It's That Time Again.

• Starburst jellybeans are awesome.

• I am totally digging the new Ashlee Simpson album "I Am Me".

• Crystal-Faith is amazingly cool.

• I like movies, a lot. I also like owning movies, a lot.

• Living in the 50's/60's would have been totally cool...

•...namely because I would have been able to see Frank sing all the songs I like.

• I have bursts of insane popularity on MySpace - and I don't understand it.

• I don't care if she does lip-synch...I dig Ashlee Simpson.

• I am so extremely happy I know Jesus Christ...no matter how stupid I act, and how often.

• Passion 2006 is less than a week away...I cannot wait.

• The Haste the Day show is like, two days away...I cannot wait.

• I am so going to miss Jimmy when he leaves Haste the Day.

• I like to shop - so it's probably better I am completely broke.

• People are probably going to be a little weirded out getting my Christmas cards in January.

• This is getting pretty old, pretty fast...so it ends here.

Behold, Christ.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:9-11)


Today marks a time when Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We take this time to thank God for his unparalleled gift to mankind – sending His Son to be an offering for our sins, and a path to knowing God. Our faith is that His glory came in love, for love – to free us from a life of sin that leads only to pain, suffering, and death – to restore us to a life lived by, for, and with our Father, God.

This is not just a day for friends, family, presents, and decorated trees – but a time marked off for the rest of our souls in the work of the Cross; a time where we can find peace in the comfort of our Savior; a day where our joy can be made full in the witness of God’s love, glory, and faithfulness.


“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:13-14)


If you put your faith in Christ – take this day to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and might and to love others as yourself.

If you have never heard about Christ, never put your faith in Him, or have your questions, doubts, or problems with this whole thing – find someone to talk to about the true Christ – a lover of souls, a healer, a redeemer.


“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)

The War.

One of the big issues I have had to face as a Christian is the remnant of sin in my life. And I understand that the word "sin" gets passed around so much in Christian culture as to lose all meaning - so what I talk about here are the things that I see and recognize in my own life that are of negative impact to my faith and spirituality, or things that I understand have no benefit to me.

There are two big things that contribute to the problem I have with this remaining (and sometimes frequent) sin: 1) Understanding the situation(s) I find myself in, and, 2) The resentment I have for my ability to continue to sin against God.


The Situation of Sin:

“I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.” (Psalm 38:18)
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3)
“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’?” (Proverbs 20:9)

We are sinners. There is no doubt about it. But what causes our sin, and why are we so easy a target?

“…And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

Here we see sin waiting for us – biding its time to ensnare us and take control of our lives. We are warned to rule over it, lest it own us. But sin is not just something that waits for us. It is also something that lives within us – our very nature in the flesh.

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17)

We are against God because we are enslaved to our flesh and its desires. However, this is not a condition that must remain.

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh…” (Romans 8:3)

God has taken sin, flesh, corrupt desires, and enmity against him completely out of the picture. Instead of the natural consequence of a life lived for sin, against God – namely death (physical and spiritual) – he offers another choice:

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)


The Continuance of Sin:

I believe in the sovereignty of God in the lives of all people. In the Christian life specifically, I believe that God plays a “real-time” role in our lives, using his limitless power to move and shape who we are, what we face, and who we become. Because of this belief, I have the understanding that nothing happens in our lives that is either out of God’s control, or was not ordained by him.

I also believe in the magnificence of God - that when His glory is truly seen and comprehended, nothing else can compare or offer anything more joyful, satisfying, permanent, or valuable.
So in regards to this I have to wonder how it’s possible for sin to persist in a person explicitly saved from and dead to sin by the work of God (through the cross) and how with a clear view of God’s glory (because of the cross) that anything would seem equal or more enticing.

So I look to Paul and his struggles for comparison and guidance.

“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15)

Paul recognized that he had struggles in his life. He also saw the times when he fell to those struggles and the consequences. But further in this chapter we are revealed to something:

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:18)

But this seems impossible. The first (and arguably greatest) missionary for the Gospel of Christ – a man who saw His glory firsthand – does not have the ability to resist and conquer sin? How are we ever supposed to accomplish such a task?

We are not.

“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

The only hope we have for glory. The only chance we have for sanctification. The only source of power for holiness is the Holy Spirit working inside of us. The power of Christ within us to be a spring of eternal life that fills us over. It is the power of the risen Christ that dwells within God’s chosen that present them as clean.

