I am what I hate
Infested with sin
When I open the gate
And let the demon in
That old man dies
Uncountable times
Yet he still tries
To commit more crimes
Against God and man
And who I love most
I hate the plan
Of which he boasts
To hunt and destroy
And make me a slave
Stealing away my joy
As he digs my grave
Lust of the eye
And lust of the mind
Ways that I die
Aren't hard to find
It feels so good
Feeding lies and hype
But I know I should
Want a different type
Of passionate thought
Than this spiritual heist
Because I have been bought
By the blood of Christ
Help Jesus, there's no on else
Who can save me from myself
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A Man That Needs To Die
There's a man in me that needs to die
With a heart of stone and an evil eye
He's the one who would take your life
And the one who'd betray his wife
He's the one who lies and steals
And does just whatever he feels
He's filled with lust and he's filled with greed
And he's so blind to who he needs
There's a man in me that needs to die
With an attitude that he's just fine
He follows the law and pays his bills
And donates cash to help the ill
He says of himself that he is good
Because he does what he thinks he should
He thinks that this life is his own
And doesn't see who's on the throne
There's a man in me that needs to die
Who can't see the plank that's in his eye
He works very hard to earn his grace
And can't see the gift in front of his face
He keeps his rules and pats his head
Not realizing inside he's dead
He thinks that he's pretty free from sin
Without really letting the savior in
All three men seem world's apart
But all three men need a new heart
Like the one that Jesus gave me
Bought with his blood on Calvary
Now there's a war in my heart and head
That will end when all three are dead
Come back come back my king and lord
And cut them down with your sword
Then there will be
Freedom
With a heart of stone and an evil eye
He's the one who would take your life
And the one who'd betray his wife
He's the one who lies and steals
And does just whatever he feels
He's filled with lust and he's filled with greed
And he's so blind to who he needs
There's a man in me that needs to die
With an attitude that he's just fine
He follows the law and pays his bills
And donates cash to help the ill
He says of himself that he is good
Because he does what he thinks he should
He thinks that this life is his own
And doesn't see who's on the throne
There's a man in me that needs to die
Who can't see the plank that's in his eye
He works very hard to earn his grace
And can't see the gift in front of his face
He keeps his rules and pats his head
Not realizing inside he's dead
He thinks that he's pretty free from sin
Without really letting the savior in
All three men seem world's apart
But all three men need a new heart
Like the one that Jesus gave me
Bought with his blood on Calvary
Now there's a war in my heart and head
That will end when all three are dead
Come back come back my king and lord
And cut them down with your sword
Then there will be
Freedom
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Heart of the Matter
The situation: The kid gets into the candy jar when he is not supposed to. The kid runs and hides to unwrap and consume his ill gotten loot. Dad catches him and asks if he stole the candy. He says no with his candy covered mouth and holds up his candy covered hands.
Thief. Liar.
He didn't have to be taught how to steal, and he didn't have to be taught how to lie. The problem is in his heart. "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15 ESV)
However, this is not the world's assessment of the problem, and a wrong assessment is bound to lead to a wrong solution. Sadly, wrong thinking and wrong solutions have infested the minds of Christian parents as well.
Two popular lines of thinking are that the real issue is either low self esteem or environment. Both are wrong.
Dumb assessment/solution #1 is that the child must have a low self esteem, and if he just had a higher self esteem, he wouldn't do bad things. Right. How well has that worked over the past couple decades? We tried that and ended up with demon teenagers and adults who think amazingly high of themselves. I was one of them before, saturated in wickedness but thinking I was a really good person, before Jesus gave me a new heart. The "boost his self esteem" route will turn our candy thief into an arrogant candy thief who flips Dad off after stealing the candy. We need something better.
Dumb assessment/solution #2 is that the child's environment is the problem and we need to change it to correct his moral behavior. He's really just a victim of too easily accessible and too good tasting of candy and of bad friends, so let's hide the candy and shoot the friends. Is that how it went down with Adam and Eve? No. The tree was in the middle of the garden, easily accessible, with good tasting fruit, and they were the only people in a really good neighborhood. Really, what good would it have been to have the tree on a mountain with an electric fence around it? That wouldn't drive out folly. It's the same with the candy. You can move it to the roof and say "Look, my kids behave!" You'd also be a moron. Your kids still want to sin in their hearts, but it would be harder for them because they don't have a ladder. We need something better.
With the popular thinking the world offers, you can make kids proud, and you can make kids moral. If you do both, you make them into the type of people Jesus ripped into the most. Bad idea.
