Today I am blown away by God’s faithfulness. Why would He chose to be faithful to a cheating people? Why would God make our brains and hearts in such a way that we could understand and be affected by the concept faithfulness? Why would He choose to invent the idea of faithfulness for us?
The more I see my unfaithfulness toward God, the more I understand that His faithfulness is amplified when His bride runs away from true love. The more I try and dodge my identity in Him, the more of my identity He becomes. The more I run away, the more He stays. The more I sin, the more pure I see Him. The more I hate, the more I see what Love is not like, and the more I see what He is like.
So run. Run far away. Run as far as the prodigal son, and then further. But when you turn back to see what is true, you will find one thing. One God that is more faithful, pure, loving, hopeful and forgiving than you ever remember Him being.
The story of Paul going to Athens in Acts 17 encourages me. I see Paul, on the run from Jewish terrorists in Thessalonica, arrives in Athens. While there he begins to realize just how ready Athens is for the Gospel. Here is a city filled with poets, philosophers, and “God-fearing Gentiles.” The majority of the city is defined as “religious”, meaning that Paul takes notice of the fact that Athens as whole acknowledges that they are not alone, and that higher beings exists.
Once Mr. Paul begins preaching the gospel of Jesus in the city, he is confronted with people who believe, and scoffers. Together, the scoffers and believers ask Paul to go up to a place called “Mars Hill” and tell them more about the gospel. This beautifully illustrates how God takes us away, and teaches us while we are alone, and separated from “the city” of sin and confusion. The people of Athens were DESPERATE for God. Paul points out that while he was scoping out the cities beliefs he found an alter that was dedicated to “The Unknown God.” Isn’t that how we are? Our hearts make alters to “The Unknown God” everyday. We desire to worship something. Something rich, and true. Something satisfying. Something holy. I desire this.
Well Paul lays it out clear on Mars Hill. He says “This Unknown God, this I proclaim to you.” In other words, “I know the God that you have been searching for. The God worthy enough of all your praise. You can tear down your alters and idols and ideas because He is great, mighty, and above your level of thinking. Even though Athens was the top of the intellectual food chain of the world, they were babies with the truth.
God, please make me realize that You, who You truly are, does not, and will never fit inside of my earthly mind. I want to worship the real God. The real Jesus. I want to know something about You that I have never known. I need Your newness. Humble me, and make me see that my knowledge and the knowledge of great theologians is all but grains of sand on the shore of the truth about who You are. Forgive me for basing my walk off the God in my head, and not the God that I should seek to know afresh everyday.
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God above
And here below
In the Summer sun
In the Winter snow
You are Everywhere
And Alone with me
You incline Your ear
Knowing what I will speak
I cannot be far from you Lord
I cannot be far from your heart
When I know, that You alone are God
I know, I can’t be far from Your heart
Each breath finds a purpose
When I know My Companion
Our Holy God
Who understands
The darkness of
An evil man
He is powerful
Above all things
And still presents to us
And offering
A love so sweet
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I am in deep love
I have felt the kiss of God
I am not the same
Every part of me has changed
For You
I am in deep love
I have felt the breath of God
The rose of Sharon
I cannot help but to fall
For You
In the night time, I will rise above
Like a phoenix, finally raising up
Far above every loss and every death of this world
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When reading Streams In The Desert a few mornings ago, I encountered II Corinthians 12:9 in a new way.
”My grace is sufficient for you.”
“Again, I imagined a man away up yonder, in a lofty mountain, saying to himself, “I breathe so many cubic feet of air every year, I fear I shall exhaust the oxygen in the atmosphere,” but the earth might say, “Breathe away, O man, and fill the lungs ever, my atmosphere is sufficient for thee.” — Streams in the desert.
I ended up writing this song: The first verse is by Annie Johnson Flint, I do not take credit. I only wrote the second verse.
Verse 1 — Annie Johnson Flint
His grace is strong enough to meet the great things
The crashing waves that overwhelm the soul,
The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless,
The sudden storms beyond our life’s control.
Verse 2
His grace is deep beyond the deepest oceans,
Its limits are as boundless as the seas,
And when I think the Father’s well has run dry,
I am reminded that it overflows for me.
Chorus:
Grace, Oh Grace,
The air of my atmosphere,
Verse 3
And when I stand before You then with clean hands,
And lift my eyes to see you face to face,
Overwhelmed by holiness, I’m silent,
Forever here to worship You in grace.
I began working on a new song this morning. After hearing a message about love last night, I was inspired to write a song in which the first two lines were:
Love is patient
Love is kind
The song is based off of 1st Corinthians 13, and builds on the first three words of verse 8 “Love never fails.” These three words are complicated, but given that
Verse 1
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love does not take eye for eye
Love is steadfast through the night
Pre:Chorus
Bears all things
Hopes all things
Endures and believes
Chorus
Love never fails
Verse 2
Love is humble
Love is sweet
Love forgives where sin defeats
Pre:Chorus
Bears all things
Hopes all things
Endures and believes
Chorus
Love never fails