There is a reason.
We are with you.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Who's figthing your battles?
Ephesians 6:10-14
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Did you ever have one of those weeks where you felt like everything on Earth was moving against you? One of those days where it seemed regardless what direction you were going, you were in a headwind?
Our lives are not easy. It is so easy to get sucked into the mindset that this world is determined to pile more on until we crumble under the pressure of our obligations, responsibilities, or sometimes our desires and addictions. The weight of these influences can be so much of a burden. And this weight can cause us to lose sight of who we are in Christ.
1 John 4:4
4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
We must never lose sight of what we have been given through our inheritance in Christ. God has drawn us back from the pit and reconciled our hearts to him. He has equipped us with everything we need to walk victoriously through life with no more obligation to sin. We are free...
John 8:36
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
We have to cling to this reality when life kicks us. We have to cherish what was done on the cross to allow us access to the God that loves us beyond measure. And regardless of what we feel, we must stand in the truth of his promise when we realize we have allowed worldly influences back into our lives. And we must share the love of Jesus with those we meet who are still chained to the world. As God draws their hearts back to him, we must testify of his love and redemptive power in our own lives.
Its good to know we do not fight our own fights any longer. He is our compassionate warrior.
----------------
Now playing: David Crowder Band - Wholly Yours
via FoxyTunes
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Did you ever have one of those weeks where you felt like everything on Earth was moving against you? One of those days where it seemed regardless what direction you were going, you were in a headwind?
Our lives are not easy. It is so easy to get sucked into the mindset that this world is determined to pile more on until we crumble under the pressure of our obligations, responsibilities, or sometimes our desires and addictions. The weight of these influences can be so much of a burden. And this weight can cause us to lose sight of who we are in Christ.
1 John 4:4
4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
We must never lose sight of what we have been given through our inheritance in Christ. God has drawn us back from the pit and reconciled our hearts to him. He has equipped us with everything we need to walk victoriously through life with no more obligation to sin. We are free...
John 8:36
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
We have to cling to this reality when life kicks us. We have to cherish what was done on the cross to allow us access to the God that loves us beyond measure. And regardless of what we feel, we must stand in the truth of his promise when we realize we have allowed worldly influences back into our lives. And we must share the love of Jesus with those we meet who are still chained to the world. As God draws their hearts back to him, we must testify of his love and redemptive power in our own lives.
Its good to know we do not fight our own fights any longer. He is our compassionate warrior.
----------------
Now playing: David Crowder Band - Wholly Yours
via FoxyTunes
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Blasphemy Challenge
So, I'm not what you would call a "cutting edge" internet person. In fact, by the time I discover something, its usually old news for most everyone else. As such, I was poking around on YouTube the other day. There were some interesting videos; some funny, some shocking, the filthy ones I passed over... Basically your typical assortment of stuff you would expect to see on a site where anything goes.
But then I came across several videos with the topic of "The Blasphemy Challenge" in their title. Out of pure morbid curiosity, I clicked on several of these videos and was completely stunned at what I saw. There is a young man who, according to his video, has recently abandoned his faith in Jesus. He lists reasons for him coming to the conclusion that there is no God. (I will leave the content of his logic to your own morbid curiosity.)
The point of this video is to issue a challenge to all atheists to ban together to commit the Ultimate Sin; blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He actually calls people to make a video of them publicly denying the existence of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. He even promises all who complete the challenge a movie entitled "The God that wasn't there."
As I sat and watched as person after person proclaimed their denial of God, I found it impossible to process the vast array of emotions I felt for these people. Most of them were very uncertain about what they were doing. You could see the hesitation in their bodies. You could hear the fear in their voice. But the one thing that come through louder than the fear was the depth of their pain.
Now, just for the record. The biblical foundation for this challenge can be found in Mark 3:22-30. Specifically, verse 28-29 states " truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes the holy spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."