What we need instead of these surface changes, we need to go deep and teach children the heart of the problem is the problem with the heart. What we need is to teach them the Bible properly from a young age and discipline them properly. What we need is for them to get we are all sinners by nature and choice. What we need is to point them to Jesus as the answer to that problem. What we need is to address the root cause behind it all, not just effects of that root cause. What we need, for us and for them, is a new heart.
That is what creates humility instead of pride, and that is what leads to obedience out of love instead of compliance out of circumstance. That is the heart of the matter.
Thief. Liar.
He didn't have to be taught how to steal, and he didn't have to be taught how to lie. The problem is in his heart. "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15 ESV)
However, this is not the world's assessment of the problem, and a wrong assessment is bound to lead to a wrong solution. Sadly, wrong thinking and wrong solutions have infested the minds of Christian parents as well.
Two popular lines of thinking are that the real issue is either low self esteem or environment. Both are wrong.
Dumb assessment/solution #1 is that the child must have a low self esteem, and if he just had a higher self esteem, he wouldn't do bad things. Right. How well has that worked over the past couple decades? We tried that and ended up with demon teenagers and adults who think amazingly high of themselves. I was one of them before, saturated in wickedness but thinking I was a really good person, before Jesus gave me a new heart. The "boost his self esteem" route will turn our candy thief into an arrogant candy thief who flips Dad off after stealing the candy. We need something better.
Dumb assessment/solution #2 is that the child's environment is the problem and we need to change it to correct his moral behavior. He's really just a victim of too easily accessible and too good tasting of candy and of bad friends, so let's hide the candy and shoot the friends. Is that how it went down with Adam and Eve? No. The tree was in the middle of the garden, easily accessible, with good tasting fruit, and they were the only people in a really good neighborhood. Really, what good would it have been to have the tree on a mountain with an electric fence around it? That wouldn't drive out folly. It's the same with the candy. You can move it to the roof and say "Look, my kids behave!" You'd also be a moron. Your kids still want to sin in their hearts, but it would be harder for them because they don't have a ladder. We need something better.
With the popular thinking the world offers, you can make kids proud, and you can make kids moral. If you do both, you make them into the type of people Jesus ripped into the most. Bad idea.
What we need instead of these surface changes, we need to go deep and teach children the heart of the problem is the problem with the heart. What we need is to teach them the Bible properly from a young age and discipline them properly. What we need is for them to get we are all sinners by nature and choice. What we need is to point them to Jesus as the answer to that problem. What we need is to address the root cause behind it all, not just effects of that root cause. What we need, for us and for them, is a new heart.
That is what creates humility instead of pride, and that is what leads to obedience out of love instead of compliance out of circumstance. That is the heart of the matter.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Do You Fear What I Fear?
"My biggest fear for you is not that you will be an atheist, but that you will create a picture of God that accommodates what you want, and you will collect verses to back that up, and you will build your own system of knowledge, and you will worship an idol, and you will call it Jesus - a god who has no power, a god who has no authority, a god who has no justice, a god who has no strength, a god who sort of winks at evil, a god who is just like us. And the thing that I fear, I fear for those people that don't fear God. If you don't fear God, I fear for you." - Mark Driscoll
It is too easy to focus first or only on the aspects of God we like and practically or totally ignore those we don't.
In doing that we make God out to be a Santa Claus who winks at evil like its no big deal.
Instead we should first focus on the power, the authority, the sovereignty, the righteous judgment, and the wrath of God who hates evil and crushes his enemies, and that we can't measure up to our own standards of goodness, let alone His.
In doing that and developing a healthy fear of God first, we are more equipped to love what he loves, hate what he hates, and then his love means something real to us.
I didn't connect the dots at the time when I first cried out to Jesus and had an overnight transformation, but I remember what I tried to suppress while I was living for myself, proud of all the time and money I had to waste, loving pornography more than real intimacy, and making false gods out of everything in my life - that voice of God very clear in the back of my head telling me that if I kept this up and didn't change, I was going to hell.
How wonderful it is to think that while I was rebelling against him with my entire life, God was already pursuing me and setting me on a path that led straight through the cross of Jesus Christ into his loving arms! There is no way I'd be there without God first giving me a glimpse of who he is, and that picture looks nothing like an old grandpa who loves but lacks power.
Fear God and love God.
Grace and Peace friends.
It is too easy to focus first or only on the aspects of God we like and practically or totally ignore those we don't.
