There are so many things in this world I hold on to
So many things that I choose over choosing You
You chose me before I was even born
You walk with me through the dark and the morning
You sent your only son to give his life
So I might live to give you mine

You are my only
You are my true
You are my first
Oh How I love you

Sometimes I forget to wait for your perfect time
I depend on the ways of the world as the right thing
You always know which way is perfect for me
Your presence is with me, take my hand and lead
In times that I doubt, your love is a constant
Your love is a rock, I’m standing upon it

You are my only
You are my true
You are my first
Oh How I love you

And You’re the greatest love I’ve ever known
You give me your Spirit, I call you my own
I’m weak, your love is strong
When I’m in need, I’ll sing this song

You are my only
You are my true
You are my first
Oh How I love you

Love Me – JJ Heller
“He cries in the corner where nobody sees
He’s the kid with the story no one would believe
He prays every night, Dear God won’t you please
Could you send someone here who will love me?

Who will love me for me
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me
Cause nobody has shown me what love
What love really means

Her office is shrinking a little each day
She’s the woman whose husband has run away
She’ll go to the gym after working today
Maybe if she was thinner
Then he would’ve stayed
And she say

Who will love me for me?
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me?
Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means

He’s waiting to die as he sits all alone
He’s a man in a cell who regrets what he’s done
He utters a cry from the depths of his soul
Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home
Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside
And it said

I know you’ve murdered and I know you’ve lied
I have watched you suffer all of your life
And now that you’ll listen, I’ll tell you that I…

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew”

These words are so powerful. We pass by people every day that need to be loved. There are so many different reasons people need to feel loved, and there are so many reasons people don’t feel loved. The third verse of this song illustrates a part of God’s grace we cannot easily understand. A man waiting to die in prison. He asks for forgiveness, and God forgives him. And loves him. That is love.

The Bible tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It also tells us to love our enemies. That first command may have seemed simple. But our enemies? They don’t deserve our love, right? Wrong. We do not deserve the love of our Father in heaven, but He gives it freely and abundantly. Therefore, we have no right to decide who deserves our love. We have the right to obey God when He tells us to love our neighbors and our enemies. Everyone needs love. Everyone needs God’s perfect love. The Bible also tells us that we love because He first loved us. We have become stewards of God’s love. Everyone around us is longing to be loved in the real sense of the word. Not in an “I love Mexican food” way, but an “I loved you enough to send my Son to die on a cross for you” way. That’s love.

Everyone is searching, yet we turn our nose up to them because they are sitting on the side of the highway in old, dirty clothes, holding a cardboard sign that says something we don’t think is even true. We turn our nose up because they are someone we cannot see eye to eye with on anything and the last thing we want to do is love them and be friends with them. We turn our nose up because they make choices we don’t agree with, or because they live life in a way that we don’t think is right. We turn our nose up because they vote differently than we do, don’t dress the way we do, don’t make the same amount of money we do, don’t raise their kids how we think they should, don’t believe in the things we believe in. This is not love.

None of those things matter. We do not decide who is worthy of love. God has strong opinions on Love. Because God loved us, everyone deserves to be loved by us. This is a part of the Gospel we have turned away from. Love is how we can draw people in to see the grace that God has given us. Before we can be a witness, we first need to be love.

What does Love look like? (1Cor13)

Love is patient, Love is kind.
Love does not envy, Love does not boast, Love is not proud.
Love is not rude, Love is not self-seeking, Love is not easily angered, Love keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does nto delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Love always protects, Love always trusts, Love always hopes, Love always perseveres.
Love never fails.

What does Love look like? (1John3)

This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the Love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not Love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

What does Love look like? (1John4)

This is Love: Not that we Loved God, but that he Loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so Loved us, we also ought to love one another.

We need to be Love to everyone. Love will make the difference. Love should be the catalyst that will drive our walk of faith in Christ.

When are we going to take these commands to Love seriously?