It is vital to understand the context that Jesus states these words. Jesus' reputation has grown to the point that the pharisees are watching him very closely. He has appointed the apostles and, at this point has performed many public miracles, some in the presence of scribes and pharisees. At the time that Jesus has said this, the pharisees are very fearful of Jesus. They understand that he is here to turn tradition on its ear and set a new standard of righteousness; the position of the heart. Under Jesus' teaching, no more can they be outwardly "religious" and continue to live self-serving lives. Jesus has come to expose them, and all others that call on the name of God in speech but not in spirit. So the very important thing that we can't miss is that the pharisees absolutely knew at this point who Jesus was, but refused to submit to his because they would lose all political influence and social control.
So in Chapter 3, we see that the scribes come down from Jerusalem (v. 22) stating that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul and that he is performing these miracles by the power of Satan himself. By the time we get to verse 28, Jesus has utterly destroyed the credibility of these men and makes the statement of the unforgivable sin. These men knew he was sent by God. These men knew the power of the Holy Spirit was on him and working through him. Yet, they credited all this to Satan to maintain their power, their riches, and their control.
So, with these videos, the tragedy is not that these people have indeed committed the unforgivable sin, for most have no real understanding of the power of the Spirit or God himself. They simply deny that these forces exist; perfectly forgivable. We all held this position of our heart in some form prior to coming to the Lord. The real tragedy is that the majority of these people seek to make the boldest statement against, not against God, but against his ambassadors; Christians. Now, granted, some know exactly what they are doing and for them I am truly saddened. Their fates are indeed sealed.
The remaining, and majority, of these people have been, in some way so injured by the actions of proclaiming Christians that they are willing to risk (and accept) eternal damnation in place of identifying with God's church, all the while lacking a proper understanding of what they are doing. This breaks my heart.
As Christ's ambassadors (Eph 6:20) we must be mindful of our actions against the backdrop of how they impact the Kingdom of heaven. If Jesus is our Lord, we must live at all times, lives that compel people to consider him, not reject him. We must love PEOPLE unconditionally. We do not have to accept or agree with sin in peoples lives, but we absolutely MUST love on them. Love was the center of Christ's teachings. As such, love must be the center of our actions, thought process, motivations and agendas.
For anyone who reads this blog, I would ask this and issue a new challenge. Locate one of these videos on YouTube. Listen to what the person is telling you about how they came to be in front of a camera denying the Holy Spirit. Then pray specifically for a softening of their hearts and that true Christ followers would rise up around this person and show them the love of Christ. Ultimately, that they may repent and be saved. And should you come across one of the individuals that demonstrates a proper understanding of what they are doing, pray simply that their influence would be hindered and that they will not lead others astray. What do we have to lose in saying a prayer for this person? And what do they have to lose?
Father- I pray for revelation in the lives of the people who may still come to you. I pray that you will soften their hearts, open theirs eyes and ears and bring true repentance to their lives. Your word states that it is your will for all to come to you, and that none should perish. Father- I pray that those walking in lies would turn to the truth of your word, your love and your son and open their hearts to you.
And Father- for those that have made their final decisions, I speak out against their influence. I pray their mouths would be shut. I pray, father, that those that hear their words would hear your truth more clearly and more loudly.
And for your ambassadors, father, I pray a renewed sense of urgency around the lives we lead. I pray for hearts that offer unconditional love to those we encounter, and wisdom to know how to speak into their lives. I pray that we would represent you to a lost world that desperately needs to see your love, hear your invitation. I pray steadfast faith for your children father, that they would be sustained in their efforts to win souls for your glory.
But then I came across several videos with the topic of "The Blasphemy Challenge" in their title. Out of pure morbid curiosity, I clicked on several of these videos and was completely stunned at what I saw. There is a young man who, according to his video, has recently abandoned his faith in Jesus. He lists reasons for him coming to the conclusion that there is no God. (I will leave the content of his logic to your own morbid curiosity.)
The point of this video is to issue a challenge to all atheists to ban together to commit the Ultimate Sin; blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He actually calls people to make a video of them publicly denying the existence of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. He even promises all who complete the challenge a movie entitled "The God that wasn't there."
