Not too long ago, I was reading in Galatians for a bit before I went to sleep. I wasn’t studying any particular passage or looking for anything specific, but as I was reading there was this one verse in chapter 2 that caught my attention.

Beginning in verse 11 of chapter 1, Paul writes of how he received the gospel directly from God and not from any man. He writes of his depraved life before Jesus and of his coming to Jesus by the grace of God. He then says that, after he received salvation, he went directly into Arabia and Damascus to preach. He didn’t consult with anyone. He didn’t go to Jerusalem and get permission from the other apostles. He knew he received His calling directly from God, so he went out without hesitation and fulfilled it.

After 14 years of preaching the gospel, Paul finally went up to Jerusalem and met the other apostles. He says in verse 6 of chapter 2 that when he talked with them they had nothing to add to what he was preaching; they immediately saw that Paul was commissioned by God, and they recognized his preaching as the gospel of their Lord and Savior. They saw God’s grace on his life, and they trusted it.

Then I got to verse 10, where Paul says, “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”

It struck me as amazing that the only thing the other apostles encouraged Paul to do was to remember the poor; and he was already eager to do it! Ministry and service to the poor was important to them, and they wanted to make sure Paul would include that in his ministry as well.

Not long after I was reading that passage, I began a minor study in Amos. I didn’t know much about the book when I began, and I’m honestly not even sure if I’d ever read it before. Regardless, it fascinated me. It begins with a series of judgments on the nations, all leading up to the judgment of Israel. Finally, when God does get to Israel, He holds them to a greater standard than He does the other nations because they were His chosen people—they had the Law.

And what would you know, one of the reasons God was punishing Israel was for their lack of care for the poor and for the needy. Amos 2:6-7 reads:

Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—

those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned.”

This was Israel, the Lord’s beloved nation, and He was punishing them partially for neglecting the poor and the needy that were around them. More than that, they were neglecting the poor for their own gain, which is something I know I’m guilty of doing. I know I’ve wrongfully ignored the needs of others so I could satisfy my own.

And then, of course, we have Jesus’ own teaching on the matter. In Luke 4, Jesus says to the people that He came to bring good news to the poor. And near the end of Matthew 25 Jesus speaks about the final judgment day when He will separate His own from the world—those meant to inherit the kingdom of God from those damned to hell. What is the difference between the two groups of people? Those belonging to Jesus were marked by their care and attention to the hungry, the thirsty, the outcast, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned; and those not belonging to Jesus neglected all those things. “Truly, I say to you,” said Jesus, “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:30).

We also see this modeled in the early church. In Acts 2, all the believers joined together and sold all they had, giving freely to others as needs arose. This kind of generosity was normal for them, and I can only imagine it was done out of sincere love and joy for Christ and for the people around them.

Last week I was helping out the campus ministry I’m a part of. We set up a table in the FSU union, and we had a lot of really great conversations with people about Jesus and about what we do to make Him known. One question almost everyone asked me, though, was “What do you guys do to help serve?” And it hit me then that one way the world sees Jesus’ love is by His Bride’s service and love for other people, especially for those in need. Our service and sacrifice makes Jesus’ love tangible to those who’ve never really experienced it before.

Little by little, the Lord keeps showing me all these things concerning the poor. I don’t think it’s because He wants me to drop anything and just go minister to them 24/7, but I think it’s to challenge my selfishness. I honestly believe that’s one reason God allows poverty and need: so we, His people, would learn to be like Jesus to others.

As I’ve been praying about it, God’s just been convicting me of my self-centered, indulgent lifestyle and of my selfish habits. The main thing He keeps speaking to my heart is simply this:I will be held accountable for hoarding the abundance He has blessed me with. More and more the Lord is showing me that He didn’t place me where I am, in the midst of abundance, in order to be selfish; He placed me here to serve others and to give freely of what I do have.

The culture I live in doesn’t make it easy for me to give freely and to serve. Everything here teaches me to focus on me and on my interests. Everything here teaches me that I’m the most important person in my life, and that my happiness and comfort are what matter most. Everything here teaches me that I deserve to treat myself to whatever I want. In reality, I deserve the wrath of God. In reality, I already have better than I deserve because I have Jesus, and He’s the most precious prize I could ever attain.

