Chemicals

A room sometimes is a body
With the loneliest view
And the porch lights grow dim
With every on-setting hour
Where the stars seem so finite to you

But love it ain’t like the chemicals babe
Cause the chemicals don’t hang around
While everybody’s drilling for a fountain of youth
Losing years on the way down

A melody can be exhausted babe
Short of friend and fame
Cause the birds they don’t sing
In the winter short of spring
And, even then, they only sing in the day

But love, it ain’t like a melody babe
Cause the birds don’t hang around
Well, everybody’s drilling for a fountain of youth
But sometimes in these fountains they drown
Sometimes in these fountains they drown

But I want to love you
When the blood of my veins
Don’t know how to call out your name
Yeah I want to love you
When the birds don’t hang around

But love it ain’t like the chemicals babe
Cause the chemicals don’t hang around
While everybody’s drilling for a fountain of youth
But sometimes in these fountains they drown

I Won't Back Down

I want first of all…to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact – to borrow from the language of the saints – to live “in grace” as much of the time as possible. I am not using the term in a strictly theological sense. By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony. I am seeking perhaps what Socrates asked for in the prayer from the Phaedrus when he said, “May the outward and inward man be one.” I would like to achieve a state of inner grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eyes of God.” –Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift From The Sea (excerpted from Start Where You Are: Catch A Fresh Vision For Your Life, Swindoll, C.)

I am reading the most amazing book by Charles Swindoll right now entitled Start Where You Are: Catch A Fresh Vision For Your Life. The theme is basically about realizing your need for recovery, crying out to God for mercy and allowing Him to heal you. And then after allowing Him ample time to heal you, allowing Him to make a leader out of you. This is something I’ve just really come to grips with in the past few months. Leadership is not something I would have ever chosen for myself, rather it is something that God has instilled in me, and I have now sheepishly and somewhat begrudgingly accepted. If He would have told me this two years ago, I would have laughed in His face. Literally. It was only by allowing these past two years for salvation, regeneration and restoration (in a nutshell: recovery), that I have been able to realize this. And now He won’t let me back down!

Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down

No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from dragging me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down*

We are living in depraved, desparate times where we need good leadership now more than ever! We have had enough of the deception, the flattery, the greed and the abuse of power that characterizes so many leaders today. And this is not exclusive to the “secular” world or our decaying governmental systems, but extends to the Church!

Today the theme that overrides any other is that of “me first” in blessing, “me first” in terms of material comfort and rewards. The bottom line of the contemporary gospel (the one that does not produce servants) seems to be: grab the crown; avoid the cross.” –Gordon MacDonald (excerpted from Start Where You Are: Catch A Fresh Vision For Your Life, Swindoll, C.)

Charles Swindoll vehemently opposes this! He says good leaders are born out of adversity. Strong leadership grows out of times of great stress and challenge. It produces leaders that operate with honesty, integrity and sincerity. They realize that they sometimes will not have the approval of people, because they will sometimes have to make decisions that are unpopular in order to maintain their integrity. They deny self-interest and the love of things, fame and pleasure in order to serve God and serve the people, not themselves. He uses the Apostle Paul, one of my heroes, as a model. Look at how radically God changed him and grew him to be the father of the Apostolic Church!

I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. –Phillipians 3:5-7, NLT

So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery. For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. –1 Thessalonians 2:3-7, NLT

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. –Galatians 1:10, NLT

I want to be that kind of leader. I want to inspire others to greatness by my single-minded devotion to Christ, my service to others, and a noticeable lack of self-interest. Christ said that in His Kingdom you don’t become great by lording your authority over others, you become great by humbling yourself in service to them.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do us a favor.” “What is your request?” He asked. They replied, “When You sit on Your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to You, one on Your right and the other on Your left.”

When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:35-37;41-45, NLT

I know what’s right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won’t back down

Hey baby, they're ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down
*Tom Petty, I Won't Back Down

If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day. --Alex Noble

Bella Article

Really???

Okay, I just have to come out and rant about this. It’s been sticking in my craw for days. The other day I was reading a post on a blog that I follow and I saw several photos of people picketing to protest gay marriage.

May I present to you Exhibit A:



All I can say is, “Really???”

No matter what your beliefs are, do you really believe God’s divine purpose and plan for your life is to be on a picket line protesting another person’s sins with hate signs?

