Every Single Good Thing

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." -- James 1:17

Sometimes we forget this. We treat the good things that happen in life a little like the bad, perhaps sub-consciously thinking "I am so glad God allowed this to happen" as if all He did was step aside and let it happen on its own. But this verse says otherwise.
God is perfect. Every single thing God created is good because of that. After He created each and every aspect of creation, the verse concludes with "and God saw that it was good."
No evil can come from a purely good thing.
So if every single good thing comes from Him, every single good thing in your life is a special gift chosen by Him for you. Perhaps the words in His mind were something like "I will give him a close family," or "I will give her this beautiful house I know she will love." Even more specifically, "I know she will enjoy this sort of tea," and "I will make this rose flourish outside her window."
Every. Single. Good. Thing. Is. From. God.
And He takes pleasure in your pleasure.

"What a lovely thing a rose is! ...There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion," said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. "It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers." -- Sherlock Holmes, "The Naval Treaty"

Love Now!

 Sometimes it seems as though Christians lack the urgency as seen in places like the Book of Acts. As soon as Christ rose from the dead. Christianity was spreal like a wildfire. Despite persecution and the lack of modern press, people everywhere fell to their knees before the Lord. These days, it seems as though we put things off. We lose the nerve to speak to a friend. We assure ourselves they wouldn't listen, anyway. We avoid looking like a radical.
 But was Jesus not radical?
 And aren't we supposed to look like Him?
 The term "Christian" comes from the scornful nickname "little Christ," which early Christians took to as a compliment. If we are to look like Christ, we need that love and gentle boldness to speak and act Truth for our loved ones.
Who are our loved ones?
Luke 6:27-35 says that we are to love even our enemies. Proverbs 17:17 and John 15:12-13 speak about love for friends. Ephesians 5:25 commands husbands to love their wives. Titus 2:3-5 says that wives should love their husbands and children. Luke 17:3-4 says that one must love and forgive their brother. John 13:34-35, Romans 12:9-10, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 4:7-21, Proverbs 10:12, Luke 10:25-37, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 are only a handful of verses that all speak of love. So really, who are we not to love? We are to hate evil, we know that. But think about all the people who need to know love, who need to know Christ.
Those people who expect you to attack them with a Bible probably do not know Christ because they have not yet known love.
So think about who you need to love today. Send some flowers, or a card. Pick up a phone and call. What's this about having your whole life to get to something? Timothy was thirteen when he led his church. Everything shall happen in God's timing, but "do not put off for tomorrow that which you could do today" (Benjamin Franklin).

Seeking God Through Creation

Sometimes God speaks through unusual subjects. Using the jawbone of a dead donkey is a good example. In my case, there are a few movies I can name that He has used to speak a novel's worth of insight. One is the Chronicles of Narnia, one is Amazing Grace, and another is Faith Like Potatoes. I know, it sounds like Veggie Tales. I promise it's not. The first time I watched this movie, God rattled several things I never noticed about myself. For one thing, I have been recently seeking more of the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. All things. And several weeks ago, during a church sermon, our associate pastor said something along the lines of "And if you were sitting out on your front porch during that thunderstorm on Wednesday, you are probably seeking more of the Holy Spirit!"
Guess who was sitting on her front porch that Wednesday afternoon?
That's right.
Me.

"It was when I was happiest that I longed most... The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing... to find the place where all the beauty came from." -- C.S. Lewis

Anyway, the first time I sat there watching the movie, God specifically talked to me about beauty. I already knew He is the source of all beauty because He Himself is beauty. All the beauty in the world is a reflection of Him, sort of like a pond reflects the moon. It is an imperfect reflection, as we live in a fallen world, but through the waves and the algae, we can see it.

