My parents and I had a talk and they wish me to terminate my blogs for the time being. Meaning after a time I’ll delete this blog and then as I get older resume them. When this happens I’ll make sure to let you know. :-) I’m not exactly what I would say happy about this but I know that I must honor my parents. It’s hard, but it’s what must be done. They’ve shown me this, and they want this time in my life to be for other things. That being said, stay strong in the faith and know that God is with you. He will be your guide. This Psalm really speaks to me at this time, and I pray it will to you as well.
Psa 40:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psa 40:2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
Psa 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
Psa 40:4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!
Psa 40:5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
Psa 40:7 Then I said, "Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
Psa 40:8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
Psa 40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
Psa 40:10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Psa 40:11 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!
Psa 40:12 For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
Psa 40:13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!
Psa 40:14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt!
Psa 40:15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, "Aha, Aha!"
Psa 40:16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the LORD!"
Psa 40:17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!
God bless!
-Justin
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Camps....School....Money....
The title explains myself for the most part. There’s this speech and debate camp that my brother and I are planning on attending.... it’s not working out as well as it should. School.... should I duel enroll or is that to much for me? Money..... simply doesn’t grow on trees. But I ask myself this. In the end, do I TRULY have a say in anything? Well.... no. No, not really. God’s the one who will get me to camp if I’m supposed to be there. God’s the one that will decide through my parents, if I should duel enroll, God’s the one that will provide the money that’s needed, IF I’m supposed to do those particular things. Once again, my previous post seems to fit in with this one. Trust. One simple word. Trust. That’s all I have to do! Easy right? Well, ok, maybe not.
I continually find God’s awesome power through the Psalms. I just don’t know how He does it. But some how, each day I read the Psalms, it has something to do with my present circumstances. It’s, well, beyond supernatural. I read the third Psalm, didn’t find what I would call comfort in it. Then went to the 33rd Psalm, same thing. It’s at the 66th Psalm that I stopped. Stunned. Yes, of course, it was aligned perfectly with my present circumstances. It was just what I needed to hear this morning. Just what I needed to hear to tell me that trust is what I need. True, faithful, never ending trust.
Psa 66:2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Psa 66:3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
Psa 66:4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name." Selah.
Psa 66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
Psa 66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,
Psa 66:7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations-- let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
Psa 66:8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
Psa 66:9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
Psa 66:10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
Psa 66:11 You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
Psa 66:12 you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
Psa 66:13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you,
Psa 66:14 that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
Psa 66:15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah.
Psa 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
Psa 66:17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
Psa 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Psa 66:19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psa 66:20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
Incredible isn’t it? Such an amazing Psalm. Why would I freak out over these things, or get frustrated, or angry? There simply is no point in doing such things! God is so greater than ANY problem I could ever encounter. He controls all, knows all, is in all. With Christ on my side, who can stand against me?
I continually find God’s awesome power through the Psalms. I just don’t know how He does it. But some how, each day I read the Psalms, it has something to do with my present circumstances. It’s, well, beyond supernatural. I read the third Psalm, didn’t find what I would call comfort in it. Then went to the 33rd Psalm, same thing. It’s at the 66th Psalm that I stopped. Stunned. Yes, of course, it was aligned perfectly with my present circumstances. It was just what I needed to hear this morning. Just what I needed to hear to tell me that trust is what I need. True, faithful, never ending trust.
Psa 66:2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Psa 66:3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
Psa 66:4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name." Selah.
Psa 66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
Psa 66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,
Psa 66:7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations-- let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
Psa 66:8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
Psa 66:9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
Psa 66:10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
Psa 66:11 You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
Psa 66:12 you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
Psa 66:13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you,
Psa 66:14 that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
Psa 66:15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah.
Psa 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
Psa 66:17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
Psa 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Psa 66:19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psa 66:20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
Incredible isn’t it? Such an amazing Psalm. Why would I freak out over these things, or get frustrated, or angry? There simply is no point in doing such things! God is so greater than ANY problem I could ever encounter. He controls all, knows all, is in all. With Christ on my side, who can stand against me?
Monday, May 25, 2009
I Will Trust In You......
Psa 55:1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Psa 55:2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
Psa 55:3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
Psa 55:4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Psa 55:5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
Psa 55:6 And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
Psa 55:7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah.
Psa 55:8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest."
Psa 55:9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.
Psa 55:10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;
Psa 55:11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
Psa 55:12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me-- then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me-- then I could hide from him.
Psa 55:13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.
Psa 55:14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng.
Psa 55:15 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
Psa 55:16 But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
Psa 55:18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
Psa 55:19 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah, because they do not change and do not fear God.
Psa 55:20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant.
Psa 55:21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Psa 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psa 55:23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
I don’t know about you, but this Psalm seems to reflect my life in so many ways. I feel myself sinking, feel the burden of my sin and shame pushing me further and further into the pit of death. I feel that I simply cannot go any farther. Yet, how many times do I forget to just, simply go and call upon the name of my Father? How many times do I think that I can fix it myself. Or worse yet, how many times do I just let it go, and let it build up within me?
It’s so hard to remember that God will help me. God will save me. He will always be at my right hand to help and guide me. Nothing is to hard for Him. I have got to learn that when times are hard, I can’t just turn to wordly things, or turn to nothing at all but sin. I must ask God to put in my heart that passion for Him, for when things get rough to follow Him, go to Him, TRUST in Him. Let us make that our goal this week. Let’s take each hard situation, and simply trust and follow Him.
For any of you that I will be seeing on Sunday, if you want to do this with me, I’d love to hear about it at church. :-)
God bless!
-Your brother in Christ
Psa 55:2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
Psa 55:3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
Psa 55:4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Psa 55:5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
Psa 55:6 And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
Psa 55:7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah.
Psa 55:8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest."
Psa 55:9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.
Psa 55:10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;
Psa 55:11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
Psa 55:12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me-- then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me-- then I could hide from him.
Psa 55:13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.
Psa 55:14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng.
Psa 55:15 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
Psa 55:16 But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
Psa 55:18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
Psa 55:19 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah, because they do not change and do not fear God.
Psa 55:20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant.
Psa 55:21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Psa 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psa 55:23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
I don’t know about you, but this Psalm seems to reflect my life in so many ways. I feel myself sinking, feel the burden of my sin and shame pushing me further and further into the pit of death. I feel that I simply cannot go any farther. Yet, how many times do I forget to just, simply go and call upon the name of my Father? How many times do I think that I can fix it myself. Or worse yet, how many times do I just let it go, and let it build up within me?
It’s so hard to remember that God will help me. God will save me. He will always be at my right hand to help and guide me. Nothing is to hard for Him. I have got to learn that when times are hard, I can’t just turn to wordly things, or turn to nothing at all but sin. I must ask God to put in my heart that passion for Him, for when things get rough to follow Him, go to Him, TRUST in Him. Let us make that our goal this week. Let’s take each hard situation, and simply trust and follow Him.
For any of you that I will be seeing on Sunday, if you want to do this with me, I’d love to hear about it at church. :-)
God bless!
-Your brother in Christ
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Integrity......
For all this time that I’ve been sincerely in love with the Psalms I must admit that until this morning I had NEVER read the 101st Psalm! I know.... unbelievable.... Well, it truly struck me, and I ended up simply turning it into a prayer and I will be trying to make this truth as the days go on.
Psa 101:1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.
Psa 101:2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
Psa 101:3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
Psa 101:4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
Psa 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
Psa 101:6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
Psa 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
Psa 101:8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.
Isn’t that amazing? I truly believe that this should be our prayer. In this day and age, we need people who would take a prayer like this, and truly take it to heart. May we be a generation of Godly young men and women who would strive for two things and two things only. God, and integrity. For with those two things, the rest will follow.
Psa 101:1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.
Psa 101:2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
Psa 101:3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
Psa 101:4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
Psa 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
Psa 101:6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
Psa 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
Psa 101:8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.
Isn’t that amazing? I truly believe that this should be our prayer. In this day and age, we need people who would take a prayer like this, and truly take it to heart. May we be a generation of Godly young men and women who would strive for two things and two things only. God, and integrity. For with those two things, the rest will follow.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Set Me Free......
I get this little story from inspiration really just from God and also Set me free by Casting Crowns--
The young man walked into the family room one blazing afternoon to see his mother working away at her daily duties. “Oh, hello son, it would mean so much to me if you would go get the mail!”
With a sigh he said yes and trudged out of the house. Then he stopped. Thinking to himself, “Wait a pretty little second... This is perfect! Maybe there’ll be another little magazine for me...” His face brightened with an evil grin as he began walking again, “I’ve worm out the other one, and mom never knows when she gets those things anyway.”
As he walked he turned a corner and at the end of the drive saw the mailbox. Living in the country it was quite a distance from the house. “I’ll just stick it half way in my jeans and cover the rest up with my shirt. It’ll be perfect. Last time I had to steal from their room, this’ll be much easier.”
“Stop it son.”
“What? Hello? Who is that?”
No response. He continued down the road, his will still strong. A quarter of the way there now.
“Don’t do it son.”
“Who on earth is that! Come out now, who are you! My dad’s at work stop messing around!”
“I am right next to you. Right here, I’m here to save you.”
“Right, gotcha, save me from what you freak.”
“From yourself.”
“Oh hey, that’s a catchy line, now let’s drop the jokes and stop this ventriloquism or whatever it is.”
“It’s not ventriloquism son.”
The young man thought to himself, “Who is this freak?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!” shouted the voice.
“Whoa! Hey! I never said anything! How’d you know I just said that?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve already said that. But, you can read minds?”
“I can do anything son, I know all.”
“ooohhh, scary, should I hide?” Said the kid with a snear.
“What have I done?” Replied the voice in sadness.
“I thought you knew it all, what ever happened to that?”
“You know, that girl in third grade was pretty, but whatever made you like her?” Asked the voice.
“Holy smokes, how do you know that?!”
“I’ve already said. What about Maurice, what’s so bad about him? Why do you hate him so much?”
“Ok, ok, ok, you’ve made your point, my gosh. Just, buzz off will ya? I’ve got a job to do.”
“I shall not. You are heading in the wrong direction. I am here to save you.”
“Save me. Save me? Save me from what?”
“Your sin.”
“Sin, right, sin. What right have you to save me from anything!”
“I created you, I knew you before the foundations of the world. I brought you to life.”
“Nice, very nice, well you did a bad job of it.” At this moment the young man reached the mailbox, he opened it, grabbed and mail and started looking through it. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” It was there, just what he wanted. Just what he had hoped for. As he shut the mailbox and turned around he collapsed to his knees. “What on earth?” He looked up and saw him there, the man, the one who had been talking to him. He didn’t know why he instantly knew it was him, but he just did. He thought to himself, “What have I done?”
“You have brought anguish to your Maker.” Replied the man in front of him.
“You’re... You’re my God aren’t you?” His eyes were opened, he saw the man in front of him, he saw his Maker.
“I am your Lord and Savior in whom you take refuge.”
“What have I done?”He asked again, “Are you the one who can set the captive free?”
“Yes, I can set the captive free.”
“I wanna be free! Set me free!” In an instant the young man felt the shackles fall from his hands, felt the burden fall off his back, he was free. The magazine was gone, his eyes were opened, he was alive.
“Go now, go to your mother, be her true son.”
___________________________________________
Now, this is a pretty lame story, at least, I think so. But that’s hardly the point. The point I’m trying to make to all of you is that God does save us. He’s saved me before. He will come to you and talk to you, and be with you. We must heed His warnings. Come when He calls, and pray for protection. Temptation is an evil thing, it’s a hard thing too. I won’t say if girls or guys struggle with it more, but I will say that I struggle with it immensely. It’s almost one of those things where when I find myself not doing something, I must find something quickly, or I’ll start to fall. It’s in those times though that God will be with us. He will protect us. You’ve got to call upon His name and ask Him to set you free! God will set you free.
-Your brother in Christ
The young man walked into the family room one blazing afternoon to see his mother working away at her daily duties. “Oh, hello son, it would mean so much to me if you would go get the mail!”
With a sigh he said yes and trudged out of the house. Then he stopped. Thinking to himself, “Wait a pretty little second... This is perfect! Maybe there’ll be another little magazine for me...” His face brightened with an evil grin as he began walking again, “I’ve worm out the other one, and mom never knows when she gets those things anyway.”
As he walked he turned a corner and at the end of the drive saw the mailbox. Living in the country it was quite a distance from the house. “I’ll just stick it half way in my jeans and cover the rest up with my shirt. It’ll be perfect. Last time I had to steal from their room, this’ll be much easier.”
“Stop it son.”
“What? Hello? Who is that?”
No response. He continued down the road, his will still strong. A quarter of the way there now.
“Don’t do it son.”
“Who on earth is that! Come out now, who are you! My dad’s at work stop messing around!”
“I am right next to you. Right here, I’m here to save you.”
“Right, gotcha, save me from what you freak.”
“From yourself.”
“Oh hey, that’s a catchy line, now let’s drop the jokes and stop this ventriloquism or whatever it is.”
“It’s not ventriloquism son.”
The young man thought to himself, “Who is this freak?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!” shouted the voice.
“Whoa! Hey! I never said anything! How’d you know I just said that?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve already said that. But, you can read minds?”
“I can do anything son, I know all.”
“ooohhh, scary, should I hide?” Said the kid with a snear.
“What have I done?” Replied the voice in sadness.
“I thought you knew it all, what ever happened to that?”
“You know, that girl in third grade was pretty, but whatever made you like her?” Asked the voice.
“Holy smokes, how do you know that?!”
“I’ve already said. What about Maurice, what’s so bad about him? Why do you hate him so much?”
“Ok, ok, ok, you’ve made your point, my gosh. Just, buzz off will ya? I’ve got a job to do.”
“I shall not. You are heading in the wrong direction. I am here to save you.”
“Save me. Save me? Save me from what?”
“Your sin.”
“Sin, right, sin. What right have you to save me from anything!”
“I created you, I knew you before the foundations of the world. I brought you to life.”