Still, I really feel like God is wanting to rework a lot of my priorities. I feel like He’s calling me to absolute servant-hood in every area of my life: my time, my resources, my energy, my finances. Ultimately, our Father wants us to be like His Son, and His Son was a servant who gave all He had for broken, lost, needy people who didn’t deserve any of it. I don’t know what all that is going to look like, but I know I won’t be investing in things quite the same way I have been.

What do you all think, though? How do you think God would have His church serve in this capacity?

If there’s one lesson I feel like I’ll be learning over and over until the day I die, it’s that none of the things in this world can satisfy me. None of the temporal things I pursue will ever satisfy my soul. All of my selfish ambitions and indulgences will leave me empty if I put my hope in them.

And yet, my heart is an idol factory. Day after day, I manage to find something or someone to love more than I love my Lord. I habitually pursue things I know won’t bring my joy because I believe they’ll satisfy some temporal, sinful desire.

But Jesus, my sweet Savior King, is the only one who satisfies, and He’s constantly having to remind me of that. Day after day I find I have to tell myself that. Day after day I have to consciously choose to stop chasing the things of this world; I have to consciously chase Him.

Because I’m only alive in Him.
I’m only complete in Him.
I only know love in Him.

Ultimately, it’s the love of God that changes us. When you understand who He is, and when you fear Him, you understand how radical and crazy His love truly is. It’s unconditional, and it makes absolutely no sense.

But it’s the love of God that brings us to our knees. It’s the love of God that inspires obedience. It’s the love of God that cultivates holiness. It’s the love of God that satisfies.

I want to know His love, and I want that to be enough for me. I want it to be all I need. I want it to be all I want.

Let me know that You hear me.
Let me know Your touch.
Let me know that You love me.
Let that be enough.

- Switchfoot

I don’t about you, but I like free music.

I also like good music.

And music that glorifies God.

Come&Live! offers free, good, God-glorifying music.

From their website:

Come&Live! is a 501(c)3 non-profit community dedicated to proclaiming the good news of Jesus.
By joining hands with artists {musicianaries}, we provide them with guidance, direction and accountability to model a life of genuine faith. Our focus is in promoting the only true enduring treasure – loving others and living like JESUS. We choose to share music and profit as a humble example of radical generosity. We live simply to give generously, encouraging others to do the same. Our prayer is that God would use us to Give. Love. Share. and Revive.

The I Am Living, Vol. 1 album includes songs from various artists on the Come&Live! record label (and the first song includes an introduction by John Piper!). The rest of the downloads are full albums and EPs from those artists.

My favorites are Ascend the Hill, Daniel Bashta, The Ember Days, The Frozen Ocean, Holding Onto Hope, Sons of God, and So Long Forgotten, though I like most everything there.

But you should check it out for yourself!

And hey, while you’re at it, follow them on Twitter!

Enjoy!

There was no turning back for them. There was no, “I don’t feel led to do this anymore.” There was no, “This isn’t comfortable anymore.” They were slaves; bound to the mission they began, even unto death.

When the two men were departing on the boat, they looked back to see their church family and physical families standing there on the docks weeping for them as they left. They both knew they would never see them again, yet they both knew they were fulfilling the callings of the Lord in their lives. In a final parting one of the young men looked back and shouted to those standing, “Shall not the Lamb have the full reward of His suffering!”

What is the full reward of His suffering?

My mediocrity?
My hypocrisy?
My laziness?
My selfishness?
My passivity?
My procrastination?

What is the reward of the suffering of Christ? Did He die so that I could live in fear and shame of bearing His name? Did He suffer the wrath of the living, holy, just God so that I could waste my life away indulging in entertainment and selfish gain? Was He bruised and crushed so that I could serve myself and my supposed best interests?

Was Jesus’ physical suffering and death, separation from the Father and endurance of the cup of God’s wrath on my behalf enough to inspire my to live as dead to the world?

The full reward of His life is my life in turn. Christ says I must deny myself, carry my cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34), that I must love without insisting on my own way (1 Corinthians 13:5), that I must crucify my flesh (Galatians 5:24), and that I must present my body as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13).

