I know that sounds like a weird title compared to the popular slogan "Make Love not War", but when we think about this from a Christian perspective the title really is more what we should be aiming for not the world's slogan. It may seem like a contradictory statement, but it's not.
Ephesians makes it really clear that we are in a spiritual battle. "For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Against spiritual wickedness in high places."
As Christians we also know that Satan is "like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour", meaning he is not our ally, but our sworn enemy. And we also know that this war is not for land, not for wealth, or even reputation, but for souls. So, when we look at our main purpose as Christians we can see is that we are to bring Him Glory. That's what we were made for and we do this, through our praise, our worship, our thanks, and by the way we live our lives.
I'm learning in my Brit Lit course about King Arthur and his knights.The main purpose for the codes of chivalry were not to be outstanding knights for the sake of being an outstanding knight, but because the way in which a knight conducts himself reflected upon his king. It's the same in our battle, but with a little more at stake. Not only do we reflect our Lord through our actions, but also our actions, the way we prepare, equip or carry out our duty can determine how we can respond in the future. If we don't stay in constant pray and in the Word so that we may be ready for battle "in the evil day, and having done all to stand". We will fall, and we will fall in such a way that can hinder us for a long time after wards. We will not be defeated, but because of our mistake, because we did not take care of our responsiblity, we let opportunities that we could have done God's work pass us by. And because of this sometimes, a person can miss their last opportunity for someone to reach out to them, or their sufferings can be prolonged, because we did not do what the Lord had for us to do. Sometimes, He simply gives the priveledge and honor to someone else, and we miss out on the blessing of living our faith and seeing the fruits of our labor.
This is what I find myself thinking, contemplating and praying over. I don't want to miss the opportunities that the Lord has for me. I have already missed so many, and I don't want to get to heaven someday and know that there should have been thousands more, hundreds, tens or even one person who could have been their if I had taken care of the responsiblity that was entrusted to me.
This kinda reminds me of the parable of the talents. Jesus gave different servants a different number of talents, but at the end the one who didn't do anything to multiply his wealth was rebuked and his privilege was given to another. I don't want to be that lazy servant who does nothing with what the Lord has blessed me with. I want to be the good servant that the Lord keeps pouring out His privilege to, who God pours out His blessing to. The one on the day I see Him that He says to, "Well, done my good and faithful servant."
That's the one I want to be. I want to know that I made the most of this precious life that He's given me. So, in turn I will make War against the evils of this world, the evil one and all his followers, so that those who do not know the Lord can have many opportunities to see His face, feel His love and know His healing.
I will make war that they may one day feel His love.
I will make war through my prayers.
I will make war through the standard at which I conduct my life.
I will make war by the words that I speak in gentleness and truth.
I will make war by the way I love.
I will Make War for Love.
the Love of a Father,
Saviour,
Comforter,
Friend,
King,
and Lord.
I will make war for the one who made war for me, and who can give you the Love you've been to afraid to ask for and have only dreamt of.
I will make War for Love.
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Nostalgia
I sit here at 12:05 in the morning writing this blog and I can't help but be nostalgic. The memories of my incredibly horrible, wonderful, beautiful, sometimes horrific past plays through my mind and in my ears in the form of the music that helped to shape and change my life. People are always asking me what my favorite music is, and I can never really give them an answer, because the music that I love are tied to specific times in my life. The music that was my heart's cry in the middle of the night in the depths of my despair, the reflection of my agony, the beauty of the coming dawn, the songs of my soul, the praise of my mouth, the worship that I poured out to my saviour on the best days and the worst nights of my life.
As I sit and think about it, my teary eyes feel as though they will overflow with the joys and sorrows of my blessed life. So many people wish to escape pain, and I don't blame them. Pain sucks. I wish I hadn't had to live through it or have made so many mistakes, but I look back and I may regret the things I did and the consequences but I don't regret the outcome. What Satan meant for evil the Lord used for good. When I thought i could no longer be used and i was useless, worthless the Lord kept the promise i made to Him and choses to use me.
I don't understand why He would be pleased to use me. I honestly don't. Sometimes I feel as though i want nothing more to die, because that's all i deserve. Who am I to experience the joy of breath filling my lungs, or my heart rhythmically beating in my chest? Who am I receive the privilege of loving someone? Who am I to be loved? Who am I?
Who am I to be saved from my past and my future before life has even begun? So many people talk about God's will and the difference between it and His perfect will, and how He just allows bad things to happen sometimes. But they rarely think of the things He DOESN'T allow to happen. Things that He says, "NO!" and pulls us back in. We so many time focus on the things He lets "slip by" and never about the things He keeps from us. He kept my mom from dying when I was born. He kept me from having to know the pain of an abusive father, the sting alcohol can make on a family, the addiction of drugs, the harshness of the streets, never knowing what love from a father looks like, and so many other things in my life. Yes, He let me make some pretty horrible decisions and the consequences of them, but He did not leave me to rot on my own. No, my heavenly father discipline/disciplines me for them because...why?... HE LOVES ME!