“Nice, very nice, well you did a bad job of it.” At this moment the young man reached the mailbox, he opened it, grabbed and mail and started looking through it. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” It was there, just what he wanted. Just what he had hoped for. As he shut the mailbox and turned around he collapsed to his knees. “What on earth?” He looked up and saw him there, the man, the one who had been talking to him. He didn’t know why he instantly knew it was him, but he just did. He thought to himself, “What have I done?”
“You have brought anguish to your Maker.” Replied the man in front of him.
“You’re... You’re my God aren’t you?” His eyes were opened, he saw the man in front of him, he saw his Maker.
“I am your Lord and Savior in whom you take refuge.”
“What have I done?”He asked again, “Are you the one who can set the captive free?”
“Yes, I can set the captive free.”
“I wanna be free! Set me free!” In an instant the young man felt the shackles fall from his hands, felt the burden fall off his back, he was free. The magazine was gone, his eyes were opened, he was alive.
“Go now, go to your mother, be her true son.”
___________________________________________
Now, this is a pretty lame story, at least, I think so. But that’s hardly the point. The point I’m trying to make to all of you is that God does save us. He’s saved me before. He will come to you and talk to you, and be with you. We must heed His warnings. Come when He calls, and pray for protection. Temptation is an evil thing, it’s a hard thing too. I won’t say if girls or guys struggle with it more, but I will say that I struggle with it immensely. It’s almost one of those things where when I find myself not doing something, I must find something quickly, or I’ll start to fall. It’s in those times though that God will be with us. He will protect us. You’ve got to call upon His name and ask Him to set you free! God will set you free.
-Your brother in Christ
Monday, May 18, 2009
Psalm 18......
This morning I woke up and read Psalm 18. It truly spoke to me in an amazing way. I had gone to bed feeling irritated, borderline depressed, and not knowing why. Surprisingly I woke up with a passion to simply start praying for my dear friends. Praying for my family, and finally praying for myself. I did this as I got a glass of water, started waking myself up, then I grabbed my Bible. I went into the living room by the open window and just sat there praying while the intensely refreshing spring air came in from outdoors. It was so amazing. Finally I opened my Bible to the Psalm of the day. Mind you, it is a long one. :-)
18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
I simply find comfort and joy in these fifty verses. As the first verse says David prayed this Psalm after he was saved from the hands of Saul. He is rejoicing in the fact that God spared His life. But, the words are simply so powerful. I love using those words in my own personal prayer time, if I’m feeling weak. “You Lord are my rock and my fortress”. Isn’t it so true? God is our deliverer, our fortress; we can take refuge in His awesome mighty name. He will never let us down.
The entire section of how God came to David is also impacting. He came in darkness, flame coming from His mouth. He seemingly smothered David’s enemies in seconds. Destroyed them completely. This too touched me – “18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”
God will watch over us, and be merciful to us, if we are merciful ourselves. He will be there for us in our time of need, if we have faith in Him. Faith like the grain of a mustered seed. We must have faith that moves mountains.
David was a warrior, he wasn’t any wimp of a guy. He was strong, powerful, brave, and a fearsome leader. When he says that God gave him strength to bend a bow of bronze? Yeah, wow, that’s pretty awesome. Then he goes on to tell how God allowed him to thrust down his enemies. But you see who is in it all? God. God is the definer of everything that David is doing. And that’s true! God is the proverbial boss over us. How many of us realize that we’re completely feckless when it comes to life? I surely don’t. I just don’t ever seem to get it. With life so utterly complicated there’s no way that we could possibly wield the power to control it. Why do you think we have God?
I hope and pray that what I have said has touched you in some special way today. May God bless you, and keep you.
-Your brother in Christ
18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
I simply find comfort and joy in these fifty verses. As the first verse says David prayed this Psalm after he was saved from the hands of Saul. He is rejoicing in the fact that God spared His life. But, the words are simply so powerful. I love using those words in my own personal prayer time, if I’m feeling weak. “You Lord are my rock and my fortress”. Isn’t it so true? God is our deliverer, our fortress; we can take refuge in His awesome mighty name. He will never let us down.
The entire section of how God came to David is also impacting. He came in darkness, flame coming from His mouth. He seemingly smothered David’s enemies in seconds. Destroyed them completely. This too touched me – “18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”
God will watch over us, and be merciful to us, if we are merciful ourselves. He will be there for us in our time of need, if we have faith in Him. Faith like the grain of a mustered seed. We must have faith that moves mountains.
David was a warrior, he wasn’t any wimp of a guy. He was strong, powerful, brave, and a fearsome leader. When he says that God gave him strength to bend a bow of bronze? Yeah, wow, that’s pretty awesome. Then he goes on to tell how God allowed him to thrust down his enemies. But you see who is in it all? God. God is the definer of everything that David is doing. And that’s true! God is the proverbial boss over us. How many of us realize that we’re completely feckless when it comes to life? I surely don’t. I just don’t ever seem to get it. With life so utterly complicated there’s no way that we could possibly wield the power to control it. Why do you think we have God?
I hope and pray that what I have said has touched you in some special way today. May God bless you, and keep you.
-Your brother in Christ
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Prayer for my friends......
Lord, all I hear is pain, suffering
Agony and tears
Life seems so complicated
It doesn’t seem fair.
I need Your help,
I need Your guidance
This cannot be done on my own
Lord I lift my friends to you
They seem to have an endless amount of sorrow
No happiness or joy
They need You Lord
Please stay by their side
All I can do is pray
Prayer seems so futile
Yet Lord, I know that You will save them
Save them from their pain
I lift these friends to You
I will pray night and day
But You are the only Savior
You will keep them in Your arms
Keep my friends under Your wings
Help them and guide them
Spare them from suffering
And bring them to the light
Agony and tears
Life seems so complicated
It doesn’t seem fair.
I need Your help,
I need Your guidance
This cannot be done on my own
Lord I lift my friends to you
They seem to have an endless amount of sorrow
No happiness or joy
They need You Lord
Please stay by their side
All I can do is pray
Prayer seems so futile
Yet Lord, I know that You will save them
Save them from their pain
I lift these friends to You
I will pray night and day
But You are the only Savior
You will keep them in Your arms
Keep my friends under Your wings
Help them and guide them
Spare them from suffering
And bring them to the light
Monday, May 11, 2009
Hear my cry......
Lord, be the defender and protector of my faith
Do not let me fall into temptation
Restore my soul
Allow me to follow you all the days of my life
Do not let me stumble
Lead me down the right path, to Your glory
I am but a filthy rag
Make me to be like that tree of the first Psalm
Planted by the rivers of water
Allow me to grow and flourish
Don’t let me die
I will trust in Your promise
I will follow Your truth
But Lord, I cannot do it on my own
Give me breath and life
Incline Your ear to me cry
Incline Your ear to my weeping
I am nothing without You
I am nothing without my Savior
Bring me to life...
Do not let me fall into temptation
Restore my soul
Allow me to follow you all the days of my life
Do not let me stumble
Lead me down the right path, to Your glory
I am but a filthy rag
Make me to be like that tree of the first Psalm
Planted by the rivers of water
Allow me to grow and flourish
Don’t let me die
I will trust in Your promise
I will follow Your truth
But Lord, I cannot do it on my own
Give me breath and life
Incline Your ear to me cry
Incline Your ear to my weeping
I am nothing without You
I am nothing without my Savior
Bring me to life...
My Prayer......
Lord, fill my soul with Your presence
Lead me to Your cross
Shelter me from the wiles of my enemies
Keep me under Your wings
You are my salvation
You are my ever-present help in times of need
You are always there for me
Even though I may walk through that valley of death
Even though my enemy may triumph over me
Even though the evil one will plot day and night against me
You are there
I cannot hide from your grace
I cannot hide from your love
You will never let me go
Though storms may rage
Though trials may flood over me
Though pain may leave me weak
Nothing will keep You from taking my hand once more
There is no one like You
Always watchful over me
Never ceasing to show me Your mercy
Lord, fill my spirit with Your presence
Lead me, lead me on...
Lead me to Your cross
Shelter me from the wiles of my enemies
Keep me under Your wings
You are my salvation
You are my ever-present help in times of need
You are always there for me
Even though I may walk through that valley of death
Even though my enemy may triumph over me
Even though the evil one will plot day and night against me
You are there
I cannot hide from your grace
I cannot hide from your love
You will never let me go
Though storms may rage
Though trials may flood over me
Though pain may leave me weak
Nothing will keep You from taking my hand once more
There is no one like You
Always watchful over me
Never ceasing to show me Your mercy
Lord, fill my spirit with Your presence
Lead me, lead me on...
Monday, May 4, 2009
Life...... (see me through)
Sometimes life is seemingly extra hard. This post happens to be short simply because life is hitting extra hard. It seems to me that when I have a fabulous week, one that just couldn’t have possibly been better, followed up by the best Saturday of my life, and once again followed by an amazing and life-changing Sunday. After all this, life just looks dull, painful, distressing. It’s like the lights turn off and my tiny utopia is thrown into darkness.
As truly hard as it is for me to say, I must trust in God at this moment. Life was so perfect, now life is so imperfect. May God seem me through. As I wrote that last sentence, I just remembered a song, I should listen to it. :-) .... here are the lyrics...
As I wait for You, would You come and see me through
The darkness of this side
I know it’s all for You, that in the end You would find
A pure and spotless bride
For I’m a stranger here with You
Struggling inside to be a resting place for You
I was made to be with You
And I don’t truly rest until I find my rest in You
So come and see me through
As I journey on, You will lead me by Your hand
And receive me in the end
Whom have I but You, and there is none upon the earth
That can save me but You
As I journey on this path of life
Let me find favor in Your eyes
To walk humbly before Your eyes always, always
Whom have I in heaven but You
And only what You say will really see me through
Send forth Your light and truth, and lead me, lead me on
Lord have mercy, ‘cause it’s my only means
To find You here with me, to find you here with me
As for me, I will enter Your house by the mercy You’re giving me now
Your mercy is my only means
Life is not right until You split the sky
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”
We long for the day when You make all things new
We want to be with You
May this be my prayer...
-Your brother in Christ
As truly hard as it is for me to say, I must trust in God at this moment. Life was so perfect, now life is so imperfect. May God seem me through. As I wrote that last sentence, I just remembered a song, I should listen to it. :-) .... here are the lyrics...
As I wait for You, would You come and see me through
The darkness of this side
I know it’s all for You, that in the end You would find
A pure and spotless bride
For I’m a stranger here with You
Struggling inside to be a resting place for You
I was made to be with You
And I don’t truly rest until I find my rest in You
So come and see me through
As I journey on, You will lead me by Your hand
And receive me in the end
Whom have I but You, and there is none upon the earth
That can save me but You
As I journey on this path of life
Let me find favor in Your eyes
To walk humbly before Your eyes always, always
Whom have I in heaven but You
And only what You say will really see me through
Send forth Your light and truth, and lead me, lead me on
Lord have mercy, ‘cause it’s my only means
To find You here with me, to find you here with me
As for me, I will enter Your house by the mercy You’re giving me now
Your mercy is my only means
Life is not right until You split the sky
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”
We long for the day when You make all things new
We want to be with You
May this be my prayer...
-Your brother in Christ
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sin......
I woke up this morning thinking that I would start my day out like I usually do. That is, without a serious prayer and Bible time. I used to be good about getting up, grabbing my Bible, and getting right to it. But the last couple of months I haven’t been doing so hot in that area of life. There have been morning appointments, and various other sublimely ridiculous excuses. I would always “make it up” of course by reading it later in the day. Yet, there isn’t always that true, “Oneness” with Christ when I’m hurrying through the “task” of reading my Bible and praying.
This morning however, I woke up, checked my e-mail, and was starting the day out like any other day. Yet, I felt something in my heart say to me, “Justin... go, right now, talk with God, pray.” I was pretty sure that this thought most likely came from God Himself so I followed His command. I went upstairs, grabbed my Bible, and headed for the living room. Sat there on the couch and stared out the window. I felt instantly that I was being attacked. I was trying so hard to focus on my prayers yet, random things kept slipping in and overtaking my mind’s thoughts. I started to pray that God would grant me peace at this moment that I would be allowed to focus on Him. He indeed granted that request.
After about 20 minutes of amazing prayer for the Teen Pact staff, my closest friend, other friends, myself, and my family I finally decided to open my Bible. I thought, “I’ll read the Psalms, their the best.” I figured I mine as well read the Psalm of the day but I couldn’t remember the date. I was thinking, “In the car on Tuesday, Taylor read the 18th Psalm. So, Wednesday, 19, Thursday, 20, today 21st.” Now, as I’m sure some of you know this was inaccurate deducing. Indeed, Taylor had read the 28th Psalm, not the 18th. Just once again shows God’s amazing ability to lead me through life. The 21st Psalm was pretty amazing, but, I decided to also go to the next one, the 51st Psalm. That’s where it all started to hit me. As I was reading I noticed I was reading in a whisper out loud. I found myself looking up to the ceiling as I read this Psalm, praying it fervently to God. Here is that Psalm for you, maybe, if you pray it like I did, you’ll find tears coming down your face as well...
Psa 51:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Psa 51:16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
Psa 51:19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
God truly is amazing. He has done so much for me in my life. Yet, do I show this to Him? Do I wake up in the morning and say, “YES! I get to worship God!”? No, I don’t. Honestly folks, truthfully, I don’t. I’m not sure if you do as well, but I know I have this problem. If any of you feel this way, and are willing to share about it, I’ll be more than glad to pray for you, and would love it if you would pray for me. We must stick to Christ, worship Him. He is our King, and we must show Him due respect. I would appreciate it if you all would pray that I would have that passion once again for Christ. He is my Lord and Savior, yet, I tend to loose sight of the end goal. Let’s band together, and work towards God, trusting in His name, and honoring Him through praise and prayer.
-Your brother in Christ
This morning however, I woke up, checked my e-mail, and was starting the day out like any other day. Yet, I felt something in my heart say to me, “Justin... go, right now, talk with God, pray.” I was pretty sure that this thought most likely came from God Himself so I followed His command. I went upstairs, grabbed my Bible, and headed for the living room. Sat there on the couch and stared out the window. I felt instantly that I was being attacked. I was trying so hard to focus on my prayers yet, random things kept slipping in and overtaking my mind’s thoughts. I started to pray that God would grant me peace at this moment that I would be allowed to focus on Him. He indeed granted that request.
