April 22, 2005

  • There is some music that will always move me to tears. No matter what time, place, or age I am in my life, I believe that the song "The Mind of Christ" (Arr. Mark Hayes) will give me chills all over my body. I don't know if it is the scripture that is in the song, the music itself, or the memories of singing it and directing it in UCO at APU. I remember leaving Azusa and driving up to Twain Harte and listening to that song in the car just balling-partly because I was leaving that chapter of my life behind forever, and partly because it is absolutely one of my favorite songs of all time, AND partly because the scripture touches me in amazing ways. Read it for yourself: (Phillipians 2:5-11)
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    5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
    6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
    7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
    8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    and became obedient to death–
    even death on a cross!
    9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
    10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
    11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.
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    I think that this has just become one of my favorite passages of all time. It speaks so much about our lives--how we should live. I don't need to know much else about the BIble to live a Christ-centered life, just the stuff above. You do that, and know that, you're set. Have the mind of Christ-he was humble, obedient to his heavenly Father, and was exalted in a way that is still driving millions of lives thousands of years later. What else do you need to know?????

    Yet we fail.

    and this is our burden-we know what we need to do, and yet we fail. The great thing about failing is that as we fail and fall flat on our faces in life, at least that puts us in the position we are supposed to be in---on our face before the Lord.

    God, I fail all the time. When I fail, I pray that I will come to you on my face, as a broken worshipper. I love you.