Not a song this time!!

Just some words of wisdom from the Lord. I've always liked this passage from 2 Corinthians 2:14-16:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

But today I was reading the entire chapter during my time with the Lord, and it had a whole new meaning within the context of the chapter. In verses 12 and 13, Paul is writing about his disappointment in not being able to visit the Corinthians. Although the Lord gave him an opportunity (v.12), he still didn't feel led in his spirit to go there. Therefore, his plans changed and he just had to carry on from there, whatever presented itself next. So to contextualize this with the next verses reiterates God's sovereignty. Whenever things do go as you plan, or even if they don't go according to how you thing God is leading you, always know that He is in control, and now matter what you do, you have the opportunity to spread the gospel and the fragrance of Christ. What an incredible promise!

Yep, another song...

This one's by The Almost, and it's called Amazing, Because It Is

I was so scared of everything you put in front of me
I've been arching every part of me
Just to see
See
Why you need me to be
The boy you need me to be

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saves a wretch like me
I once was lost
And now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

I just wanna see

I'm the type of person who lets fear drive
I'm the type of guy who lets it drive
Cause I'm addicted, I'm needy,
I'm lost without you
I need you
I need you

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saves a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

Amazing grace (amazing grace)
How sweet the sound (how sweet)
That saved a wretch like me (that saved a wretch like me)
I once was lost
But now I'm found (you know I'm found)
Was blind but now I see

Amazing grace (you're amazing)
How sweet the sound (you're amazing)
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost (it feels so bad when you're lost and alone)
But now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

Whatever You're Doing

This is a song I heard for the first time the other day by Sanctus Real, and I really liked it.

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

Habakkuk 3:17-19

I've been battling with some things lately and just wanted to share. Sometimes (ok, often) it is SO easy for us to get caught up in our struggles and worries and in the process to lose focus of God. These are the moments that hurt the most, and the pain of that struggle is intensified when we distance ourselves from God. In the midst of our problems we tend to zoom in on that and forget about everything else. It is in those moments, however, that it is so important to zoom back out, always looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

In those hard moments, we must acknowledge that God's strong hand will always hold us, even if it seems we have no strength to hold Him. When you stop to critique your faith, you lose focus on Christ. Faith is sustained by looking unto Christ, not by analyzing your faith.

Here's my rendition of Habakkuk 3:17-19, some beautiful verses that I strive to cling to:

Though the fig tree doesn't blossom, or no fruit grows on the vines,
Though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food,
Though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls,
Despite these--I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes my feet swift like the deer's;
He makes me tread through high places.

It is in those most difficult moments of pain that we must realize that God is with us, He is on our side, carrying us through, and He knows exactly what He's doing. Additionally, these struggles will ultimately strengthen us, refine us, and help us to love God even more, bringing Him all the more glory.

My Sister's Wedding

Check out my sis' wedding pics!

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]

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.