After about 20 minutes of amazing prayer for the Teen Pact staff, my closest friend, other friends, myself, and my family I finally decided to open my Bible. I thought, “I’ll read the Psalms, their the best.” I figured I mine as well read the Psalm of the day but I couldn’t remember the date. I was thinking, “In the car on Tuesday, Taylor read the 18th Psalm. So, Wednesday, 19, Thursday, 20, today 21st.” Now, as I’m sure some of you know this was inaccurate deducing. Indeed, Taylor had read the 28th Psalm, not the 18th. Just once again shows God’s amazing ability to lead me through life. The 21st Psalm was pretty amazing, but, I decided to also go to the next one, the 51st Psalm. That’s where it all started to hit me. As I was reading I noticed I was reading in a whisper out loud. I found myself looking up to the ceiling as I read this Psalm, praying it fervently to God. Here is that Psalm for you, maybe, if you pray it like I did, you’ll find tears coming down your face as well...
Psa 51:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Psa 51:16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
Psa 51:19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
God truly is amazing. He has done so much for me in my life. Yet, do I show this to Him? Do I wake up in the morning and say, “YES! I get to worship God!”? No, I don’t. Honestly folks, truthfully, I don’t. I’m not sure if you do as well, but I know I have this problem. If any of you feel this way, and are willing to share about it, I’ll be more than glad to pray for you, and would love it if you would pray for me. We must stick to Christ, worship Him. He is our King, and we must show Him due respect. I would appreciate it if you all would pray that I would have that passion once again for Christ. He is my Lord and Savior, yet, I tend to loose sight of the end goal. Let’s band together, and work towards God, trusting in His name, and honoring Him through praise and prayer.
-Your brother in Christ
Saturday, April 25, 2009
New Blog!
Hello! I just thought I would inform you that I have created a more personal blog just about my life! This way you can see what various things are going on with me rather than just my random Biblical thoughts. :) Thanks!
http://justink-lifeandtimes.blogspot.com/
-JK
http://justink-lifeandtimes.blogspot.com/
-JK
The Main Thing......
Some of you may have read my post about friends a couple days ago. If you haven’t I would encourage you to before reading this post simply because it is a sequel to that one in some ways.
Fact: No human being is omniscient
Fact: God is omniscient
Fact: We can’t see what will come in the future for us
Fact: God can
At times in life I think we can all agree that life just seems to hate us. Nothing goes right, everything falls apart, bad things happen. I seemed to have a day like that this week and I tried my hardest to keep myself in one piece. I prayed, read the Bible, mostly tried to stay sane. Yet, in the end I came through. It was that day that I “lost” one of my friends. But that you have already read about. The point of this post is to say that all things happen for the good. And truly, all things do happen for the good. I can say that even though I can’t really talk to that friend and such, I’ve reconnected with another one. This other friend, we used to be amazingly close. Then some various things happen and it tore us apart. But has strengthen that relationship in a mighty way this week. This brings a whole new meaning to, “You give and You take away...” God may have taken something away from me, but, who knows? Maybe if He hadn’t that other friendship would have stayed at the dull state that it was.
We have to look at life in the light of God’s eyes. We mustn’t stand by and pout, moan, groan and whine about how life is treating us so cruelly. This is sin. If you say this, you are saying that God doesn’t know what He’s doing. I have been saying that God doesn’t know what He’s doing in my life. There’s always a bigger picture.
If any of you have been to an art museum I think you would probably say that the thing that impressed you most was that in person the pictures are so much bigger! You see them online, in a book, wherever. But, as you walk into that gallery, you stammer back, your eyes go wide, the pictures are so much bigger. God created that gallery people, God created those pictures. All we can see is the little sample picture in the textbook. I can’t rely on the sample picture; I must rely on the real thing.
My most favorite Sermon by Pastor John Piper is called, “The Main Thing”. His theme for the sermon is about a song that one of his daughters was blasting in her room. It was a Christian song that at first made no sense to him. The chorus line went something like this, “The main thing, is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” Sounds a little absurd at first yes, but, what does that really mean? It’s really a profound statement if you think about it long enough.
The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. What is the main thing? Is it our pretty little utopian lives? Is it our computers or books, is it friends and family? No. The main thing is God. The main thing is trusting in His everlasting love and grace. The main thing is knowing with a full heart that God loves me, that God knows what He’s doing and He’s not going to let me down. Once I’ve lost the main thing, I’ve lost it all. If this is the main thing, then, I’ve got make sure that this idea stays with me. I have got to keep the main thing, the main thing. My goal in life should be keeping the main thing, the main thing.
Life is so short, why do we spend our days idly complaining about our shirt being wrinkled, our coffee being too cold, our house too hot. What’s the point of life? It’s to glorify our heavenly Father. It says in
Psalm 39 – "O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah. Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
When life is so short, we must keep the main thing, the main thing......
Fact: No human being is omniscient
Fact: God is omniscient
Fact: We can’t see what will come in the future for us
Fact: God can
At times in life I think we can all agree that life just seems to hate us. Nothing goes right, everything falls apart, bad things happen. I seemed to have a day like that this week and I tried my hardest to keep myself in one piece. I prayed, read the Bible, mostly tried to stay sane. Yet, in the end I came through. It was that day that I “lost” one of my friends. But that you have already read about. The point of this post is to say that all things happen for the good. And truly, all things do happen for the good. I can say that even though I can’t really talk to that friend and such, I’ve reconnected with another one. This other friend, we used to be amazingly close. Then some various things happen and it tore us apart. But has strengthen that relationship in a mighty way this week. This brings a whole new meaning to, “You give and You take away...” God may have taken something away from me, but, who knows? Maybe if He hadn’t that other friendship would have stayed at the dull state that it was.
We have to look at life in the light of God’s eyes. We mustn’t stand by and pout, moan, groan and whine about how life is treating us so cruelly. This is sin. If you say this, you are saying that God doesn’t know what He’s doing. I have been saying that God doesn’t know what He’s doing in my life. There’s always a bigger picture.
If any of you have been to an art museum I think you would probably say that the thing that impressed you most was that in person the pictures are so much bigger! You see them online, in a book, wherever. But, as you walk into that gallery, you stammer back, your eyes go wide, the pictures are so much bigger. God created that gallery people, God created those pictures. All we can see is the little sample picture in the textbook. I can’t rely on the sample picture; I must rely on the real thing.
My most favorite Sermon by Pastor John Piper is called, “The Main Thing”. His theme for the sermon is about a song that one of his daughters was blasting in her room. It was a Christian song that at first made no sense to him. The chorus line went something like this, “The main thing, is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” Sounds a little absurd at first yes, but, what does that really mean? It’s really a profound statement if you think about it long enough.
The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. What is the main thing? Is it our pretty little utopian lives? Is it our computers or books, is it friends and family? No. The main thing is God. The main thing is trusting in His everlasting love and grace. The main thing is knowing with a full heart that God loves me, that God knows what He’s doing and He’s not going to let me down. Once I’ve lost the main thing, I’ve lost it all. If this is the main thing, then, I’ve got make sure that this idea stays with me. I have got to keep the main thing, the main thing. My goal in life should be keeping the main thing, the main thing.
Life is so short, why do we spend our days idly complaining about our shirt being wrinkled, our coffee being too cold, our house too hot. What’s the point of life? It’s to glorify our heavenly Father. It says in
Psalm 39 – "O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah. Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
When life is so short, we must keep the main thing, the main thing......
Friday, April 24, 2009
She sits......
She sits, curled up as tight as she can in her overstuffed chair in the corner of her room. The room is dark. The only glimmer of hope is the shaft of moonlight pinpointing through her window as it caresses the carpeted floor. Her arms are wrapped around her body as if she were cold. A tear drops onto her sleeve. She ignores it starring out her window to the stars above. As she looks to her left there’s a bookcase, textbooks, closet, and bed. Her bed is untouched her closet door ajar. To her right she sees her bedroom door, and desk. Her desk chair neatly pushed against the desk and her laptop closed with the power light flashing every few seconds. Her door is closed and no light shows itself underneath.
She moves her left arm to her eyes using her sleeve to wipes the tears away. As she sits in complete silence all that goes through her head is, “Why?” Life seems perfect to her, she has all she wants, life should be perfect...
Her alarm clock comes into view as she reads the numbers, “3:28” she sighs, throws her head back on her chair and tries to fall asleep. As her eyes close she looks at her window once more and sees something coming towards her. She cries out in her mind, “No! Go away!” then bursts into tears. Through the window black figures enter her room surrounding her. They move as ghosts with ease and an evil nature. She screams inside, “God! Save me!” The creatures laugh and scoff, playing with her mind and emotions in such a way that she begins to tremble. Evil thoughts enter her head, their games are working. Her soul says, “Don’t do it... Don’t do it...” Her body says, “Come on... you’ll be fine, go ahead, listen to them, they know what their saying...”
She begins to crumble underneath the pressure, her emotions explode inside, and she starts to fall. As she begins to move her eyes stare once more pleadingly to her door. There’s a light. In a flash her room fills with light, the darkness retreats, the evil creatures scream as they flee, “No! Not Him! Run, run!” The evil is gone, her eyes become bright, she sees her Father. “Lord, thank you, thank you.” She blinks once and finds that the room is dark, and her Bible lay next to her. She sees a marker and opens to it.
Psalm 23. She whispers the words as they meet with her eyes, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever...
She looks out her window once more, tears of happiness flowing from her once scared eyes. She closes her Bible and begins to pray. “Thank you Lord, thank you for saving me...” With utter peace and tranquility her eyes close once more, and peaceful sleep overtakes her entire being...
She moves her left arm to her eyes using her sleeve to wipes the tears away. As she sits in complete silence all that goes through her head is, “Why?” Life seems perfect to her, she has all she wants, life should be perfect...
Her alarm clock comes into view as she reads the numbers, “3:28” she sighs, throws her head back on her chair and tries to fall asleep. As her eyes close she looks at her window once more and sees something coming towards her. She cries out in her mind, “No! Go away!” then bursts into tears. Through the window black figures enter her room surrounding her. They move as ghosts with ease and an evil nature. She screams inside, “God! Save me!” The creatures laugh and scoff, playing with her mind and emotions in such a way that she begins to tremble. Evil thoughts enter her head, their games are working. Her soul says, “Don’t do it... Don’t do it...” Her body says, “Come on... you’ll be fine, go ahead, listen to them, they know what their saying...”
She begins to crumble underneath the pressure, her emotions explode inside, and she starts to fall. As she begins to move her eyes stare once more pleadingly to her door. There’s a light. In a flash her room fills with light, the darkness retreats, the evil creatures scream as they flee, “No! Not Him! Run, run!” The evil is gone, her eyes become bright, she sees her Father. “Lord, thank you, thank you.” She blinks once and finds that the room is dark, and her Bible lay next to her. She sees a marker and opens to it.
Psalm 23. She whispers the words as they meet with her eyes, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever...
She looks out her window once more, tears of happiness flowing from her once scared eyes. She closes her Bible and begins to pray. “Thank you Lord, thank you for saving me...” With utter peace and tranquility her eyes close once more, and peaceful sleep overtakes her entire being...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Trust......
There are those times in life when everything seems to go your way. Life is perfect... However, that time seems to staying clear of me. Have you ever felt that you had a friend who you knew you would still be friends with in 30 years? But then, in some way or other you lost that friend within the space of one day? If you have you probably know that “pain” that I am going through right now. The thing that tends to keep me going is that I know that friend isn’t gone forever. We will see each other again, and even though we won’t be able to talk till then or in the future, I still have that friend. It seems to me that when you get pulled apart from someone, it’s then that you actually get closer.
The thing that I must ask God in moments like this is, “God, what are you teaching me here?” I’ve learned something, I’ve learned something very important. What I have learned is this: I need to make sure that everything I say to each friend I have is God-honoring, comforting, encouraging, and kind. I cannot waste those precious moments with those amazing friends for, I never know if they will be the last. I have often wondered, have I truly touched the friends that I have. Have I been used by God to help them out? Or, have I wasted those moments with them? After loosing that friend of mine I found out that I had touched that person’s life. In a very positive, and Godly way. God has used me in a marvelous to. The thing I think we all must do is ask ourselves, “Are the things we show, and do to people affecting them positively, or negatively?” If you aren’t being the best friend you can to somebody, see what you can do, ask God what He wants of you. He’ll show you the way.
Psa 26:1 Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
Psa 26:2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
Psa 26:3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
Psa 26:4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
Psa 26:5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
Psa 26:6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
Psa 26:7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
Psa 26:8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
Psa 26:9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
Psa 26:10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
Psa 26:11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
Psa 26:12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
Let this be our prayer, allow God to use you in glorious ways to further His Kingdom. We must trust in our God to use us in mighty ways, and know that no matter what happens, it’s all for a purpose. God knows what He’s doing, when it seems unfair, we must trust....
-your brother in Christ
The thing that I must ask God in moments like this is, “God, what are you teaching me here?” I’ve learned something, I’ve learned something very important. What I have learned is this: I need to make sure that everything I say to each friend I have is God-honoring, comforting, encouraging, and kind. I cannot waste those precious moments with those amazing friends for, I never know if they will be the last. I have often wondered, have I truly touched the friends that I have. Have I been used by God to help them out? Or, have I wasted those moments with them? After loosing that friend of mine I found out that I had touched that person’s life. In a very positive, and Godly way. God has used me in a marvelous to. The thing I think we all must do is ask ourselves, “Are the things we show, and do to people affecting them positively, or negatively?” If you aren’t being the best friend you can to somebody, see what you can do, ask God what He wants of you. He’ll show you the way.
Psa 26:1 Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
Psa 26:2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
Psa 26:3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
Psa 26:4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
Psa 26:5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
Psa 26:6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
Psa 26:7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
Psa 26:8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
Psa 26:9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
Psa 26:10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
Psa 26:11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
Psa 26:12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
Let this be our prayer, allow God to use you in glorious ways to further His Kingdom. We must trust in our God to use us in mighty ways, and know that no matter what happens, it’s all for a purpose. God knows what He’s doing, when it seems unfair, we must trust....