As I sat and watched as person after person proclaimed their denial of God, I found it impossible to process the vast array of emotions I felt for these people. Most of them were very uncertain about what they were doing. You could see the hesitation in their bodies. You could hear the fear in their voice. But the one thing that come through louder than the fear was the depth of their pain.
Now, just for the record. The biblical foundation for this challenge can be found in Mark 3:22-30. Specifically, verse 28-29 states " truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes the holy spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."
It is vital to understand the context that Jesus states these words. Jesus' reputation has grown to the point that the pharisees are watching him very closely. He has appointed the apostles and, at this point has performed many public miracles, some in the presence of scribes and pharisees. At the time that Jesus has said this, the pharisees are very fearful of Jesus. They understand that he is here to turn tradition on its ear and set a new standard of righteousness; the position of the heart. Under Jesus' teaching, no more can they be outwardly "religious" and continue to live self-serving lives. Jesus has come to expose them, and all others that call on the name of God in speech but not in spirit. So the very important thing that we can't miss is that the pharisees absolutely knew at this point who Jesus was, but refused to submit to his because they would lose all political influence and social control.
So in Chapter 3, we see that the scribes come down from Jerusalem (v. 22) stating that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul and that he is performing these miracles by the power of Satan himself. By the time we get to verse 28, Jesus has utterly destroyed the credibility of these men and makes the statement of the unforgivable sin. These men knew he was sent by God. These men knew the power of the Holy Spirit was on him and working through him. Yet, they credited all this to Satan to maintain their power, their riches, and their control.
So, with these videos, the tragedy is not that these people have indeed committed the unforgivable sin, for most have no real understanding of the power of the Spirit or God himself. They simply deny that these forces exist; perfectly forgivable. We all held this position of our heart in some form prior to coming to the Lord. The real tragedy is that the majority of these people seek to make the boldest statement against, not against God, but against his ambassadors; Christians. Now, granted, some know exactly what they are doing and for them I am truly saddened. Their fates are indeed sealed.
The remaining, and majority, of these people have been, in some way so injured by the actions of proclaiming Christians that they are willing to risk (and accept) eternal damnation in place of identifying with God's church, all the while lacking a proper understanding of what they are doing. This breaks my heart.
As Christ's ambassadors (Eph 6:20) we must be mindful of our actions against the backdrop of how they impact the Kingdom of heaven. If Jesus is our Lord, we must live at all times, lives that compel people to consider him, not reject him. We must love PEOPLE unconditionally. We do not have to accept or agree with sin in peoples lives, but we absolutely MUST love on them. Love was the center of Christ's teachings. As such, love must be the center of our actions, thought process, motivations and agendas.
For anyone who reads this blog, I would ask this and issue a new challenge. Locate one of these videos on YouTube. Listen to what the person is telling you about how they came to be in front of a camera denying the Holy Spirit. Then pray specifically for a softening of their hearts and that true Christ followers would rise up around this person and show them the love of Christ. Ultimately, that they may repent and be saved. And should you come across one of the individuals that demonstrates a proper understanding of what they are doing, pray simply that their influence would be hindered and that they will not lead others astray. What do we have to lose in saying a prayer for this person? And what do they have to lose?
Father- I pray for revelation in the lives of the people who may still come to you. I pray that you will soften their hearts, open theirs eyes and ears and bring true repentance to their lives. Your word states that it is your will for all to come to you, and that none should perish. Father- I pray that those walking in lies would turn to the truth of your word, your love and your son and open their hearts to you.
And Father- for those that have made their final decisions, I speak out against their influence. I pray their mouths would be shut. I pray, father, that those that hear their words would hear your truth more clearly and more loudly.
And for your ambassadors, father, I pray a renewed sense of urgency around the lives we lead. I pray for hearts that offer unconditional love to those we encounter, and wisdom to know how to speak into their lives. I pray that we would represent you to a lost world that desperately needs to see your love, hear your invitation. I pray steadfast faith for your children father, that they would be sustained in their efforts to win souls for your glory.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Degenerative Metamorphosis
"What Ive felt
What Ive known
Never shined through in what Ive shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub the unforgiven"
How ironic that words in a popular Hard Rock song from the 1990's can ring forth such truth. I have been shown recently what a cancer unforgivness is to our spiritual lives and our relationship with Jesus.
