Trading Lives

Life has its challenges, and it is hard not to see someone else who appears to have everything and not wish that you could have what they do. I've seen movies where the actors switch places with one another, trading what is considered a life of luxury for a life as a bum or a simple country person. We even have reality shows where people switch places and try to live the other's life, though I don't think any of them want the life they get to see. It is easy to desire a life that we see as better than our own or to desire things that we think would make our life so much better. But when we see a life worse than ours we do not desire it, at least I don't. To see someone struggling with things that you can't comprehend struggling with. You wouldn't want to trade your life for theirs, no one in their right mind would want less than what they have. And yet, there is one who traded the ultimate life for one that is so horrible in comparison that we must wonder why it would be done.

Jesus lived a perfect life, one we would dream of (if we had good desires). He lived with the Father, God, in perfect love and shared an intimacy that few of us can ever comprehend and yet, even with this wonderful life, he chose to trade it for a life of much less. The life he traded for? In my case, mine. He took His perfect life and has given it to me in exchange for my broken life and the end result that was due it for the way it was lived. He took my punishment, my failures, my sins, upon Himself so that I could have the fellowship, the unwavering love of the Father. He did this for all who believe in Him and trust in Him for their salvation. The perfect life? I have it guaranteed for me, but don't get to live it quite yet. I still have this life to live and to strive for what will be, the life that I desire, the one where what I do pleases God. That life is coming, and so I have a future to look forward to, and so do you if you trust in Jesus Christ, the Savior.

Nothing

"Search My Heart" by Hillsong United, that is what I woke up with trying to play in my head, I had to sit there a moment and try to find the words as they were unclear; I didn't know the song as well as I would like and so I had to work a bit to find some lyrics I knew. After playing the tune a bit and listening to the muffled words in my mind I finally got to the part where they sing, "Without you I am nothing." Suddenly I knew a few of the other bits and pieces as well, but I wanted to dwell on this part here. The whole of the song is good but in particular I want to recognize how little I am.

As the song says, I am nothing. My life is so far without worth without God that I am in debt just to be alive. I owe everything and have nothing and so here I am with a negative value on my very being. But this is where the beauty of it all is. You see, I may be worth so very little on my own, but with my Lord, my God, my Savior I am worth so much more. It isn't my life that brings value, but the life of Jesus that was surrendered to bring worth to mine. Now I am a child of God, do you fathom that, believer? You are a child of God, a King, and not just a king, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, you get to call Him Father and ask of Him whatever you desire! In His gracious wisdom He doesn't always give what we ask, but we still get to ask and that is a big deal!

So though it is true that my life is nothing without God, it does not matter, for now that I have God I can now live! I am free to worship Him, to follow His will, to recognize the truth in the rest of the words of the song. My prayer today is to remember this, that God is my everything and that my desire is to follow His ways and to worship Him who saved me from the grave.

Infinite God, Best Friend

This morning's song is "Reach" by Peter Furler. This song speaks of how great God is and how great His love for us. The part going through my mind currently is: "So many people in this world, but I hear you calling out my name. You reach for me. Now I'm never gonna to be the same."

What I like about this song is how it speaks of God's infinite ability. Not only is He the one that holds this world and all the rest of the universe together and in its proper place, but He cares about His creation as well. I am but an insignificant spec in the whole of creation and yet He cares enough about me to call me by name! Think about this, He didn't just call you, saying, "Hey, you! Come here." No, He knew you, He knows you, better than even you know yourself. He called you out by name. The infinite God of the universe, the Creator of all things, took observance of your life and knows you.

This is life changing knowledge. This is being the outcast among many people and suddenly the most famous person you can think of walks up to you, puts their arm around you and says hi, but more surprisingly they know your name and many things about you and they want to spend time with you, to be your close, intimate friend.  We have a God who is so much bigger and more wonderful than anyone else we could ever hope to encounter in this world and He has taken notice of us. We may not be much on our own but because of Him we are very special indeed. Our salvation is from the greatest being one could ever know and He has decided to know our name. Take comfort today in knowing that God watches over you and gently calls you to Him, that He is your closest and best friend and you can go to Him about anything.

He Loves Me

As often happens I woke up this morning with a song in my head. Normally, because of the music I typically listen to, it is a song of worship to God, or at least a piece of the song. Today isn't much different, today's song was "You Love Me Anyway" from Sidewalk Prophets. The part of the song that keeps playing in my head is the part that goes: I am the thorn in your crown, but you love me anyway.

As a sinner I am most definitely that thorn, and a mighty thorn I must be. Though I try to do what is right, my efforts are tainted with sin and they are not worth anything to the God of the universe. It doesn't matter what efforts I make, there is no denying that I am the thorn in the crown of Christ as He went to the cross. But despite this, I still know that God loves me.

