So its been a bit longer than I would have liked since I posted on here, lets hope this doesn't happen often. Just reflecting on the last few days and such I figured before I go to bed I might as well post something while thoughts are fresh.
So I sometimes find myself getting in these drawn out moods where I just don't seem to care much about things happening. I guess you could say I just get "bored" with things going on around me and in my life. Without going into details I basically get bitter with things and then start complaining in my head, which in light of a couple services at Grace has be en a convicting issue recently. So tonight while just closing my eyes and laying down, I just examined some thoughts and brought them to God. This is the outcome of this session:
While sitting there I began the thought process in a sense with the "its just not fair..." type of mentality. Its funny in the midst of these moments how God seems to do things to humble us. When Job did this (Job 38+) God comes down hard and basically K.O.s Job. For me tonight He just kind of brought up this in my head: "Is it REALLY unfair?" This of course spurs on the thought process. Is it fair for me to complain about xyz? Well if I was looking at my life through a worldly eyeglass then yes! it is! but as I've learned in my life I don't much think God give two craps for the worlds eyeglass, but rather wants us to see HIM.
This brings me to the good stuff within this post. Tonight at campaigners we split into groups and one of the groups to describe who Jesus was and why he came used Hebrews 12:2. So in this time this verse immediately comes to mind, as well as a ton of other thoughts, in light of the "whats fair" conflict. Jesus came down from Heaven, walked the earth for 33 years, and was "put to death by those he came to save." Sounds fair right? He was called crazy, mocked, spat on, back stabbed, beaten, and eventually put to death in a manor many would say is the most painful way to torture a person, all while be perfect and innocent. And on top of this He bore the wrath of God for me! "....WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS..." Humbled much? That should be considered "unfair" yet so often I just seem to wander from this truth.
So Ill continue to pray:
Lord in front of all my decisions remind me of Your Cross. In front of all my plans remind me of Yourself. When I wake up, wake me up with the thought of your Grace. When I go to sleep churn within my mind a hunger for the Gospel. As I go through life make your Name Hallowed more each day. Help me to know your Grace more, and to love those around me with this same love. AMEN.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
If His grace is an ocean we're all sinking
I figured that would be a fitting title for this post considering I'm at the beach.
I took some time today to just sit on the beach and reflect, here are a couple thoughts that came to me.
1) Grace. Its easy as a Christian, especially for me, to let my mind wander on about different theologies, mysteries, and cool things from the scriptures. There is one thing, however, that always seems more amazing and beautiful each time I meditate on it: the unending grace our God lavishes upon us. Its the simplest, yet most overwhelming thought about the Gospel. To think of the sin that has so deeply stained, the sin I cannot remove myself, has been cast "as far as the east is from the west". I think Isaiah captures this so great:
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool."
"Let us reason together..." Ponder on that thought. Though we were stained with the deepest red, HIS GRACE HAS WASHED US WHITE AS SNOW! Using this illustration more I think almost poetically God intended us to think of how mysterious, glorious, and awing it is that the Blood of Jesus (a deep crimson red in itself) should wash over us, already deeply stained by a crimson sin, and make us white as snow. This is all we can rest upon, that on the day we stand before HIM, Grace will abound.
2) I'm reminded of my smallness, and His enormity. Looking out into the ocean definitely makes you feel finite, and small. Yet how much larger is the coast at large? How much more so the country? The World? the UNIVERSE?! We are but a speck in time and space. Our life but a millisecond compared to eternity. Yet he is all encompassing, all powerful, all loving, Sovereign over all. This also reminds me of ministry. Jesus tells us at the end of Matthew:
“...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Thinking specifically of Dixie I just think of the kids there that are crying out to God. That want Life! That want fulfillment! That are yearning for a Joy that is everlasting! So many don't know Jesus, yet Dixie is just a shadow of the community, and even less so of the country. We live in a "blessed" nation. We have food, shelter, and enough time to enjoy whatever pleasure we want. Yet we so often forsake our great creator, redeemer God. The day is drawing near when we will see Him in Glory, coming from the sky. He will renew His creation, and take with Him those who want Him. I pray for urgency within myself, for faith and courage to boldly take this glorious news to the unloved. That the broken would be redeemed. That NO MORE will kids at Dixie go through days hurting, thinking they are nothing more than flesh and blood. That this country will stop giving allegiance to an idea and a flag, and fall to their knees and give praise to the KING of Kings, LORD of Lords, The Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End...... That we would know Jesus, and Him crucified as our lives. AMEN.
I took some time today to just sit on the beach and reflect, here are a couple thoughts that came to me.
1) Grace. Its easy as a Christian, especially for me, to let my mind wander on about different theologies, mysteries, and cool things from the scriptures. There is one thing, however, that always seems more amazing and beautiful each time I meditate on it: the unending grace our God lavishes upon us. Its the simplest, yet most overwhelming thought about the Gospel. To think of the sin that has so deeply stained, the sin I cannot remove myself, has been cast "as far as the east is from the west". I think Isaiah captures this so great:
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool."
"Let us reason together..." Ponder on that thought. Though we were stained with the deepest red, HIS GRACE HAS WASHED US WHITE AS SNOW! Using this illustration more I think almost poetically God intended us to think of how mysterious, glorious, and awing it is that the Blood of Jesus (a deep crimson red in itself) should wash over us, already deeply stained by a crimson sin, and make us white as snow. This is all we can rest upon, that on the day we stand before HIM, Grace will abound.
2) I'm reminded of my smallness, and His enormity. Looking out into the ocean definitely makes you feel finite, and small. Yet how much larger is the coast at large? How much more so the country? The World? the UNIVERSE?! We are but a speck in time and space. Our life but a millisecond compared to eternity. Yet he is all encompassing, all powerful, all loving, Sovereign over all. This also reminds me of ministry. Jesus tells us at the end of Matthew:
“...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Thinking specifically of Dixie I just think of the kids there that are crying out to God. That want Life! That want fulfillment! That are yearning for a Joy that is everlasting! So many don't know Jesus, yet Dixie is just a shadow of the community, and even less so of the country. We live in a "blessed" nation. We have food, shelter, and enough time to enjoy whatever pleasure we want. Yet we so often forsake our great creator, redeemer God. The day is drawing near when we will see Him in Glory, coming from the sky. He will renew His creation, and take with Him those who want Him. I pray for urgency within myself, for faith and courage to boldly take this glorious news to the unloved. That the broken would be redeemed. That NO MORE will kids at Dixie go through days hurting, thinking they are nothing more than flesh and blood. That this country will stop giving allegiance to an idea and a flag, and fall to their knees and give praise to the KING of Kings, LORD of Lords, The Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End...... That we would know Jesus, and Him crucified as our lives. AMEN.
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