Nothing Compares

After listening to "Nothing Compares" this morning by Third Day, the chorus lyrics were stuck in my head all day. "Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord". How true it is. Nothing can compare to having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 103:10-17 says "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has he removed our transgressions from us. Just as the father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; And its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him." Doesn't reading that just make you happy? How could anything compare with the Lord of the universe not punishing us for our sins like we deserve, and not only that but he removes them from us further than we can even fathom. The Lord is so merciful and compassionate. And as the scripture quote finishes up it shows you how short life is, and to waste that time chasing pleasures, riches, popularity, power, prestige, fame, status, or any other worldly thing is so foolish and vain. But to simply know God and live in his lovingkindness is beyond compare. Psalm 63:3, "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee." Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Lord AND Saviour

After reading a blog from a very intelligent pastor friend, I could not agree more with what he had to say. His argument was that you cannot have Christ as Saviour and not Lord. Christ must be Lord AND Saviour. At the moment of salvation, you are accepting Christ as your Saviour .... but in order to be your Saviour you must let Christ reign in your heart as Lord. You cannot claim Christ as Saviour and then still be Lord of your own life. Your life is no longer your own, but it was bought with a price. Jesus cannot be your Saviour if he is not also your Lord. People are often told that "they need to accept Christ as their personal Saviour". As my friend pointed out, this is not untrue, but it misses the very heart of the gospel. He went on to say that "Jesus’ work to be our Savior was for the purpose of vindicating his claim to be our Lord. Lordship is the fundamental means by which God relates to us as his creatures and his children. Yes, the Lordship of Christ gets worked out in our lives not all at once, but progressively in sanctification as we learn to walk in holiness before God. But he doesn’t become Lord sometime down the road. It is as Lord that He saves us. He is the Sovereign Lord, we are his servants." I thought that was such a great point, and worth sharing with you all.

But God . . .

A short phrase of two simple words, but it is becoming my ultimate favorite phrase of the bible. These two words are repeated quite often throughout the bible, and usually represent a contrast between our total inadequacy and the awesomeness of God. The transition from the words right before BUT GOD to the words right after are usually so significant. To me, they are some of the most powerful pictures in the bible of what God has done and is doing for us. God makes all the difference. May God increase, and everything else decrease. I'll post a few verses on here, but I encourage you to do a word study on "but God". I think it would be a great blessing to you, it was to me.

I Sam 23:14 "... Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand"
Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever"
I Cor 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it"
Romans 5:7-8 "For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

How do you define success?

How would you define success? Being the richest? Smartest? Most talented? Reaching your goals? Many people would give you many different answers. But the best definition I ever heard comes from teaching that I've heard my dad give many times as a youth pastor and senior pastor. I am not sure if he came up with it himself or heard it from someone else, but he defines success as "being where god wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do, at the right time, with the right attitude". I love that definition. Think about it. No matter what, if you are where God wants you to be, you are in the right place. If you are doing what God wants you to do, you cannot be doing anything better. If you wait for God's timing, and don't try to do it on your own, you cant go wrong. And if you adjust your attitude and align it with God's your heart motive will be right.