It doesn't matter what I've done or what I find myself continuing to do because of my fallen nature, I am loved by God. He chose to save me, to spare me from His wrath so that one day I can look forward to the eternal life that was promised to those who believe in the saving power of Christ. The only reason I believe is because God opened my eyes. There was nothing in me that desired to be freed, but God did it anyway and now I can freely hear and sing this song and know the truth of it. That despite who I am God still loves me with a never ending, unfailing love. Thank you Lord for saving me, for showing me your love even though I do not deserve it.

Change, Moving Into Something New

I was thinking last night as I was getting ready for bed about my day today. Today I start a new position at work, one that I am certain was a gift from God. I am looking forward to going in to start this new position and to learn all the things that I must learn, I am a bit nervous about keeping up, but who isn't when things change? More than anything I am aware of what an opportunity I have been given and I have faith that God will make it into something great as He has always been faithful to do with all the situations that have come about in my life. Because of the change that starts today there will be other changes, but I hope to make the most of them as they come. Today I am enjoying the extra time I have in the morning to sit and reflect on God and His goodness in this.

Change is a wonderful thing, seasons come and go, each one bringing its uniqueness to the world. Each one has a purpose and in a way we can look forward to them all. Our lives contain many seasons in it as well, each one bringing changes. In this season I feel God is calling me to be wiser with my time and to devote more to Him, which should always be my goal but it isn't always practiced to the best of my ability. I look forward to this change more so for the chance to grow in God and in faith of Him, to see how He uses this life change to reshape who I am as a man of God. My only prayer is that I grow as He is intending me to and I don't miss out on the opportunities that He has for me.

The Word of Freedom

Last night I was having a dream, I'm not sure the purpose of it and I cannot remember all of it either, however what I do remember was quite interesting, especially when you bring it into a different light.

In the dream the world was ruled by an alien entity simply referred to as the Emperor. This being used its technology to brainwash everyone, making them all worship him and to do as he desired. I was a fugitive, one who had not yet been brainwashed, and I was fleeing from his minions. I was successful at evading them for a time, but eventually they caught me and took me to the Emperor who used his device against me. The device was supposed to make me worship him and also changed my appearance a bit so that I could be identified as a particular type of person in his society. I was placed at the bottom, a fool as they were referred to, and to prove it I was given multi-colored hair. After the change was done I was released into one of the large chambers where a group of people stayed, there was only the person who brought me here with me at the time. Once I was sure it was safe I approached the person, I had not been brainwashed as they assumed and I believed I knew a word that would undo the brainwashing, which was why it didn't work on me. So once I was by this person I whispered in their ear the word and instantly they were restored to their former mindset. We kept our ruse going as the rest of the people who lived in this chamber returned and I freed a few more of them as the opportunity showed itself. I had to be quick and discrete about it so that I wouldn't be discovered, but each one that I shared the word with was instantly freed from their brainwashing and joined me in my quest.

The dream contained other parts as well, but I think these are the parts I want to talk about today. It didn't matter the role I had been in during the dream or who the other people were, the important thing was that all the people were slaves to this Emperor, who can be compared to Sin, and there was a way to set the people free. In all the world people are slaves to their sins and they may not even be aware of it or they may worship it so much that they do not see it for what it is. In the dream I was someone who was not a slave and could not be made a slave, this can be compared to being a Christian, for the Lord protects those who He has set free. Then the most important part of it all, a word that sets others free, this is clearly the gospel being shared to unbelievers. It is the Word alone who sets the sinner free and without Him there is no salvation from sin and no escaping from the slavery that it has you in.

So my dream seems to be a representation of the life that we are living in, there are those of us who are free and cannot be made slaves again because we know the Word. Because we know this Word we must share it with others so that they can be freed as well and then encourage them to continue on, spreading the Word that brings freedom from slavery. Isn't it amazing how simple God made it to set the sinner free? Though not all are saved from hearing the gospel, it is no less amazing how incredibly simple our role in this whole process is. We share the Word that we know and then God can use this to set them free from their slavery.

Lord, Help Me!

This is the cry of my prayers tonight. It is a hard fight we have here in this world and we are too weak to make any headway, no sooner do we think we wound the enemy than we see that not only is the wound we perceived upon him false but we have instead inflicted a deeper wound upon ourselves. By thinking we could fight this fight at all on our own we do more harm than good. We look to ourselves for the strength to persevere and forget to look to the only one who has the strength to overcome. This strength that He wields He gives to those who ask, but you must ask to get it, for He will not let you think that it was yours but instead will wait for you to call upon Him in despair and ask for what you need so that when the victory comes you will know it was from Him and not from anything you could do. Oh, that I would ask for this daily, but I do not. I rely so much on my own strength and fail so many times that I do not know what victory looks like. Then I turn to Him, and only when I do this, I finally see what victory is. Victory is on my knees in prayer, begging my God and Savior to help me, to give me strength to stand against my enemies, to overcome the weaknesses of my own flesh. Oh Lord, how much do I wish to walk in your ways, to seek your glory, to fight against the ways of this world and to keep my focus on You! Lord, please, help me!