In doing that we make God out to be a Santa Claus who winks at evil like its no big deal.
Instead we should first focus on the power, the authority, the sovereignty, the righteous judgment, and the wrath of God who hates evil and crushes his enemies, and that we can't measure up to our own standards of goodness, let alone His.
In doing that and developing a healthy fear of God first, we are more equipped to love what he loves, hate what he hates, and then his love means something real to us.
I didn't connect the dots at the time when I first cried out to Jesus and had an overnight transformation, but I remember what I tried to suppress while I was living for myself, proud of all the time and money I had to waste, loving pornography more than real intimacy, and making false gods out of everything in my life - that voice of God very clear in the back of my head telling me that if I kept this up and didn't change, I was going to hell.
How wonderful it is to think that while I was rebelling against him with my entire life, God was already pursuing me and setting me on a path that led straight through the cross of Jesus Christ into his loving arms! There is no way I'd be there without God first giving me a glimpse of who he is, and that picture looks nothing like an old grandpa who loves but lacks power.
Fear God and love God.
Grace and Peace friends.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
A Father's Joy
My after-work time at home is normally very good - peaceful home, respectful wife, joy filled kids, all by the grace of God. The other night I experience a particularly glorious dad moment that blew me away. It started with my kids fighting.
"Anda, you're nuts."
Yes, but that is beside the point!
So the girls were supposed to be feeding the dogs, but one was in the doorway with a chair blocking the other, and the one in the back had the scoop for the dog food. "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Go sit on the stairs."
After some contemplation time, I took them into their room one at a time. "What's your sin?" "I was thinking about myself and not my sister." "That's right, in that moment you didn't have love in your heart. Who did you sin against?" "My sister." "Who else?" "You." "Who else?" "God." "That's right, you need to tell all three that you are sorry."
Then I witnessed prayer, heartfelt apologies, and reconciliation. It was beautiful and glorious and just how it should be between God's kids, and it certainly beats an unmeant "SORRY. Humph."
Christian parents, take the time for settling down, getting kids to understand their specific sin, getting at the heart, and encouraging real apologies, real forgiveness, and real reconciliation. It's awesome.
Props to Mark Driscoll for excellent teaching through Proverbs that illuminated some areas regarding child rearing I needed to pay more attention to, and to Jesus for using him so mightily and for never ending work on my own heart.
Grace and Peace friends.
"Anda, you're nuts."
Yes, but that is beside the point!
So the girls were supposed to be feeding the dogs, but one was in the doorway with a chair blocking the other, and the one in the back had the scoop for the dog food. "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Go sit on the stairs."
After some contemplation time, I took them into their room one at a time. "What's your sin?" "I was thinking about myself and not my sister." "That's right, in that moment you didn't have love in your heart. Who did you sin against?" "My sister." "Who else?" "You." "Who else?" "God." "That's right, you need to tell all three that you are sorry."
Then I witnessed prayer, heartfelt apologies, and reconciliation. It was beautiful and glorious and just how it should be between God's kids, and it certainly beats an unmeant "SORRY. Humph."
Christian parents, take the time for settling down, getting kids to understand their specific sin, getting at the heart, and encouraging real apologies, real forgiveness, and real reconciliation. It's awesome.
Props to Mark Driscoll for excellent teaching through Proverbs that illuminated some areas regarding child rearing I needed to pay more attention to, and to Jesus for using him so mightily and for never ending work on my own heart.
Grace and Peace friends.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Who I Am Apart From Jesus
I lived 30 years of my life not knowing Jesus. One day he broke into my life and changed my heart and renewed my mind. He made me a new creation and put his spirit in me. He gave me a love for him that will not be shaken in the end - not because I am so strong, but because he is so gracious and loving. This post is about who I was before that happened, and who we all are apart from Jesus.
The Bible is brutally honest about who we are apart from God's gracious intervention. The fact is that we are wretched sinners by nature and by choice, and all of what I say below is dead on regarding who I was before God saved me. For those who know me personally, these things may not seem to be wholly true, but that is because you don't really know me. Only one person apart from Jesus comes close, and you are not that person.
