Got to spend some more time engulfed in God's creation again today, and so once again He has inspired me (swimming in the Tampa bay). There is so much to say, but I think I will write on Chris August's song Starry Night.
"I'm giving my life to the only one who makes the Moon reflect the Sun." Wow, on basic level I know that is true. And then when I think of it in relation to His Word I can get so much more out of it.
Psalms 19:1
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
Romans 1:19-20
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Philippians 2:5-7
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Since the Heavens declare God's glory, and Christ, called the Son Of God, is in His very nature is God, then the Moon also reflects the the glory of the Son, who shines so much brighter than the sun. It just seems amazing to put that all together.
And another verse of the song says,
"I'm giving it all to the only Son, who gave me hope when I had none, so let the praises ring!"
"Who gave me hope when I had none", mmm, mmm, mmm. That speaks to me tonight! When the consequences of my selfish decisions hit me square in the face 3 years ago, all I could do was look up to Him from the hole I had created, and He gave me hope, it was only Him who gave me hope, nothing of this world, and He has changed my life in an unbelievable way.
You see He is giving me the chance to work with folks who have made the same selfish decisions, and their hope is low, I know because I have been there.
My prayer is that they, and you since you are reading this, will recognize when you look up at the sky, day or night, and see the Moon, Sun, Stars, and all that can be seen in His Heavens, the creator of these things loves you enough that when you trust in Him, the eternal consequence of your selfish decision was paid for in His suffering. He is our hope when we have none!
"Hallelujah, hallelujah, I believe!"
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Light
I feel convicted carry the Light to the world, because I believe many people are running from Him, because of the shame we feel for our choices.
You see, we are all very capable of choosing to sin, and some will have more worldly consequences than others. And one of the immediate consequences of sin is shame. In the shame we experience, we tend to want to hide ourselves for fear of how those around us will treat us when they find out. When we hide ourselves in shame, we separate ourselves from the body of Christ, not Christ, you see He says He will never leave us or forsake us. But we separate ourselves from the body of Christ, the church, because many in the church live with an outward appearance of perfection, while inside they are just as messed up as the nonbeliever or the believer who is outwardly running from the Lord. We in the church need to live in the light and bear each others’ burdens, and in so doing draw the world back to or help them establish their walk with the Lord.
I want to be one who demonstrates my faith in the Lord by living in the light, so that those who are struggling in their walk, and those who are not believers, can see that being a Christian does not mean that there will never be a struggle, but that the Lord is bigger than our struggles, that He is not sitting on His throne looking for an opportunity to thump us when we make a mistake. He was tempted and overcame those temptations, and He understands our struggles. He loved us so much that He gave His life in the most painful way, so that He could have an eternal relationship with us, and when we believe and confess Him, nothing will ever be able to separate us from Him, ever. Not even our shame.
I believe when we believe the Lord is in control of our lives, and that He loves us in the midst of our junk, that we can have the peace He speaks of in Him alone, and not in some other activity or substance. Then, any shame we have experienced or are experiencing from the sins we have committed will fade. His death and resurrection have covered these.
You see, we are all very capable of choosing to sin, and some will have more worldly consequences than others. And one of the immediate consequences of sin is shame. In the shame we experience, we tend to want to hide ourselves for fear of how those around us will treat us when they find out. When we hide ourselves in shame, we separate ourselves from the body of Christ, not Christ, you see He says He will never leave us or forsake us. But we separate ourselves from the body of Christ, the church, because many in the church live with an outward appearance of perfection, while inside they are just as messed up as the nonbeliever or the believer who is outwardly running from the Lord. We in the church need to live in the light and bear each others’ burdens, and in so doing draw the world back to or help them establish their walk with the Lord.
I want to be one who demonstrates my faith in the Lord by living in the light, so that those who are struggling in their walk, and those who are not believers, can see that being a Christian does not mean that there will never be a struggle, but that the Lord is bigger than our struggles, that He is not sitting on His throne looking for an opportunity to thump us when we make a mistake. He was tempted and overcame those temptations, and He understands our struggles. He loved us so much that He gave His life in the most painful way, so that He could have an eternal relationship with us, and when we believe and confess Him, nothing will ever be able to separate us from Him, ever. Not even our shame.
I believe when we believe the Lord is in control of our lives, and that He loves us in the midst of our junk, that we can have the peace He speaks of in Him alone, and not in some other activity or substance. Then, any shame we have experienced or are experiencing from the sins we have committed will fade. His death and resurrection have covered these.
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