There is no room for any selfishness. There is no room for seeking after my interests. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. Rather, He lives in me (Galatians 2:20). I am not my own, for I was bought with a price (Galatians 5:19-20).

God has been convicting me of my idleness and passivity. I definitely do not steward my time in a manner that brings Him glory. As petty as it may sound, media, social networking, and entertainment have swallowed up large portions of my time lately. And all the while, I’ve needed more time.

I need more time to pray because I need to talk to my Dad.
I need more time to read Bible because His word is life for my soul.
I need more time to serve because it helps to rid me of my self-serving nature.
I need more time to share the Gospel because I have no right to keep such truth to myself.

I suppose this is my farewell to not giving Jesus the full reward of His suffering.

He deserves every moment for the love He has shown me.

John Wayne Gacy Jr. was a serial child rapist and murderer.

I’m no better.

Even in my best behavior, I was no better inside than He was. My good works were as filth before the Lord. And God didn’t see me any differently than He did Mr. Gacy.

Then Jesus loved me, saved me, and clothed me in His righteousness. Now He can work in me to change me. Now I am justified before God.

Really, though, outside of Christ we all deserve to be thought of with the same disgust with which we think of John.

Romans 3:21-25a – But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Generally, Christians I know tend to believe that the only acceptable ground for divorce is sexual immorality (adultery), as is mentioned in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9. However, Piper’s beliefs about it are not like most others that I know of. My understanding of them is this:

Marriage is intended to reflect and represent the covenant between Christ and His bride (the church). This covenant is eternal. No matter how the church is unfaithful, and no matter how we turn from God or betray Him, it never ends. He never ceases to love us, to woo us, and to change us into His likeness so that we can fully enjoy Him in eternity. Jesus Christ remains faithful to the church, even in spite of our spiritual adultery.

Thus, it would be ideal if a man and a woman did the same thing. How does it reflect what Christ does for us if a man says to his wife, “You’ve been unfaithful to me, so now I end my covenant with you”? How does that fulfill the command for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25)? After all, Jesus never leaves His bride.

As far as the two “exceptions” to this go, Piper believes that the Greek word “porneia,” translated as “immorality” in most translations, is actually most commonly understood to mean “fornication,” implying sexual immorality before marriage. An example of this would be Mary and Joesph: they were betrothed (legally pledged to be married), but had not consummated the marriage. Yet when Joesph believed she had been with another man, he was going to “divorce” her. Thus, Piper believes the divorce Jesus is speaking about in Matthew occurs before two people are officially joined in marriage.

Furthermore, Jesus says in regard to marriage that no man should separate what God has joined together (Matthew 19:6). And in 1 Corinthians, Paul says that the Lord commands that no woman should leave her husband (1 Corinthians 7:10). Moreover, if a man and a woman vow that only death will separate them, why is sexual immorality an exception to that vow? Why not say, “Until death or adultery do us part”?

Now, I understand the implications this has if it is true. I’ve lived in a divorced home for four years now, and I understand the pain of it all too well. I’ve witnessed the pain that abuse and unfaithfulness can bring about in a marriage, and I understand that there comes a point when things can get so hard, so painful, and so difficult that you just want out.

In spite of everything, though, John Piper’s views make more sense to me than anything I’ve ever come across before. If two people vow before the Lord to be committed to one another until death, why is adultery an exception?

As Christians, the purpose of everything we experience in life (including marriage) is sanctification–conformity to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). If Christ loves unconditionally, then we are to love unconditionally as well. In fact, following the command to love God, the second greatest commandment we’ve received is to love one another. And God even goes so far as to define true, unconditional love for us in 1 Corinthians 13 (love is kind, patient, does not seek its own interest, is not resentful, bears all things, etc.).

Is it truly reflecting the unconditional love of Christ to leave your spouse for any reason?

Do you believe there is ever Biblical grounds for divorce?

What do you guys think? I’d love some other input!

- C.S.Lewis

Putting aside that I did find Avatar to be an extremely boring movie, I found this video by John Piper incredibly convicting.

I don’t believe that movies or entertainment are inherently bad. I enjoy entertainment with friends and family. However, we should be careful to effectively steward the time we’ve been given.