“If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not Love, I am nothing.” (1Cor13)

Only A Man
-Jonny Lang

“I used to live my life in fear
Was worried all the time
From waking up to laying down
I had no peace of mind
The world became a darkened place
A struggle without end
Although bitter times those were
The days that I had began to understand
I was only a man

I grew up singing songs in church
With questions in my mind
Then turned my back and ran away
From God who gave me life
Then one night his presence fell
I wept and shook and then
I fell down and cried, Dear Jesus, rescue me again
I understand I am only a man

And He said, What will it be now?
Will you choose me or keep swimming up stream now?
I’ve been inside your head hearing you scream out.
Well here I am, just take my hand and I’ll take out
All of the pain and all of the fear
All of the fear

I’ll give you my burdens. I’ll give you peace.
All of my desires. I’ll give you what you need.
Oh, what about these chains, Lord? I’ll set you free.
But they’re so heavy. Lay them at my feet.
I’ll lay them at your feet.
Just promise you won’t leave. I’ll never leave.
So where do I go from here, Lord? Just follow me.
Just follow me.
I’ll follow you Just follow me wherever you lead
Wherever you lead, wherever you lead”

These are incredible lyrics. I think they will impact you even more if you listen to the song as you read them. So if you haven’t listened to the song yet, look it up on YouTube. Listen and read again.

I wish I could know the story behind this song; why he wrote it. To me, this feels like an every day battle to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Personally, I’ve realized it is an every day decision to choose to follow Jesus and not the things of this world. I have to choose to not live in fear, like verse one was talking about; to realize that I am not God, but only human. Without trusting our entire selves to Jesus, we cannot have peace of mind, and life does feel like a struggle. Jesus is the One who gives our lives purpose and direction. And then you have verse two. I can relate to this verse in that I will sing all of the songs at church, and then turn right back around to my sin in the days that follow. Jesus is constantly rescuing me from my sin. I need to realize that I cannot live life without walking side by side with my Savior.

The beauty of this song, for me, begins in the chorus. This is God speaking directly to us. He is giving us the choice. We are the ones who choose to life in chaos, fear, and doubt. God is holding his arms out to us, waiting for us to choose Him. He will take all of the fear away. Then the last section. I absolutely love this. If you’ve listened to it, Jonny Lang’s voice is representing himself, man, humanity, me. The second voice is representative of Christ. Jesus always has the answer. In exchange for our burdens, peace. Our desires, He gives us what we need. In exchange for our chains, if we lay them at His feet, we will receive freedom. Jesus will never leave us. And when we feel like we don’t know where to turn, or what to do next, Jesus simply says, “Follow me.”

God has really used this song to open my eyes to the simplicity of faith. The older I get the more I try to complicate things, when all that really matters is that Jesus will never leave me, and all I need to do is follow Him. Never once should I ask Him where He’s taking me, or why He’s taking me there. Jesus has done everything for me, and I should know that He loves me and desires the absolute best for me. The details shouldn’t matter. I know that Jesus is always bringing me closer to Himself so that I can have a deeper, more intimate, relationship with Him. Jesus is there to give me everything I need. He is just asking that I trust Him enough to follow Him wherever he takes me. I pray with all of my heart that I have enough faith every day to do just that.

Thank you, Jonny Lang, for reminding me of the simple, childlike faith I need to come back to.

In John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples. He speaks these words to the Father on their behalf. It isn’t a hard verse to understand or grasp, but it is a difficult verse to apply and live out. See, this is not one of those verses that you can try to obey every once in a while, on a good day. This is a done deal. Jesus did not tell his Father that he was planning on sending us if he had time. He told his Father that he had already sent us. Because God sent Jesus into this world, He has in turn sent us.

Alright, you say, I know I’ve been sent, but sent to do what? Ever wonder why we aren’t immediately taken up to heaven when we are saved? I believe it is because we are sent into the world to carry on the work of the Father; to further the Kingdom of God here and now. We have been sent to be obedient. To seek and to save the lost. To love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. To be salt and light. To be compassionate. To use our gifts to witness to a lost and dying world. To be the reflection of Jesus this world needs to see. There are many more things we are called to do. We have been sent to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, and change the lives of others in the process. My church has a phrase that goes under our “logo.” It says, “Changed Lives Changing Lives.” That is exactly it. Jesus has changed our lives so that we can be sent into this world to change the lives of others.

