"The Motions" by Matthew West, though a couple of years old, is still one of my favorites. It can be interpreted in many ways depending on your life, your circumstances, your relationships. What I had not realized was that the video that Matthew made for this song tells the story of a time of fear in his life, a time when he had to really trust God with his future....to not "go through the motions" of being faithful, but really live it.
We all go through seasons in life when we don't feel as connected to God. Perhaps it's because something happened in our life that is disturbing our faith. Perhaps we can't explain why, we're in a routine, caught up in our busy lives, focused on day to day. It can be easy to find ourselves "going through the motions."
I have to admit that I've been feeling like that a bit lately. Sometimes I find that the routine practices of faith, like forced prayer at certain times, recited prayer, some religious routines can result in me forgetting about the meaning. It helps for me to break the routine once in a while and do things differently. Eventually I may go back to my routines, but then hopefully I'll be refreshed in understanding why I do them.
It's not a good feeling when you realize that you're just going through the motions. But I'm at least grateful that I can recognize when I am so that I can make a change. It might mean making changes in my life, changing priorities, taking a risk. God doesn't want us to "go through the motions," he wants us to live this life with passion, His passion.
I pray that you aren't going through the motions this week, that you do feel God's presence in your life, a connection with Him in your prayers. God bless, and have great week.
Showing posts with label Matthew West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew West. Show all posts
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Only Grace
First, I must acknowledge that though I try to mix up the artists so that you get to hear a variety, this week I just have to share another Matthew West song. Sometimes I know days ahead of time what the song will be for the week, but often I haven't decided, or I change my mind based on what I hear on Sunday morning at church and on KLOVE radio....as was the case today.
The song "Only Grace," is not a new one but it fits in so well with the sermon that I heard this morning and includes words about starting a new life which usually attracts my ears. It's about losing the guilt and accepting the gift...
In Romans 5, Paul tells us about the sacrifice that God made for us, even though we didn't deserve it, we didn't love him, we didn't believe in him, we even sinned against him.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5: 6-8
Jesus suffered the most excruciating death for us, without us even knowing it. His death has paid for our sins no matter what they are, and is bridging the gap between our sinfulness and God's purity. It's like he is reaching out his hand to us and saying, "it's OK, I've taken care of all your junk, don't worry about it anymore, now come be with me."
What's amazing to me is that he has given this gift to everyone, to all of his creation, whether we know it now or not.
In him we have redemption through blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavishes on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment - to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Ephesians 1: 7-10
He wants to be connected to us, he wants to be with us, living through us here on earth. As with any gift though, the receiver needs to accept it. I pray that you have accepted it. This gift changes your life. If you have accepted it, are you still feeling guilty, unworthy?
There is no guilt here
There is no shame
No pointing fingers
There is no blame
What happened yesterday…has disappeared
The dirt has washed away
And now it's clear
There is no shame
No pointing fingers
There is no blame
What happened yesterday…has disappeared
The dirt has washed away
And now it's clear
You're starting over now
Under the sun
You're stepping forward now
A new life has begun
Your new life has begun
An’ there's only grace
There's only love
There's only mercy and believe me…it's enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There's only grace…
As we accept this gift we are faced with a new life...one in which we aspire to be the children that God wants us to be, desire to serve our intended purpose, strive to show God's love to everyone around us.
Unfortunately, even though we have accepted His Grace, we are still not perfect, not totally pure and we will mess up. But His grace still lingers, it lasts, and so we can recover from our failures and keep trying to live the life that God wants for us.
And if you should fall again
Get back up, get back up
Reach out and take my hand
Get back up, get back up
Get back up again
My prayer for you today is that you receive God's grace over and over again. Do not be plagued by guilt for receiving this gift or for feeling like you've failed God. He forgives you, and wants you to accept His gift with joy.
God bless you all, have a wonderful week!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
My Own Little World
This week's song was really popular about a year ago. It had special meaning to me because I was working with our youth group at church to start thinking beyond themselves, to think about people in other parts of the world living in extremely different conditions. And now today, I find that this song is still sending me an important message that I can use in my daily life.
The song is called, "My Own Little World," and it's performed by Matthew West, one of my favorite artists who still continues to inspire me.
In simple terms, I continue to remind myself that Jesus' message was to love God and love people. So easy to remember, but not necessarily easy to do. This song reminds me of some verses from one of Jesus' parables. He is talking about what it will be like when the Son of Man comes in his glory:
The King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Then the righteous will answer him. "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"
The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:34-40
Today in church, a man unexpectedly stood up to share a story with the congregation. He talked about how he had been in the city and someone had approached him asking for some spare change. The man shared that he just continued walking and did not give the stranger any money (I'm sure he's not alone in his reaction and response). He then shared with the congregation that he later realized that the man who approached him was Jesus. He didn't tell us how he knew this, but he talked about his feelings of regret and remorse. He knows that he will be forgiven, but is stuggling with this awful feeling of having failed God.