I look at my horrible deeds that could have destroyed my life from the inside out and know that I am worthy of such a Divine Lover, Father, Friend, Saviour, King and Lord, but know that despite the fact that I am unworthy to call upon His name, look upon His face, hear His beautiful voice and talk to Him, He wants those things from me.
My heart if it could experience the full weight of this amazing concept at once, would burst inside my chest. I would fall on my face and never see or look up again. I would be in beautiful sorrowful joyous agony before the one who loves me so completely wholly and definitively, and be content to never see the light of day or another moment of life again.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I honestly don't understand how people can grow up hearing the "facts about Jesus" and not understand what He has done. The true sacrifice, the pain, the love He shared for us on the cross. I don't understand how they can say, "Oh, it was my parent's faith, but now its mine."
My faith has ALWAYS been by faith, even when I was only four. I don't understand how someone who hears the Word could think its just a collection of letters and concepts that have no meaning, or a meaning that is "just not for them." I don't understand. Those who hear the gospel and truly HEAR the gospel react one of two ways, they run to it and lay down all their burdens or they run screaming away in anger and fear.
The only people I know who don't react these two ways usually haven't really listened to the gospel. They've heard the words, but they haven't taken it in and asked what does this really mean.
It saddens me, because one day I'll get to heaven and look around and expect to see hundreds, thousands, millions more "christians" and they will be among those whom the Lord has said, "Depart from me you doer of iniquity for I never knew you."
Now, I've thought about this often, and my main prayer is that through my life the Lord will say to me, "Well, done Good and faithful servant." But more than that, I pray, beg, fall on my face and ask Him to give me opportunities to serve Him. I pray that my eyes will be opened to the opportunities before me that I may be a good stewart of what He's given me, that I will enact my plea to serve my Lord. I pray that the Lord find favor in me so that I can carry out His will. I pray that the Lord will strengthen my weary, weak flesh to have the courage to do everything I ask of Him, because I can't do this on my own.
I can't tell you how much that verse grieves my soul, and how many prayers I have lifted up for my fellow Christian brothers and sisters and those who don't know Him but think they do. I pray that my brothers and sisters will shine for the Lord and truly be the light. That they stay strong in their race and keep on when trials befall them. I pray for those who don't know Him to be touched by the Lord and that they will realize who He really is. I pray that not another day goes by without them experiencing His mighty Glory personally.
I'll never forget when this concept hit home. My sister Juji, thought for 18 years of her life that she was saved and knew the Lord, and it wasn't until she finally met Him that she realized she hadn't. I'll never forget I was sitting in a dark room with her at a church retreat weekend and she was pouring out her heart to me, telling me how she couldn't let go of something in her past. I kept asking her, why? why can't you let go?
"I don't know. I just can't. I know I'm supposed to give it to God, but I just can't. I pray, but its like He doesn't answer."
It was the hardest question I ever had to ask her, but I knew I had to.
"Well, are you sure you know the Lord?"
We were both in tears as she uttered her next phrase.
"I don't know."
The sorrow that filled my soul that night. I prayed for her. I prayed that the Lord would reveal Himself to her. It wasn't until about a year ago that she realized that was the night she first met Christ. It wasn't until now that we both realized that God was using me to lead her to the Lord, and to disciple her the next coming years. I got the honor to see one come to the Lord, but there are countless others who are just like she was. I pray that they come to know Him like she did.
But its true that the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, because many who think they are the workers are really the ones who need to be watered and harvested.
Please, I urge you my brother or sister who reads this, if you are a Christ follower pray for those around you who don't know Him. I forget to lift them up in prayer, as well, but I hope that we together can remember to pray for them, and then act out the opportunities that the Lord sets before us as His children.
Go in peace.
Go in strength.
Go in love.
Go in hope.
Go in courage.
Go in perseverance.
but most of all Go in joy, for you know our battle is won, the harvest is ready and its in only there for the taking. Our blessing will be increase, if we are willing to just take the first step to follow after the calling of the Lord. I'm not talking about the earthly blessings of wealth, status or property. I'm talking about the eternal blessings that we will see in heaven. Who we will walk amongst. Who we will see free from all their pain, sorrow, agony, burdens, and misery of this life. We will see them made complete, and know that we had the honor, the privilege to usher them into heavens gates, side by side, arm in arm for an eternity.
As I sit and think about it, my teary eyes feel as though they will overflow with the joys and sorrows of my blessed life. So many people wish to escape pain, and I don't blame them. Pain sucks. I wish I hadn't had to live through it or have made so many mistakes, but I look back and I may regret the things I did and the consequences but I don't regret the outcome. What Satan meant for evil the Lord used for good. When I thought i could no longer be used and i was useless, worthless the Lord kept the promise i made to Him and choses to use me.