-your brother in Christ
Monday, April 13, 2009
Attributes of God Part Two......
Here we go now with part two about God’s awesome attributes! The topic this time? Omnipotence. I must say that this attributes seems to be the hardest to comprehend. I suppose after studying the Omniscience of God that that last sentence doesn’t make much sense. But it is how I feel. You may feel the same after reading what I’ve studied.
This is the little intro I use for my apologetics speech on this topic-
If you would, please think back to your childhood, what was the most powerful thing in the world at that time, or what super hero did you think was the greatest person ever. Now, compare him or her or it, to God, do they compare?
First of course we must define our terms! (Go debate!)Definition- omnipotence
Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary - Almighty; possessing unlimited power; all powerful. The being that can create worlds must be omnipotent.
Pretty amazing right? Mind boggling. Possessing unlimited power. Wow! I love the final sentence though, “The being that can create worlds must be omnipotent.” There is only one being that can create worlds, or, planets. That being is God. God is the only omnipotent being.
Wayne Grudem says in Systematic Theology - God’s omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will.
This quote can be a little confusing, (as most of Mr. Grudem’s words are, in a good way of course) but after a little searching let’s see if it’s really that complicated. I believe what he is saying is this, God is omniscient right? God’s also omnipotent. Therefore, since God has these attributes, plus others, God can do anything within His own will that He wants to. The struggle that seems to come up on this topic is that we say God is omnipotent, yet, He can’t sin right? He can do things against His will I don’t think I’ll be going into this much for it is really a complicated subject. But, if comments allow I can do so. You may have your ideas about it too, if so I would love to hear them! Back on track...
Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”
“Nothing is too hard for you.”? What? Nothing at all? Wouldn’t that be nice? Just try to image if nothing was too hard. Memorizing music, lifting huge boulders, building houses. You could do anything! But, isn’t that the reason why we’re not omnipotent? What if we could do anything? We’d all be in SERIOUS trouble. Everyone would be doing everything they wanted to, this would interfere with other people, and then everyone would want to take out everyone else and would all be able to do it right? Doesn’t work out to hot does it?
Ephesians 3:21, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”
God can do anything not only that we say, but that we simply think! This is where silent prayer can come into play. My mom can walk up to me and say, “Justin, empty the dishwasher.” So, I hear her say, I have the ability to do it, and so I do it. But, if I happened to be like God (which I’m not at all!) But just say I was for a second. Then, mom could come up to me, look at me and I could look at her and know that in her head she was saying, “Just, empty the dishwasher.” And I could do it. Actually, now I think of it if I was omnipotent, I could think and the dishwasher would open, and the dishes would hop out of it and put themselves on the shelves. Wow, that would be cool. But once again, this shows how badly humans would use that ability. We’d all be lazy. Only God can properly use the “power” of omnipotence.
Why is omnipotence important?
Without some power over us we would be without a controller of the universe and our lives.
Again from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology - “It is appropriate to realize that he has made us in such a way that we show in our lives some faint reflection of them [God’s attributes]. God has made us as creatures with a will. We exercise choice and make real decisions regarding the events of our lives.
Our God has no limits to his power.
Matthew 3:9, “And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”
Pretty amazing I think. “God is able from these stones to raise up children...” Wow. We need a limit in our lives. If everyone were to be “superheroes” than all the world would be is one big battle. There would be no need for any jobs or work. No one would need anyone else as friends or someone a help to them.
Job 13:27 “You put my feet in the stocks and watch all my paths; you set a limit for the soles of my feet.”
Just for us, God has allowed us to be controlled by His holy will. Yet another thing I can thank Him for every single day.
Charles Wesley once wrote a hymn and named it, “Omnipotent Lord, My Savior and King”
Here are just a few of the words,
“Omnipotent Lord, my Savior and King, Thy succor afford, Thy righteousness bring; Thy promises bind Thee compassion to have, Now, let me find Thee almighty to save.
Rejoicing in hope, and patient in grief, To Thee I look up for certain relief; I fear no denial, no danger I fear, Nor start from the trial, while Jesus is near. On Jesus, my power, till then I rely, All evil before His presence shall fly; When I have my Savior, my sin shall depart And Jesus for ever shall reign in my heart.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading.
-Justin
This is the little intro I use for my apologetics speech on this topic-
If you would, please think back to your childhood, what was the most powerful thing in the world at that time, or what super hero did you think was the greatest person ever. Now, compare him or her or it, to God, do they compare?
First of course we must define our terms! (Go debate!)Definition- omnipotence
Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary - Almighty; possessing unlimited power; all powerful. The being that can create worlds must be omnipotent.
Pretty amazing right? Mind boggling. Possessing unlimited power. Wow! I love the final sentence though, “The being that can create worlds must be omnipotent.” There is only one being that can create worlds, or, planets. That being is God. God is the only omnipotent being.
Wayne Grudem says in Systematic Theology - God’s omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will.
This quote can be a little confusing, (as most of Mr. Grudem’s words are, in a good way of course) but after a little searching let’s see if it’s really that complicated. I believe what he is saying is this, God is omniscient right? God’s also omnipotent. Therefore, since God has these attributes, plus others, God can do anything within His own will that He wants to. The struggle that seems to come up on this topic is that we say God is omnipotent, yet, He can’t sin right? He can do things against His will I don’t think I’ll be going into this much for it is really a complicated subject. But, if comments allow I can do so. You may have your ideas about it too, if so I would love to hear them! Back on track...
Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”
“Nothing is too hard for you.”? What? Nothing at all? Wouldn’t that be nice? Just try to image if nothing was too hard. Memorizing music, lifting huge boulders, building houses. You could do anything! But, isn’t that the reason why we’re not omnipotent? What if we could do anything? We’d all be in SERIOUS trouble. Everyone would be doing everything they wanted to, this would interfere with other people, and then everyone would want to take out everyone else and would all be able to do it right? Doesn’t work out to hot does it?
Ephesians 3:21, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”
God can do anything not only that we say, but that we simply think! This is where silent prayer can come into play. My mom can walk up to me and say, “Justin, empty the dishwasher.” So, I hear her say, I have the ability to do it, and so I do it. But, if I happened to be like God (which I’m not at all!) But just say I was for a second. Then, mom could come up to me, look at me and I could look at her and know that in her head she was saying, “Just, empty the dishwasher.” And I could do it. Actually, now I think of it if I was omnipotent, I could think and the dishwasher would open, and the dishes would hop out of it and put themselves on the shelves. Wow, that would be cool. But once again, this shows how badly humans would use that ability. We’d all be lazy. Only God can properly use the “power” of omnipotence.
Why is omnipotence important?
Without some power over us we would be without a controller of the universe and our lives.
Again from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology - “It is appropriate to realize that he has made us in such a way that we show in our lives some faint reflection of them [God’s attributes]. God has made us as creatures with a will. We exercise choice and make real decisions regarding the events of our lives.
Our God has no limits to his power.
Matthew 3:9, “And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”
Pretty amazing I think. “God is able from these stones to raise up children...” Wow. We need a limit in our lives. If everyone were to be “superheroes” than all the world would be is one big battle. There would be no need for any jobs or work. No one would need anyone else as friends or someone a help to them.
Job 13:27 “You put my feet in the stocks and watch all my paths; you set a limit for the soles of my feet.”
Just for us, God has allowed us to be controlled by His holy will. Yet another thing I can thank Him for every single day.
Charles Wesley once wrote a hymn and named it, “Omnipotent Lord, My Savior and King”
Here are just a few of the words,
“Omnipotent Lord, my Savior and King, Thy succor afford, Thy righteousness bring; Thy promises bind Thee compassion to have, Now, let me find Thee almighty to save.
Rejoicing in hope, and patient in grief, To Thee I look up for certain relief; I fear no denial, no danger I fear, Nor start from the trial, while Jesus is near. On Jesus, my power, till then I rely, All evil before His presence shall fly; When I have my Savior, my sin shall depart And Jesus for ever shall reign in my heart.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading.
-Justin
Friday, April 10, 2009
Attributes of God Part One......
As some of you may know I am in the NCFCA Speech and Debate club. I am very happy that I’ll be doing debate next year too. I am in the speech event known as Biblical Apologetics, or, Impromptu Apologetics. In this category I take 100 questions about God and must write a 6 minute speech on that topic. From the Virgin Birth to the Fall of Man. I would like to take the next few posts to discuss the attributes of God. Meaning, who is God? What can He do? I’ll take the outline to some of the speeches I have written as a jump start to our discussion. I would love to see us talking about the ideas I bring up, and discussing God further in depth! So.... with all that said let’s dive into the Omniscience of God...
Have you ever wished that you knew everything? Or that you could be able to see into the future and know what is coming? When I was younger I used to play that I was the “all knowing hero”, and could see into the future and find out when I would be attacked by the enemy. However, there is only one being like this. That being, is God. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Lord; God is omniscient, all knowing.
The first logical question of course would be this. What does “omniscience” mean?
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines this word as follows- “The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God.”
In Wayne Grudem’s book Systematic Theology he defines omniscience as, “God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.”
What does this mean? Look at the first statement. What do you think is the most complex being you have ever heard about. That actually exists that is. I would certainly say God. God is so incredibly complex that I can’t wrap my mind around even the beginning of God’s divine nature. Well, Mr. Grudem says, “God fully knows Himself...” Wow, really? God knows Himself completely? I don’t even know myself completely, and God is millions of times bigger than I’ll ever be! Isn’t that amazing? God fully knows the greatest being in the universe. Himself. He goes on to say, “...and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.” As best as I can see it this means that God not only knows Himself completely, BUT, He knows everything completely! He knows ever, “Actual and possible...” All I can say is wow.
One of my most favorite quotes is by J.I. Packer. He said this in his book Concise Theology, “He (God) knows everything about everything and everybody all the time. Also, He knows the future no less than the past and the present, and possible events that never happen no less than the actual events that do.
A little confused? I was to the first time I read it. Just read it again, maybe twice more before you read on.
Now that that’s done let’s look at this quote from the beginning. “He knows everything about everything and everybody all the time.” That’s enough for my brain to handle. :-) What does this mean? It simply means that God knows everything. It’s really rather self-explanatory. God knows everything, all there is to know, about everything! Not only this though, He knows everything, about “everybody”, meaning, every person on the earth. And, He knows it all, 24/7! I don’t know about you but that’s really hard for me to comprehend. Just try to begin to imagine what it would be like if you knew everything there was to know. About music, science, the Bible, imagine knowing how to speak every language in the world, or, be able to play every instrument, or run every plane and rocket. It’s really quite unimaginable.
Continuing on, “Also, He knows the future no less than the past and the present,...” Let’s stop there. This means that God knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, like, every second, not like, “Oh... I know I’m gonna have friends over tomorrow.” But, like, He knows that say, I’ll wake up at 7:01 with a sore throat. And Jimmy will wake up in England at 6:59 with a snake in his boot. That kind of thing. Only, for the entire population of the world. That’s just hard for me to comprehend. So, He knows the future just as well as He does the past. I mean, I can’t even remember everything I did yesterday! Or the day before! But God? Man, He knows it all, every single little detail. He knows that I’m sitting here, writing this at 9:20 just as well as I do. So, I know the present. But the past and future are still mist.
Finally, “...and the possible events that never happen no less than the actual events that do.” This is my absolute most favorite part of the quote! I like words, I like tricky sentences, I’m just that type of guy. But this sentence is so amazing. I believe it means this- God knows anything that could have happened. So like... some of my friends can’t come to my birthday party tomorrow, that is something that COULD have happened. God knows all that “could haves” in life, just as well as He knows all the “actuals”. That’s the second half of the sentence, “...no less than the ACTUAL events that do. Just sit for a moment and think about that if you will. We’ve already discovered that God knows everything and everything and everybody all the time. But not only that He knows everything that might have happened, just as clearly as everything that has happened! That’s awesome, that’s truly awesome.
Now for the most important question, why is omniscience important, and what does it have to do with us?
Well, simply put, if God were not omniscient, we could not live. We need someone to guide us, God sees our every move and has predetermined everything that will happen in our lives. If we didn’t have someone to guide us, we’d be in serious trouble.
Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”
Jeremiah 16:17, “For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.”
In essence the Lord watches everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen, he controls our every move and allows us to receive His blessings and trials.
What does this have to do with us?
J.I. Packer says this, “God’s knowledge is linked with His sovereignty: He knows each thing, both in itself and in relation to all other things, because He created it, sustains it, and now makes it function every moment according to His plan for it. To the Christian believer, knowledge of God’s omniscience brings the assurance that he has not been forgotten, but is being cared for according to God’s promise.”
Does that make sense? What Packer is saying here is that yes, God created the world, and yes, God knows everything. But not only that, since God is omniscient, we, (us Christians that is) can know for certain that God knows all that’s happened. We don’t have to sit in a dark room, and worry away the days, because there is someone who is controlling it all.
I’d like to end with these thoughts from Ephesians 1:11-14
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Please tell me what you think, and thanks for reading!
-JK
Have you ever wished that you knew everything? Or that you could be able to see into the future and know what is coming? When I was younger I used to play that I was the “all knowing hero”, and could see into the future and find out when I would be attacked by the enemy. However, there is only one being like this. That being, is God. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Lord; God is omniscient, all knowing.
The first logical question of course would be this. What does “omniscience” mean?
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines this word as follows- “The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God.”
In Wayne Grudem’s book Systematic Theology he defines omniscience as, “God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.”
What does this mean? Look at the first statement. What do you think is the most complex being you have ever heard about. That actually exists that is. I would certainly say God. God is so incredibly complex that I can’t wrap my mind around even the beginning of God’s divine nature. Well, Mr. Grudem says, “God fully knows Himself...” Wow, really? God knows Himself completely? I don’t even know myself completely, and God is millions of times bigger than I’ll ever be! Isn’t that amazing? God fully knows the greatest being in the universe. Himself. He goes on to say, “...and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.” As best as I can see it this means that God not only knows Himself completely, BUT, He knows everything completely! He knows ever, “Actual and possible...” All I can say is wow.
One of my most favorite quotes is by J.I. Packer. He said this in his book Concise Theology, “He (God) knows everything about everything and everybody all the time. Also, He knows the future no less than the past and the present, and possible events that never happen no less than the actual events that do.
