I believe you are… THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” – John 14:6
Tag Archives: Praise Music
No Longer Slaves
Augustine of Hippo said “he who sings prays twice,” once with our music and once with our words. This song has pierced my heart as only music can. It is my anthem of freedom.
My fears were drowned in perfect love. Jesus, You rescued me. No longer a slave to sin: I am a child of God!
Pray this song. “No Longer Slaves,” by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser
God Can Use Traffic For Good
One of the reasons I left Los Angeles was the traffic. It is unreal. I knew sitting in traffic like that was going to slowly drive me bonkers. So, it’s no surprise that a new study found that LA is the world’s most traffic-clogged city:
“Drivers in the region spent 104 hours each driving in congestion during peak travel periods last year. That topped second-place Moscow at 91 hours and third-place New York at 89, according to a traffic scorecard compiled by Inrix, a transportation analytics firm.”
While you may not find yourself spending 104 hours in traffic this year, it may feel like it. So, what are you going to do with all that wasted time?
Here are just a few ways to make that time count!
- Pray: pray for the drivers around you, the cops enforcing the law, and that teenager who just passed you while texting. Prayer is the real deal. Pray more, worry less.
- K-LOVE: listen to that Praise Music! Ain’t no reason you can’t be worshiping the Living God while stuck on I-79. (Dancing, of course, is optional).
- Podcasts/CD’s: There are a plethora (a word I honestly believe no one would ever know if it weren’t for ¡Three Amigos!) of resources available today. There are few reasons not to be listening to 1 sermon every single day. FEW! Start at oneplace.com (it has a lot of sermons, you guessed it: in one place).
I’m pretty sure this is not what the Holy Spirit had in mind, but man, does it seem appropriate: what was meant for evil, God can use for good (Gen.50:20). Am I calling traffic evil? Yes. Yes, I am. Use it for good!
Oh, and by the way – those who bemoan living in little ole West Virginia, here is another fun fact this study revealed:
“Of 240 U.S. cities studied by Inrix, drivers in Parkersburg, W.Va., spent the least about of time stuck in traffic during peak hours at three hours per year.”
So, there.
Ref:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-traffic-los-angeles-20170220-story.html
Jesus is the Common Denominator
I constantly say the wrong thing. I consistently am weak when I ought to be strong. I have no power to speak of. However, I take great comfort and confidence in the common denominator of the following 2 verses:
(My wife would be so proud of that Math term!)
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts – Zech. 4:6
And:
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, – 1 Cor. 2:4
It’s God’s gift of the Holy Spirit that empowers us. Anything we do that is even moderately successful is just a small demonstration of this power. When I mess up (which is often), it is because I am relying on my own strength and power (which we already established is dreadfully deficient). Relying on the Lord and the Holy Spirit dramatically increases the successful outcome of any situation.
If you are facing a crisis and feel overwhelmed, take comfort in the knowledge that a child of God can rely on the power that Zechariah and Paul relied on. It wasn’t their own, I can tell you that much. It was the power of the Spirit!
Not a child of God? He’s just waiting to adopt you! He’s got the paperwork ready. He’s got the car outside running. Sprint out of that orphanage into the mansion!
You can take that one all the way to the bank.
Do me a favor and chew on this “solid food” (1 Cor. 3:2):
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. -Rom. 8:11
We sort of gloss over that verse, but it’s implications are crazy amazing: resurrection power resides in us! Is there anything more incredible? The power to raise the dead? Dwelling in our bones? Come on, now!
Imagine if we really believed that.
Fill Your Ears
What are you listening to? Is it Country? Rap? Zydeco? Well, whichever genre it is, (I believe you said Zydeco), ask yourself this: what are they singing about?
I would say that 80% of all songs are about love. That’s understandable. It’s relatable. People are always going to be falling in and out of love. As Neil says, “Love on the rocks, ain’t no big surprise.”
5% is about stuff; cars, money, and bling. We love our stuff and even write songs about how much of it we have collected. “It’s all about the Benjamins” Right?
5% is about self; Look how cool I am! Those of the dreaded “I’m Too Sexy” variety.
That leaves 5% to sing about… who knows what?! I have no idea what these songs are even about. Dire Straits won a Grammy in ’85 for “Money for Nothing,” and I’m telling you its about someone who works at MTV, installs things, and has conversations with no one in particular. Sounds like real life, but sing a song about it? “I love that song!” “Me too, but what do any of those lyrics actually mean?” “Beats me. But I like it!”
Granted, I have no references for those numbers. Its just my personal opinion from a lifetime of being (what I would call) “more than a casual listener.”
We listen to music because it makes us feel something. We like the beat. It gets our blood flowing. We connect with the songwriting. Man, some songs even get stuck in our heads!
So, if we are constantly filling our ears with something, shouldn’t that something be about how much we love God? Shouldn’t it be about how thankful we are that He sent His only Son? Shouldn’t it be Praise?!
If you are a serious Christ Follower and you are not listening to Christian music, then you are really missing out. It’s like adding a whole new dimension to your worship! Want to Practice the Presence of God? Listen to Christian music. It will help you stay focused throughout the day.
If you are listening to music that isn’t about Praising God, then you are wasting your time. It might be fun. It might be catchy. But ultimately it does nothing. Our main purpose on this planet is to Praise God. Why would you fill your ears with anything but Praise music?
God Bless!
#PraiseMusic #ChristianMusic
Name Above All Names
There have been many great names throughout history. Ask 10 people who they would say were great and you’ll probably get 10 different names. Different names are important to different people. We all have our heroes. We all have names of folks who really inspired us or made a difference.
For instance, I would say: da Vinci, van Gogh and of course, Picasso.
My wife would say: Newton, Aristotle and Pythagoras.
As great as those names are, none have even an ounce of power.
Only one name has power.
Only one name has real authority.
Only one name IN ALL OF HISTORY is above all names.
Only one name is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6).
Jesus!
Jesus is the only name you need to know. Wrapped up in 5 letters comes all strength and all salvation (Acts 4:12).
Einstein was genius, but speaking his name will not heal you.
Michelangelo was brilliant, but praying to his name could never save you.
7eventh Time Down puts it perfectly: “Just Say Jesus!”
God bless!
#JesusReigns #MySaviour #JustSayJesus
