Clay Vessels

Ransomed
By death

From death
Liberty

Clay vessels
Remade

unadorned 
Without merit

anyone?

any one actually read this?

God's supremacy

I was reading the first chapter of Hebrews and how Jesus is greater than the angels. While reading my mind began to circle around this supremacy. One of the points in Hebrews is that Jesus is greater than all else. He was the ultimate sacrifice and priest. This is a huge blessing for believers, we receive the best salvation, truly the only possible salvation from Jesus, praise God.

What of God's supremacy? We adhere that he is the big three; omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent; but then we forge on and completely forget when we assume that we as humanity is his one and only concern. Sure we mumble about he is ruler of all things, how he is great, when it comes down to how we interact with him though it seems we assume that humanities problems is all he concerns himself with. We then question why he didn't do this or that, why he allowed certain sufferings to happen, and on the list goes. We must stop to consider who God is again. He created the earth and all that is in it, but he also created the universe, the angels, and He even created Satan. We need to remember that while God is big enough to handle every dilemma at once he may not have what we consider our best interest at the top of his list. Take Job for example. God used him to teach Satan a lesson. What Job went through while possibly refining was not about Job. It was God showing Satan that he created a man who would stay faithful to him no matter the circumstance.

Our job is not to question God's motivations. We must certainly not then use what we understand to be wrong as an excuse to disobey, or even use as proof God is not good or does not exist. Our role in this relationship is to trust that God is bigger than we, in thought, deed, and understanding. To trust that he will lead us into paradise and relationship with him everlasting. We must also realize that He has more than us to think about. We are but one part of a limitless stage. An important part I believe, but not the most important, or only part.

We must not put God in the box of our own importance not as individuals, but as humanity. God has more creatures to deal with than just us.

Idolatry in the United States of America

Christianity in the U.S.A. claim that our idolatry is capitalism, consumerism, carnal, etc. etc. Right now airing on major television markets there is an NFL campaign with the slogan "Don't anger the football god's." It seems harmless on first thought, just a funny saying invoking the random chance of one team's victory over another through unforeseen circumstance. The add is more than that. It opens up our minds to the idea that we must appease a deity in order to get the result we desire. It is a blatant portrayal of idolatry. We move past the passive idolatry of possession to the conscious decision to worship something other than the true God. We choose the conscious opening of our spirit to domination by malevolent beings.

While I do not think we are to the point of animism or polytheism or that our culture will ever get there, but I see a huge red flag. Even the fact that a commercial for the "football god's" would run on national television without the general christian populace even being disturbed by it (myself included until just today) is terrifying. Our eyes have been blinded to Satan and his minions. the other god's that are worshiped all over our world are used as jokes in the U.S.A. I don't blame the general populace. They don't understand the danger. Christians on the other hand should cry out, not necessarily to the nation, but among ourselves should it not be a sign to pray? Instead we don't even see it for what it could become. It is a joke, a laugh, a clever play on history that we are amused with.

The worship of false god's is not something to laugh at. research witch doctors, cults, even Hinduism and Islam. They have one thing in common fear. Fear of punishment, fear of death, fear of not performing good enough, and in the most extreme cases fear of unspeakable pain and suffering. They are not pleasant if you can not measure to the standards set. They generate evil acts.

I know that Christianity has also generated many evil acts. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and so many more, but it seems that these were acts motivated by greed and lust of those in charge who misused their power for their own gain. Scripture, especially the new testament, does not hold to the ideals of forced conversion or torturing others to force conversion.

I am not trying to defend the gospel here in this post. I was just shocked at what is now acceptable in mainstream television programming. The "football god's" disquieted my spirit.

discontent

Is it ok to be discontent? I know that the bible says to be content in any situation. I feel discontentment with how much I am involved with speaking to large groups. I feel discontentment with how much I want to be part of something. I feel discontentment with where I am at in life. I feel discontentment.

I always blamed God that he never put me in the right circumstances. I always blamed God. I never tried to make steps. I never tried anything at all. I just tried to survive. I want more than just survival out of life. I want more than just a life. I want to be alive.