A little confused? I was to the first time I read it. Just read it again, maybe twice more before you read on.
Now that that’s done let’s look at this quote from the beginning. “He knows everything about everything and everybody all the time.” That’s enough for my brain to handle. :-) What does this mean? It simply means that God knows everything. It’s really rather self-explanatory. God knows everything, all there is to know, about everything! Not only this though, He knows everything, about “everybody”, meaning, every person on the earth. And, He knows it all, 24/7! I don’t know about you but that’s really hard for me to comprehend. Just try to begin to imagine what it would be like if you knew everything there was to know. About music, science, the Bible, imagine knowing how to speak every language in the world, or, be able to play every instrument, or run every plane and rocket. It’s really quite unimaginable.
Continuing on, “Also, He knows the future no less than the past and the present,...” Let’s stop there. This means that God knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, like, every second, not like, “Oh... I know I’m gonna have friends over tomorrow.” But, like, He knows that say, I’ll wake up at 7:01 with a sore throat. And Jimmy will wake up in England at 6:59 with a snake in his boot. That kind of thing. Only, for the entire population of the world. That’s just hard for me to comprehend. So, He knows the future just as well as He does the past. I mean, I can’t even remember everything I did yesterday! Or the day before! But God? Man, He knows it all, every single little detail. He knows that I’m sitting here, writing this at 9:20 just as well as I do. So, I know the present. But the past and future are still mist.
Finally, “...and the possible events that never happen no less than the actual events that do.” This is my absolute most favorite part of the quote! I like words, I like tricky sentences, I’m just that type of guy. But this sentence is so amazing. I believe it means this- God knows anything that could have happened. So like... some of my friends can’t come to my birthday party tomorrow, that is something that COULD have happened. God knows all that “could haves” in life, just as well as He knows all the “actuals”. That’s the second half of the sentence, “...no less than the ACTUAL events that do. Just sit for a moment and think about that if you will. We’ve already discovered that God knows everything and everything and everybody all the time. But not only that He knows everything that might have happened, just as clearly as everything that has happened! That’s awesome, that’s truly awesome.
Now for the most important question, why is omniscience important, and what does it have to do with us?
Well, simply put, if God were not omniscient, we could not live. We need someone to guide us, God sees our every move and has predetermined everything that will happen in our lives. If we didn’t have someone to guide us, we’d be in serious trouble.
Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”
Jeremiah 16:17, “For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.”
In essence the Lord watches everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen, he controls our every move and allows us to receive His blessings and trials.
What does this have to do with us?
J.I. Packer says this, “God’s knowledge is linked with His sovereignty: He knows each thing, both in itself and in relation to all other things, because He created it, sustains it, and now makes it function every moment according to His plan for it. To the Christian believer, knowledge of God’s omniscience brings the assurance that he has not been forgotten, but is being cared for according to God’s promise.”
Does that make sense? What Packer is saying here is that yes, God created the world, and yes, God knows everything. But not only that, since God is omniscient, we, (us Christians that is) can know for certain that God knows all that’s happened. We don’t have to sit in a dark room, and worry away the days, because there is someone who is controlling it all.
I’d like to end with these thoughts from Ephesians 1:11-14
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Please tell me what you think, and thanks for reading!
-JK
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
God's Grace......
Because of how many comments were made on my last post, I have made this next one more like an outline. A starting point for a little discussion I suppose you could say. And I do hope that some discussion with begin. If you see any flaws in what I have said, or, if you want to add anything, please, go ahead and do so!
What is grace?
According to the Twentieth Century Dictionary, “Grace is the free unmerited love and favor of God.” and “a dispensation, privilege, or pardon granted not in right but by favor.”
Our salvation from sin and our hope of eternal life is due, and only due, to the wonderful saving grace of God.
Dr. Jerry Bridges in his book, “The Discipline of Grace”, says that: “Grace is God’s unmerited favor to those who deserve only His wrath.”
From this we see that grace is a gift—an extraordinarily special gift that comes in the form of a pardon, privilege, or dispensation—a gift given to an offending and guilty party. But what does it have to do with you and me?
Why do we need God’s grace? There are three reasons why. And they all have to do with “sin”.
The universality of sin-
Psalm 14:3 “They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”
See? It clearly states that sin is universal. There is no one that does good! For me that’s a really scary thought. I know, that I could never do good, if it weren’t for God, and His saving grace.
Seriousness of sin-
Hebrews 10:27 “But a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”
Habakkuk 1:13 “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
Obviously sin is not something to be trifled with. It is serious. For, with sin we can die and live in eternal fire.
Man’s inability to deal with sin.
Proverbs 20:9 “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin’?”
Here, once again, it is clearly stated in a question. Who can say these things? The answer, of course, is insinuated, the answer is, “No one.”
We are all in desperate need of God’s forgiveness and grace. But what can we do? The answer is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has already purchased the forgiveness of our sins. In an action of “unmerited favor towards those who deserve God’s wrath” (which is the definition of grace) Christ laid down His life for us: As Romans 6:23 tells us: “The wages of sin is death.”
And so, as Isaiah 53:5 states so beautifully and powerfully, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” And all we must do is to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us—and we will be saved.
Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
God’s grace is the only reason I can be writing this right now, to you, as a brother in Christ. In fact our every thought, our every word, and our every breath, can be attributed to nothing else but the unmerited love and favor of an all-powerful God.
We deserved God’s wrath because of our sins. Yet, in His mercy, He sent His Son to die for us. God extended His unmerited favor to you. God extended His unmerited favor to me. We have only to reach out and take it. By God’s grace I have done so. And—as one who has experienced the real freedom and joy that comes with excepting God’s gift of grace my encouragement to you is: “don’t wait.”
What is grace?
According to the Twentieth Century Dictionary, “Grace is the free unmerited love and favor of God.” and “a dispensation, privilege, or pardon granted not in right but by favor.”
Our salvation from sin and our hope of eternal life is due, and only due, to the wonderful saving grace of God.
Dr. Jerry Bridges in his book, “The Discipline of Grace”, says that: “Grace is God’s unmerited favor to those who deserve only His wrath.”
From this we see that grace is a gift—an extraordinarily special gift that comes in the form of a pardon, privilege, or dispensation—a gift given to an offending and guilty party. But what does it have to do with you and me?
Why do we need God’s grace? There are three reasons why. And they all have to do with “sin”.
The universality of sin-
Psalm 14:3 “They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”
See? It clearly states that sin is universal. There is no one that does good! For me that’s a really scary thought. I know, that I could never do good, if it weren’t for God, and His saving grace.
Seriousness of sin-
Hebrews 10:27 “But a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”
Habakkuk 1:13 “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
Obviously sin is not something to be trifled with. It is serious. For, with sin we can die and live in eternal fire.
Man’s inability to deal with sin.
Proverbs 20:9 “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin’?”
Here, once again, it is clearly stated in a question. Who can say these things? The answer, of course, is insinuated, the answer is, “No one.”
We are all in desperate need of God’s forgiveness and grace. But what can we do? The answer is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has already purchased the forgiveness of our sins. In an action of “unmerited favor towards those who deserve God’s wrath” (which is the definition of grace) Christ laid down His life for us: As Romans 6:23 tells us: “The wages of sin is death.”
And so, as Isaiah 53:5 states so beautifully and powerfully, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” And all we must do is to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us—and we will be saved.
Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
God’s grace is the only reason I can be writing this right now, to you, as a brother in Christ. In fact our every thought, our every word, and our every breath, can be attributed to nothing else but the unmerited love and favor of an all-powerful God.
We deserved God’s wrath because of our sins. Yet, in His mercy, He sent His Son to die for us. God extended His unmerited favor to you. God extended His unmerited favor to me. We have only to reach out and take it. By God’s grace I have done so. And—as one who has experienced the real freedom and joy that comes with excepting God’s gift of grace my encouragement to you is: “don’t wait.”
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Anatomy of Music Part 4......
Yesterday was not quite what it could've been
As were most of all the days before
But I swear today, with every breath I'm breathing in
I'll be trying to make it so much more
'Cause it seems I get so hung up on the history of what's gone wrong
And the hope of a new day is sometimes hard to see
But I'm finally catching on to it, yeah, the past is just a conduit
And the light, there at the end is where I'll be
'Cause I'm on the up and up, I'm on the up and up
And I haven't given up, given up on what I know I'm capable of
Yeah, I'm on the up and up and yeah, there's nothing left to prove
'Cause I'm just trying to be a better version of me for you
A better version of me for you
To be prosperous would not require much of me
You see, contentment is the one thing it entails
To be content with where I am and getting where I need to be
And moving past the past where I have failed
Never cease to supply me with what I need for a good life
So when I'm down, I'll hold my head up high
'Cause you're the reason why, yeah, you're why
Up and Up – Relient K
Here’s another secular song that I’d like to “analyze”. First off, I love this song. The sound is great, it’s acoustical guitar with some other instruments and it simply sounds amazing in my opinion. If you care that much you can look it up yourself and, well, decide for yourself.
Yesterday was not quite what it could've been
As were most of all the days before
But I swear today, with every breath I'm breathing in
I'll be trying to make it so much more
So, this guy is yearning to start anew. The first two lines show his disappointment in his life, and what he’s done. The second two lines then show what he’s going to do about it. “I’ll be trying to make it so much more.” He’s going to start over again and get back on track with his life. This is a great feat to begin on, after all, I’ve had to do it for a while now too, and it should be done when someone finally realizes his or her foolishness. The question is, what is he wanting to get back on track with?
'Cause it seems I get so hung up on the history of what's gone wrong
And the hope of a new day is sometimes hard to see
But I'm finally catching on to it, yeah, the past is just a conduit
And the light, there at the end is where I'll be
He obviously knows that it’s not going to be easy, whatever it is that he wants to change into. He says that he’s finally got it; he knows what his mission is. And, he knows that the journey will be long for he uses a different form of the old phrase, “The light at the end of the tunnel”.
'Cause I'm on the up and up, I'm on the up and up
And I haven't given up, given up on what I know I'm capable of
Yeah, I'm on the up and up and yeah, there's nothing left to prove
'Cause I'm just trying to be a better version of me for you
A better version of me for you
Ahhh... now we have it don’t we? The first three lines sound great. He’s on the up and up, he’s going to in the right direction now. He’s not going to give it up either, he’s going to persevere. He also says that there’s nothing left to prove. Meaning, he doesn’t have to show off anymore, he doesn’t have to prove himself. What about the last two lines? “I’m just trying to be a better version of me for you,” So... who is he trying to be better for? His girlfriend. We all knew of course that he wasn’t talking to God in this song, but think about it, doesn’t this fact make this song useless now? He doesn’t want to change so that he can be a better person, or a respectable person, he wants to change so that his girlfriend will like him more.
To be prosperous would not require much of me
You see, contentment is the one thing it entails
To be content with where I am and getting where I need to be
And moving past the past where I have failed
Goodness gracious, wouldn’t this song be great if he were talking to God? The truth is that we must be content; God has called us to be content!
Philippians 4:11 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
He is totally right with this part of the song. We must be content with where we are, and at the same time work harder to move away from past mistakes where we’ve failed, and set our eyes on the goal. But once again, is he really right when he says this? If his true goal is to make his girlfriend love him more not really change the way God calls us to, he’s wrong isn’t he? Or is he?
Never cease to supply me with what I need for a good life
So when I'm down, I'll hold my head up high
'Cause you're the reason why, yeah, you're why
If he were talking about God I would agree, but he isn’t. He is turning his girlfriend into an idol. Saying that she’s the only reason why he’s living. Not only this but he’s telling her to keep giving him what he needs for a “good” life. Can she give him that? She can give him things that will make him feel good for a while, but only God can bring the true peace, and a true life.
I wanted to talk about this simple song for this reason: I would like to encourage you to look at your life. Do you have idols? God says we mustn’t, but I feel that this generation seems to think that the idols he was talking about were statues. Well, they aren’t my friends. An idol can be something in your life that distracts you from God. No matter what it is, whether it does happen to be a young man or woman, or a video game, another book even. Please, examine your life, and ask yourself, “Do I have any idols in my life that are tearing me away from God?” If you happen to find one, which I’m thinking you might, then talk to your parents, or talk to God. Do both if you must and see what you can do to either get rid of the idol, or but it in the background so that God is at the forefront of your life.
Once again, if you want to answer any questions I posed, or if you want to share anything having to do with this you can e-mail me at justin.knopp@gmail.com or just comment! I would love to hear from you.
God bless, and stay strong!
-JK
P.S.
Psa 25:1 Of David. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
Psa 25:2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
Psa 25:3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Psa 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Psa 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psa 25:6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Psa 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
Psa 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
Psa 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Psa 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psa 25:11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Psa 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
Psa 25:13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.
Psa 25:14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
Psa 25:15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Psa 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Psa 25:17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.
Psa 25:18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
Psa 25:19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Psa 25:20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
Psa 25:21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
Psa 25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
As were most of all the days before
But I swear today, with every breath I'm breathing in
I'll be trying to make it so much more
'Cause it seems I get so hung up on the history of what's gone wrong
And the hope of a new day is sometimes hard to see
But I'm finally catching on to it, yeah, the past is just a conduit
And the light, there at the end is where I'll be
'Cause I'm on the up and up, I'm on the up and up
And I haven't given up, given up on what I know I'm capable of
Yeah, I'm on the up and up and yeah, there's nothing left to prove
'Cause I'm just trying to be a better version of me for you
A better version of me for you
To be prosperous would not require much of me
You see, contentment is the one thing it entails
To be content with where I am and getting where I need to be
And moving past the past where I have failed
Never cease to supply me with what I need for a good life
So when I'm down, I'll hold my head up high
'Cause you're the reason why, yeah, you're why
Up and Up – Relient K
Here’s another secular song that I’d like to “analyze”. First off, I love this song. The sound is great, it’s acoustical guitar with some other instruments and it simply sounds amazing in my opinion. If you care that much you can look it up yourself and, well, decide for yourself.
