Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
God's faithful ways are eternal.
Hallelujah!
Ps 117.1-2 [MSG]
His love has taken over our lives.
If only I could surrender my life easier, would His love take it over more. And with that I can dance.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Hello, My Name is Asher and I'm a....
Hello, My name is Asher, and I am a... Well I'm not an alcoholic. I've never done drugs. But I am a prisoner to my addictions.
I got to thinking about this the other day reading this passage in John
Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."
John 8.31-32[MSG]
Usually, we stop here on, the truth will free you.
You know, the truth.
Unfortunatly, my life, many times looks like the scene that unfolds afterwards:
Surprised, they said, "But we're descendants of Abraham. We've never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, 'The truth will free you'?"
34-38Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham's descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn't yet penetrated your thick skulls. I'm talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father."
39-41They were indignant. "Our father is Abraham!"
Jesus said, "If you were Abraham's children, you would have been doing the things Abraham did. And yet here you are trying to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth he got straight from God! Abraham never did that sort of thing. You persist in repeating the works of your father."
They said, "We're not bastards. We have a legitimate father: the one and only God."
42-47"If God were your father," said Jesus, "you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn't come on my own. He sent me. Why can't you understand one word I say? Here's why: You can't handle it. You're from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn't stand the truth because there wasn't a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Anyone on God's side listens to God's words. This is why you're not listening—because you're not on God's side."
John 8.33-47 [MSG]
Many times I continue to find myself in these places where, sure I'm not committing one of the "really bad sins", Derek Webb said it best that we are "trading sins for others that are easier to hide I am wrong and of these things I repent" (DW)
It's easier for me to hide a self-righteous pride, or selfish generosities. I do confess these things. And I confess them with gratitude. The more I wrestle with theses things the more I realize my dependency on God, and the more I realise that the virtues of love, compassion, and selflessness are virtues that I can not obtain on my own. Rich Mullins once wrote:
Virtues are funny things. They are fruit of faith and, whenever paraded, become parodies of themselves and the worst kind of vanity imaginable. When they are not the fruit of faith they become its greatest obstacle. Virtues are most vital when invisible and most sharply imaged when they are not the focus of our attentions. They are evidence of their source (and ours) and not the generators of it (or us).
I confess these addictions These addictions to self.
I have traded sins for sins that are easier to hide. I have paraded virtues for display of selfcenteredness.
I am wrong. And of these things I repent.
I got to thinking about this the other day reading this passage in John
Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."
John 8.31-32[MSG]
Usually, we stop here on, the truth will free you.
You know, the truth.
Unfortunatly, my life, many times looks like the scene that unfolds afterwards:
Surprised, they said, "But we're descendants of Abraham. We've never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, 'The truth will free you'?"
34-38Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham's descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn't yet penetrated your thick skulls. I'm talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father."
39-41They were indignant. "Our father is Abraham!"
Jesus said, "If you were Abraham's children, you would have been doing the things Abraham did. And yet here you are trying to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth he got straight from God! Abraham never did that sort of thing. You persist in repeating the works of your father."
They said, "We're not bastards. We have a legitimate father: the one and only God."
42-47"If God were your father," said Jesus, "you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn't come on my own. He sent me. Why can't you understand one word I say? Here's why: You can't handle it. You're from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn't stand the truth because there wasn't a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Anyone on God's side listens to God's words. This is why you're not listening—because you're not on God's side."
John 8.33-47 [MSG]
Many times I continue to find myself in these places where, sure I'm not committing one of the "really bad sins", Derek Webb said it best that we are "trading sins for others that are easier to hide I am wrong and of these things I repent" (DW)
It's easier for me to hide a self-righteous pride, or selfish generosities. I do confess these things. And I confess them with gratitude. The more I wrestle with theses things the more I realize my dependency on God, and the more I realise that the virtues of love, compassion, and selflessness are virtues that I can not obtain on my own. Rich Mullins once wrote:
Virtues are funny things. They are fruit of faith and, whenever paraded, become parodies of themselves and the worst kind of vanity imaginable. When they are not the fruit of faith they become its greatest obstacle. Virtues are most vital when invisible and most sharply imaged when they are not the focus of our attentions. They are evidence of their source (and ours) and not the generators of it (or us).
I confess these addictions These addictions to self.
I have traded sins for sins that are easier to hide. I have paraded virtues for display of selfcenteredness.
I am wrong. And of these things I repent.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Confession: Stop reading your Bible.
"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.
John 5.39-40, The MSG
A scripture like this really has, I think, a bit of humor to it when it's read from a daily Bible reading program that's main emphasis is reading the Bible on a daily basis because the Bible is very important.
Taken out of context it stands alone as this very vague passage of scripture, interestingly enough truth rings very heavy in this passage for me. To be honest I struggle with this side of the gospel. I love the side of the gospel that encourages generosity, champions social justice, requires peace and tolerance. You know the side of the gospel that you can talk about easily in a group of people because it's comfortable to. When you talk about your church building water wells or sponsoring sports teams, people inside, outside or on the fringes of Christianity say, "That's cool man," or "sounds like an awesome thing." I can handle that side of the gospel, but the side I struggle with is the side that says Jesus has the life that you really really want.
I struggle with this because its easy to read a OYB, or to participate in set up teams or service and bask in my own little pride. I sing of course Jesus loves me, this I know, because my Bible I read more than you tells me so.
You know the spiritual disciplines are important, reading the word is very important. But this relationship with Jesus, a visceral relationship with Jesus is the only way to get the life we really want.
John 5.39-40, The MSG
A scripture like this really has, I think, a bit of humor to it when it's read from a daily Bible reading program that's main emphasis is reading the Bible on a daily basis because the Bible is very important.
Taken out of context it stands alone as this very vague passage of scripture, interestingly enough truth rings very heavy in this passage for me. To be honest I struggle with this side of the gospel. I love the side of the gospel that encourages generosity, champions social justice, requires peace and tolerance. You know the side of the gospel that you can talk about easily in a group of people because it's comfortable to. When you talk about your church building water wells or sponsoring sports teams, people inside, outside or on the fringes of Christianity say, "That's cool man," or "sounds like an awesome thing." I can handle that side of the gospel, but the side I struggle with is the side that says Jesus has the life that you really really want.
I struggle with this because its easy to read a OYB, or to participate in set up teams or service and bask in my own little pride. I sing of course Jesus loves me, this I know, because my Bible I read more than you tells me so.
You know the spiritual disciplines are important, reading the word is very important. But this relationship with Jesus, a visceral relationship with Jesus is the only way to get the life we really want.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
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