"A Sinner and A Saint"

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"..and I am referring to THE DOCTOR...Doctor Who? my point exactly...
It is commonly believed that Eve bit into an apple and brought sin and death upon the whole world..so for consistency sake, an apple it shall be.
What was it Eve about this fruit that enticed you? Was it red delicious? Possibly granny smith? My my...what big teeth you must have had, sinking into SIN.
But alas I presume, whether Eve or possibly a descendent after her, someone was bound to disobey the only commandment in the garden of Eden, not for hunger's sake, but for a glimpse into the life of a heavenly being, of God himself.
With this bite, we were forever separated from the God of the universe, the wonderful counselor, our Healer, our Redeemer, our King...
"It is your sins that have cut you off from God".. Isaiah 59:2...MY sins? I was not even in the garden...
I've been through my fair share of passing judgement...on Eve and Adam...
"Well if I was in that garden..."..."See now I would never do that..."... "I would choose God over...."...Yeah...I've been there...
Funny though...this choice happens every day..and everyday I find myself battling...and sadly..my spirit does not always win this struggle...

"I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway"..Romans 7:19...
I am sorry...what did you say Paul?
But Paul, how could you? You're a hero of the New Testament, battling snakes and demons, you've been through hell and back...oh no wait... that was John..But seriously, how could you struggle with sin?
"There is no one righteous not even one"- Romans 3:10..."
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, no need to write 14 books about it, I get it, I'm a sinner, but see I can acknowledge that, I can accept the fact that I am wicked, sinful, full of evil desires and passions, with a constant thirst for more...
what I CANNOT understand, is why anyone let alone a PERFECT man would die....FOR ME...
See, I can accept forgiveness, from God, but...let me pay...something...anything...for what I've done...
I commonly find myself trying to buy my forgiveness, see I'll pray and ask for it, but then my time spent in prayer will increase, I'll go out of the way to do more good things...

I'll DO MORE in order to feel like I've earned what He has already given me FOR FREE...

Ever found yourself tipping more when the waitress gives you something on the house?
I mean what is it with us, why do we find it hard to accept a free gift?
I know what you're going to say...that nothing in this world is ever free...okay Debbie Downer..ok...I'll give it to you, the world, the things of this flesh...always has a catch..we are enslaved to sin, we are prisoners, paying a long sentence for the sins we did willfully,
but... God..well He is funny like that..He knew the price must be paid....and He is picking up the tab...there is LITERALLY nothing we can say or do that will change His mind...it is already DONE, it is FINISHED...

For every sinner there is A SAINT.

See over 2000 years ago it was not just a man, hung on a tree...
It was a debt being paid, a sentence being carried out, the debt collector, the ruler of darkness, he came and collected what was owed him....yet to this day, he wants us to believe that the price was not paid, so he keeps us as slaves even though our freedom was already bought, and that at a heavy price...

So what are we waiting for?

Ladies and Gentlemen: ...Let me show you a few things..about love...and it requires a whole lot more than a suit and tie...
see Love died on that cross, Love paid our price, Love longs for the day we will walk out of this prison of sin and death...Love gave us a new identity...

We no longer stand in our own flesh...by our own strength...we've all been there, we cannot win this battle against the flesh on our own...and now we no longer have to..



(as written and posted for Souled Out:  http://home.icanj.org/portfolio/souled-out-disciples-on-mission/)

"Oh Life..."

Isaiah 30:18-30 NKJV

Our God...well that about sums it. He is OUR GOD!

Why is it so hard for us to believe sometimes that when God, yes....God...is for us, NO ONE can be against us?

There has to be a catch though, and the catch is...God actually has to be FOR us. This line will not work for the wishy washy, the lukewarm, the unfaithful and the wavering.

When we lay claim to this verse, we must truly believe that when God ARISES, His enemies WILL BE scattered.

Our proof? well, why do you need proof? I will give it to you anyway. Our proof is in the lives of the faithful.