Yesterday was not quite what it could've been
As were most of all the days before
But I swear today, with every breath I'm breathing in
I'll be trying to make it so much more
So, this guy is yearning to start anew. The first two lines show his disappointment in his life, and what he’s done. The second two lines then show what he’s going to do about it. “I’ll be trying to make it so much more.” He’s going to start over again and get back on track with his life. This is a great feat to begin on, after all, I’ve had to do it for a while now too, and it should be done when someone finally realizes his or her foolishness. The question is, what is he wanting to get back on track with?
'Cause it seems I get so hung up on the history of what's gone wrong
And the hope of a new day is sometimes hard to see
But I'm finally catching on to it, yeah, the past is just a conduit
And the light, there at the end is where I'll be
He obviously knows that it’s not going to be easy, whatever it is that he wants to change into. He says that he’s finally got it; he knows what his mission is. And, he knows that the journey will be long for he uses a different form of the old phrase, “The light at the end of the tunnel”.
'Cause I'm on the up and up, I'm on the up and up
And I haven't given up, given up on what I know I'm capable of
Yeah, I'm on the up and up and yeah, there's nothing left to prove
'Cause I'm just trying to be a better version of me for you
A better version of me for you
Ahhh... now we have it don’t we? The first three lines sound great. He’s on the up and up, he’s going to in the right direction now. He’s not going to give it up either, he’s going to persevere. He also says that there’s nothing left to prove. Meaning, he doesn’t have to show off anymore, he doesn’t have to prove himself. What about the last two lines? “I’m just trying to be a better version of me for you,” So... who is he trying to be better for? His girlfriend. We all knew of course that he wasn’t talking to God in this song, but think about it, doesn’t this fact make this song useless now? He doesn’t want to change so that he can be a better person, or a respectable person, he wants to change so that his girlfriend will like him more.
To be prosperous would not require much of me
You see, contentment is the one thing it entails
To be content with where I am and getting where I need to be
And moving past the past where I have failed
Goodness gracious, wouldn’t this song be great if he were talking to God? The truth is that we must be content; God has called us to be content!
Philippians 4:11 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
He is totally right with this part of the song. We must be content with where we are, and at the same time work harder to move away from past mistakes where we’ve failed, and set our eyes on the goal. But once again, is he really right when he says this? If his true goal is to make his girlfriend love him more not really change the way God calls us to, he’s wrong isn’t he? Or is he?
Never cease to supply me with what I need for a good life
So when I'm down, I'll hold my head up high
'Cause you're the reason why, yeah, you're why
If he were talking about God I would agree, but he isn’t. He is turning his girlfriend into an idol. Saying that she’s the only reason why he’s living. Not only this but he’s telling her to keep giving him what he needs for a “good” life. Can she give him that? She can give him things that will make him feel good for a while, but only God can bring the true peace, and a true life.
I wanted to talk about this simple song for this reason: I would like to encourage you to look at your life. Do you have idols? God says we mustn’t, but I feel that this generation seems to think that the idols he was talking about were statues. Well, they aren’t my friends. An idol can be something in your life that distracts you from God. No matter what it is, whether it does happen to be a young man or woman, or a video game, another book even. Please, examine your life, and ask yourself, “Do I have any idols in my life that are tearing me away from God?” If you happen to find one, which I’m thinking you might, then talk to your parents, or talk to God. Do both if you must and see what you can do to either get rid of the idol, or but it in the background so that God is at the forefront of your life.
Once again, if you want to answer any questions I posed, or if you want to share anything having to do with this you can e-mail me at justin.knopp@gmail.com or just comment! I would love to hear from you.
God bless, and stay strong!
-JK
P.S.
Psa 25:1 Of David. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
Psa 25:2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
Psa 25:3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Psa 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Psa 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psa 25:6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Psa 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
Psa 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
Psa 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Psa 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psa 25:11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Psa 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
Psa 25:13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.
Psa 25:14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
Psa 25:15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Psa 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Psa 25:17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.
Psa 25:18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
Psa 25:19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Psa 25:20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
Psa 25:21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
Psa 25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
God's Great Mercy......
I've been thinking lately about God's mercy and grace. This post will be about His mercy, and one in the future will be about His grace.
Allow me to begin with this obvious question, what is mercy? It says in Psalms 136:1 “O give thanks unto the Lord: for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever” This puts mercy as a certain quality in God's being. I love Webster's dictionary definition of mercy. (If you don't know Webster's 1828 dictionary is the best one there is.)
“An act or exercise of mercy or favor. Pity; compassion manifested towards a person in distress. Clemency and bounty. Charity, or the duties of charity and benevolence. Grace; favor. The act of sparing, or the forbearance of a violent act expected.”
This is pretty much saying that mercy is a pardon, or a show of compassion on someone or something. So, if God has mercy towards me then He is showing me compassion, He is showing benevolence towards me for whatever evil I have done.
Rev. D. H. Kuiper once wrote -
“The mercy of God, as a precious gem, has many facets. It is eternal. The mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, so that there never was a time when God did not burn with desire to deliver and bless His children! The mercy of God is great! It is above the heavens; it is abundant. How great that mercy must be when we consider the depths out of which it has taken us and the heights to which it has raised us. The mercy of God is sovereign and free. Mercy does not come to man, or to a particular man, because of something he has done, but it is due only to God.”
I love this quote so much! It's full of the truth that we were, maybe still are deep into sin, yet God will take us to the heights. God will save us, and He will extend His awesome mercy to us. God's mercy is eternal, He will always be merciful. God wants to show us His mercy, and when He does show that mercy to us it is great. We were nothing, yet God showed us mercy by giving us another path to take.
Arthur Pink who is you don't know was a Christian evangelist and Biblical scholar, Pink begins with a verse from Psalms 136:1, “'O give thanks unto the Lord: for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever' For this perfection” he says, “of the Divine character God is greatly to be praised. Three times over in as many verses does the Psalmist here call upon the saints to give thanks unto the Lord for this adorable attribute. And surely this is the least that can be asked for from those who have been such bounteous gainers by it. When we contemplate the characteristics of this Divine excellency, we cannot do otherwise than bless God for it. His mercy is "great", "plenteous", "tender", "abundant"; it is "from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:17). Well may we say with the Psalmist, "I will sing aloud of Thy mercy" (59:16).”
1Kings 3:6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shown unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
(Plenteous in mercy! What is plenteous, defined it means this, “Of or pertaining to plenty, abundance” So this also shows that God's mercy as stated earlier is eternal, for it is plenteous, and abundant.)
I believe that there are many people who do know that God is merciful. But, I also believe that the majority of those people do not know how amazing that mercy is. How blessed we are for receiving it, and how we simply do not deserve it.
Pastor John Piper once wrote, “O that we had eyes to see the mercies of God in our lives! How we would thank him, and trust him with our future. Especially if we knew the price he paid in the death of Jesus to take away our guilt and make it just for him to give everlasting mercies to sinners who trust him.”
We simply must trust in God! For God is the only truth, and light. And if you do not fully have your trust in God, and have faith that God is really there, then you should go to Him, and ask Him for that saving grace. Ask Him for mercy.
I love this other quote from Arthur Pink.
“But let our final thought be of God’s spiritual mercies unto His own people. "Thy mercy is great unto the heavens". The riches thereof transcend our loftiest thought. "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him". None can measure it. The elect are designated "vessels of mercy". It is mercy that quickened them when they were dead in sins. It is mercy that saves them. It is His abundant mercy which begat them unto an eternal inheritance. Time would fail us to tell of His preserving, sustaining, pardoning, supplying mercy. Unto His own, God is "the Father of mercies"
I hope that I have given you some idea of how amazing God's mercy is. Also, how we don't deserve it, yet, God has freely given it to us. I would encourage you to think about these verses, and quotes and see if this week you can allow yourself to be blessed by the mercy of God. I haven't come near to covering this huge topic, so if you have any input, ideas, or questions do say them! I would love some conversation on this topic, and the next one of grace.
Once again, thank you for reading. And God bless you!
-JK
P.S. I hope you haven't minded the brevity of this post compared to the last few. :-)
Allow me to begin with this obvious question, what is mercy? It says in Psalms 136:1 “O give thanks unto the Lord: for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever” This puts mercy as a certain quality in God's being. I love Webster's dictionary definition of mercy. (If you don't know Webster's 1828 dictionary is the best one there is.)
“An act or exercise of mercy or favor. Pity; compassion manifested towards a person in distress. Clemency and bounty. Charity, or the duties of charity and benevolence. Grace; favor. The act of sparing, or the forbearance of a violent act expected.”
This is pretty much saying that mercy is a pardon, or a show of compassion on someone or something. So, if God has mercy towards me then He is showing me compassion, He is showing benevolence towards me for whatever evil I have done.
Rev. D. H. Kuiper once wrote -
“The mercy of God, as a precious gem, has many facets. It is eternal. The mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, so that there never was a time when God did not burn with desire to deliver and bless His children! The mercy of God is great! It is above the heavens; it is abundant. How great that mercy must be when we consider the depths out of which it has taken us and the heights to which it has raised us. The mercy of God is sovereign and free. Mercy does not come to man, or to a particular man, because of something he has done, but it is due only to God.”
I love this quote so much! It's full of the truth that we were, maybe still are deep into sin, yet God will take us to the heights. God will save us, and He will extend His awesome mercy to us. God's mercy is eternal, He will always be merciful. God wants to show us His mercy, and when He does show that mercy to us it is great. We were nothing, yet God showed us mercy by giving us another path to take.
Arthur Pink who is you don't know was a Christian evangelist and Biblical scholar, Pink begins with a verse from Psalms 136:1, “'O give thanks unto the Lord: for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever' For this perfection” he says, “of the Divine character God is greatly to be praised. Three times over in as many verses does the Psalmist here call upon the saints to give thanks unto the Lord for this adorable attribute. And surely this is the least that can be asked for from those who have been such bounteous gainers by it. When we contemplate the characteristics of this Divine excellency, we cannot do otherwise than bless God for it. His mercy is "great", "plenteous", "tender", "abundant"; it is "from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:17). Well may we say with the Psalmist, "I will sing aloud of Thy mercy" (59:16).”
1Kings 3:6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shown unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
(Plenteous in mercy! What is plenteous, defined it means this, “Of or pertaining to plenty, abundance” So this also shows that God's mercy as stated earlier is eternal, for it is plenteous, and abundant.)
I believe that there are many people who do know that God is merciful. But, I also believe that the majority of those people do not know how amazing that mercy is. How blessed we are for receiving it, and how we simply do not deserve it.
Pastor John Piper once wrote, “O that we had eyes to see the mercies of God in our lives! How we would thank him, and trust him with our future. Especially if we knew the price he paid in the death of Jesus to take away our guilt and make it just for him to give everlasting mercies to sinners who trust him.”
We simply must trust in God! For God is the only truth, and light. And if you do not fully have your trust in God, and have faith that God is really there, then you should go to Him, and ask Him for that saving grace. Ask Him for mercy.
I love this other quote from Arthur Pink.
“But let our final thought be of God’s spiritual mercies unto His own people. "Thy mercy is great unto the heavens". The riches thereof transcend our loftiest thought. "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him". None can measure it. The elect are designated "vessels of mercy". It is mercy that quickened them when they were dead in sins. It is mercy that saves them. It is His abundant mercy which begat them unto an eternal inheritance. Time would fail us to tell of His preserving, sustaining, pardoning, supplying mercy. Unto His own, God is "the Father of mercies"
I hope that I have given you some idea of how amazing God's mercy is. Also, how we don't deserve it, yet, God has freely given it to us. I would encourage you to think about these verses, and quotes and see if this week you can allow yourself to be blessed by the mercy of God. I haven't come near to covering this huge topic, so if you have any input, ideas, or questions do say them! I would love some conversation on this topic, and the next one of grace.
Once again, thank you for reading. And God bless you!
-JK
P.S. I hope you haven't minded the brevity of this post compared to the last few. :-)
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Truth Behind the Music......
How can you see into my eyes
Like open doors?
Leading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb.
Without a soul,
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,
Until you find it there and lead it back home.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breath into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie.
There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life.
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.
(All of this sight,
I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark
but you were there in front of me)
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.
I've got to open my eyes to everything.
(Without a thought
Without a voice
Without a soul
Don't let me die here.
There must be something more).
Bring me to life.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie. There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life
Did you catch it? Did you see the truth behind the music? Sounds pretty Christian, save me from the nothing I've become. Wake me up inside and save me. What about the third verse?
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.
Ahhh yes, I've felt frozen inside, quite literally actually. I felt that I couldn't move because of how deep into sin I had become. But wait... What's that word? Darling? Wait a minute. People don't call God their darling do they? No... indeed, this happens to be a “Gothic rock/pop band”. Sounds Christian enough until that part doesn't it? The first time I heard this song, I didn't know that it was Wake Me Up Inside by Evanescence. Had I known that, and had I heard that one little word “darling” put in there I would have thought it to be a Christian-based song. I listened to it and though, “Wow, what amazing lyrics! Wake me up inside, save me from the nothing I've become.” BUT, what is it truly saying? Let's see...
How can you see into my eyes
Like open doors?
Leading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb.
It's a question I've asked God. How can God see the true me? How can He get so deep into m soul without me “allowing Him to”? What is the singer saying though? Something more along the lines of, how can this boyfriend of mine, my “lover” see so deeply into me, why do I open up to him so easily. She's a foolish women with no Christian intent. First let me clear something up, I think the song's pretty cool, and no, I'm not trying to dis it, what I want to make clear in this post is how dangerous some pop music can be, and how Christian pop music has gone so far to the extreme that one can't tell the difference between the two.
Without a soul,
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,
Until you find it there and lead it back home.
Had this been a Christian song that home would have been God, heaven, something having to do with Jesus leading us back to the cross. But now what is it? Simply a person living in darkness, and wanting to get even deeper into darkness, not out of it. She's looking the wrong way for help.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Christian meaning: I need my soul to be saved. I can't wake up from this utter darkness, this despair that I'm in, I'm completely lost. Jesus, call my name, please, come and save me. Save me before I'm completely lost.
Secular meaning: He(boyfriend) needs to come save me. Show me some love that will supposedly “help” her to get away from her darkness.
Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breath into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.