I have suffered a loss of intimacy with my lord over the last few months because I have harbored anger, bitterness and resentment towards a person in my life who has been the source of a great deal of pain for more than 20 years. It used to be, before my new life in Jesus, that I would push this person away and allow them minimal access to me or my family. Honestly, it was easier then. I didn't have to deal with her. If she made me angry, or in any way reminded me of the chaos that accompanies her presence in our lives at times, I could simply slam the door harshly in her face and feel quite satisfied with myself and the justification for how I felt.
When I came to the Lord, however, he had different plans for me. He issued me an order early on in my new life in him. I heard it as plainly as if he literally spoke the words to me audibly. He said to receive the fullness of the life he has prepared for me, I must reconcile this relationship. So, for the past two years we've been doing pretty well. Things seemed to be moving in the right direction. Recently however, the strong holds in her life have resurrected their heads and revealed they still have sway over her life. In this, my sin was revealed in how I responded to her. Though I would like to explain what I felt in such a way that you will empathize with me, plainly put it is hate.
It is hate simply for not being the love that Christ offers. Anything apart from the Lord and his righteousness is filthy rags. Those things e mask as frustrations, or "mild" anger, left unchecked will fester until they are revealed in their full vileness for what they are; hate. And the cost of this in my life is unbearable.
So now I embark on a journey of reconciling this rooted bitterness with a person I am fully justified in being angry with. Yet the Lord does not acknowledge this justification because like the debt he paid for me on the cross, this debt has been paid in full as well and is no longer mine to collect. Christ has purchased through the cross even those wrongs done TO me. I am left with not one injustice I can rightly seek vengence for. To usurp these injustices from him is to remove him from the position of Lord of my life. In taking back these debts, which he returns to me for a season, I discovered a most unpleasant and unexpected cost; I must reclaim the debts I owe as well.
Its an all or nothing exchange. I cannot expect that my Lord will pay my debts and allow me to hold on to bitterness towards others that have done me wrong. He can't allow that. To love as he loved, and live as he commands, requires that I submit EVERYTHING to him. If I insist on holding on to this unforgiveness, then the love of Christ does not live in me and I am apart from him.
If this sounds preachy, let me be plain. This sucks. I am not typing from a pious position of illuminated wisdom, rather from a pit of humiliation and, dare I confess, despair of what I must do to find the intimacy with my Lord that my soul thirsts for. I am a prideful and vengeful man today. But praise God that he has shown me what must be done for me to walk in victory over this thing that will steal my life from me and corrupt me into something dark, hard and wicked.
Father, I surrender this to you. Lest my own heart become diamond hard against you, I surrender. Please teach me your grace. Increase my faith father so that I may let you be lord over my life. Teach me to forgive my mother...
Monday, May 7, 2007
Is It Hot in Here?
Zechariah 13:9 (English Standard Version)9And I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people';
and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
I am learning how painful this can be. And though he clearly told us that this would come, (the testing) I confess that I have been taken by surprise.
Our families are under attack. Divorce rates are through the roof, and higher among "Christians." Husbands and wives are convinced that the grass really is greener "over there" and vacating the sanctity of their marriages for meaningless flings and inflicting devastating damage to their family. Children are losing respect for parents and rebelling in catastrophic ways. Abuse of every depraved type is becoming so common, we barely react or show surprise when we read of another case in the news.
I know this is nothing new, but mostly we think it's an arm's length away. It happens to celebrities, or people in the lime light. Maybe to the couple down the street. Just maybe it happens to someone in the family. But the closer it gets to us personally, the more we search to make it something we can understand, even unconsciously justify. Yet the truth is even as one suffers, we all suffer. This is not true just for the church. It's just especially true for her. We are the bride of Christ.
Many of the families in my circle of friends and church family have entered a season of testing and refining. Some are showing great hope and faith. Praise God! Some are growing stronger by the day. Some are seeing a testimony developing and can already see how they will very soon be in a key position to minister to others.
