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Archive for April, 2011

a pretty glare

Posted in deception, Holy Spirit, Jesus, repentance, tagged , , , , , , on April 28, 2011 | 3 Comments »

i was hanging out with my son yesterday.

and realized i needed to change something.

i know he can’t think abstractly yet (he’s only 4 months old), but i started imagining if he could.

he can’t speak or understand english yet either.

the only opinion that he would then have of me is what he encounters with his senses:

smells when i’m around,

noises when i’m around,

touch when i’m around,

taste when i’m around,

and sight when i’m around.

i think sight would have the greatest influence on his view of me, what he sees me do.

and my heart sank.

because i couldn’t convince him with words or deceptive penetrating logic that convinced explained to him that i really do love his mom more than my iphone even if my actions didn’t always show it.

imagine that world for a minute … where you couldn’t speak to people with words,

and all they knew about you was how you lived

when you are alone,

when you are with them,

when you are with others.

i don’t want pax to see me holding my phone more than ash’s hand.

i don’t want him to see my eyes locked onto a screen more than his mom’s eyes.

i don’t want him to see me listening to a sermon more than him.

i don’t want him to see me reading a book more than his heart.

none of this is a matter of external behavior modification either,

it’s an issue of my heart.

no matter how many times i say i care about spending time with my son more than my iphone,

or no matter how many times i say i enjoy thinking about God more than my job,

my actions – stemming from my heart – indict me.

i can say what i think is right or how i should be, but my actions reveal the current state of my heart.

yes, what i say comes out of my heart, but my heart is marred by darkness.

so is my mind, which helps formulate the words that come out of my mouth,

and eventually, the true state of my heart will be exposed by my words.

however, sometimes an easier and accurate reflection of the state of your heart is your actions.

for example, what do you think you care about?

check your bank statement over the last month – what did you spend the most on?

that is actually what you care about.

i do what i want to do

…and so do you.

matthew 6:21

matthew 15:18

luke 6:45

proverbs 4:23

and the last thing i want pax to remember from his childhood is a pretty glare on my glasses.

come Lord Jesus – you’re my only hope.

what do you need Holy Spirit to change in your heart?

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WORSHIP GOD.

Posted in Uncategorized on April 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

my favorite thing to do is this : WORSHIP GOD.

right now, you are worshipping.

it might not be God that you are worshipping.

but you are definitely giving your heart, soul, mind and strength to something or someone. right now.

i can look at specific moments today when, by His grace, i gave God my all.

i said to my mind, “no, you will not be ruled by the worries of this life.”

i said to my heart, “no, you will not be consumed with the waste of this world.”

i said to my soul, “no, you will not be downcast within me!”

i said to my body, “wake up and shake off the dust!”

and i cried THANK YOU GOD with my whole being.

truly, there is nothing like it.

if you do this and aren’t filled with gratitude, you are still holding on to yourself and to your day.

there are many ways to WORSHIP GOD but try this one.

this act of putting aside all of your “important things” and giving thanks with everything you’ve got.

if you say “well i just don’t have the time or a place to do this comfortably.”

go to your car for ten minutes.  and be a child before your Father.

He loves to see your face and hear your voice.

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Fighter Verse: Like a Tree

Posted in Uncategorized on April 25, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Psalm 1:3-4

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Context:  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

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it is finished

Posted in Bible, filching friday, freedom, Gospel, grace, Holy Week, Jesus, justice, mercy, worship, tagged , , , , , , on April 22, 2011 | 3 Comments »

“It is finished.”

-Jesus, John 19:30

what was finished?

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Teacher and Lord

Posted in Holy Week, Jesus, tagged , , , , , on April 21, 2011 | 1 Comment »

the night before Jesus was murdered, he gathered his disciples to eat one final meal together.

after washing their feet, he begins to talk with them knowing that this would be the last time they would be together in harmony during his earthly life.

in the midst of him encouraging his disciples to mimic him, he says,

You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

isn’t it amazing that so many false teachings are answered by this single statement made by Jesus himself?

“Jesus is just a good example, not really God.”

-Yea, if liars or lunatics are good examples.

“We should just look at Jesus’ teachings.”

-Yea, if you want to drive yourself further into despair by attempting to obey apart from His Lordship (romans 8:7-8).

“I am free – I don’t have to obey his teachings.”

-If you don’t desire to obey, you aren’t free (1 john 2:4).

“Coexist.”

-Jesus himself said that He was Lord (singular); you can either accept Him and reject all other lords or you can reject Him and continue down the path of darkness (john 14:6).

Jesus is Teacher and Lord, there is not one without the other.

to pursue obedience to God’s commands is to pursue of the fullest meaning of being a human and the fullest pleasures that exist,

but only through His Lordship in our lives can we pursue obedience to his commands with great boldness because of who we are “in Him.”

let us follow our Shepherd Lord to the cross this week and be raised to new life, real life, full life, true life with Him by learning from Him as Teacher only and always from the perspective of Him as Lord.

what other names does Jesus have (especially revealed or confirmed in the last week of his life)?

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