There is this ideology in the Christian community that God will allow a person to be “reborn” it's the idea of being “born again”. This line, “Breath into me and make me real. Bring me to life.” It seems to flow right along with that idea doesn't it? What would this mean than if this song is a secular one? (Which it is.) As it says, “Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me.” Meaning, she knows what dumb stuff she's done, and because you know too you can't leave me. The guy can't just ditch this girl now. Sadly, it tends to happen.
Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie.
There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life.
Here, once again, it seems to evoke Christian ideology. “I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside.” Some people (myself included) would equate spiritual death with having nothing left inside. Not only this but as I was not to long ago I was living a lie. The same words I've used many time. And once again that thought of, “Bring me to life.” At the same time, this has nothing to do with God! How sad is that? She wants a man, I would go so far as to say a fool, to bring her back to life. What can a foolish man do other than harm to her?
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.
What happens when you replace that one word? Try it, replace darling, with, say, Jesus.
Frozen inside without Your touch,
Without Your love, Jesus.
Only You are the life among the dead.
See how real that is? See how truthful that is? God truly is the only Being that can save us. Yet, this young woman is asking something other than God to bring her back. Something other than God to love her as allow her to have life among the dead. Just to show how shockingly close to Christian pop music this song is let's look at lines from another song.
Set Me Free by Casting Crowns has this line -
Now I live among the dead
Fighting voices in my head
Same use of dead people. People who are not truly dead of course, but rather spiritually dead, or dying. People who have no hope, no faith, no trust. They are truly dead in their hearts. Wake Me Up Inside however does not mean this. I would say, that if this young lady is as deep in sin as she is singing about then what she really means is that there aren't those fleshly desires that she longs for. Her “savior” is really the devil himself.
(All of this sight,
I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark
but you were there in front of me)
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.
I've got to open my eyes to everything.
(Without a thought
Without a voice
Without a soul
Don't let me die here.
There must be something more).
Bring me to life.
“I can't believe I couldn't see.” Have any of you been so deep into your own desires that you couldn't see the truth? Or, you believed that your sin was fine, and you were so lost that you couldn't see how evil it really was? Had this been a Christian song these words would truly be powerful. “Don't let me die here.” It would seem she meant, don't let me die in sin. But no... This isn't what she means. There is most likely more to the meaning of this song than I even want to step in. As the only saying goes, “Ignorance is bliss...”
All I want to point out with what I have said today is that we, as young Christians need to be careful. We must examine what we listen to, and not mistake things for what they aren't. I believe that the devil himself can use music just as easily as God can. Just with a different purpose in mind. We can't be controlled by the evil one through listening to the wrong type of music, or, by truly believing what that music has to offer. I understand liberty garden issues, and I'm not trying to persuade any of you to listen to one type of music, all I want is to caution you, that you make sure you know what you're listening to. If you're in a hard situation, and you are laying in bed crying over something that has happened to you. Please, don't listen to this type of music, the type that says true life can come from fleshly desires, rather, listen to hymns, praise music, bands like Casting Crowns and Tim Hughes. Don't allow your self to get lost in your sadness but rather allow God to be in you and with you through your hard times.
Would love any ideas that you have! And thanks for reading.
-JK
Like open doors?
Leading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb.
Without a soul,
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,
Until you find it there and lead it back home.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breath into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie.
There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life.
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.
(All of this sight,
I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark
but you were there in front of me)
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.
I've got to open my eyes to everything.
(Without a thought
Without a voice
Without a soul
Don't let me die here.
There must be something more).
Bring me to life.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie. There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life
Did you catch it? Did you see the truth behind the music? Sounds pretty Christian, save me from the nothing I've become. Wake me up inside and save me. What about the third verse?
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.
Ahhh yes, I've felt frozen inside, quite literally actually. I felt that I couldn't move because of how deep into sin I had become. But wait... What's that word? Darling? Wait a minute. People don't call God their darling do they? No... indeed, this happens to be a “Gothic rock/pop band”. Sounds Christian enough until that part doesn't it? The first time I heard this song, I didn't know that it was Wake Me Up Inside by Evanescence. Had I known that, and had I heard that one little word “darling” put in there I would have thought it to be a Christian-based song. I listened to it and though, “Wow, what amazing lyrics! Wake me up inside, save me from the nothing I've become.” BUT, what is it truly saying? Let's see...
How can you see into my eyes
Like open doors?
Leading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb.
It's a question I've asked God. How can God see the true me? How can He get so deep into m soul without me “allowing Him to”? What is the singer saying though? Something more along the lines of, how can this boyfriend of mine, my “lover” see so deeply into me, why do I open up to him so easily. She's a foolish women with no Christian intent. First let me clear something up, I think the song's pretty cool, and no, I'm not trying to dis it, what I want to make clear in this post is how dangerous some pop music can be, and how Christian pop music has gone so far to the extreme that one can't tell the difference between the two.
Without a soul,
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,
Until you find it there and lead it back home.
Had this been a Christian song that home would have been God, heaven, something having to do with Jesus leading us back to the cross. But now what is it? Simply a person living in darkness, and wanting to get even deeper into darkness, not out of it. She's looking the wrong way for help.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Christian meaning: I need my soul to be saved. I can't wake up from this utter darkness, this despair that I'm in, I'm completely lost. Jesus, call my name, please, come and save me. Save me before I'm completely lost.
Secular meaning: He(boyfriend) needs to come save me. Show me some love that will supposedly “help” her to get away from her darkness.
Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breath into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.
There is this ideology in the Christian community that God will allow a person to be “reborn” it's the idea of being “born again”. This line, “Breath into me and make me real. Bring me to life.” It seems to flow right along with that idea doesn't it? What would this mean than if this song is a secular one? (Which it is.) As it says, “Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me.” Meaning, she knows what dumb stuff she's done, and because you know too you can't leave me. The guy can't just ditch this girl now. Sadly, it tends to happen.
Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie.
There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life.
Here, once again, it seems to evoke Christian ideology. “I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside.” Some people (myself included) would equate spiritual death with having nothing left inside. Not only this but as I was not to long ago I was living a lie. The same words I've used many time. And once again that thought of, “Bring me to life.” At the same time, this has nothing to do with God! How sad is that? She wants a man, I would go so far as to say a fool, to bring her back to life. What can a foolish man do other than harm to her?
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.
What happens when you replace that one word? Try it, replace darling, with, say, Jesus.
Frozen inside without Your touch,
Without Your love, Jesus.
Only You are the life among the dead.
See how real that is? See how truthful that is? God truly is the only Being that can save us. Yet, this young woman is asking something other than God to bring her back. Something other than God to love her as allow her to have life among the dead. Just to show how shockingly close to Christian pop music this song is let's look at lines from another song.
Set Me Free by Casting Crowns has this line -
Now I live among the dead
Fighting voices in my head
Same use of dead people. People who are not truly dead of course, but rather spiritually dead, or dying. People who have no hope, no faith, no trust. They are truly dead in their hearts. Wake Me Up Inside however does not mean this. I would say, that if this young lady is as deep in sin as she is singing about then what she really means is that there aren't those fleshly desires that she longs for. Her “savior” is really the devil himself.
(All of this sight,
I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark
but you were there in front of me)
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.
I've got to open my eyes to everything.
(Without a thought
Without a voice
Without a soul
Don't let me die here.
There must be something more).
Bring me to life.
“I can't believe I couldn't see.” Have any of you been so deep into your own desires that you couldn't see the truth? Or, you believed that your sin was fine, and you were so lost that you couldn't see how evil it really was? Had this been a Christian song these words would truly be powerful. “Don't let me die here.” It would seem she meant, don't let me die in sin. But no... This isn't what she means. There is most likely more to the meaning of this song than I even want to step in. As the only saying goes, “Ignorance is bliss...”
All I want to point out with what I have said today is that we, as young Christians need to be careful. We must examine what we listen to, and not mistake things for what they aren't. I believe that the devil himself can use music just as easily as God can. Just with a different purpose in mind. We can't be controlled by the evil one through listening to the wrong type of music, or, by truly believing what that music has to offer. I understand liberty garden issues, and I'm not trying to persuade any of you to listen to one type of music, all I want is to caution you, that you make sure you know what you're listening to. If you're in a hard situation, and you are laying in bed crying over something that has happened to you. Please, don't listen to this type of music, the type that says true life can come from fleshly desires, rather, listen to hymns, praise music, bands like Casting Crowns and Tim Hughes. Don't allow your self to get lost in your sadness but rather allow God to be in you and with you through your hard times.
Would love any ideas that you have! And thanks for reading.
-JK
The Path of Life......
I stand there, not knowing what to expect. I have friends and family around me. Three of my brothers, Josh, Eric and David, plus four friends of mine that will remain nameless. We all wait in anticipation as we gear up and get ready to head out on the snowy path. Then the phone rings and I'm put back into my home and grab the phone off the hook, “Hello?”
“Hola, this is...” Oh yes, one of my students. I knew it was before he even said his name because he always answers the same way, with “hola”. I don't listen to a thing he's saying because I'm scared out of my mind about what I'm going to do pretty soon. I hang up after he's done speaking and forget all about it. I go up to my brother Eric and ask, “Are we gonna leave yet?” Then the phone rings again. He picks it up, and hands it to me, I say hi and find that it's the mother of one of the friends. She wants to know where her daughter is. I tell her she's still on her trip but should be home shortly, then tell her that her son is with us and having a good time.
Finally, we're leaving, it took ages to get out of here. We're thrown into another world where we find ourselves in a cavernous cave tunnel. Water rushing around and we must fight for survival. Josh yells out, “Mind the gap!” He says this just in time for the other seven of us to fall through this huge hole in the path with water running down it in torrents. I hold on for dear life as I feel my fingers slipping away. Two sets of hands pull me up and I'm safe... for now. We keep going, each of us in turn falling down a hole, or slipping into some slimy puddle.
After a while we find that the water level has decreased quite a bit. We seem at a safe height at the moment. Then, a friend of mine leading the group steps down on the earth and it begins to crumble. We all being to fall, screaming, we grab onto each other, and the ledge that's left. One friend didn't fall, he was safe, and helped us back up as we continued on down this seemingly endless tunnel. I look down, there's the water. It's rushing at fast speeds below me, I feel sick.
“Guys, we got ourselves a problem!” calls out another friend. All I can think is, “What next?” I look and the ground all around us is falling to pieces, there's a leap that we must all take in order to get to the next safe place, one of them is already over it. I start to feel even more sick as I look down the hundreds of feet drop to the water below. Then, as I look to my right I see something, I don't know how I missed it before, but it's a huge, rectangular block. If I just climb up the two feet high of it to the top, I can easily walk across it to safety! I call to the others and we all realize how easy that is. The first person gets up on it and it too begins to fall apart, he runs across and is safe but time is too short to allow us all to do the same. So we jump.
We then walk across some boards with biting sea animals beneath us snapping at the few ropes that hold them together. Finally, it's over. We walk into a lighted room with four chairs, and some odd looking robotic cars driving around. I see three of my friends disappear into the light and I wait, noticing something, I say, “Where's Josh!” (not my brother). Eric turns to me and says, “He didn't make it man... he didn't make it. I begin to cry, as I sit down on one of the chairs. My brothers join me, facing the place that we came from. I look down, see tears fall into my lap. But, as I look up the darkness is gone, the water, the cave, the creatures, their all gone! Oddly though, what's left is a school room, the type you find in a public school, only bigger. There are many kids sitting there, talking, laughing, then they stop, and on a stage there's a violinist playing a concert, it's happy, light, fun, safe...
I am sure that you are all thoroughly confused now. You may think that I just made that up, but I really didn't. That just happened to be a dream I had last night. As most dreams go it didn't make much sense, was twisted, confused, partially annoying. As I woke up this morning I thought of that dream, it seems to have lasted the entire night. I didn't think much of it besides the fact that I don't want to have it again. Then I began to think, “Wait, I don't usually have dreams with much meaning, but there's a meaning to that one!” All I could think of was that God put that twisted dream into my head so that I could share it with you. Let me ask you this, what does that dream sound like? I don't know about you but it sounds to me like life! We all have friends, and when we fall those true friends will pick us up. When we slip those friends will give us a hand. Life is like that cave. There are dangers, snares, sometimes it seems that there are things attacking us, big leaps of faith we must take, and when we try to cheat around that leap, it may work for some, but not for all of us. Yet, as we look back, we'll see what beauty comes of a hard life, how far God has brought us.
Also, sometimes most of us will fail, we will fall into the trap, but if there is one good, close friend who is truly a believer, and who will truly help you, he can be the only savior. One person, sent by God to help us continue on in life. The saddest part? We don't all make it. I lost someone, he was gone, I couldn't do a thing about it, he was lost, betrayed himself to the devil, never to return. This story seems to go along the same lines as Pilgrims Progress. That classic novel about life.
I want to ask you a very serious question though. You don't really have to answer it to me unless you want to, but you should answer it to yourself. Here it is: Do you have true friends? Do you have friends that won't turn their backs on you when you make a mistake? Do you have a friend, or friends that when you mess up they will take your hand, they will help you out of the pit? And will they do so by the power of God? You can have a friend that seems so loving, and kind, and always helps you, but that person is nothing if he or she doesn't truly believe in the saving faith of Christ. So ask yourself, “Do I have true friends? Or do I have people in my life that like me for my clothes, or my looks, or my 'personality'?” If the answer is that you don't have those real, strong, loving friends, then you've gotta fix that. If those friends are your siblings, then great! Stick to them. If they are people you have met over the years, then great! Return the favor. But if you don't have even just one, you will find that it will be hard to survive. I know, going through what I have God has used those friends to pick me up again. But if you turn your back on God, and turn your back on those God has sent to you for help.
There's this joke, I'm sure some of you have heard it before, but it goes something like this. There was once a man who was stuck on top of his house after a huge storm. The rivers were flooded, and he had no way out. He prayed, “God! Save me! Come and rescue your servant!” A little while later a civilian in a boat came along and said, “Hey there! You look like you need some help, I'll get you off of there.” But the man replied, “Oh no, thank you though. God will save me.” After a time another boat came along, a rescue boat and the captain said, “Come on down, get on the boat, we'll help you out!” But again, the man said, “No, no need, thank you though, but God will save me.” That night, a helicopter came by, the spotlight settling on the house and the pilot saw the man, he dropped a rescue ladder and called out, “Come on up! You'll be safe!” The man refused again. The next day another storm came through and the man was drowned. At the Gated of Heaven He asked God, “God, what's up with that? I asked for help, I prayed for help, but you never saved me!” God looked at him and said, “Oh no young man! I sent you two boats and a helicopter! You didn't take the help that I sent.”
