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"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction." - Isaiah
48:10
I was a hard-wired screw up Given righteousness in lieu of The punishment that was due I got a one way ticket to true love
Redeemed and blood-bought From the stain of my offenses Imputed with Christ’s perfection - Propitiation for the defenseless
I was shown relentless grace In the pursuit of my own glory Went from being a vessel of wrath To an instrument of his mercy
Trying to live out my dash Was only coming up ashes I was a masterpiece in the making The magnum opus of a disaster
By the design of the Refiner That was the day the fire started Ignited in my bones ‘Til all impurity has departed
Old ways aborted And old habits tend to die hard But what’s left amidst the flame Will be incorruptible and unharmed
"...so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 1:7
I remember a time when a homeless guy cleaned my windshield and I gave him what I had on me…
a couple of quarters and a dime.
He looked at me and said, “Is that it?” ‘Is that it’?! I was livid
Because first of all
He could’ve cleaned my window
Better with spit
I gave him all I had
(Minus my debit card)
But it didn’t matter –
He had no regard for it
Here I am trying to do the Lord’s work
And he’s looking at me like
“Thanks for the change, jerk.”
As far as he was concerned
I might as well have given him nothing…
But his reaction was pushing the button
On a deeper subject
That touches us all
The fact that we’ve been given
The world and everything in it
But we treat it like a mall
We consume until we’re full
With no consideration
Of the considerate nature
Of how it got here
We’re allergic to the concept
That we’re dust…
I too often have a hard time
With the fact that
I’m a sand castle with a pulse;
The same stuff they’ll use to bury me
Is the essential ingredient
To my physical make up
I’m nothing more spit and clay
In it’s heyday …
We think that we’re made men
But we can be done in
By the slightest headwind
We confirm our ignorance
To our disposition
With an oversight
To this revelation:
The air we breathe can’t be seen
And that speaks to the attribute
Of our Creator
We constantly demand
That He show His face
When His DNA is in everything
That we taste, see, and touch
Our senses are drenched in Him
Without so much as a mention
And we could give a…
You know what?
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it–
We’re going nuts
Looking for a payday
When Yaweh has already paid for us
The check ain’t in the mail
Because your debt
Was nailed to the Cross
That’s the equivalent
Of getting 100% gratuity
Only to treat it
Like a stop-loss
So the slightest inconvenience
Sends us flying off the handle
One little prick of the needle
And the damage is done -
We start accusing God
Of giving us way more
Than we can manage
And start calling for His job
No graciousness filling our hearts these days
Instead, we’d rather waste our time
Like disappointed kids on Christmas
Throwing temper tantrums
Because we think that
Santa must’ve missed us
We’re nothing more than straight up beggars
Who always think we deserve better
Than what we’ve been given
Always trying to hit the lottery
When we ain’t even
Got a pot to piss in
The sin committed by our first parents
Was rooted in a lack of gratitude–
Having everything wasn’t good enough
So they forgot to say, “Thank You.”
So greedy that they couldn’t even leave God
That one tree…
A blatant disregard for the Law
Mixed with an eagerness to take His place
(And that, kids, is how we came
To celebrate Black Friday)
Man, we’d all be turkeys on a plate
If it wasn’t for His grace
He became a sacrifice
Given for ignorant creatures
Who weren’t even trying to relate…
So while you’re thankful for your food
Remember that He’s the one
Who bought the farm
And if you thank Him for the calm
You gotta thank him for the storms
Be grateful for the good and the bad times
If you’re a have or a have not
He gives us abundant life through everything
And for that we gotta say,
“Thanks”...a lot
A night of the meek where the weak find wings A night where the unlikely so mightily brings True peace on and goodwill towards men By turning the world upside down - God covered in skin
Through blood and water Comes the only consolation For all of our shortcomings, sin and frustrations Freedom for the nations Which at once would be lost If the Son of Man had not come And leveled the cost
Meek and mild He came Born of a virgin mother Chosen to the task because the Father saw fit That she had known no other So that a lowly carpenter Who could barely meet ends Would become caretaker Of the One in whom all ends meet And would hold him in his hands
For the shepherds who were barely trusted To care for a flock Are now the first to hear the news Of how redemption is sought As kings from the east now make it their work To lay gifts at the feet of a Prince Who will never clamor for worth
For He is worthy...
I AM in a manger means we're no longer estranged As far as the curse is found Christ has engaged us
Lift every voice to sing "Merry Christmas, everyone The Meek has inherited the earth YOUR KING HAS COME!"
Today, I would normally be telling you all of the people, things, and places for which I am thankful...
But thanks to Francis Chan, that won't be happening...sort of.
You see, I began reading his book, Crazy Love, this week. In the first chapter, Chan says that where we should began is to stop praying. In other words, stop talking at God and see him for who he really is as he has revealed himself through the created order of the universe (Romans 1:20). I began to think on this quite a bit. Then I ran across this passage:
"Or what about the simple fact that plants take in carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which we need to survive)? I'm sure you knew that, but have you ever marveled at it? And these same poison-swallowing, life-giving plants came from tiny seeds that were placed in the dirt...Whatever the reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like." (Psalm 19:1-4)
Never would have expected what happened next to happen; I was struck by the profundity of God's act of mercy and redemption via a junior high science lesson. Not only that, but also how little do I truly understand worship. I was given this body as an instrument of worship (Romans 12:1), and yet many times my senses are barely engaged in the endeavor (at least as much as they could or should be). I say all of this because it leads back to gratitude. If I have a low idea about the world around me and what its function and purpose is, then I can almost with absolute certainty guarantee that I'm not going to be able to see the Creator for who he is. Once I had read the statement by Mr. Chan and engaged my whole body in the observation of both images and words, I became so struck with amazement that I made this notation:
"Plants point us to the Savior; the attributes of a merciful God shown through his creation (Isaiah 53:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:21)".
There are so many distractions in life that can cause us to lose our focus. Like crazy kids at Christmas time, we receive gifts only to run off and play while taking for granted the magnitude of the sacrifices that were made in order for us to have said things in the first place. So, my goal is to encourage us all to thank God for the friends and family, our jobs, homes, our health, etc.
But most importantly, we should thank God for Himself. For it is through all of these things that he reveals himself to us (John 1:14; James 1:17; Hebrews 1:1-2).
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations. - Psalm 100
Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away;the desire of the wicked will perish! - Psalm 112 ESV
"A thankful heart has a continual feast." - W. J. Cameron
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 ESV
