i played a benefit show for Freedom 424, an amazing non-profit organization, that go into bars and brothels in Thailand to purchase women and children that are selling their bodies to support their families. for only $24 you can save a girls life.
it was good to play again…
“My son give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life…Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”
Proverbs 4:20-23, 25-27
this study on the book of proverbs has opened my eyes to so many things. It’s been a while since i have “studied” scripture and it is amazing to see how many areas of my life have changed since i’ve started. my thoughts, my speach, and my actions are wanting to yield to the things of God, instead of having to.
one of the greatest things that has been revealed to me is the importance of “fearing the Lord.” The book of proverbs starts out by saying, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (1:7).” It is the foundation of wisdom!
so, if that is true how can we make a “wise” decision if we do not have a reverent fear of our Lord? how can we know the will of the Father and the paths of life if we are not living our lives surrendered to his Word?
we can’t.
oh i have a lot to learn.
i wrote a song based off the first three chapters of proverbs… it’s called wisdom speaks… God really encouraged me with this today and gave me a great song as well.
you’re calling out our names
in our cities, in our streets
warning us, the simple ones, to hear
you say, return to your first love
the father above
and turn your ways from the worthless things you’ve done
i’ll listen and write it on my heart
my treasure is only found in you my god
wisdom reign in us
we lift up our voice
and beg for you to come
have your way with us
we surrender our hearts
and souls to you alone
i seek you day and night
in this treasure i delight
you lead me to the paths of life it’s known
the peace you store within
is graced around my neck
you turn my eyes from lies that kill the soul
i’ll hold it and never let it go
more precious than rubies or than gold
wisdom’s calling us
can you hear?
i’m not going to lie. i’ve never wanted to read these books. don’t know why but they seemed a bit fifth grade to me. I grabbed this book off of my roommates shelf and haven’t been able to put it down. It talks about how important it is to live as a man of God, which is so hard these days. It speaks of integrity in decisions, being faithful in the small things, and a how pride is a young man’s biggest downfall. i never thought i’d say this but i like the book and i wish that i would of read this book years ago.
A picture says a thousand words.
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord;
point out the right road for me to follow
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long i put my hope in you.
Remember, O Lord, your unfailing love and compassion,
which you have shown from long ages past.
Forgive the rebellious sins of my youth;
look instead through the eyes of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
Psalm 25:4-7
Phil 3:7-9
“But whatever gain i had, i counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, i count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake i have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that i may gain Christ and be found in him…”
as i read this passage i get so inspired at the life that paul lived, yet i am equally frustrated at the same time. i feel like i will never get there…i try to count everything as a loss but hours later i seem to go back to the very things that i give up.
why is that??
so i continue reading and i’m frustrated, then i get to verse 12-14 and paul brings it home:
“not that i have already obtained this or am already perfect, but i press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. brothers, i do not consider that i have made it my own. but one thing i do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, i press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
i needed to hear that… i don’t have to have everything together, but i need to realize that, under Christ’s blood, i’m considered righteous in the eyes of God. that is why i need Christ. i was brought to this passage and i think everyone needs to be reminded of this…
“I do not understand my own actions. for i do not do what i want, but i do the very thing i hate…for i know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. for i have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. for i do not do the good i want, but the evil i do not want is what i keep on doing. now if i do what i do not want, it is no longer i who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
-romans 7:15-20
paul is focused. he knows he is sinful, but chooses to focus on this fact: his sin is washed under the blood of Christ. as many times as i have heard that it’s sad to say that I forget that one simple truth so often. what a good reminder.
happy easter!
have you ever been in a worship service and opened your eyes to others around you and became jealous at their genuine worship to God? Or have you seen tears falling like rain down someone’s face as they are taking communion and wondered to yourself, “why don’t i care as much as they do, why isn’t my relationship with Christ like that, where are my tears?”
i’ve been there so many times and i hate that.
recently, i have discovered that it boils down to this: “if you don’t wake-up every day and actually believe that you need christ, then your christianity means nothing.” you will become the person who is in a worship service and not able to worship.
once you realize your need for christ everything changes. everything.
those people i used to see at church who were “on-fire” for christ, and whom i was somewhat jealous of, have this in common: they realize their need for God.
my main goal in life is to be a man of God that inspires people to live in a closer relationship with Christ. there are so many men that God has put into my life that inspire and encourage my walk with Christ and i want to be of the same influence to others.
this is the first good friday in a long time where i actually have experienced the goodness of it.
i challenge you to take some time today and truly go before the throne of God, the one who gave you everything, and reastablish your need for him. just remember the prodigal son who came back to his father… his father’s arms were opened wide
I don’t know what God is doing but what i do know is that everything has been ripped from me…even my job. it is a humbling time for sure and ironically i’m learning so much about God’s goodness and his faithfulness.
i’ve been reading “the shack” for the past 4 months (a.d.d.) and it’s been so good because even though the main character (Mack) and my situation aren’t the same, i feel like we view God in the same way. when life brings a turn that we don’t expect, we judge God for it. we forget to trust him.
i was reading my buddies blog and he talked of being tired of fighting disappointments…he couldn’t of said it any better. my life has been full of them and it does hurt. it hurts when you have big dreams and passions in your life, with a road to pursue them, and God rips them out of your hand…it can suck you dry.
“the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps”
Proverbs 16:9
sometimes i just don’t like the Lord establishing my steps… can i say that?
the only reasoning i can muster for all of this is that God does it to make us depend on him. i also am realizing that i haven’t liked depending on him up until this point. i have had some great glimpses of what that looks like, but i lose stamina. i am beginning to get real with my self and work on these trust issues with God. i have to truly believe that if Jesus died for me on the cross, that he wants not what is good for me but what is best, and he will do anything to make that happen. I have found in the past couple of weeks that when i believe that, everything changes. joy is restored because i can put my hope in God’s promise… the promise that he is good and faithful…and to that i can smile.
surrender is uncomfortable and i hate discomfort.
i have to begin to live uncomfortably… i think that is growing up.
i feel like i am in heaven every time i listen to this album…can’t get enough of it (thanks nolan)