I don't understand why He would be pleased to use me. I honestly don't. Sometimes I feel as though i want nothing more to die, because that's all i deserve. Who am I to experience the joy of breath filling my lungs, or my heart rhythmically beating in my chest? Who am I receive the privilege of loving someone? Who am I to be loved? Who am I?
Who am I to be saved from my past and my future before life has even begun? So many people talk about God's will and the difference between it and His perfect will, and how He just allows bad things to happen sometimes. But they rarely think of the things He DOESN'T allow to happen. Things that He says, "NO!" and pulls us back in. We so many time focus on the things He lets "slip by" and never about the things He keeps from us. He kept my mom from dying when I was born. He kept me from having to know the pain of an abusive father, the sting alcohol can make on a family, the addiction of drugs, the harshness of the streets, never knowing what love from a father looks like, and so many other things in my life. Yes, He let me make some pretty horrible decisions and the consequences of them, but He did not leave me to rot on my own. No, my heavenly father discipline/disciplines me for them because...why?... HE LOVES ME!
I look at my horrible deeds that could have destroyed my life from the inside out and know that I am worthy of such a Divine Lover, Father, Friend, Saviour, King and Lord, but know that despite the fact that I am unworthy to call upon His name, look upon His face, hear His beautiful voice and talk to Him, He wants those things from me.
My heart if it could experience the full weight of this amazing concept at once, would burst inside my chest. I would fall on my face and never see or look up again. I would be in beautiful sorrowful joyous agony before the one who loves me so completely wholly and definitively, and be content to never see the light of day or another moment of life again.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I honestly don't understand how people can grow up hearing the "facts about Jesus" and not understand what He has done. The true sacrifice, the pain, the love He shared for us on the cross. I don't understand how they can say, "Oh, it was my parent's faith, but now its mine."
My faith has ALWAYS been by faith, even when I was only four. I don't understand how someone who hears the Word could think its just a collection of letters and concepts that have no meaning, or a meaning that is "just not for them." I don't understand. Those who hear the gospel and truly HEAR the gospel react one of two ways, they run to it and lay down all their burdens or they run screaming away in anger and fear.
The only people I know who don't react these two ways usually haven't really listened to the gospel. They've heard the words, but they haven't taken it in and asked what does this really mean.
It saddens me, because one day I'll get to heaven and look around and expect to see hundreds, thousands, millions more "christians" and they will be among those whom the Lord has said, "Depart from me you doer of iniquity for I never knew you."
Now, I've thought about this often, and my main prayer is that through my life the Lord will say to me, "Well, done Good and faithful servant." But more than that, I pray, beg, fall on my face and ask Him to give me opportunities to serve Him. I pray that my eyes will be opened to the opportunities before me that I may be a good stewart of what He's given me, that I will enact my plea to serve my Lord. I pray that the Lord find favor in me so that I can carry out His will. I pray that the Lord will strengthen my weary, weak flesh to have the courage to do everything I ask of Him, because I can't do this on my own.
I can't tell you how much that verse grieves my soul, and how many prayers I have lifted up for my fellow Christian brothers and sisters and those who don't know Him but think they do. I pray that my brothers and sisters will shine for the Lord and truly be the light. That they stay strong in their race and keep on when trials befall them. I pray for those who don't know Him to be touched by the Lord and that they will realize who He really is. I pray that not another day goes by without them experiencing His mighty Glory personally.
I'll never forget when this concept hit home. My sister Juji, thought for 18 years of her life that she was saved and knew the Lord, and it wasn't until she finally met Him that she realized she hadn't. I'll never forget I was sitting in a dark room with her at a church retreat weekend and she was pouring out her heart to me, telling me how she couldn't let go of something in her past. I kept asking her, why? why can't you let go?
"I don't know. I just can't. I know I'm supposed to give it to God, but I just can't. I pray, but its like He doesn't answer."
It was the hardest question I ever had to ask her, but I knew I had to.
"Well, are you sure you know the Lord?"
We were both in tears as she uttered her next phrase.
"I don't know."
The sorrow that filled my soul that night. I prayed for her. I prayed that the Lord would reveal Himself to her. It wasn't until about a year ago that she realized that was the night she first met Christ. It wasn't until now that we both realized that God was using me to lead her to the Lord, and to disciple her the next coming years. I got the honor to see one come to the Lord, but there are countless others who are just like she was. I pray that they come to know Him like she did.
But its true that the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, because many who think they are the workers are really the ones who need to be watered and harvested.
Please, I urge you my brother or sister who reads this, if you are a Christ follower pray for those around you who don't know Him. I forget to lift them up in prayer, as well, but I hope that we together can remember to pray for them, and then act out the opportunities that the Lord sets before us as His children.