Just like the definition of the word ‘sent,’ Jesus has not only permitted us to be sent, but he has enabled us as well. He gives us things to help us along the way. First, we have the Living Word of God, the Bible. We can go to the Bible for anything. It is God’s love letter to us. We can freely read this beautiful book in America. Don’t take that freedom for granted. Also, God gives us people and mentors around us that can help us figure out our calling and help us along the way. God gives us a community of believers to be sent with. We don’t have to do this alone. We have the Holy Spirit, as well as good, Christian people around us in the Church. God also gives us gifts and talents. We have been equipped to walk the path God has for us, according to our talents and gifts. God gave me the ability to sing, and not to play volleyball. God obviously needs me to witness and be a light to my choir, and those I encounter while singing. Not necessarily the volleyball team. We can be a witness to whoever God brings to our lives, but we have been placed in specific groups and places for a reason. Use your gifts to glorify God. You’ll be amazed at the opportunities He will give you to share His love with those around you.

So don’t take our calling lightly. People are dying all around us without Christ. Death without Christ leads to hell. It’s literally a life and death situation. Who are we to deny someone the chance to know life? Humanity is searching for the truth. We have been sent. Let’s be the ones to show them the one and only truth: Jesus Christ.

My flag is white
I bow and worship who You are
Come, shine your light
I am Your beakon in the dark

All my life is Yours forever
You hold me close
Won’t let go, no, never

You’re always there
You’re everything to me
Through failure and uncertainty
It’s only You I need
Pick me up and set my feet upon the Rock
Place me on Your path, so I can walk
In Your grace.

You’ve called me out
I’ve found the hope with which I sing
Remove the doubt
Upon your strength, I’ve found my wings

All my life is Yours forever
You hold me close
Won’t let go, no, never

You’re always there
You’re everything to me
Through failure and uncertainty
It’s only You I need
Pick me up and set my feet upon the Rock
Place me on Your path, so I can walk
In Your grace.

What’s the difference then? The difference is motivation. It’s one thing to be good for the sake of being good. It’s another to be motivated by a love of Jesus Christ and a desire to walk like Him. There should be a purpose behind our actions, and that purpose should be an imitation of Christ. It’s easy, even as Christians, to become complacent and comfortable making good choices. Oftentimes, that seems like enough. But it isn’t. We need to refocus and remember the purpose of righteous living. We can give as many quarters to as many homeless people as we want, but until we make the choices we do because we want to be more like Jesus, our good deeds are the same as the next guy’s.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” -Eph. 5:1-2

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” -Eph. 5:8-11

“Be very careful, then, how you life – not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” -Eph. 5:15-17

It’s always about God. It has always been about God. When we start making it about ourselves, we start stepping away from God’s will and the life God wants us to live. It has never been about us. It’s about our relationship with Christ, and that can’t happen if we’re constantly saying, ‘me, me, me.’ Living a righteous life isn’t about having to be perfect. It’s about walking with Christ and maintaining a relationship with Him.

When we do something great, we shouldn’t want people to say, “Oh, look at what she did!” or “Wow, look at him!” We should want people to say, “Look at Christ!”

Saturate my life.
Pour your spirit over me.
Drench me with your presence and your truth.
Send me with a cup that overflows with joy from you.
Teach me how to pour your love on those in need.
Saturate me.

You are my God.
Majesty and glory to your name.
You are my God.
All of creation proclaims your fame.
You are my God.
I worship and adore You.
You are my God.
My one desire is to know You,
To know and follow hard after You.

Captivate my life.
Wrap your arms around me.
Show me how to know You and be still.
Draw me to yourself and to your will.
Guard my heart and give me your unfailing peace.
Captivate me.

You are my God.
Majesty and glory to your name.
You are my God.
All of creation proclaims your fame.
You are my God.
I worship and adore You.
You are my God.
My one desire is to know You,
To know and follow hard after You.

Saturate.
Captivate.
Make me more like You.
Shape me for your use.
Mold me in your hands.
Fit me into your plan.
Captivate.
Saturate.

