Anxious?

No, I haven't blogged in a long time. I know.
This lack of blogging has mostly been due to my preparation for MOVING TO COLORADO ON SUNDAY!!

So as I was spending time relaxing tonight I began thinking on Phillipians 4. So many times we take our favorite verses in Scripture and separate them from the rest of the chapter, really pulling them from the complete flow of thought intended by the writer. I only say this because I have done this for so long with this chapter!

Ok, yeah, I will only be using only part of the chapter to talk about my thought here but I wanted to share what I found in this section of the chapter.

"4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

I had never really put this together before and it is simple but great.

We are not to be anxious. This is only possible in Christ because we are only confident and peaceful when we think on His faithfulness.

In our sanctification, our mind is changed to be the mind of Christ. Each time we walk through trial and God's faithfulness is shown to us, we will become less and less anxious of the outcome because we come to expect God to be faithful!
Each time, we think less of our selfish desire of comfort and ease and more on God's faithfulness being shown through pain and trial.

Have you found this peace to be true? What are your thoughts?

Oh, How He Loves Us So...

John Mark McMillan - How He Loves: A Story

This song and story is an absolutely amazing example of an honest relationship with God. This video is immensely inspiring to me both as a musician and as a believer. I couldn't help but share.

So let me ask the questions that have been running through my mind. Are you afraid of being honest with God? Do you get so lost in the desire to be disciplined as a believer that you forget the awesome simplicity of your relationship with the Father?

Comment with your thoughts.

When I am weak, then I am strong.

I have heard it said many times that, "Worship is a lifestyle." I completely agree. Many times we get caught in the idea that worship is a genre of music or even music itself. Don't get me wrong, music is a great avenue but really it is our faith evidenced by our works that is worship to God.

Let me put this one verse out there to kind of jump start what is on my mind.

James 2:26
"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

I am not one to take one verse and build an idea on it, but in this case, if you read the context of James 2, I think I will be ok.

I have recently been thinking a lot about what the life of a believer should look like when it comes to creativity and hard work. I myself got caught in the mindset that God was the one that did everything for me, and, for example, as a musician, I began to get lazy waiting for Him to zap me with the enabling lightning bolt of talent.
Go ahead. Laugh. I am laughing with you.

This is what got me.

The truth is, we can do nothing. God is not only our source of spiritual life, but He is our source of EVERYTHING, including our physical life. Each breath, each moment, each blink of the eye, each movement is a gift stemming from the grace of God.
(John 15:5, Acts 17:24-25)

So if God is our source of everything, including our strength, why would we work hard? Why would we even try at all?

WORSHIP.

The conclusion that I have come to is this. God is our source of life and strength. He has given us every breath as a gift. When we respond to that gift by utilizing it as well as we possibly can, that is worship to the Giver!

Hard work is worship to God.
Creativity is worship to God.
Timeliness is worship to God.
Pursuing righteousness is worship to God.
Endurance is worship to God.

By recognizing that we can do nothing and that God is our strength, what ever we do, whether in word or deed, we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Christ.

What are your thoughts?

Well, the truth is...

I would never say that I have all the answers, and really I see myself as very far from having it all figured out. I say this so that no one gets the wrong impression. But let me say this: Truth is not defined by what I decide it is. Some may say, "Of course not," while others may say I'm wrong on that point, but it is fact.

I found it interesting the way that the word truth is defined in the New Oxford American Dictionary:

"Truth: that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality"

Our culture, and really most cultures, believe that truth is relative. No? How many times, just as I, have you said something like, "I don't know what you believe, but I think..." or, "I don't want to cram this down their throat," or even, "That belief is right for them but not for me"?

TRUTH IS REALITY!

"So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?'

Jesus answered, 'Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?'

Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?'

Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.'

Then Pilate said to him, 'So you are a king?'

Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.'

Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?'"

(John 18:33-38)

This struck me as Jesus states His purpose for being born and His purpose for coming into the world: "to bear witness to the truth." That itself was something I found amazing, but what also struck me was Pilate's response to Jesus: "What is truth?"

Believers, listen closely. To say that truth is relative, that everyone's belief of God is right for them, that to call believers out on their falsities and sin would be judgmental and should be avoided, is the opposite of Jesus purpose for His time one earth.

Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and righteousness.

(John 14:6)

Eternal life is knowing God experientially and intimately.

(John 17:3)

We are to seek God before anything else.

(Matthew 6:33)

All creation's purpose is the glory of God.

(Acts 17:24-27)

That's the truth. That is reality.

Thanks for reading.

Please comment with your thoughts.

Let's Give It a Whirl.

Well, I know that there are at least a few people that will be really ecstatic about this, but I am going to try blogging. I have found more and more recently that I have had the desire to write down my thoughts, since sometimes I have some good ones. So, here it goes!

Welcome to Open.