So here goes. Apart from Jesus, I am:
One who does evil continually. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)
Impure. Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? (Proverbs 20:9 ESV)
Not righteous or good. Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20 ESV)
Full of evil and madness. The hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:3b ESV)
Wicked and estranged. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. (Psalm 58:3 ESV)
Lost, going my own way. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6 ESV)
Rebellious. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; (Isaiah 65:2 ESV)
Among those who have loved darkness. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:19 ESV)
A slave to sin. Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. (John 8:34 ESV)
A child of the devil. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. (John 8:43, 44a ESV)
A stiff necked resister of the Holy Spirit. "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, (Acts 7:51, 52 ESV)
Unrepentant, storing up wrath. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:4, 5 ESV)
Without fear of God. As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18 ESV)
Hostile to God. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7, 8 ESV)
Spiritually foolish. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)
Spiritually dead, among the children of wrath. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)
An enemy of the cross of Christ. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18, 19 ESV)
Dead and in debt. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13, 14 ESV)
Defiled and unbelieving. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (Titus 1:15, 16 ESV)
A slave to passions and pleasures. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (Titus 3:3 ESV)
Under the power of the evil one. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19 ESV)
That was bad news. Thank God for good news. Thank God for Jesus. Thank God for grace.
The Bible is brutally honest about who we are apart from God's gracious intervention. The fact is that we are wretched sinners by nature and by choice, and all of what I say below is dead on regarding who I was before God saved me. For those who know me personally, these things may not seem to be wholly true, but that is because you don't really know me. Only one person apart from Jesus comes close, and you are not that person.
So here goes. Apart from Jesus, I am:
One who does evil continually. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)
Impure. Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? (Proverbs 20:9 ESV)
Not righteous or good. Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20 ESV)
Full of evil and madness. The hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:3b ESV)
Wicked and estranged. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. (Psalm 58:3 ESV)
Lost, going my own way. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6 ESV)
Rebellious. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; (Isaiah 65:2 ESV)
Among those who have loved darkness. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:19 ESV)
A slave to sin. Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. (John 8:34 ESV)
A child of the devil. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. (John 8:43, 44a ESV)
A stiff necked resister of the Holy Spirit. "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, (Acts 7:51, 52 ESV)
Unrepentant, storing up wrath. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:4, 5 ESV)
Without fear of God. As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18 ESV)
Hostile to God. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7, 8 ESV)
Spiritually foolish. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)
Spiritually dead, among the children of wrath. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)
An enemy of the cross of Christ. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18, 19 ESV)
Dead and in debt. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13, 14 ESV)
Defiled and unbelieving. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (Titus 1:15, 16 ESV)
A slave to passions and pleasures. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (Titus 3:3 ESV)
Under the power of the evil one. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19 ESV)
That was bad news. Thank God for good news. Thank God for Jesus. Thank God for grace.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Grocery List
A sister at work posted this.
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.
She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.
She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.
John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.
Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.'
John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.
Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, 'Do you have a grocery list?'
Louise replied, 'Yes sir.' 'O.K' he said, 'Fine....put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries.'
Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.
The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down..
The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, 'I can't believe it.'
The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.
The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.
It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:
'Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.'
The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.
Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said; 'It was worth every penny of it. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs.'
So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do.
I will also add to it this -- be the answer to someone's prayers.
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.
She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.
She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.
John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.
Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.'
John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.
Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, 'Do you have a grocery list?'
Louise replied, 'Yes sir.' 'O.K' he said, 'Fine....put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries.'
Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.
The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down..
The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, 'I can't believe it.'
The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.
The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.
It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:
'Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.'
The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.
Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said; 'It was worth every penny of it. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs.'
So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do.
I will also add to it this -- be the answer to someone's prayers.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Whose Way
Sometimes God does big amazing things in our life, and it is right to give him credit. Sometimes God does little amazing things in our life, and it is also right to give him credit. I'm such a bonehead I too often steal it for myself. I try not to, but I surely do. I do remember giving him proper credit for that 200+ bowling game I prayed for that one time. I do remember giving him proper credit for stopping the rain just long enough to make my run that one time, when I was on that whole "I'm going to dunk a basketball" kick. I do remember giving him proper credit for helping me fix broken hardware at work and get moving again.
These are not things that are important by the standards of eternity. They have nothing to do with my salvation, building myself or others up, or surviving in this broken world. They're just little gifts God throws at me, and all of us who ask, perhaps just to say "I'm still here, I still love you, and I touch every aspect of your life. Don't forget it."
I haven't.
Even when I go into my escape from reality in the form of Halo: Reach, I often, not always, remember to give God credit for those "can't believe that happened" victories. It's a rarity for me to see a Cutting Crew, Buck Wild, Extermination, or Perfection, but I do see them -- nice gifts from my dad in the game I enjoy playing.