I believe some of us live this way. I say, “God! I need help! Help me please I'm falling!” God sends a friend, or a family member, and I refuse the help. Really, that is the help. God's sending us help through a person. We need to allow God to help us, and know that the path of life isn't an easy one. But without faith in God, we can do nothing.
Psalm 17 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!
You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.
They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.
Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
-JK
“Hola, this is...” Oh yes, one of my students. I knew it was before he even said his name because he always answers the same way, with “hola”. I don't listen to a thing he's saying because I'm scared out of my mind about what I'm going to do pretty soon. I hang up after he's done speaking and forget all about it. I go up to my brother Eric and ask, “Are we gonna leave yet?” Then the phone rings again. He picks it up, and hands it to me, I say hi and find that it's the mother of one of the friends. She wants to know where her daughter is. I tell her she's still on her trip but should be home shortly, then tell her that her son is with us and having a good time.
Finally, we're leaving, it took ages to get out of here. We're thrown into another world where we find ourselves in a cavernous cave tunnel. Water rushing around and we must fight for survival. Josh yells out, “Mind the gap!” He says this just in time for the other seven of us to fall through this huge hole in the path with water running down it in torrents. I hold on for dear life as I feel my fingers slipping away. Two sets of hands pull me up and I'm safe... for now. We keep going, each of us in turn falling down a hole, or slipping into some slimy puddle.
After a while we find that the water level has decreased quite a bit. We seem at a safe height at the moment. Then, a friend of mine leading the group steps down on the earth and it begins to crumble. We all being to fall, screaming, we grab onto each other, and the ledge that's left. One friend didn't fall, he was safe, and helped us back up as we continued on down this seemingly endless tunnel. I look down, there's the water. It's rushing at fast speeds below me, I feel sick.
“Guys, we got ourselves a problem!” calls out another friend. All I can think is, “What next?” I look and the ground all around us is falling to pieces, there's a leap that we must all take in order to get to the next safe place, one of them is already over it. I start to feel even more sick as I look down the hundreds of feet drop to the water below. Then, as I look to my right I see something, I don't know how I missed it before, but it's a huge, rectangular block. If I just climb up the two feet high of it to the top, I can easily walk across it to safety! I call to the others and we all realize how easy that is. The first person gets up on it and it too begins to fall apart, he runs across and is safe but time is too short to allow us all to do the same. So we jump.
We then walk across some boards with biting sea animals beneath us snapping at the few ropes that hold them together. Finally, it's over. We walk into a lighted room with four chairs, and some odd looking robotic cars driving around. I see three of my friends disappear into the light and I wait, noticing something, I say, “Where's Josh!” (not my brother). Eric turns to me and says, “He didn't make it man... he didn't make it. I begin to cry, as I sit down on one of the chairs. My brothers join me, facing the place that we came from. I look down, see tears fall into my lap. But, as I look up the darkness is gone, the water, the cave, the creatures, their all gone! Oddly though, what's left is a school room, the type you find in a public school, only bigger. There are many kids sitting there, talking, laughing, then they stop, and on a stage there's a violinist playing a concert, it's happy, light, fun, safe...
I am sure that you are all thoroughly confused now. You may think that I just made that up, but I really didn't. That just happened to be a dream I had last night. As most dreams go it didn't make much sense, was twisted, confused, partially annoying. As I woke up this morning I thought of that dream, it seems to have lasted the entire night. I didn't think much of it besides the fact that I don't want to have it again. Then I began to think, “Wait, I don't usually have dreams with much meaning, but there's a meaning to that one!” All I could think of was that God put that twisted dream into my head so that I could share it with you. Let me ask you this, what does that dream sound like? I don't know about you but it sounds to me like life! We all have friends, and when we fall those true friends will pick us up. When we slip those friends will give us a hand. Life is like that cave. There are dangers, snares, sometimes it seems that there are things attacking us, big leaps of faith we must take, and when we try to cheat around that leap, it may work for some, but not for all of us. Yet, as we look back, we'll see what beauty comes of a hard life, how far God has brought us.
Also, sometimes most of us will fail, we will fall into the trap, but if there is one good, close friend who is truly a believer, and who will truly help you, he can be the only savior. One person, sent by God to help us continue on in life. The saddest part? We don't all make it. I lost someone, he was gone, I couldn't do a thing about it, he was lost, betrayed himself to the devil, never to return. This story seems to go along the same lines as Pilgrims Progress. That classic novel about life.
I want to ask you a very serious question though. You don't really have to answer it to me unless you want to, but you should answer it to yourself. Here it is: Do you have true friends? Do you have friends that won't turn their backs on you when you make a mistake? Do you have a friend, or friends that when you mess up they will take your hand, they will help you out of the pit? And will they do so by the power of God? You can have a friend that seems so loving, and kind, and always helps you, but that person is nothing if he or she doesn't truly believe in the saving faith of Christ. So ask yourself, “Do I have true friends? Or do I have people in my life that like me for my clothes, or my looks, or my 'personality'?” If the answer is that you don't have those real, strong, loving friends, then you've gotta fix that. If those friends are your siblings, then great! Stick to them. If they are people you have met over the years, then great! Return the favor. But if you don't have even just one, you will find that it will be hard to survive. I know, going through what I have God has used those friends to pick me up again. But if you turn your back on God, and turn your back on those God has sent to you for help.
There's this joke, I'm sure some of you have heard it before, but it goes something like this. There was once a man who was stuck on top of his house after a huge storm. The rivers were flooded, and he had no way out. He prayed, “God! Save me! Come and rescue your servant!” A little while later a civilian in a boat came along and said, “Hey there! You look like you need some help, I'll get you off of there.” But the man replied, “Oh no, thank you though. God will save me.” After a time another boat came along, a rescue boat and the captain said, “Come on down, get on the boat, we'll help you out!” But again, the man said, “No, no need, thank you though, but God will save me.” That night, a helicopter came by, the spotlight settling on the house and the pilot saw the man, he dropped a rescue ladder and called out, “Come on up! You'll be safe!” The man refused again. The next day another storm came through and the man was drowned. At the Gated of Heaven He asked God, “God, what's up with that? I asked for help, I prayed for help, but you never saved me!” God looked at him and said, “Oh no young man! I sent you two boats and a helicopter! You didn't take the help that I sent.”
I believe some of us live this way. I say, “God! I need help! Help me please I'm falling!” God sends a friend, or a family member, and I refuse the help. Really, that is the help. God's sending us help through a person. We need to allow God to help us, and know that the path of life isn't an easy one. But without faith in God, we can do nothing.
Psalm 17 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!
You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.
They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.
Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
-JK
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Anatomy of Music Part 3......
I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Praise You In This Storm – Casting Crowns
It's those long dangerous nights when I whisper these words to myself. They keep me going through God's grace and I cannot thank Him enough for doing something so small as putting this song in my life. Some may say that music is simply music and can't control a person. People who say that are sincerely wrong. I have read stories of young people killing themselves because of the music they listened to. I could go in depth but if you're that interested look it up yourself and see the horror of it all. Depending on what music you listen to it can control your heart. This song does just that. Yet it does it in a good way.
I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
This part seems to show the weakness in the singer of the song. He was hoping that God would come down and help Him out sooner. Like it says, “Stepped in and saved the day”. It portrays God as out hero. Which He is, only more than that. He is simply the only being that can save us! Without God I would truly be nothing.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
When I'm in a tough place, listening to this song, and asking God why, this part can only make me cry. I don't believe any song, even the previous ones we've talked about affect me the way those couple of lines do. “It's still raining”, what a picture. “As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain, I'm with you”. It's so true friends. When I feel lost, burdened, like there's no way out. And as that haunting, hurting feeling rushes over me like rain, as the thunder of lost hope burns deep into my mind I listen closely, and I hear that still small voice saying, “I'm with you.” After this all I can do is simply raise my hands, raise them and praise my God, my savior. God is a God who gives and takes away, and sometimes when He takes things from us it hurts. But He knows what He's doing. We shouldn't sit around and pout about it. God's in control. He's with you.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
This storm, this storm of troubles and hard circumstances that always bring me back to the cross. I will lift my hands, I will praise God because you know what? He truly is who He is. That statement may seem lame, or unneeded but in a time of need you have got to understand who God is. Who is God? God is all-knowing, all-powerful. These are just two of His attributes but they are enough to prove to me that I shouldn't be scared! If God knows all, then I must know that He knows what's coming up for me. If God's all powerful, then I must know that He can save me. And, that He will save me. God will be who He is no matter what situation I'm in. He'll be there with me, holding my hand through it all. “Every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hand, You never left my side, and through my heart is torn I will praise YOU in this storm!” I know that no matter what is going on in life, God will be there, He will those ever flowing tears in His hand, and He will guide me. Even though my heart may be completely torn, God is still there. And I will praise Him through the storm.
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
Ahhh yes.... I have stumbled, and I do remember when I stumbled. Indeed, God heard my cry. I didn't deserve help, didn't deserve to have God come to my rescue, yet He always does. He raises me up again, He shows me His awesome power. I have come to ask Him sometimes, “Lord, truly, my strength is almost gone, I'm soon to be done for, how can I continue on? I can't find You God....” He always answers, answers with three simple words. I'm sure you're saying them right now. “I'm with you...” He strengthens me again, helps me back up on my feet, and I can do nothing but praise Him for it all.
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
These lines come straight from Psalms. “I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Honestly, when you're in dire need of help, do lift your eyes to God. For it is from God that your help will come. My help comes daily from God, yes, I fail, I cannot deny it, but God won't turn His back on me. He won't turn His back on you. The person who can turn a back is you, me, all of us. I can easily turn my back on God, He will never forget me.
I end with this amazing quote that I got from a friend of mine, and thank you friend for giving it to me.
“It started out as a walk, then I tripped over a snare, fell and laid on the hard earth, hoping someone would find me there. After much pain and more prayers I got back up, dusted off the consequences of my mistake... and took another step.”
I hope that these thoughts have done some good in your life, would love to hear about it if they have. Just remember, I'm going through the same struggles, we all are, and we all must turn to the cross. Don't turn your back on God, turn towards Him, can't you see? His hand is stretched toward you, He's just waiting for you take it...
-JK
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Praise You In This Storm – Casting Crowns
It's those long dangerous nights when I whisper these words to myself. They keep me going through God's grace and I cannot thank Him enough for doing something so small as putting this song in my life. Some may say that music is simply music and can't control a person. People who say that are sincerely wrong. I have read stories of young people killing themselves because of the music they listened to. I could go in depth but if you're that interested look it up yourself and see the horror of it all. Depending on what music you listen to it can control your heart. This song does just that. Yet it does it in a good way.
I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
This part seems to show the weakness in the singer of the song. He was hoping that God would come down and help Him out sooner. Like it says, “Stepped in and saved the day”. It portrays God as out hero. Which He is, only more than that. He is simply the only being that can save us! Without God I would truly be nothing.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
When I'm in a tough place, listening to this song, and asking God why, this part can only make me cry. I don't believe any song, even the previous ones we've talked about affect me the way those couple of lines do. “It's still raining”, what a picture. “As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain, I'm with you”. It's so true friends. When I feel lost, burdened, like there's no way out. And as that haunting, hurting feeling rushes over me like rain, as the thunder of lost hope burns deep into my mind I listen closely, and I hear that still small voice saying, “I'm with you.” After this all I can do is simply raise my hands, raise them and praise my God, my savior. God is a God who gives and takes away, and sometimes when He takes things from us it hurts. But He knows what He's doing. We shouldn't sit around and pout about it. God's in control. He's with you.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
This storm, this storm of troubles and hard circumstances that always bring me back to the cross. I will lift my hands, I will praise God because you know what? He truly is who He is. That statement may seem lame, or unneeded but in a time of need you have got to understand who God is. Who is God? God is all-knowing, all-powerful. These are just two of His attributes but they are enough to prove to me that I shouldn't be scared! If God knows all, then I must know that He knows what's coming up for me. If God's all powerful, then I must know that He can save me. And, that He will save me. God will be who He is no matter what situation I'm in. He'll be there with me, holding my hand through it all. “Every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hand, You never left my side, and through my heart is torn I will praise YOU in this storm!” I know that no matter what is going on in life, God will be there, He will those ever flowing tears in His hand, and He will guide me. Even though my heart may be completely torn, God is still there. And I will praise Him through the storm.
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
Ahhh yes.... I have stumbled, and I do remember when I stumbled. Indeed, God heard my cry. I didn't deserve help, didn't deserve to have God come to my rescue, yet He always does. He raises me up again, He shows me His awesome power. I have come to ask Him sometimes, “Lord, truly, my strength is almost gone, I'm soon to be done for, how can I continue on? I can't find You God....” He always answers, answers with three simple words. I'm sure you're saying them right now. “I'm with you...” He strengthens me again, helps me back up on my feet, and I can do nothing but praise Him for it all.
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
These lines come straight from Psalms. “I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Honestly, when you're in dire need of help, do lift your eyes to God. For it is from God that your help will come. My help comes daily from God, yes, I fail, I cannot deny it, but God won't turn His back on me. He won't turn His back on you. The person who can turn a back is you, me, all of us. I can easily turn my back on God, He will never forget me.
I end with this amazing quote that I got from a friend of mine, and thank you friend for giving it to me.
“It started out as a walk, then I tripped over a snare, fell and laid on the hard earth, hoping someone would find me there. After much pain and more prayers I got back up, dusted off the consequences of my mistake... and took another step.”
I hope that these thoughts have done some good in your life, would love to hear about it if they have. Just remember, I'm going through the same struggles, we all are, and we all must turn to the cross. Don't turn your back on God, turn towards Him, can't you see? His hand is stretched toward you, He's just waiting for you take it...
-JK
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)