In His kindness, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He has given to us the very words of His mouth, out of which flow life, encouragement, peace, and wisdom. The words He has spoken to us in Scripture are one of the most incredible means we have of seeing His glory, of experiencing His grace, and of knowing Him on a deeper and more intimate level.

As a Christian, it should be of utmost importance to us to study and bathe in His word daily. His word should literally be the very food of our soul. No other form of “entertainment” should take a higher priority.

“Don’t let the world shape you so that this looks boring. God Almighty has spoken; it can’t be boring!”

If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.
- 2 Timothy 2:13

God is faithful. It is an attribute of His nature that cannot be denied. What He starts, He sees through to the end. What He begins, He finishes. His word is true, enduring, everlasting, and impacting. His word is life.

As John Piper likes to say, all sin is rooted in unbelief in the promises of God. He promises us true satisfaction, which comes through knowing and glorifying Him. He promises us His love, salvation, companionship, blessings, mercy, grace, peace, affection, and more. And yet, we constantly seek to find satisfaction by other means. We don’t trust that what He has for us is truly what is best, so we seek to have joy and satisfaction in other things. This is sin.

I am as guilty of this as the rest. I don’t believe His promises all the time, I don’t constantly trust His word, and I don’t always cling to Scripture as my ultimate, authoritative truth.

And yet, in His word are so many wonderful truths!

- He has promised us true peace in Him. (Philippians 4:6-7)
- To those He has called, He will be there to uphold, strengthen, and help. (Isaiah 41:8-10)
- His power is made perfect in our weakness, and His grace is sufficient for everything we face. (1 Corinthians 12:9-10)
- He works things our for our good in the end. (Romans 8:28)
- When we delight ourselves in Him, we will have the desires of our hearts (which will be Himself, as He will be the delight of our hearts). And when we commit our way to His way, and when we trust Him, He is faithful to act (Psalm 37:4-5)
- We need only seek God. He is faithful to give us what we need. (Matthew 7:7-8)
- We have a living hope and an imperishable inheritance. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
- There is no condemnation for those in Christ. (Romans 8:1)
- Because of Christ, we have received the adoption as sons and daughters of the living God. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Those are just a few of the many wonderful things God has promised to us. In our trials, we must hold fast to these truths as if our lives depended on them. We must hide them in our hearts and confess them as truth during tribulations and distresses.

That is one of my goals for 2010: to cling to the promises of God. To learn them, meditate on them, desire them, pray for them, hope for them, and live for them. I desire to read through Scripture searching for the things God has promised His children and hold fast to them, knowing God is faithful. I desire to read through His word confessing it as the only truth I abide by.

I want to learn to hope in what He has said will come to pass. I want to learn to desire God above all.

What about you? Will you hold fast to His word this year?

I don’t like it because:
1) It’s all about Bella’s (idolatrous) relationship with (the sparkling!) Edward Cullen.
2) It’s all from the view-point of a hormone-driven teenage girl.
3) It’s just very poor writing/acting.

I don’t mind if you do like the Twilight series; to each his own. But I saw this posted on a forum and had to share. It pretty much sums up why I’m no Twilight fan, haha.

The Catalog

- Number of Pages in the Book: 498
- The First Hint of a Plot that Is Not Bella and Edward’s Romance: page 328
- When the Plot Actually Arrives: page 372

- Boys that Totally Love Bella (Including Edward Cullen): 5

- Approximate Amount of Time Bella and Edward are Romantically Involved Before Bella Is Begging Edward to Turn Her into a Vampire so They Can Be Together Forever: Like, two weeks. Maybe three. The timeline’s a bit fuzzy.

