Another Song.

I have a lot of blog posts about songs. I guess that is just because I am most touched through music. I have known this song for a long time, but I just felt the lyrics needed to be shared. My Epic has a song, Untitled, that really grabs me.

"These bones, my frame won't hold in place. They'd leave and part ways, if I was without You. This earth, my home, would be alone. There'd be no moon to share the galaxy, if it was without You. My God, I am not, but You are. What was it like when You prayed? Did the rivers calm when the raging seas obeyed? What was it like when You slept? Did the rocks come close and the trees lean in, and did the air rejoice just to be Your breath? My God, I am not, but You are. Your servant tried to ask Your name, but a million words could not contain, and the meaning could not be expressed, for the weight would be too much to take. So you cradled him, like You cradle me and whispered, 'I am.' Oh My God, I am not, but you are."

I normally explain how these songs have touched me, but with this one, I can't really say anything. I am simply astounded at this small expression of God's power. The words that are repeated say it all. My God, I am not, but You are.

Light

My favorite song by my favorite band is Light by the Rocket Summer. Lately, I have been thinking about a lot of things, one of which, being my trust and my faith in God. When good things happen, do I give him the glory? When bad things happen, do I praise him anyway? I don't want to be a good-weather Christian. I want to be all in. The bridge of the song says, "I am Yours, do what You wish. I am Yours, I am Yours, and I know this: Whatever happens next is in Your hands, in Your plans, and nothing less. Every day, there is a choice, and through the joy, through the pain, I will rejoice. I am Yours, do what You wish. I am Yours, I am Yours, and I know this." These words hit hard with me every time I hear them. Yeah, I can sing them, but can I mean them? Can I rejoice through both the joy and the pain? Can I give up my plans for my life in order to let God have control? The end of the song says this: "Save me, cause I need it, and I can't help but feel desperate. My desires, they seem to be coming to their endings. But, I will trust it's not the end, but a great beginning." Giving my life to God is not the end, but instead, the beginning.

Romans 1

I have been reading the book of Romans lately. This blog post is, I guess, just some verses that have really caught my attention.

God has really been trying to make me understand that I am not made to please this world. If I am doing what he wants me to do, I won't be comfortable. And I need to be okay with that. It isn't about happiness or comfort...it's about obeying him and experiencing the joy that obedience brings. I guess that is why Romans 1:1 stood out to me so much. "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God...." I think that because that is the beginning of the letter to the Romans; the introduction, we tend to tune it out. But that verse finally made it hit home: I need to be set apart.

Romans 1:8 says, "First, I thank God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world." Just think about that! The church in Rome was so faithful that they were being talked about everywhere. I read that, and I realized that I want to have that kind of faith. The kind that people can't help but notice. The kind that doesn't stay hidden. What is the point of just saying you are a Christian if you don't live it and spread it every day? We are his witnesses. This verse convicts me to speak out concerning my faith. If I truly love God, surely I would want to tell others about him. Surely my love for him would spill over incessantly.

The end of that paragraph goes along with the next verse, Romans 1:16. It says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...." We cannot just sit around and hope that somehow, non-believers will magically come to know Jesus. What kind of a witness is that? We have to be purposeful in our actions, trying to reach other people with the salvation we have received.

These are kind of random verses...but like I said, they are verses that spoke to me.