And there are others. These are convinced this "can't work out." These are convinced that "no one knows." These are believing it "won't happen again" or "go any further." These are the ones I am burdened with. It is no less painful to watch a marriage fall into ruin with a brother and sister in Christ than it is to watch a family member waste away from addiction or disease.
I think of Christ's purification of his bride.
Ephesians 5:25-27
as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
It never occurred to me that the person sitting next to me might be one who will not stand when the testing comes. I never want to think that it might not be me standing when the temptations arise. Yet here it is. Brothers and sisters are getting nailed with lies of the enemy and they are running in agreement. They are standing with the accuser and paying a dear price for it.
I have faith in my Lord. I know that all this will be used to bring him glory. I know that he has a plan and that plan will be fulfilled. But it does not ease the pain of seeing a brother in a pit of his own making, asking how to get out.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Worship and Worthiness.
I was thinking the other day about a song by Passion Worship Band.
*****************************************************************
You are worthy of my praise- this version done by Charlie Hall
I will give, you all my worship
I will give, you all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise
I will worship, with all of my heart
I will praise you, with all of my strength
I will seek you, all of my days
I will follow, all of your ways
I will give you, all my worship
I will give you, all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise
You are worthy of my praise
I will bow down, and I'll hail you as king
I will serve you, I will give you everything
I will lift up my eyes to your throne
I will trust you, I will trust you alone
I will give you all my worship
I will give you all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise
I will give you all my worship
I will give you all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise
You are worthy, You are worthy
You are worthy of my praise
Oh, I will give you all my worship
I will give you all my praise
You alone I long, I long to worship
Well, you alone are worthy of my praise
You are worthy of my praise
********************************************************************************
"You alone are worthy of my praise"
This really struck me and got me thinking about worthiness, and what we place value on. Everything we covet on this planet has value solely because WE place value on it. Not one material thing possesses any real intrinsic value independent of what humans assign it. Maybe its rare, or in high demand. Maybe it has a particular history. Maybe some celebrity told us it was valuable. Or maybe we just believe the hype. In any case, the merit of any object is due entirely upon society's desire to possess it, or in some instances, our inability to do so.
Our ability to assign value to things, rendering them priceless (flawless diamonds) or worthless (soggy trash) places us in an extremely powerful position. This alone demonstrates a type of dominion over the world in which we live. We could ramble for days on the prospects of assigning value to things that really matter, versus those that we currently place high value on. Imagine if people voluntarily and gleefully sacrificed, saved and worked for the new school housed at their church as we do for the new big screen plasma TV, or newest year model of our favorite cars. But that is another rant all together.
Then there is God, who is the pinnacle of value judgement. Let's face it, he who created ALL is most certainly in the best position to determine its value. With us he likes the word worthy. I listened to this song over and over and something just seemed to ring. "You alone are worthy of my praise."
Well of course he is. He's the Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the End. He is the God of Gods. How could we assume anything other than he is worthy of all our praise. Yet there is something in that proclamation that just reaches out at me. "You alone, are worthy of MY praise." Then it hit me.
God calls us to worship him. He tells us that He alone is worthy of our praise. Don't miss that. HE tells us that HE ALONE is worthy of OUR praise. Do you see how God calling for our praise grants us unspeakable value? For him to call us to worship him in the first place increases our intrinsic value. (As if sinners were worthy to enter into his presence to offer anything at all.) But, The Lord says that he alone is WORTHY of OUR praise, making our value, in his eyes, immeasurable.
I think we miss this so much. We get caught up in the hows and wheres and what-nots of worshiping that we overlook so much of this exchange. In glorifying the father, we are honoring him for what he is; pure, holy, loving, graceful and merciful. Yet in doing so, or rather being ALLOWED to do so, we attain indescribable value of our own. And its so vital that we realize that this value is granted to us by God BECAUSE he calls us to worship him.