- References to Edward’s Beauty: 165

Broken Down into the following categories -

- Face: 24 (Favorite adjectives: glorious, heavenly, seraphic)
- Voice: 20 (The voice of an archangel, donchaknow.)
- Eyes: 17
- Movement: 11
- Smile: 10
- Teeth: 8
- Muscles: 7
- Skin: 7 (Note: This only contains accounts of Edward’s skin being beautiful. I didn’t count references to it as “pale,” “cold,” or “white.” If I had, this number would be about ten times larger.)
- Iron Strength or Limbs: 5
- Breath: 4 (EVEN HIS BREATH IS AMAZING.)
- Scent: 4
- Laughter: 3
- Handwriting: 2
- Chest: 2
- Driving Skills: 1

The Number of Times…

- Bella Is Clumsy or Makes a Reference to Her Clumsiness: 26
- Bella Sneers at Forks or Its Inhabitants: 22
- Bella is “Dazzled” or Rendered Speechless by Edward’s Beauty or Touch: 17
- Edward Tells Bella to Stay Away from Him While Completely Contradicting Himself with His Behavior: 16
- Bella is Utterly Desolate at Edward’s Absence: 12
- Edward and Bella Kiss: 8
- Bella’s Hormones Get the Better of Her and She Attacks Edward, Almost Causing Him to Eat Her: 2 (She’s not even allowed to kiss him back! Where’s the fun in that?)
- Edward’s Kiss Makes Bella Faint: 1
- Edward’s Kiss Makes Bella’s Heart Literally Stop: 1
- Bella Thinks She Isn’t Good Enough for Edward: 6
- Edward Is Referred to As Godlike: 5 (Note: This number might be off, as I didn’t start counting until three or four mentions in.)
- Edward Tells Bella She’s Unnatural: 5
- Edward Sparkles: 3
- Bella is in Mortal Danger: 3
- Edward Saves Bella from Mortal Danger: 3
- Edward Stalks Bella, For Real: 2 (Note: One of these instances involves watching her sleep every night for, like, months.)
- Bella says “Holy Crow!”: 2
- Bella and Edward Argue About Who Loves the Other Most: 1
- Edward’s Inability to Read Bella’s Mind is Explained: 0

I would have kept track of how many times Edward’s mood shifts unexpectedly and for no reason, but I didn’t have that much paper. I am sad, though, that I didn’t keep track of how many times words like “granite,” “stone,” and “marble” are used in reference to Edward. His arms, his lips. Explain to me how kissing cold, marble lips is at all appealing. And yet it makes Bella faint. I give up.

Lines That Made Me Laugh Out Loud Because…Well, You’ll See:

“I couldn’t imagine how an angel could be any more glorious.”

Note: Unless I say otherwise, just assume such sentiments are referring to Edward in all his glory.

“He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare.”

Incandescent. Scintillating. The adjectives in this book cracked me up. Because he sparkles!

“The meadow, so spectacular to me at first, paled next to his magnificence.”

Paled! Is that a joke? Oh, she’s serious? I was afraid of that.

“As I had just that once before, I smelled his cool breath in my face. Sweet, delicious, the scent made my mouth water.”

This to me was the most disturbing aspect of Edward’s inhuman perfection. It’s just weird. And gross. And weird.

Edward: “There are other hungers. Hungers I don’t even understand, that are foreign to me.”

Um, Ed, babe? You were seventeen when you were turned. I highly doubt those “hungers” were foreign to you.

“I could smell the unbearably sweet fragrance coming off his chest.”

“He pressed his cool lips to my forehead, and the room spun. The smell of his breath made it impossible to think.”

“Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, calling me to the only heaven I wanted.”

“He leaned in slowly, the beeping noise accelerated wildly before his lips even touched me. But when they did, though with the most gentle of pressure, the beeping stopped altogether.”

…EDWARD KISSES HER AND HER HEART LITERALLY STOPS. I just…I don’t even know what to do with this. Other than laugh hysterically while I beat my head against the table.

That’s modern young-adult fiction for you. :P

Because the thing is, I love to talk, and I love to share. Those who know me know that given the opportunity I’ll often go on and on and on and on…

So yes, I’m going to make an attempt to be here more.

Currently, however, I’ve much homework to be done, so I’ll leave you with a brief thought from Romans 8:29:

For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

That’s the purpose of everything we experience as Christians: conformity to Jesus’ image. Sanctification. It’s such a beautiful (painful, wonderful, joyful, etc.) thing to be made into the image of Christ, and to know and experience and enjoy Him more and more. There isn’t a more fulfilling thing than to bring Him glory in this way.

I think it’s pretty neat. :)