You are my God.
Majesty and glory to your name.
You are my God.
All of creation proclaims your fame.
You are my God.
I worship and adore You.
You are my God.
My one desire is to know You,
To know and follow hard after You.

Here’s what it says in Luke 3:2-9 -
“The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ”A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’” John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Matthew 3 records that the “crowds” that John calls “brood of vipers” is a group of Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders of the time.

Here are some definitions to think about:
Repentance – noun – deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.
Sorrow – noun – distress cause by loss, affliction, disappointment, etc.
Compunction – noun – a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain.
Contrition – noun – sincere remorse, and from a theological standpoint, sorrow for and detestation of sin with a true purpose of amendment.

So repentance is a noun that essentially means deep distress, uneasiness, anxiety of the conscience, sincere remorse, and detestation for past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.

Okay so what does the verb to repent mean?
Repent – verb – to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one’s life for the better. 

Alright, did you get that? To repent is to recognize that these feelings of sorrow and detestation are caused by sin, and to do something about it. Specifically to change one’s life for the better. These definitions aren’t “Christian” definitions. They’re straight from the dictionary. How much more should they mean to us, as Christians? Just think about those for a minute.

Where does John the Baptist and the Pharisees come into the picture? It will all come together, just bear with me.
Quick example: If you are a part of an organization, a sorority or fraternity, for example, once you are initiated you can wear the Greek letters. Most organizations have t-shirts, but there is something special about letter shirts. When I see someone walking around campus with their letter shirt on there is absolutely no question as to which organization they belong to. Wouldn’t it only make sense that if someone was wearing a letter shirt, they also went to the meetings, hung out with the rest of the members, attended events for the organization, etc. Basically wouldn’t you assume that they actually participated in the things their organization participates in? It would be pointless to wear a shirt for an organization you aren’t even involved in.

It is the same thing with baptism. Without repentance, baptism doesn’t make much sense. This was John the Baptist’s message. It wasn’t enough for the Pharisees to claim that they were descendants of Abraham. If they hadn’t repented of their sins, it didn’t matter. Likewise, it isn’t enough for us to go to church once a week, or go to a Bible study, or even be baptized if the repentance is not there. Baptism is an outward sign of the change that has gone on within us after repentance. Remember? Deep sorrow that causes a change for the better? Baptism is a symbol, a proclamation of that change.

How often is repentance preached in churches today? Sometimes the part about a radical life change is overlooked. We don’t say, “Hey, let’s live life exactly the same as before, except we’ll call ourselves Christians.” Although we may not say that out loud, how many of our lives are evidence of that very statement? Truly. Let’s be real here. How often do our lives proclaim that statement, instead of the saving grace and freedom of Jesus Christ? I firmly believe that once you are saved, you are always saved. But as Christians, we have been given a responsibility. No, a gift. We have been given the opportunity to repent and live like Christ and to be imitators of Christ. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could have grace in the midst of our sin, but that we can now be completely removed from sin. We don’t have to live in sin any longer! When we repent, it means something. Jesus’ sacrifice has given worth to our repentance. When do we realize that life in Christ is freedom, and life in sin is bondage? When do we realize that life change is more than a statement of faith? More than a Sunday morning thing? More than a thing we do in public? When do we realize that the secrets we hold on to tightest, the temptations no one knows about, the failure we can’t seem to rise above, are the parts of life Jesus desires to change within us?

If you haven’t been saved, I encourage you to find this place of repentance and ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you from sin and death. The grace and peace and love that Jesus holds are far greater than any pleasure this world has to offer.

If you are saved, ask yourself, really ask yourself these questions:
How, specifically, has your life changed?
What are you tempted by?
What temptations do you give in to?
Have you repented of the sins you’ve committed? Have you repented of the sins you’ve given in to?
How has your life changed?
If you’ve been baptized, Baptism symbolizes (1) repentance, (2) dying to yourself, (3) living a new, changed, different life in Christ.
How has your life changed?
Has your life changed?