"The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust in them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing... If they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only a scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited." -- C.S. Lewis



I have asked myself many a time recently why some rather random things have captivated my attention while I have failed to seek God. This last year or two has been a time where I could really seek Him more and it would do a world of good. And yet, I have met a facination with thunderstorms, rain, fire, roses, peacock feathers, stars, eyes, spider webs, and butterflies. Strange assortment, right? Well, God pointed out that I have been seeking Him through these things. After all, art reflects its creator. Have you ever realized how passionate fire is? The way it's relentless, consumes all as if it were starving? Has it ever occurred to you how perfect it is that when crops need water, rain falls out of the sky? Has thunder ever struck you as ominous and mighty? Roses, with their rich aroma, are charming and beautiful. Spider webs are delicate, intricate, invisible, and purposeful. The eye complex and attention-grabbing.  Peacock feathers are similarly complex, beautiful, and deliberate. Stars are vast and glorious. Butterflies, perhaps a metaphor for Christians, start as worms and, after a difficult and painful metamorphosis, become the butterfly you see flying across your garden. And you know what's funny? These things have been popping up a lot, like reminders. We have actually had a male peacock in all his colors strut up our street one day. A peacock feather popped up in a flower basket at church. Someone walks by with rose perfume. And if you have ever read The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, you can imagine the surprise I got in a chapter somewhere near the middle. If you have not read it, I recommend it. One can even see His various attributes through music, as I mentioned in a previous post. Perhaps the platypus is His sense of humor. What does a kitten say about Him? What about the river? Wild horses?

"It is curious that I remember well time when the thought of the eye made me cold all over, but I have got over this stage of the complaint, and now small trifling particulars of structure often make me very uncomfortable. The sight of the peacock's tail, whenever I gaze it, makes me sick!"-- Darwin, Charles correspondence 8, 140pp


And now I will take a moment to possibly creep out any of my friends who read this blog: The best reflection of God is when people love one another. I always enjoy watching how friends act around one another. When one team mate helps another up, or moreover, helps the opposite team member to his feet. The effect a simple clap on the back has on a solemn teen. Words spoken to a wallflower. I love noticing these things, because they are a glimpse of our Creator.




Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Psalm 19, Psalm 29, Psalm 139, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 40:12, Isaiah 42:9-10, Isaiah 65:17-25, Mark 4:37-41, John 1:1-5, Romans 1:20-23 and 25, Romans 8:22-23, Colossians 1:15-20, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 21:1-5, Revelation 22:1-2

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Who I Am-- A Sinful Being

 So many of  us rattle off a list on sins when we confess our transgressions to Christ. That would be me. But witin a recent sermon at my church, our music minister mentioned how we should not do this, and instead confess our very nature to be sinful. We should admit that we are sinful, not simply what we do.

We always hear that we are sinful beings. We know it. We realize we commit many sins, but how many of us really consider our very selves to be sinful? Perhaps we have heard it, but do we believe it?
I'm not so sure I did. That is, until I realized I could sin in my sleep and not even realize it until later. I stomped my foot at how unfair it was that I could sin without conscious thought until I realized how natural it was for me to sin.I could even do it in my sleep! Without thinking, without resistance.
Yup, I'm sinful.
And this is coming from something with a relatively high level of self-confidence. Let me tell you, praying for humility has made clear where my faults lie. Suddenly, the same stupid things I always do are in the light and I can see them. This made me realize how very naturally I sin.
It's not only that I'm sinful because I have sinned. Perhaps that's how it started with Adam and Eve, but not me. I have sinned because I'm sinful.

God above, have mercy.

"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." -- Romans 7:14-20

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Worship

Worship: A state of the heart characterized by absolute knowledge of and gratitude toward God for who He is and what He has done for us, from which grows fruits of the spirit, as well as songs of praise, acts of love, amplification of one's individual design and gifts, and a generally Christ-centered life and behavior. A verb, and some form of adjetive and tangible like a noun.

