I am an idealist. I usually think everything is butterflies and rainbows. Sadly, Genesis 2 shows us that we kind of messed that whole "perfect world" thing long ago. If they had not messed it up back then, I'm sure I would have botched this whole perfect world thing for us all. I hypothetically apologize to all of you for that. I am sure you empathize with one of if not both feelings; idealism and thinking you would mess it up if it had gotten this far.
I wanted to explain this idea of being in the Garden of Eden and what it would be like, the implications it has on how we live and how we should go about our relationships, friendships, marriages, and such but I just could not do it today. I tried to explain this idea about 6 different ways, but I kept revealing myself, not scripture so here's a song that's been in my head most of the day:
I am sad to say I could not find this song anywhere on Youtube, so I had to resort to Yahoo! Music.
There is not a lot to today, except that this song has been stuck in my head since ~8:45 this morning. We talked about pride this morning and we discussed 1 Corinthians 4:7:
For who separates you from the others [as a faction leader]? [Who makes you superior and sets you apart from another, giving you the preeminence?] What have you that was not given to you? If then you received it [from someone], why do you boast as if you had not received [but had gained it by your own efforts]? (AMP)
As a culture, we ask the questions like "What makes you better than everyone else?", "What makes you stand out?", or "What makes you so different". The change needs to come in the W word. Who makes you so different?
God is not only the source of preeminence, authority, and majesty but he is also the giver of these things. Since we talked about that this morning, Charlie Hall's "Bravery" has been stuck in my head. Check it out!!
First of all, let me say that undoubtedly my favorite band / music is anything Seth Roberts does. Yes this is a shameless plug but if you doubt, go to www.lakesband.com. The main reason I'm so drawn to it is because so much of it seems like this I would write but never could.
The music coincides with what I've learned in large part this week. I will say unashamedly that I love my friends. I love the people I work with. I love my family. I don't say I love them like Larisa Oleynik loves her Prada backpack in "10 Things I Hate About You". I mean I love my friends, I want the best for them, and if you are in my life to any degree which shows my concern or pursuit, I will probably sacrifice any and all things to build that relationship.
Patience, however, is not my strong suit. I want things now. In fact, if I have to finish the sentence and I don't have it, it's too long. You probably relate in some area whether it's loving fast food, always wanting to watch your favorite show but can't wait 6 minutes for it to be on, freaking out during a commercial break, or the biggest problem: wanting to text someone you just sent a text message to 3.5 minutes ago just to make sure they actually got the first text.
Text messaging has done two wonderful things: it has given us the ability to show people how much we care in the easiest way that has an opportunity to convey what love we can in at least a somewhat meaningful way and turned our society into instant gratification fiends.
I realized in a conversation (read: set of text messages back and form. not synonyms) today that I am typically quicker to voice a brash opinion over text messages which is actually the exact opposite of what I should aim for. James 1:19 says:
Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry." (AMP)
I don't see anywhere in there where it says "Just say whatever you want." This does not mean that I will be completely giving up text messages like I have some music any time soon. This does mean, however, that I will be answering text messages slower from here on if I don't just call you in response. I hope you'll be patient
I want to say thank you to people already following this journey. It's funny that I would start a journey like this and have such immediate spiritual attack happen. It's actually encouraging! It means that I am doing something that is moving someone's heart towards God somewhere. I have woken up with a song in my heart of God and woken up pretty quickly (which is something that is hard for me). If I stopped today, this entire project would be a success. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.
Today is simple: Thank you to Marilyn Carrasco for recommending JJ Heller during this journey o' mine (and I encourage anybody to contribute or recommend music I should investigate. I don't care what genre or style at all!
Honestly, sometimes it's better to just let music do its thing so I'm going to let God encourage you through JJ Heller. I hope you connect with a story somewhere, I know I do.
For those who have not heard this idiom before, "The Refiner's Fire" suggests trial, stretching and pressure that someone endures in hopes of refining them to be better. The hard part is that as Christians, we all want to be better but we don't want to be improved. We want to be refined, but we don't want to go through being refined.
Whether it is trying to calculate how you will pay $100 more in bills than you have money, feeling like one of your best friends is mad at you (or even feeling like you're losing one of your best friends), feeling like you are a corporate pawn, feeling completely alone or looking at your life and having no idea where it is going, there seems to be something always in our way (and those are specific examples from my life and others this week).