All of these things I am discontent with are in front of me. telling me that I am a failure. That I am not where I want to be. Telling me that I need something else in life than you. You are not enough. What you have given me is not enough. I need more. Always more.

Its strange that my desire for more comes at the place of ministry. I want more of that. I want more joy and excitement.

God my heart is bursting to see your glory manifest in this world. I am dying to see it made real. I am dying to see the glory of the Lord. I am dying to see you in truth.

Burn away our misconceptions. Burn away our expectations. Burn away all that we are. Make us a burning bush. On fire but not consumed.

It drives me away. Away from what you have called me to. Away from what you want me to be. Towards and idea but not reality.

Burn away all that is me.
Burn away all that is lie.
turn me around instead
until i face the direction you have for me.

Take all that is of not of you
break me out of the habits I am in
These idols I hold
provision
protection
all of it is counted lost for you

I remember the times I have had with LAS How alive I felt.
I also remember how much it broke me
What do I do?
How do I live?

Two sides and fear
What do I do?

Truth

Jesus
Messiah
Covenant
Kingdom
Body
Spirit
Father
Son
Existence
Sin
Eden
Promise
Fulfillment
Eternity
Love

original

I don't really know how to write down my thoughts on this

I watched a movie tonight with Amy called Lucy. It was not very good, but it made for an interesting social sign post. Its like the tower of babel all over again. We strive to reach the heavens, perfection, or control. Its the original sin of Adam and Eve over and over again. We want to be like God. Understand the universe. Be able to manifest our own destiny. To that end we create characters who achieve this and then show the way for the rest of mankind. Whether it be super heros or other types of people we are always looking for the great savior. The movement now seems to be that we as a people will become our own saviors. We can't accept outside help. We want to be like God, create ourselves in our own image. We desire to achieve understanding of the universe.

Commission

What does it mean to live to love you?
Why does Jesus matter?
is it only feeling or more.

Romans 5:1-5
5: 1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
5: 2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.
5: 3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
5: 4 and endurance, character, and character, hope.
5: 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(net bible)

There is a definite progression to this passage
1. First is the declaration of righteousness ((whether it is by faith that we are made righteousness or we have faith that we are made righteous) it seems that we are made righteous by the faith that we have in Christs sacrafice).
2.  We obtain peace with God (it is important to note that our peace only comes through Jesus).
3. We have obtained access through faith into grace (it is important to note that the have only obtained this access even with faith only through Jesus christ).
4. Gods glory is our hope and we can rejoice in it because it is not a blind hope but a trustworthy one.
5. We also rejoice in suffering (not for the sake of suffering itself but because it builds in us Godly qualities) because it builds endurance, which builds character, and that builds hope.
6. The hope we are allowed is not false because it has fruit.
7. The fruit is the love of God poured out in our hearts ( is the love of God poured out in our hearts or is it poured out through our hearts? Obviously both but which is Paul saying in this passage?)
8 the vessel of God's love is the Holy Spirit. It is the means by which we receive his love. It is the carrier that delivers that love.
9. The whole thought or flow of this passage ends with a reminder of sorts. We have seen the progression of the effects of our salvation. The ending thought is once again a reminder that it was a gift. A reminder that what we have has been given to us.

Often I wonder why it is important to share ones faith. We have the command to go make disciples, and that probably should be enough for me. I want to know why I should strive to make disciples. This passage helps me understand the commission better. The end result basks us in the love of God. The progression of how we get there is important, and seems to be the process of making a disciple, but  the end result is what every heart longs for. Love, something worth sharing, especially when it comes from the creator and ruler of all things.

despise

You despised the shame
Took all the blame
For the joy set before

You endured the Tree
Set so many Free
Sit at the right hand of the throne

You are the Author
The perfecter
Faith is lost without

Urge us onward
To Run this race
Enduring as you endured

Surrounded we are
By so many saints
Set encumbrance a side

You despised the shame
For the joy that was set before
You endured the tree
Sit now at the right hand
You authored and perfected

You did it all
No one else would do
You took it all
Something no one else could do