But this does not happen immediately.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

It is a promise of God. It will happen. But we must continue to fight the fight of faith and lay hold of the hope that comes from God. Only in Him will we find our strength to persevere – and only in Him will we find the reward that we persevere for.

God.

I think I’ve figured something big out. God works wonderfully for a pessimist like me.

I know I won’t be the person I am now forever – as small and slow as it may seem at times, there is something going on within me that is changing me into a completely new person. But, there are still parts of me that remain – parts that have no faith in humanity at all, parts that are bitter and resentful, parts that are sad and lonely and hurt.

And, oddly enough, I’m not really looking for pity or well-wishes when it comes to this. Partly because I know that it’s not always going to be like this. It might not fade away and be replaced in the foreseeable future – but it’s certainly not going to be with me forever.

The reason I look at myself “under a microscope” right now is because I realized tonight that God is not only amazingly courteous to work with a fool like me, but I am supremely blessed to be working with a gift like him.

For instance – I am a very emotional person. I tend to take things very personally – even if they were never meant as an attack. Because of this (and I want to highlight this now as being my weakness, not theirs) I have been hurt by every person I’ve ever known. Maybe not on some grand scale with every one of them – but all the people in my life, right now (and in the past) that I care(d) about has hurt me. Again, I’m not throwing my pity-party here…I’m just trying to set the stage for my conclusion.

I also tend to get very involved with people very quickly. I’ll meet someone as a friend and “latch” on to them – instantly storing them in the “friend bank” and painting them in as part of my life. The same goes for romantic interests. These things happen very fast, and when some of these people leave just as quick – boom – I’m left with a big gash in my side where I had made something permanent that was not meant to be.

But none of the above has been the case with God. At all.

I was “raised” in the church as a child – so I had some background of the whole religion thing. I never really stuck to anything – beliefs, faith, etc. I kind of always did my own thing – believing that there probably was a god but doing my absolute best to stay on his good side, and always on my knees when I needed something.

All of that changed a little over a year ago when I started reading Scripture again. Or, I would stay up real late and watch “Shepherd’s Chapel” – where they would read the Bible and give their own little interpretation for it. I can’t say for sure whether this was the beginning of what was to come, or merely a stepping stone from my past walk. All I know is that in October of 2004 I found myself inside Southland Christian – attending their Sunday evening service.

I haven’t left since.

I gave my life to Christ, specifically in baptism, a month later – November 4, 2004. And since then it has been an amazing, scary, frustrating, wonderful, adjective-filled journey. I’ve learned more about God in 12 months than I had for the previous 20 years.

But the one thing that really stuck out for me tonight was that this God I have come to know and love – he is permanent. And his affections towards me are unchanging. I did nothing to earn them, and for some magnificent reason I can’t do anything to lose them. I am his and he has become mine.

And that promise is bankrupt in anything else in this world. The money and possessions I have now – even if they last until I die – cannot be taken with me. The members of my family – their fate is the same as mine…I’m probably going to watch many of them pass away. My friends – same thing. God-willing I’ll find a wife and raise a family, but that is only a temporary blessing in a life that is but a vapor.

I have found only one thing in this life that I can hope on. There is only one thing in front of me right now that I am sure will be there when I am gone. Of everything I have ever strived for and anything I could ever want until the end of my time – only one thing is worth it because only one thing guarantees.

Jesus Christ.

And I’m not going to go on some spiel about my faith and how I’m right and everyone else who believes different is wrong. I’ve been thinking about the direction I want to move when I speak – and even though I decided I am convicted to speak to the truth in my heart – right now I’m just laying it out for myself.

Jesus is the only thing that matters. Take hold of that and never let it go. Fight for it because it’s worth it. You’d fight for other things. You have fought for other things. Trivial things that pass away, or lose interest in you, or you lose interest in them. This won’t fade. You’ll fade, but this won’t. Take hold.

Laugh it up if you think I’m wrong. I had those same thoughts before, until they turned to tears when I realized how fruitless anything else is. Sit down and think and don’t just go with what’s easy or what you’ve always known.

Think. Question. Fight. Whatever.

As I’ve said so many times before – there’s a lot at stake. And it’s only in your best interest to check it out. YOU are the one who gains.