I don't do well when friends and I aren't on the same page. So when this song came on directly after 2 different people either said or showed that my input in their life was neither wanted nor appreciated, it immediately penetrated my heart.
The main reason it penetrated my heart is how much faith I put in people. We don't think of ministry, "Christian music", or people who point us towards God of idols. We think, "I trust this person's opinion because they point me to God". We eventually get to the point, however, where we turn to that person for comfort, advice, or solace and not God. We think that we cannot get through the fire without that person. In all reality, we cannot get through the fire with anything but God.
My biggest prayer is that I would trust that I am taken care of. That He is truly ALL I need. After all, Jesus is better than the waves.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? - Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)
I never recommend playing bible roulette. That is, flipping your bible wildly and dropping your finger like some spirit-led anchor believing that wherever you land is where God needs to speak to you specifically.
However, I must say that if you happen to be listening to a song running through your queue on Youtube, you open your bible to your ribbon (please someone correct me if I'm not calling it by some proper classy name that I've never heard of) and your eyes drop immediately to words that seem to answer what is being sung through your aforementioned queue, you've got a winner.
The words I am talking about are "come" and "call". The song was singing the phrase in the title. The song is below
The words being read from Psalm 141:1-2 were eerie in their request:
"LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me. Give ear to my voice when I cry to you. Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
See today I sent a text message to a close friend saying about me being stressed but that I was focused on Jesus, but I knew there were waves beneath me, I just had to stay focused on Jesus. If Peter couldn't do it, did you really think for a moment I could? I started sinking at about 1:30 thinking about all I have to do tomorrow and I remembered my friends advice about being stressed... "Stop it".
I managed to call out in that moment and felt the pull of Jesus putting me back on my feet. I couldn't last the whole day though. I don't think I could have said the sentence "Thank you for getting me back on my feet". Before the "T" in "Feet" I would have already transitioned to "But what about the waves?!" and I promptly sunk for the day before arriving home and subsequently at Psalm 141.
I may not be perfect, but I know that when we call, God comes. I hope that when I wake up tomorrow that the first thing in my mind is "I have decided, I have resolved to wait upon You, LORD" because He will come. Hopefully I will remember that tomorrow. After all, as we learned yesterday... it may not be the prettiest thing you'll ever see, but it's a new day.
To catch some of you up, I have decided that I will not be listening to any secular musicians throughout the end of January and February. For those who make much of nothing, let me go on the record and say: there is nothing inherently wrong with music by people not following Christ. Honestly, often times "secular music" has a very similar message as "Christian music" does. My only stipulation during this is that the musicians themselves are following Christ regardless of genre or message.
Warning: Call it cheesy, but I really do believe the song in your ears is usually the song in your heart. Also what you feel is the song in your heart. So this next month(ish) I will be making reference to the "song in my heart" frequently.
Now that we're all caught up...
I have listened to a lot of Gabe Dixon, MUTE MATH, Hillsong and a lot of Robbie Seay today. The main one being Robbie Seay's album, "Give Yourself Away"...
"New Day" and "Shine Your Light On Us" have awoken a very real idea with the aid of James 1. See, I hate the phrase "I understand". I hate it because in my past I have only been told "I understand" when the person just wants me to shut up. While I may have had a very similar circumstance, in all honesty I would be kidding myself if I thought I knew exactly what you were going through. However, should that really keep me from trying to?
You have needs just like I do, and there is a particular group of people James talks about having needs as well...
"External religious worship [religion as it is express in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need..." James 1:27a (AMP)
Why is it so easy to forget about them? Quite honestly, I have no idea how that could even begin to play out in my life. However, I do know that there are hurting people in my life that I can relate to, or even help. The words on my lips as I go to sleep are ones I hope you start singing:
"Yesterday's gone and today is waiting on you to show your face..."
"It might not be the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it's a new day..."
"I'm gonna sing the song, to let you know that you're not alone..."
So it's a new day. Think of how different our world would be if we could show just 1 person that it's a new day. Yesterday is long gone. Tomorrow might bring pain. Today is all we have. Take care of each other.