Wake up and smell the Jesus!

Just look at these signs. They are an abomination! God does not hate anyone! God LOVES everyone. He may not like what we do, but He loves us just the same. His love for us is not based on our actions, otherwise we'd all be dead! Including the holder of this sign!

“But the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin.”

Yep, it sure does! It also says that about divorce. And pre-marital sex. And lust. And anger. All of which most Christians today are guilty of or have been guilty of at some point, myself included. I could go on and on and on about the myriad other sins that both Christians and non-Christians alike are guilty of on a daily basis.

So, with that being said, how could someone believe that God's divine purpose and plan for their life is to travel around the country and protest another person's sins with hate signs? How would they feel if someone was splattering their sins onto picket signs and protesting them and declaring that God hates them to the entire world?

The Bible clearly defines those things that God calls sin. God does not differentiate between your sin or my sin or their sin. There are no varying degrees of sin. It’s all the same to God. Sin is sin.

My gluttony and lust.
Your foul language.
His secret porn addiction.
Her latenight profession.
A kid cheating on a test.
That guy who always complains about everything.
The entire human population's immoral sexual acts.
The people that won't forgive.
The pedophiles.
The serial killers.
People that are rude to waitresses and janitors.
The guy next door that always steals your newspaper.
That guy you heard about on the news that murdered his entire family and then committed suicide.
Not to mention someone holding a sign that says "God hates you" which is a bonafied lie from the pits of hell.

You get the point.

It's all sin.

Sin is basically just another way of saying “anything God wouldn’t do” or “anything outside of God’s character, which is holy and pure and perfect.”

Sin is something we all have in common. It is inherantly a part of our human nature. We are fallen creatures. Depraved individuals. Objects of wrath.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. --Romans 3:23, NASB

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. --1 John 1:8, NASB

But God has given us remedy for our corrupt condition. That remedy is salvation and sanctification. That salvation comes to us by faith in Jesus Christ....

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. --Romans 3:27, NLT

...and that sanctification by the transforming power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. --2 Corinthians 5:20, NASB

When we ask Him to save us, He does! Then he deposits his Spirit into us whereby we become partakers in His divine nature. This is the moment of salvation.

Then God begans the work of our sanctification.  If we continuously seek intimacy with Him and yield to Him, He will gradually makes us more and more like Christ.

Now the deeds of the flesh (sinful nature) are evident: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these…but the fruit of the Spirit (divine nature) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. –Galatians 5:19-23, NASB

No amount of picketing and protesting, especially with hate signs, is going to be the catalyst to this process. It is something that can only happen through a close, personal relationship with God. And hatred is not going to lead people to Christ.

It is only by love that they will be drawn into a relationship with God.

Now I would like to specifically address the sin of hatred.  If they don’t know anything else, they need to know that God is love.

And picketing with hate signs is clearly against God's nature, because God is love.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. --1 John 4:8, NASB

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. --1 John 4:20-21, NASB

How about doing the true will of God and bringing the love of God to all people?

How about telling them the truth -- that God loves them and wants a relationship with them?

How about spending all that wasted time picketing and hating by actually telling them about the One and Only that loves them - Jesus Christ?

How about telling them that there is hope.  That God loves them and has never given up on them?

That it is not His will that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance?

Then leave the rest to God.

And walk away in perfect peace knowing that you did exactly what Jesus commanded.

This I command you, that you love one another. --John 15:17, NASB

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  --1 Peter 1:8, NASB

More Atrocities Committed In The Name of God

--Creating multi-million dollar businesses and calling them churches or ministries. (Christianity)

--Standing on a street corner waving a Bible and screaming at people that they are going to hell. (Christianity)

--Sexually abusing children. (Catholicism)

--Ritual flogging of oneself in an attempt to "kill the flesh" through self-torture. (Catholicism)

--Playing Jonas Brothers records in reverse to prove that these fresh faced Disney Channel stars are in fact worshipping Satan in their music. (Christianity)

--Bombing abortion clinics and killing the doctors, nurses and patients inside. (Christianity)

--High-jacking airplanes, crashing into the World Trade Center and Pentagon and killing more than three thousand Americans. (Islam)

--Stoning to death or throwing acid on any woman accused of adultery. (Islam)

--Making women cover every inch of their flesh including their face with dark, heavy cloth. (Islam)

