Jesus: The rock

Where someone builds a house affects the way they build it right?

WELL ...

I've been reading through the gospel of Matthew and the analogy I've heard a thousand times came up. The Wise Man who build his house on the Rock, and the foolish man who builds his on the sand. The way that Jesus then talks about the wise mans foundations being on the rock. Being fully built on the rock.

This means for me; I need to live like I am built ON the rock of Jesus. I can't build my life around the rock, my foundations will crumble and fall. This should shape and change me, as I said at the start, where someone builds a house affects the way they build it right? Its true with my life as well, if my life is built on solid, beautiful and wonderful foundations this should shape the way I live.

I should be living with eternity in mind all the time, I should be living with my morals in check, for I live ON the rock. Not just a few things need to change, the entire way I build my house needs to have SOLID foundations.

I also enjoy the picture of Jesus as a rock. Unchanging. Stable. Trustworthy.


P.S. I'm really sorry, I feel like I've rambled, and the articulation of my non-formed thoughts isn't great either. Hope you still take something from this.

'Floodgates'

Yes, this is a song that I wrote. But no, this is not a time when I want to hear praise for me.

All glory to God, the creator and designer;

My sin got nailed to the tree,

But I'm still king of apathy,

His love runs deeper then the ocean,

But I still turn my back,

Regularly.

But the floodgates are open wide,

His arms reaching down to us,

But we swat it away,

And watch our lives decay,

The floodgates are open wide,

His love's pouring out on us.

So I will love you back,

And I will lift my voice on high,

And I will praise you forever,

And I will shout your name from,

The rooftops.

But the floodgates are open wide,

His arms reaching down to us,

But we swat it away,

And watch our lives decay,

The floodgates are open wide,

His loves pouring down to us.

Lord, its nothing I've done,

That will gain me salvation,

Its by your grace and your love,

That you accepted me,

Into your kingdom.

So I will love you back,

And I will lift my voice on high,

And I will praise you forever,

And I will shout your name from,

The rooftops.

But the floodgates are open wide,

His arms reaching down to us,

But we swat it away,

And leave our bodies to decay,

The floodgates are open,

His loves pouring down to us.

 Out of your love you made us,

And out of your love you saved us,

And while we deserved your wrath,

You poured it on your Son instead.

So I will love you back,

And I will lift my voice on high,

And I will praise you forever,

And I will shout your name from,

The rooftops.

So the floodgates are open wide,

His arms reaching down to us,

But we swat it away,

And leave our bodies to decay,

The floodgates are open,

His loves pouring down to us.

Yet too many times,

I find myself,

Wandering off,

Ignoring the love,

He poured down on us.

But I will love you back,

And I will lift my voice on high,

And I will praise you forever,

And I will shout your name from,

The rooftops.

So the floodgates are open,

His arms reaching down to us,

But we swat it away,

And leave our bodies to decay,

The floodgates are open,

His love pouring down to us.

'If only ...'

I often think in 'if only's.' The biggest one: If only I had a better singing voice I would be content..

If only. If only.

I need to radically change this in my life. And I think I know the problem. I don't trust God's great plan enough. Nowhere near enough. If I trusted God's plan it would be 'only if.' Like the 'Lord's Prayer' says, not my will but yours. Do you know how radical that is? To cast everything onto God's will and know that his will is perfect, and so I need to trust it? Its crazy.

I think I need to change If only's. to Only if's. Only if  it's God's will will I get a better voice. Only if it's God's plan.

I need to FULLY rely on God's plan for my life. I need to learn to be content with what I've got. With what God has so graciously given me. And if the only thing I feel I can cling onto to be content with is my faith, then thats totally fine. Because that's God's greatest gift; the fact that he would choose out a sinner to be his servant. And I'm not just his servant. I'm his son.

Gone from being a sinner, to a servant, to a son who he rejoices over. I should be content with that.

'Father forgive them'

I find it so hard to forgive someone when they've done some against me, whether its a small thing, or a massive thing. I've been angry at someone for being friends with my brother. I didn't forgive them in my heart for a while, because they're my friend right? Such a small thing, and I was so angry over it.

But, there on the cross, after being persecuted by the religious leaders for ages, after being whipped and brutally tortured, after so much agony, do you wanna know what Jesus says?

It's not what I would say, I would be screaming at them, telling them they're fools for killing the innocent man, the Lord of all creation. But no, 'Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for the do not know what they are doing." -Luke 23:24' How hard would that have been to say? After all that agony and persecution, father, FORGIVE them? FORGIVE them. I think this verse is overlooked too much, because its incredible.

'Forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors.' Matthew 6:12

Jesus forgave his murderers, shouldn't I forgive all of my debtors? Not just the petty things? I need this to radically change me.

Faith like leather

This post is specifically aimed at people who claim to be Christian:

Faith (specifically Christian faith) is actually a lot like leather in my thoughts, I mean, leather doesn't have the same gift of salvation BUT ... there are two types of leather. There's the genuine stuff, the kind you buy in Italy, and it just lasts forever (I use this particular reference because my parents just bought me a leather bag from Italy.) But then there's the imitation leather, the kind that looks really good, looks really similar to the genuine stuff but fades & gets tatty after a while.