The creativity of the father is amazing. Nothing else can provide us any merit, value or worthiness simply because we need the thing. It is only through the father that we experience this paradox. We desperately need him. It doesn't take long for us to understand and embrace this once he goes to work on us. Once we admit we need him and accept him, he calls us to worship him. In doing so, he assigns us such value, that HE ALONE is worthy of our praise. It is exactly as if we have ceased to exist, in a sense, in the material world. Because nothing in the material world if worthy of us. We have become "spiritual" beings since only God is worthy of us. This of course is in perfect keeping with what we are told over and over by Jesus who worked so hard, even to the point of being crucified, to show us how much God values us.
It really puts the 60 inch plasma TV into a different perspective.
*****************************************************************
You are worthy of my praise- this version done by Charlie Hall
I will give, you all my worship
I will give, you all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise
I will worship, with all of my heart
I will praise you, with all of my strength
I will seek you, all of my days
I will follow, all of your ways
I will give you, all my worship
I will give you, all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise
You are worthy of my praise
I will bow down, and I'll hail you as king
I will serve you, I will give you everything
I will lift up my eyes to your throne
I will trust you, I will trust you alone
I will give you all my worship
I will give you all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise
I will give you all my worship
I will give you all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise
You are worthy, You are worthy
You are worthy of my praise
Oh, I will give you all my worship
I will give you all my praise
You alone I long, I long to worship
Well, you alone are worthy of my praise
You are worthy of my praise
********************************************************************************
"You alone are worthy of my praise"
This really struck me and got me thinking about worthiness, and what we place value on. Everything we covet on this planet has value solely because WE place value on it. Not one material thing possesses any real intrinsic value independent of what humans assign it. Maybe its rare, or in high demand. Maybe it has a particular history. Maybe some celebrity told us it was valuable. Or maybe we just believe the hype. In any case, the merit of any object is due entirely upon society's desire to possess it, or in some instances, our inability to do so.
Our ability to assign value to things, rendering them priceless (flawless diamonds) or worthless (soggy trash) places us in an extremely powerful position. This alone demonstrates a type of dominion over the world in which we live. We could ramble for days on the prospects of assigning value to things that really matter, versus those that we currently place high value on. Imagine if people voluntarily and gleefully sacrificed, saved and worked for the new school housed at their church as we do for the new big screen plasma TV, or newest year model of our favorite cars. But that is another rant all together.
Then there is God, who is the pinnacle of value judgement. Let's face it, he who created ALL is most certainly in the best position to determine its value. With us he likes the word worthy. I listened to this song over and over and something just seemed to ring. "You alone are worthy of my praise."
Well of course he is. He's the Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the End. He is the God of Gods. How could we assume anything other than he is worthy of all our praise. Yet there is something in that proclamation that just reaches out at me. "You alone, are worthy of MY praise." Then it hit me.
God calls us to worship him. He tells us that He alone is worthy of our praise. Don't miss that. HE tells us that HE ALONE is worthy of OUR praise. Do you see how God calling for our praise grants us unspeakable value? For him to call us to worship him in the first place increases our intrinsic value. (As if sinners were worthy to enter into his presence to offer anything at all.) But, The Lord says that he alone is WORTHY of OUR praise, making our value, in his eyes, immeasurable.
I think we miss this so much. We get caught up in the hows and wheres and what-nots of worshiping that we overlook so much of this exchange. In glorifying the father, we are honoring him for what he is; pure, holy, loving, graceful and merciful. Yet in doing so, or rather being ALLOWED to do so, we attain indescribable value of our own. And its so vital that we realize that this value is granted to us by God BECAUSE he calls us to worship him.
The creativity of the father is amazing. Nothing else can provide us any merit, value or worthiness simply because we need the thing. It is only through the father that we experience this paradox. We desperately need him. It doesn't take long for us to understand and embrace this once he goes to work on us. Once we admit we need him and accept him, he calls us to worship him. In doing so, he assigns us such value, that HE ALONE is worthy of our praise. It is exactly as if we have ceased to exist, in a sense, in the material world. Because nothing in the material world if worthy of us. We have become "spiritual" beings since only God is worthy of us. This of course is in perfect keeping with what we are told over and over by Jesus who worked so hard, even to the point of being crucified, to show us how much God values us.
