Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Search Me, Know Me-Jonah 33

Search me, know me
Try me and see
Every worthless affection hidden in me
All I'm asking for is that You'd cleanse me, Lord

Create in me a heart that's clean
Conquer the power of secret shame
Come wash away the guilty stain of all my sin

Clothe me in robes of righteousness
Cover my nakedness with grace
All of my life before You now I humbly bring

--------------------

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
[Psalm 139.23-24]

Friday, April 18, 2008

Jesus Texts!


16Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
[Jeremiah 15.16]

A friend send me a text message the other day with "Jeremiah 15:16" as the signature. So, I looked up the passage to see what it was. I recognized the verse--it's one of my favorites, and in fact I had it underlined already. And so I was like, oh, that's nice. And then the moment was almost over, before I started thinking, you know, this is one thing I've really been struggling with. I think one of the most important things for a Christian to do is to daily be in communion with God through his Word. So, I try to start my day off doing that every morning. Some days are really great, and I can feel God's Spirit moving and teaching me through the Word. It becomes a joy to learn these new things and I treasure them in my heart. And then there are the other days. Days when I can't focus, when I don't feel good, when I don't desire to meet with God or to learn about Him. Or days when I DO desire to meet with God but for some reason I just don't feel that sense of communion. I read and it goes right through me. If you asked me to summarize what I had read merely 30 seconds after reading it I couldn't do it. Or I'll read and think, well that's nice, what does it have to do with me? I struggle a lot with applying it to my life and making it real to me. So, with these thoughts in mind, I read past Jeremiah 15:16 to see what else it had to say.

17 I did not sit in the company of revelers,
nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
for you had filled me with indignation.
18Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail?

So, once I read this, I was kinda feeling worse. I was like, hey, that's me! Sometimes I'm not rejoicful, sometimes I feel lonely. Is God at work in the midst of this? Is His hand upon me? And then verse 18 really got me. No joke, I was like, "yeah God! Yeah! What's up with this? Why does it have to hurt so much? What's going on?" To which He responded,

19Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall be as my mouth.

Oh. Ouch. So, it's my fault? True, it typically is. I'm not saying this is always the case, but oftentimes when we struggle with our relationship with God it's because of sin in our life that we're unwilling to give up. Or there's something God is calling us to do and we haven't responded. For Jeremiah, he had wandered away from God. So God basically told him, I'm right here. I never left. I'm where I've always been and I'm waiting for you. I'll take you back, always. Just please come to Me, because I desperately desire for you to be completely fulfilled and satisfied in Me.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Love Heals Your Heart-Third Day

Did you think you were immune to this
Did you think you could escape without infection
You do all you're able to resist
Just to avoid the danger of rejection

Memory warns you of the past
When it all went wrong

When you think your life is shattered
And there's no way to be fixed again
Love heals your heart
At a time you least expected
You're alive like you have never been
Love heals your heart

Everybody has a wall to climb
That was built to guard the pain that holds them captive
Every smile that they would hide behind
Will try to mask the hurt beneath the surface

Sometimes it's hard to understand
How we're trapped inside

When you think your life is shattered
And there's no way to be fixed again
Love heals your heart
At a time you least expected
You're alive like you have never been
Love heals your heart

Monday, April 7, 2008

Breaking My Fall-Jeremy Camp

So easily I fall, So easily you reach your hand out,
Quickly will I drown, Know the pulls of all my reason,
So easily will I feel, So easily will your peace surpass me,
Quickly will I trust in anything I think is worthy,
How many times you make the waves calm down,
So I wont be afraid now ?

[CHORUS:]
I saw you breaking my, breaking my fall,
What am I supposed to do ?
I saw you breaking my, breaking my fall,
What am I suppose to do ?
(What am I suppose to do?)

How precious are your thoughts ?
(How precious are your thoughts?)
And how many of them, you think about me,
Faithful are your ways,
I always feel your grace abound me,
Quickly will I call,
Quickly will you answer my cry,
Carefully will you bring, everything I need in my life,
How many of times you make the waves calm down,
So I wont be afraid now ?

[CHORUS:]
I saw you breaking my, breaking my fall,
What am I supposed to do ?
I saw you breaking my, breaking my fall,
What am I supposed to do ?
(What am I supposed to do?)

This narrow road I'm walking,
This world tries to draw,
Whoever will help me fight it,
But you wont face it all,

[CHORUS:]
I saw you breaking my, breaking my fall,
What am I supposed to do ?
I saw you breaking my, breaking my fall,
What am I supposed to do ?
(What am I supposed to do?)