loved us with no doubt. God has created in us feelings, and a heart. In the book Praxis, they say that giving your heart to Jesus is like jumping into the lap of a parent and looking to them for guidance. When you give God your heart, you are trusting Him with your life, emotions, feelings, and you are trusting Him to guide your life in the right direction. In my life, I try to love the people around me the best way I can because I know I would want the same from them. I try to take what I learn from God’s Word and what He says about love and how we should use it and use it in my life to the best of my ability. Knowing that God has endless love for me, and how He says we should love our neighbor’s as we love ourselves is a constant reminder for me to be kind to others, and give them love and help whenever they need
it.
Life:
God’s plan for life and His people came before the world was even made.
John 8:12 says, When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." If you believe in God, and follow what His plans are for you, He will only give you things to help you and make you prosperous, never things to harm you. John 14:6 says “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to my Father, except through me.” Basically, if you want to have eternal life there is no other way to do so unless you have faith in God, and believe His Word. If a man does not believe in God, and doesn’t follow in His ways, he makes up his own rules, his own ideas of how life should be lived and sets up his own failures. The main reason we were created was to fellowship with God, and worship Him. When man doesn’t have a relationship with God, he feels an emptiness and is dissatisfied. He can not be truly content with his life unless he has the Holy Spirit working in him. To be saved by God, you have to accept that God is who He says He is and accept Him as your savior, then you have to repent and confess your sins to God. God is very forgiving, and He says if you confess all your sins to Him he will forgive you. After you do all that, you are born again, and have started your relationship with God. In the book Praxis they say that “The new life God brings about is truly an amazing act of His graciousness and
love.” The life you were once living is now dead, and your new life that you were given will bring you to much more happiness, and contentment knowing that God loves you for all that you are, and will protect you from harm and put your sight in the direction He intends for you to go. As a Christian, myself, my life with God in it is so much better than before I was saved. I’m happier, more loving and caring, and I know God continues to work in me everyday. It’s such a great feeling knowing that God loves me so much and I want to do all I can to bring Him glory.
Conclusion
As a Christian I’ve felt and experienced the love of God. Everything I’ve experienced in my life, God has brought me to it and He has also brought me through it. I know He is the one person I can count on all the time. With His unconditional love, I know that I have nothing to fear and His plans for my life are greater than any trials I go through today. I just have to continue to have faith in Him and His timing, and trust in Him when things seem to be going off course.

Reflection Paper Grading Scale(include as the last page of your paper) | PossiblePoints | PointsEarned | Content: Does the paper cover the subject as thoroughly as possible? Are 2 topics covered? Does it demonstrate a personal understanding of the subject? | 75 | | Introduction: Paper has an introductory paragraph | 15 | | Structure: Did student provide headings for each section? | 10 | | Conclusion: Paper is given a concluding paragraph | 15 | | Mechanics: Post is free of glaring error in spelling, grammar, and punctuation and is posted by the deadline. | 30 | | Grading Rubric: Is this page provided as the last page of the paper? | 10 | | Format: Is the paper 12-point, Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and double-spaced? | 15 | | Comments from Instructor: | | | Total Score | 170 | |