Hebrews 11 lists an entire army of faith. These men and women, boy they knew faith, but their faith lay in the confidence that God was FOR them.

In the face of adversity, trouble, pain, suffering...well it is quite easy to complain and mutter against God. It seems so simple to just say "Forget this, there is no hope", doesn't it?

It is easier...who ever likes to wait? We do not like to wait for God's time.

After all, God... if only you knew...God you do not understand what I am going through...God...you cannot possibly bear my pain...I am hurt, my heart is being ripped out of my chest...God...You do not get it...I am in misery...Maroon 5 gets it...

but you God? No you don't understand or feel my pain...

Boy...sounds terrible doesn't it...Yet we do this all the time.

When life becomes tough, we assume God's hand is too short to save us, but Isaiah 30:18...well it tells us what to do...Isaiah writes that those who wait upon God will be blessed.

There is no question about it, he doesn't say that they MAY be blessed, or that you MIGHT be blessed, he states it loud and clear, YOU WILL BE BLESSED. Amen Isaiah, amen.

Its not...."when life hands you lemons"... rather...LIFE WILL HAND YOU LEMONS...So start building that stand...get the sugar and salt ready!

If we go on to verse 27 of the same chapter, the puzzle slowly starts to come together. We see THE LORD, and guess what? He "comes from far away".

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

your Savior, your Redeemer is on His way. The show is about to start, just please be patient. It is not about our time and our situation, it is ALL about HIS GLORY.
There is a perfect timing for the revelation of HIS GLORY. He has to, He wants to, He will be....EXALTED.

That's what it has been about all along. Really...

I know you are hurting, I know some of you may be going through some tough situations right now, but be strengthened in knowing that God is FOR us.
He is on His way, to make His name GLORIOUS.

So you think you're successful?

SUCCESS AND FAILURE.

(boy that looks intimidating in such big letters!)

Well what does society think about THAT?

Society (and people in general) has a lot of things to say about success and failure. Many would define success as having plenty of money, or doing great things in your lifetime. Others would define it as having a career that is prosperous, and fulfilling.

Well now that sounds fine and dandy, but as a Christian, I wonder what God has to say on the matter.

For starters, in Romans 11, we see how God addresses this issue. He refers to two types of people in these verses, the Israelites, and the Gentiles. He states that the first served Him through their works. They attempted to do their best to serve God for their own interests.

Well what is wrong with that you may ask. Those Israelites seem like they have good intentions, they might even be on the right track.

Many times this is precisely what we as Christians choose to do. We KNOW that God has a plan and purpose for our life, but we still try to find and attain that purpose on our own, through our own knowledge and schemes.

But guess what?

This is NOT what God asks from us!

When He asked that we place our lives, our selves into His hands, He meant EVERYTHING we are, including our thoughts, plans and desires. He wants to save us, redeem us and receive the glory for all aspects of our life. We are saved by GRACE and not by WORKS, or the things that WE do. (Big shocker there!)

In verse 7 of chapter 11, we can see that Israel tried to obtain it but failed. Israel was pursuing her own interests, but the key to success is allowing God to pursue HIS interests in us. The chapter ends with a beautiful conclusion that allows us to see how we can succeed: all things must be OF Him, BY Him, and TO Him.

This is how He can receive all the glory and this is what He wants and desires from our lives.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

"you're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful its true, I saw your face in a crowded place, and I don't know what to do, cause I'll never be with you..."

Ahh so sweet, I remember a road trip in which I had my head and arm stuck out the window singing this at the top of my lungs while the song played over the speakers.... It's nice to feel beautiful, to feel special, to feel loved, to feel wanted...But ever wonder... if there's someone else waiting to feel that way?

Oh you little saps, cut it out, I'm not talking about finding your soul mate here (if you believe in such things much love and cheerios to you, and i wish you all my Hershey's hugs and kisses for your journey), but I'm referring to a soul mate of a different sort...

