I Grieve…

I grieve for you
I grieve for me
I grieve for the church
I grieve for mankind
I grieve for this planet
I grieve for nature
I grieve for those who think they have eternal life
I grieve for those who believe they have it all figured out
I grieve for those who believe yet live as if they do not
I grieve for those few who suffer daily for the sins of many
I grieve for all, everything, nothing

I grieve because of war
I grieve because of hate
I grieve because of pride
I grieve because of greed
I grieve because of falsehoods
I grieve because of jealousy
I grieve because of strife
I grieve because of envy
I grieve because of depravity
I grieve because of sin
I grieve because of my sin

I grieve knowing that man is utterly lost with God
I grieve knowing that man will never admit he is wrong
I grieve knowing that the one thing man needs, he doesn't want
I grieve knowing there is a lost world waiting for me to tell them about Christ
I grieve knowing that sometime I care more about my selfish desires than the needs of others
I grieve knowing that I can't save the world
I grieve knowing the one who can but is rejected by the world
I grieve knowing there is a better way, a higher way

I grieve wanting to see the world be a better place
I grieve wanting Christians to care about their fellow man
I grieve wanting to be the change I expect in others
I grieve wanting bigotry & hatred to die
I grieve wanting to be better than I am
I grieve wanting the church to stop denying its purpose
I grieve wanting America to wake up
I grieve wanting the murder of unborn life to end
I grieve wanting to fix the damage we have caused this planet
I grieve wanting Christians to be salt & light
I grieve wanting to make a difference

I grieve for mankind
I grieve because of sin
I grieve knowing the one who can truly change this world
I grieve wanting to be change I want in the world
I grieve…

In the Light

"The disease of self runs through my blood, it's a cancer fatal to my soul. Every attempt on my behalf has failed, to bring this sickness under control.
What's going on inside of me? I despise my own behavior. This only serves to confirm my suspicion, that I'm still a man in need of a savior.
I want to be in the light, as you are in the light. I want to shine like the stars in the heavens. Oh, lord be my light and be my salvation.
For all I want is to be in the light!"

This song by dc Talk so describes our condition as human beings. No matter how hard we push and try, we can do nothing apart from the power of God.
So often I am saddened by people who boast of their accolades and accomplishments. They do not realize they are not their own. They belong, regardless of who they believe in, to a higher power, the highest power, Jehovah.

Proverbs says "The fool says in his heart there is no god". We sadly so often fall into this mold; not by our words but by our actions. The "disease of self" is a tireless, terminal blight that can only be cured by the love and power of Christ. It causes us to focus on the temporal things of life instead of the timeless needs of eternity.

May our focus never shift and our resolve never fail concerning the love of Christ and His Word.

The Tyranny of Urgency

Today in his sermon, my Pastor, began to talk about this plague that has infected humanity down through the ages. We as believers must be especially aware of this "Tyranny of Urgency" because this can easily throw us off track in our Christian walk and witness.

On the surface this concept doesn't sound so bad… Why not do, what is urgent? Why not do, what is pressing? It seems that we have confused urgency with importance. In modern life and vernacular the two have become synonymous, however they are not. For urgency is born out of emotion while importance is born out of wisdom.

Today's world is constantly screaming of things that must be urgently handled while scripture and Christ proclaim that which is important, the gospel. If we do not have a set of things, chiefly the gospel, that are important which structure our lives, then we are at risk of being taken hostage by the Tyranny of Urgency. If we are not grounded in those things which are important; then urgency will ever toss us to and fro, because we have no foundation in which to stand.

Let us not be tossed about from day to day ruled by the temporal urgencies of the day but grounded in the eternal importance of the gospel…