Go in peace.
Go in strength.
Go in love.
Go in hope.
Go in courage.
Go in perseverance.
but most of all Go in joy, for you know our battle is won, the harvest is ready and its in only there for the taking. Our blessing will be increase, if we are willing to just take the first step to follow after the calling of the Lord. I'm not talking about the earthly blessings of wealth, status or property. I'm talking about the eternal blessings that we will see in heaven. Who we will walk amongst. Who we will see free from all their pain, sorrow, agony, burdens, and misery of this life. We will see them made complete, and know that we had the honor, the privilege to usher them into heavens gates, side by side, arm in arm for an eternity.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Beloved
I heard this song on one of the hardest days of my life. (I mentioned it before, but I haven't yet posted it.) I just wanted to share with you how special this song is to us as Christians. The Bible calls us His Bride, and this song is what I love to call the "Divine Love Song".
"Love of my Life,
Look Deep in my Eyes,
There you will find what you need.
Give me Your Life,
The Lust and The Lies
And the past you're afraid I might see
You've been running away from me
YOU'RE MY BELOVED LOVER
I'M YOURS
DEATH SHALL NOT PART US
IT'S YOU I DIED FOR
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
FOREVER WE'LL BE
MY LOVE IT UNITES US AND IT BINDS YOU TO ME
IT'S A MYSTERY
Love of my life
Look deep in my eyes
There you will find what you need
I'm the giver of life
I'll clothe you in white
My immaculate bride you will be
Come running home to me
YOU'RE MY BELOVED LOVER
I'M YOURS
DEATH SHALL NOT PART US
IT'S YOU I DIED FOR
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
FOREVER WE'LL BE MY LOVE IT UNITES US AND BINDS YOU TO ME
IT'S A MYSTERY
You've been a mistress, my wife
Chasing lovers that won't satisfy
Won't you let me make you my bride
You will drink of my lips and you'll taste new life
YOU'RE MY BELOVED LOVER
I'M YOURS
DEATH SHALL NOT PART US
IT'S YOU I DIED FOR
FOR BETTER OR WORSE FOREVER WE'LL BE
MY LOVE IT UNITES US AND IT BINDS YOU TO ME
IT'S A MYSTERY"
This song is by the band called Tenth Avenue North, and it really means a lot to me, because it one of the darkest moments of my young life it reminded me how much God loves me. I hope you hear the song, and are touched by the lyrics.
"Love of my Life,
Look Deep in my Eyes,
There you will find what you need.
Give me Your Life,
The Lust and The Lies
And the past you're afraid I might see
You've been running away from me
YOU'RE MY BELOVED LOVER
I'M YOURS
DEATH SHALL NOT PART US
IT'S YOU I DIED FOR
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
FOREVER WE'LL BE
MY LOVE IT UNITES US AND IT BINDS YOU TO ME
IT'S A MYSTERY
Love of my life
Look deep in my eyes
There you will find what you need
I'm the giver of life
I'll clothe you in white
My immaculate bride you will be
Come running home to me
YOU'RE MY BELOVED LOVER
I'M YOURS
DEATH SHALL NOT PART US
IT'S YOU I DIED FOR
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
FOREVER WE'LL BE MY LOVE IT UNITES US AND BINDS YOU TO ME
IT'S A MYSTERY
You've been a mistress, my wife
Chasing lovers that won't satisfy
Won't you let me make you my bride
You will drink of my lips and you'll taste new life
YOU'RE MY BELOVED LOVER
I'M YOURS
DEATH SHALL NOT PART US
IT'S YOU I DIED FOR
FOR BETTER OR WORSE FOREVER WE'LL BE
MY LOVE IT UNITES US AND IT BINDS YOU TO ME
IT'S A MYSTERY"
This song is by the band called Tenth Avenue North, and it really means a lot to me, because it one of the darkest moments of my young life it reminded me how much God loves me. I hope you hear the song, and are touched by the lyrics.
Sin
It get's on you and you can't get out. It's sticky and slimy, but somehow you keep coming back. It pulls, tugs, whispers, entices, seduces and destroys. It looks harmless. Just a little. It looks good. A little more. Before you know it your in it's tight grasp gasping for breath, but it continues to squeeze. You don't realize your choking, suffocating until it's to late. It has it's hold, and it won't give in. You look up. You see something, but before you can decipher what it is, your deadly captor blinds you. There you are, struggling, blind and dieing. When you finally realize what's going on you cry out for help. You cry out for anything and anyone, and then before you stands an blinding light. Suddenly, you aren't in the arms of the captor but the one who sets the captives free. You stand before him, and you look down at your body that was once writhing in unbelievable agony. It's perfect, spotless, smooth and sweet. Your free.
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