Then there's those times in game that I see one such gift ahead of me, with the path all laid out, and I take it upon myself to get greedy and hurry it up and wreck the whole thing. The one I remember most vividly was when I had a 19 kill 0 death spree going with on Countdown. Our team was about to win the game. Perfection, in the bag. Didn't happen. Why not? Greed. Sinful, selfish, greed. I didn't just want the Perfection, I wanted the Rampage you get with 20 kills straight. So I chase some guy with a sword up a ramp way too far -- no way I can reach him before he riddles me full of bullets, but I try anyway, knowing in the back of my head I'm a dead man.
Moron.
All I had to do was play it the same way I had for the rest of the game. But at the last minute I decide that what's been working isn't good enough. What I have isn't good enough. I want more, and I want it faster. So I take matters into my own hands and the whole thing self-destructs.
Isn't that what we are prone to do in life sometimes?
God's got the plan and us in the palm of his hand. He's in control, we've nothing to worry about -- we just need to go along for the ride listening to his voice. But, oh no, we want more, and we want it faster. God's way sucks -- time to do it our way.
For the record, just so you know, Our Way sucks. It's the road Neo stared down in The Matrix, and it ends in the same place for all of us -- Big Fat Mess, Nowhere. It's not where we want to be. Just get in the car and let God drive.
Grace and Peace
These are not things that are important by the standards of eternity. They have nothing to do with my salvation, building myself or others up, or surviving in this broken world. They're just little gifts God throws at me, and all of us who ask, perhaps just to say "I'm still here, I still love you, and I touch every aspect of your life. Don't forget it."
I haven't.
Even when I go into my escape from reality in the form of Halo: Reach, I often, not always, remember to give God credit for those "can't believe that happened" victories. It's a rarity for me to see a Cutting Crew, Buck Wild, Extermination, or Perfection, but I do see them -- nice gifts from my dad in the game I enjoy playing.
Then there's those times in game that I see one such gift ahead of me, with the path all laid out, and I take it upon myself to get greedy and hurry it up and wreck the whole thing. The one I remember most vividly was when I had a 19 kill 0 death spree going with on Countdown. Our team was about to win the game. Perfection, in the bag. Didn't happen. Why not? Greed. Sinful, selfish, greed. I didn't just want the Perfection, I wanted the Rampage you get with 20 kills straight. So I chase some guy with a sword up a ramp way too far -- no way I can reach him before he riddles me full of bullets, but I try anyway, knowing in the back of my head I'm a dead man.
Moron.
All I had to do was play it the same way I had for the rest of the game. But at the last minute I decide that what's been working isn't good enough. What I have isn't good enough. I want more, and I want it faster. So I take matters into my own hands and the whole thing self-destructs.
Isn't that what we are prone to do in life sometimes?
God's got the plan and us in the palm of his hand. He's in control, we've nothing to worry about -- we just need to go along for the ride listening to his voice. But, oh no, we want more, and we want it faster. God's way sucks -- time to do it our way.
For the record, just so you know, Our Way sucks. It's the road Neo stared down in The Matrix, and it ends in the same place for all of us -- Big Fat Mess, Nowhere. It's not where we want to be. Just get in the car and let God drive.
Grace and Peace
Friday, January 20, 2012
Hey God
Hey God
I want a better world
One without crying
And death and pain
One where our tears
Don't pour down like the rain
Hey God
I want a better world
One without mothers
And kids in need
One where our fears
Don't feed animal greed
Hey God
I want a better world
One without fathers
Who run away
One where goodbye
Is not a word we say
Hey God
I want a better world
One without losing
The ones we love
One where we meet
Again with you above
I want
Life, not death
Peace, not war
Happiness
On heaven's shore
Hope, not hurt
Any more
Please just give
Us something more
Let it be
Truth, not lore
That's all that
I'm asking for
Hey God
I want a better world
With you someday
I want a better world
One without crying
And death and pain
One where our tears
Don't pour down like the rain
Hey God
I want a better world
One without mothers
And kids in need
One where our fears
Don't feed animal greed
Hey God
I want a better world
One without fathers
Who run away
One where goodbye
Is not a word we say
Hey God
I want a better world
One without losing
The ones we love
One where we meet
Again with you above
I want
Life, not death
Peace, not war
Happiness
On heaven's shore
Hope, not hurt
Any more
Please just give
Us something more
Let it be
Truth, not lore
That's all that
I'm asking for
Hey God
I want a better world
With you someday
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