--Mutilating adolescent girls and women by circumcising their genitals in an attempt to reduce their “libido." (Islam)

--Gathering in hate rallies with signs touting such slogans as "God hates you", "God hates Jews", "Fags are beasts", "God hates fags", "Obama is the beast" and "Thank God for dead soldiers.” (Christianity)

Relevant

"When you see something that isn't how it should be, you can do two things - you can either criticize it or you can be part of the solution."
- Cameron Strang, Founder of Relevant Magazine

This is my favorite piece of popular, albeit "secular" literature...ever. It is proof that having faith in Jesus Christ does not mean that you have to commit cerebral suicide or lose your love for music, art and culture.

I especially love the name: RELEVANT. God. Life. Progressive Culture.*

As Cameron said, God always comes first. That is the key to being relevant in any age. 

But it is strictly against the Gospel of Jesus Christ to hole ourselves up away from the entire world and become a "holier than thou" religious recluse. God has intentionally sent me into the world with my faith. This is the purpose of my life. This is how I am relevant. Through my witness of faith, speaking the truth in love, and intentionally living for God by serving my fellow man, I find that: "I am in the world, but not of the world."

Jesus prayed this to His Father:

"I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one."
"They do not belong to this world any more than I do."
"Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth."
"Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world."
-John 17:15-17*

Jesus preached at the Sermon on the Mount:

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless."
“You are the light of the world — like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.  Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
-Matthew 5:13-16*

The resurrected Jesus commanded His disciples:

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth."
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you."
"And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
-Matthew 28:18-20*

My devotion today was in a similar vein:
If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things — things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere.**

"Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
-2 Peter 1:5-8*

Recap:

• I am sending them into the world.
• They are the salt of the earth.
• They are the light of the world.
• They should give light to everyone.
• Their good deeds should shine out for all to see.
• They are commanded to go into all the nations.
• I am with them always.
• They should be at home with me anywhere.
• They should have love for everyone.
• If they continue to grow, they are more productive and useful.

Hmmm...

Isn't that just another way of saying relevant?

* Relevant Magazine. All rights reserved. www.relevantmagazine.com
** Holy Bible: New Living Translation, © 1996, rev. 2007 by Tyndale Publishers. All rights reserved.  www.biblegateway.com
*** My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers © 1927, rev. 1992. www.utmost.org

Grace

Grace by Eric William Gilmour

Whose grace has changed the face
Of the case upon my life
No price could erase
The sin base of my humanity
A walking calamity
Part of the rebel family
But he handed me remedy
For my corrupt condition
This decision made me one with my help
I was unable to save myself
He shows me how He felt
Seeing me born in iniquity
Sick with the infection of the age
Born a child of rage
Trapped and caged
In a maze made in my mind
If you search the world you’ll never find
A way out

That's right. There's nothing this world has to offer that can save you. No person can save you. No government can save you. No institution can save you. No wealth, power, success or achievement can save you.

And no religion can save you.

Christ is the only One who can save you.

When I came to Him I was a dark, polluted mess.  I was strung out on drugs.  I was a thief, a liar and a whore.  My spirit was dead.  I had a whole truckload of demons.  I felt evil down to my very core.  And I was teetering on the brink of insanity.

And then Christ saved me.

Me.

Not just from the fire.

But from myself.

He freed me from the self-made prison I was in. He delivered my mind from torment. He broke the strongholds of addiction and habitual sin from my life.


Now He continues to guide me, heal me and transform me every day.

He leads me into truth.  I found out I have an enemy. Long ago my Creator had a plan and a purpose for my life, before I was even conceived.  The enemy of my soul was there too with his own plan. His purpose was to deceive me.  He wanted to keep me from finding out my true identity in Christ. He used the painful things that happened to me to harden my heart, provoke me to rebellion, and ultimately make me a slave.  I was damned.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.
-John 10:10a, NLT

He almost succeeded in robbing me of my destiny.

He almost succeeded in taking my soul.

But then, piercing through the darkness, came the glorious face of Jesus Christ, the visible image of the invisible God.

Christ, who is pure, white light and holy love beyond all comprehension, saved me and gave me new life.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
-John 10:10b, ESV


Now everything is different.


He has given me a life full of purpose that I never thought possible.

And now nothing in the whole world compares to Him!

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. -Phillipians 3:8, NLT