We were not simply placed on this earth, rather...we were..molded..shall I say...created..or even woven on that gentle web of genes and proteins, cells, and neurons, right i realize I'm missing quite a few components of the reproductive process but I'm sure you get the point.. So what was the reason, why are we here? to fill that _your name here_ shaped hole in His heart. Just as we yearn to feel held, and loved...and beautiful, He longs for this same relationship with us, after all He had created us with a purpose, it's our duty to fulfill our calling.
Now I know, some may bring me to court for such claims, of "God", of this "relationship". So sue me... I said God....screw that..God God God God God..."every rose has its thorns...just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song"..(ok whats my point?!)

Ladies and Gentlemen: it is possible, all we need is faith. After all, if someone told you to close your eyes, and stretch out your hand, and they used their finger to touch your hand and asked you what you felt, you would say you felt their touch. And how do you know? well...nothing else...you just know..(scene from "City of Angels)...Faith works the same way. We just have to believe. After all what is faith?

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen" well how interesting, there's a reason we were created so different from the thousands of organisms and mammals that roam the face of the earth and the depths of the waters. "consider the lilies of the fields, King Solomon dressed in royal robes has not the worth of them" Yet we are worth far more than anything else in this earth, there's no price you could ever place on a life. So let me say one thing, let us live as if we are in love everyday of our life, not just physically in love with a man or a woman, but emotionally spiritually mentally in love with someone who is worth our love and so much more. After all what more could we offer? A dime, a nickel, forget that..I'll take even a penny for every time I've seen people, not just one or two but thousands of people who make a point of going into great lengths to achieve spiritual enlightenment...spiritual satisfaction, to establish a deeper connection, to fill that God shaped hole in their hearts.

Ladies and Gentlemen: money can't buy you love, so what in the world gives you the idea that you can buy your way into God's heart, and His way into yours?? that's right, you cant, and He doesn't want your money, your harsh treatment of the body, your endless hours of meaningless ritualistic prayers...as a matter of fact, go tell it to the priest cause God sure doesn't want to hear it. We mean so much more to Him than that...

...isn't it time we finally prove ourselves worthy of the life He has given us? Of this time we call our own? Of these days that are numbered? Of these breaths that remain counted?...
JUST REMEMBER... "YOU CAN TRY TO RESIST...DEEP IN THE DARK YOU'LL SURRENDER YOUR HEART, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T FIGHT THE MOONLIGHT"...

so...I leave you with this...let's stop trying to resist the tug at our hearts...someones waiting for us with open arms of love...we just have to follow the yellow brick road...

Lady in Blue..

21 grams...

"They say each and every person decreases by 21 grams at the time of their death, each and every single person. That's the size of four nickels stacked together, or four hummingbirds...how much does love weigh? How much does guilt weigh? How much does revenge weigh? ...21 grams..."

Granted...clips from a trailer...but really how much does love, guilt or even revenge weigh? When we die...what exactly escapes..

Now now, calm down all you scientists I'm reallyy not looking for a factual proven answer here.. I'm really searching for something more..something that gives us more to believe in..something that leaves us with some hope

21 grams...interesting that a hummingbird is amazingly small and yet, of all the animals it has the largest heart in proportion to it's size. Even its eyes are bigger than its brain. But as humans...for the most part...this is what we rely on, our BRAINS, PROVEN FACTS and FIGURES.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I am here to say...It's Time We Woke Up!...I'll gladly offer you a free wake up call..consider it concierge service...We are a proving is believing generation, seeing and believing in pure faith is not enough. We need numbers and figures, ratios and proportions, calculations and contraptions. We are tired of optical illusions and even question the gift of sight...

Guess we have a lot to learn from the bantam but breathtaking creatures...

So how much does our love weigh? Our guilt? Our revenge?

More specifically...how much does our soul weigh?
...21 grams?

ladybugs...