Just like this, there are the Christians that pray all the right prayers, sing their lungs out at church, encourage everyone with the right words, read their bible everyday and every night. But their motives are selfish, and highly attention seeking. They sing their lungs out, so everyone can hear, they encourage so everyone can see how great they are. How do I know these are their motives? Because that was me. And sometimes I still do these things to show off.

And then there are the Christians who genuinely pray to build up their relationship with God, who sing their lungs out to woship God and to encourage those around them, and who use their words of encouragement to GENUINELY encourage those around them.

The difference? Understanding. A 'Christian' can have all the knowledge in the world about their faith. They can use that knowledge to encourage. But the difference comes when they understand. They can know that Jesus died for them. And then they can understand that the ruler and designer of this entire world loved them so much he would die one of the most agonizing deaths imaginable reserved for the lowest of criminals. They can even know that without coming fully to grips with it. They can know that 'In the beginning God created the heavens and earth' and then they can understand that God has created and perfectly designed every beautiful thing they have ever laid their beautiful eyes on. And he perfectly created the wonderful things that we cannot see. Like our brains.

So is your faith genuine or imitation?

Weak

It kind of excites me that God uses the weak all the time.

Who does God choose to reveal glorious, and awesome streams of angels? Shepherds. Shepherds who'd been out working all day, probably covered in dirt and sweat. They weren't exactly highest respected by society of the day. Yet they heard choirs of angels sing for them.

Moses, he was afraid, he tries to worm his way out of saving his own people.

Gideon; his tribe was the weakest in 'Mannaseh' and his family was the least of them. But God gathers an army around him, which God whittles down to 300, and then he defeats the Midianites with some jars and trumpets.

I am weak. I am sinful. I am fickle. Father, use me to build up your people.




Extra Thought:
2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

I am a jar of clay. My faith is the treasure.

Made To Be Broken

This is a song I wrote based on a testimony (the story of how he became a Christian) from a guy whose name I can't remember but whose testimony has stuck with me:

Its cold outside,

Your window,

I look in,

Fairy lights gleaming,

Off pine trees.

I envy all I see,

Inside,

At least you've got,

Someone to fight with.

But I was made to be broken,

I was make to be left outside.

Its cold in here,

The hospital once again,

Too many cold nights,

And I need something. (more)

'Cause I was made to be broken,

I was made to be left outside.

I live on your streets,

You pass me by,

And stare at me,

While I scream,

For your spare change.

Cause I am made to be broken,

I was made to be shoved outside.

And I've got my tattoos,

Of memories and cults,

Imprinted on my wrist,

Are the scars of rejection.

Coz I am made to be broken,

I am made to be left outside,

I am left with this unread bible,

In my hands.

All  I need is some explanation,

And you provide,

Unseen hands pull me towards,

The altar,

Explanation fills my heart.

But I am made to mended,

I am made to be pulled inside,

I am holding my precious bible,

In my hands.

Lust

Lust is like sleep; there's that moment when my eyelids begin to get heavy and force my eyes to close. Suddenly I'm asleep, in a deep, deep sleep.

It's a constant struggle to 'stay awake,' its not like fashion is doing ANYTHING to help, dresses and jeans are becoming shorter, necklines are becoming progressively lower and more revealing. There are many shirts that are almost see through. Its a battle. To any Christian (or otherwise) women reading this I want to challenge, know its not easy for guys. Put in a little bit of effort. Be a little bit counter cultural.

I recently read a few chapters of 'Every Young Man's Battle' and there are plenty of stories of people that have started off with men just staring at women, then moved onto staring at women on the internet, then started masturbating over them, and then moved on to real women in the bedroom.

Its a battle to control my eyes. A struggle. But notice how its a struggle. Thats the only difference between me and the young men in the story above. I struggle and I fight against it (know that its not by own strength, but by God's.)

I refuse to numbly succumb to the desires of my flesh. To my brothers and sisters in Christ, pray for me.

New Years Resolution

Everyone seems to be coming up with New Years Resolution like; I want to lose weight, I want to quit smoking, I want to go skydiving blah blah. I want my New Years Resolution to have SUBSTANCE. Here they come:

1) My humor seems to be based on cutting down my friends. I want to be the opposite. I want to be the ridiculously positive guy that you walk away from feeling encouraged (not flattered; encouraged)
'Therefore encourage one another and build each other up ...' 1 Thessalonians 5:11

2) This morning I spent 3 hours with God. Just praying, reading my bible, writing songs and, reading a good Christian book. This may sound 'typically religious,' but it was INCREDIBLE. I want to put aside more time for God, because I walked away this morning feeling refreshed. Not just physically.

3) As I was reading the book this morning it encouraged me even more to abstain, even marriage cannot eternally satisfy. I often view reaching adulthood as an instant release from the hormones. But its not, most men struggle with it for the rest of their lives. Especially when they struggled at my age. 15. So I want this to be a year, when I learn to control my hormones, control my eyes, even control my tongue and my heart. Obviously I cannot completely put out the fire of sin in me, but I can put myself into good habits to 'train myself for righteousness.'

4) I want God to be the first one I consult in tough times and easy times. I want him to be the reason I do every action.

5) I want everything to be genuine. I want everything from my 'how are you's' to my prayer to my sharing in youth group to genuine. And to be see through, so no double motives. None of this 'look at me, look how wise I sound'.

Thats it for now. I'm praying that these will come to fruition, or at least I will strive for them and not become complacent.