It really puts the 60 inch plasma TV into a different perspective.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
What I would Say to AD.
I don't hate you. I don't even dislike you. I never have. You frustrate me sometimes, because you try so hard to insult by bashing my Lord. You work so hard to make this personal between you and me. It's not about you and me. It never was.
Its about conviction. Its about the brokeness that looms over your heart. Its about that void in the center of who you are that can't be filled with those things you've shoved into it up until now. It's about coming to terms with what you know is true about God. He loves you. He desires you. He wants to restore you to the beautiful crature he created you to be. He patiently awaits the day when, through acceptance of his Son, he enters into your heart and fills that void with the only thing that was ever meant to be there; Jesus.
I pray for you; genuinely, and earnestly. And I will not stop praying for you. All I have ever done was extend my hand in friendship to you. You reject it. That is ok. But I will still pray for you. I will still stand in the gap for you and wait expectanly for the day when I call you sister. You won't understand it, but I love you. Simply because Christ never turned his back on me, I will never turn my back on you. Simply because he loved me when I did not understand or want his love, I will love you in the same way though you don't understand or want mine. So with the love of Jesus, I pray for you. I I will continue to do so.
Its about conviction. Its about the brokeness that looms over your heart. Its about that void in the center of who you are that can't be filled with those things you've shoved into it up until now. It's about coming to terms with what you know is true about God. He loves you. He desires you. He wants to restore you to the beautiful crature he created you to be. He patiently awaits the day when, through acceptance of his Son, he enters into your heart and fills that void with the only thing that was ever meant to be there; Jesus.
I pray for you; genuinely, and earnestly. And I will not stop praying for you. All I have ever done was extend my hand in friendship to you. You reject it. That is ok. But I will still pray for you. I will still stand in the gap for you and wait expectanly for the day when I call you sister. You won't understand it, but I love you. Simply because Christ never turned his back on me, I will never turn my back on you. Simply because he loved me when I did not understand or want his love, I will love you in the same way though you don't understand or want mine. So with the love of Jesus, I pray for you. I I will continue to do so.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
This is the Life that Mike Built
This is where I come from. This is the life that Mike built. A man talking in incoherant circles, seeing his daughter through the fog of bong smoke. Her beautiful blue eyes look up at him with absolute acceptance, seeking his guidence and unconditional love. With an unsteady hand I hug that precious, beautiful child. Too many lines, too little sleep. Even then her beauty was inescapeable. Had I not been so committed to my own destruction, I may have appreciated it more. There was a time not so far off where I took great pride in my body's ability to withstand such excess. At one point, it was like a game. I wanted to see if I could set a new "personal record." I spent years with barely a day going by where I was not consuming some sort of drug. Meth, LSD, Mushrooms, Pot. I drew the line at cocaine and heroine because I didn't want to "go too far." And I had other addictions, too. But that is another story. Other than my wife, very few know exactly how far I went with my attempts to flee from things I didn't want to face. I only write about it now to glorify the father, who even in that time of suicidal self destruction, held back the consequence of my sin that I might come to him and find his purpose for my life. If this is not shocking and disturbing enough, know that I had a child for 3 years of this time.
I once heard that children are blank tablets and that our job as parents is to write on their hearts those things that will teach and serve them through this thing called life. By the grace of God, the things I have written on my daughter have run and are now indistiguishable. By the tears of Jesus, he has washed away the life and legacy of pain and bondage that I would have given to her. As is always the case, there is more to the story than the picture above. But the "who's and why's" are so much less important than what I did with the independance I so defiantly insisted on having. Jesus said whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever would lose his life for my sake will find it. I live today as a testimony of what he was saying.
This is where I am.
Let no man tell me God is lacking in grace and mercy. Last year he blessed me with the gift of baptizing my daughter. Tears sting my eyes when I look at the contrast of these two photos. Let all who grieve know the sweet hand of the father who reaches out to those in pain, offering peace, love and mercy.
And this is where we are going.
We welcome Mackenzie Ellise.
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