John the Baptist told the Pharisees to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” He told them what the evidence of true repentance is. The pure heart produces good fruit. If each person that claimed to be a follower of Christ, truly repented and experienced a radical, life change, don’t you think the world would notice? I bet your school would notice. Your co-workers. Your family. Your friends. Strangers. If you want to change the world for Christ, start with a changed life.

Example: What we decide to do with our free time becomes about what gives us the most pleasure, and not what gives God the most glory.

2 Peter 3:10-14 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”

Here’s a thought: If you can’t stand making good choices and living in a way that glorifies God now, how do you think you’ll manage to live that way for the rest of eternity in heaven? In this passage, heaven is described as being the “home of righteousness.” Have you thought of it that way before? What do you think we’re going to be doing for eternity? Eating? Drinking? We’re going to be worshiping our Heavenly Father and giving glory to His name. There won’t be anything else to distract us. We will be completely in awe in the presence of God forever. Now, if that’s not good enough for us here on earth, I don’t know how it will be in eternity. So how do we change this mindset of ours? We do exactly what 2 Peter says.

1. Live holy and godly lives and 2. make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. Simple right? Not so much. It requires a daily commitment to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Christ. (Mark 8:34) It requires us to forget about our own desires and focus on how we can bring glory to God. Ultimately, our joy and fulfillment is found in the fact that our lives glorify God. Denying yourself is difficult and it is a daily, if not hourly task. In each decision we make, we have to realize that it will affect our witness. As Christians, we are reflections of Christ. What we do shows the world a reflection of Christ in our lives. The thing is, it’s not just the good choices that reflect Christ in us. It’s all of our actions. Are we giving the world the right reflection of Jesus? Or are we claiming the name of Christ on our lifestyles that are not pleasing to God? Because much of the world doesn’t know the difference and it is our responsibility to show them the truth.

Unless we spend time in the Word and spend time in prayer, we will not know how to live this way. That’s just the way it is.

We are called to be the light of the world. A light can’t shine to the best of its ability if it is fogged up by splashes of dirt and mud. If a light is covered by dirt, the light can’t shine through to show the Way. In the same way, unless we are “spotless, blameless and at peace with Him,” we cannot fully shine the light of Christ into the world. It’s something to strive for.

Stop with the excuses!!!!!!

WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT US.

God is not interested in our worship if it is filled with excuses and conditions. God does not want half-hearted, reluctant worship from His children. God isn’t interested in our meaningless words of adoration in the midst of complaint after complaint.

I had the privilege of worshiping with a Hispanic congregation today because Focus sang at a church called Iglesias Fe y Poder. Other than what Focus sang, none of the songs were in English. Luckily they had the words on the screen, so I could sing along, but honestly, I only knew what a few of the words meant. All I knew was that whatever I was singing, was praising the name of my Father and that God could understand it perfectly. The last song we sang together was Shout to the Lord…in Spanish. I began singing the song in Spanish. Since I already knew the melody to this song it was easier for me to figure out the words. This was one of the most beautiful moments of worship I’ve ever experienced. Everyone was worshiping God and it didn’t matter who was watching. During Focus’ set of songs, we sang Revelation song. We alternated verses in Spanish and English and at the end of the song we sang the chorus about 8 times, two of the members sang it in Spanish and at the same time the rest of us sang it in English. As I looked out at the congregation, every single person was singing and I could just see the Holy Spirit working in the lives of those in the congregation as well as us up on stage. Hearing everyone’s voices, whether they were singing in Spanish, English, loud, soft, on pitch or completely tonedeaf, all worshipping the same Lord and Savior, was incredible. I wonder how many of us would have felt too “uncomfortable” to worship to our full potential.

God is interested in our true, pure, genuine, humble worship. God is interested in His people coming together to praise His name, and give thanks for who He is and how He has blessed us despite our differences in opinion, ethnicity, or personality. As the Church, the Body of Christ, though we may disagree on technicalities like volume of music, or genre of song, we should all agree on one thing: Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of our lives, and He is more than deserving of our worship and praise.

We can never repay Christ for what He did for us by dying on the cross. We should show our utmost gratitude in everything that we do, including our worship. Jesus gave His life for you. Are you not willing to lay aside your personal agenda and worship Him with a pure heart?