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The Light of the World

 What does it mean to be the light of the world? When a little girl cowers in fear beneath her covers in the middle of the night, she is imagining all the evil things that could be hiding in the dark. The dark hides evil things, be they evil deeds of those who manage to keep them secret, or the evil intentions of someone waiting to ambush another, or the truth when its covered up by another, or the unsung misery of an abused woman, or the evil within the heart of her abuser.
 The sun is a small percentage of God's light. The darkness is banished and whatever lies within, be it good or evil, is revealed. Often times, the evil will scatter and find some dark corner to cower in fear. But with light, the truth is exposed-- whatever it may be. Light banishes the fears of the little girl, exposes the evil within hearts, and reveals the beauty all around.
We live in a fallen world with dark places. Some cities and towns are like caves, dark and saturated in treachery and witchcraft. Sometimes Christians see this darkness as overpowering, but imagine a candle in a cave. No matter how small it is, the light consumes the darkness. Even that small flickering flame spreads throughout the cave.
I remember in driver's ed hearing that all the grime one a person's headlights can block up to 95% of the illumination. So what does that mean for us? When we let sin creep into our lives like a disease, we cannot shine the light of God as well as we should. We need to ask Jesus to clean us off so that we can shine for all men.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 6:14-16

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Music God Loves

"It was when I was happiest that I longed most... The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing... to find the place where all the beauty came from." -- C.S. Lewis


I have heard a lot of criticism regarding Christian music that does not specifically reference Jesus Christ and how it is just like all the other mainstream junk, doesn't really glorify God, and even that it is from Satan himself. Likewise, I have seen criticism of Christian music that falls under the genres of metal, screamo, hard rock, rap, etc. I have wanted to address this for a while and for many reasons.

God is the Source of all that is good and beautiful. Because He created all the world, we can see elements of His beauty in all things. I believe this is the same case with music. God made us in His image, and thus, we are also creative beings. We use a variety of instruments to praise Him, and I believe He appreciates that. Only singing Him one genre of songs is enough to bore anyone. Just as He created a variety of flowers, He created a variety of music. To say that God only wants to be praised with traditional hymns is to say that He only created roses, pushing aside all the lilies, pansies, tulips, daisies, clovers, and missing a whole lot of beauty. The God who created such a variety of animals and people must surely appreciate a variety of music.

All the things that God creates reflect some of His personality. I see His passion and consuming love and desire for us in fire. We should be on fire for Him-- passionate, hungry, enthusiastic, white-hot. I can see His fire reflected in some hard rock and metal music. I love to use the band Red as an example-- they have a song called "Breathe Into Me" is a song shouting out to God, pleaing for His Spirit. "Let Go" reflects the rage and hatred toward sin, the thing that kills us.

Water might reflect the patience of God. Perhaps that is one thing He had in mind when he poured the cool ponds into their holes in the ground. When a man works hard and spashes water onto his hot red face, surely he appreciates what God has made. Sometimes it's peaceful to praise God with slow, calm music. One of the best examples that I know of is "Overjoyed" by Jars of Clay.

And what if the music that does not specifically mention Jesus? I suppose that depends on the song. Some lament of friends who have strayed away from Jesus, such as the DC Talk songs "It's Killing Me" and "So Long, My Friend." Another song I once heard criticized was "Catchafire (Whoopsie-Daisy)" by TobyMac, a song about reigniting the fire for God. Some songs are not specifically about the resurrection, but are written and sung by Christians. Some may say that this is not Christian music. But the day we seperate Christian from secular is the day we declare it impossible to glorify God in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). Even Jesus Himself attended a wedding party. He gave children laughter, designed the deliciousness of chocolate, and gives us time to think during solitary walks. If we should glorify Him in all we do, and experience Him in all things good, then why should we not express these things through music (Colossians 1:16, Exodus 15:20, 2 Samuel 16:14, Psalm 100)?
And we must not mistake the beauty we recognize in music for anything but the beauty of God. When you listen to music, seek Him. It may not be the top song on the Christian charts, or one of the songs you sing in church, but you might just catch a glimpse of Him as you listen.
 
"The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust in them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing... If they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only a scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited." -- C.S. Lewis

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