God wants us to love each other, he wants us to be compassionate for each other. It seems like it's so hard to do sometimes...especially with strangers. These one-on-one encounters with strangers also require a level of trust. To trust a stranger in a dangerous world....that's tough.
I do believe that we can experience the Kingdom of God when we are in service of others. I believe that loving God's creation ignites the Holy Spirit within us. I've felt it myself. At times when I've been serving others, making a difference in someone else's life...outside my own little world, I've felt so alive, so charged with energy, so alive in Christ.
But then there are seasons in life when I am less alive, less filled with the Holy Spirit, more focused on myself. I have to admit right now, with this new life that I have started in the UK I am not in balance. I have been so focused on my own little world, my life, my family, our challenges and problems which are so minor relative to others in this world. I've just come to the conclusion that I need to expand my world. This song has been telling me that over and over, every time I hear it, and now it's finally sinking in. I need to be more active in bringing God's Kingdom to earth.
So I share this song with you today, just in case you're feeling like me right now...unbalanced, consumed with the issues of your own life. Perhaps God is calling you to look outside yourself. I don't know about you, but I'm going to give it a try.
The song is called, "My Own Little World," and it's performed by Matthew West, one of my favorite artists who still continues to inspire me.
In simple terms, I continue to remind myself that Jesus' message was to love God and love people. So easy to remember, but not necessarily easy to do. This song reminds me of some verses from one of Jesus' parables. He is talking about what it will be like when the Son of Man comes in his glory:
The King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Then the righteous will answer him. "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"
The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:34-40
Today in church, a man unexpectedly stood up to share a story with the congregation. He talked about how he had been in the city and someone had approached him asking for some spare change. The man shared that he just continued walking and did not give the stranger any money (I'm sure he's not alone in his reaction and response). He then shared with the congregation that he later realized that the man who approached him was Jesus. He didn't tell us how he knew this, but he talked about his feelings of regret and remorse. He knows that he will be forgiven, but is stuggling with this awful feeling of having failed God.
God wants us to love each other, he wants us to be compassionate for each other. It seems like it's so hard to do sometimes...especially with strangers. These one-on-one encounters with strangers also require a level of trust. To trust a stranger in a dangerous world....that's tough.
I do believe that we can experience the Kingdom of God when we are in service of others. I believe that loving God's creation ignites the Holy Spirit within us. I've felt it myself. At times when I've been serving others, making a difference in someone else's life...outside my own little world, I've felt so alive, so charged with energy, so alive in Christ.
But then there are seasons in life when I am less alive, less filled with the Holy Spirit, more focused on myself. I have to admit right now, with this new life that I have started in the UK I am not in balance. I have been so focused on my own little world, my life, my family, our challenges and problems which are so minor relative to others in this world. I've just come to the conclusion that I need to expand my world. This song has been telling me that over and over, every time I hear it, and now it's finally sinking in. I need to be more active in bringing God's Kingdom to earth.
So I share this song with you today, just in case you're feeling like me right now...unbalanced, consumed with the issues of your own life. Perhaps God is calling you to look outside yourself. I don't know about you, but I'm going to give it a try.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
More
This week's song is a love letter from God to you. It's called "More" by Matthew West. Listen to this song as if God is singing it to you.
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Our God is ruler of the universe! So sometimes it may be hard for us to see why we might be important to him. I was once in a discussion group where a man said that he really does not think that God cares much about his life, that there are much more important things in the world for God to be concerned with. This man had a feeling of being insignificant. Do you ever feel that way? One person in the estimated 6.97 Billion people on this planet.
I think this all lies in our inability to understand the magnitude of God's abilities. In 2010, the estimated number of stars in our Universe was 300 sextillion....that's 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars! And God knows the real number and calls them each by name! So since God created mankind in His image, why isn't it possible that he could know each and every one of us?
In Matthew 10: 29-31, Jesus tells us:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Jesus is clearly telling us that God is more able than our minds can comprehend, to follow our lives, and love us. You are not insignificant. God loves you MORE. And never forget, God loves you so much that he sent his Son to die an excrutiating death for you. That is a love that we can't truly comprehend in human terms.
I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more
May you come to understand that God loves you more than you can imagine. Now it's time to shine for Him.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Strong Enough
Some of you may know that I recently moved to England from America. During the stressful weeks leading up to the move, the song Strong Enough by Matthew West was speaking to me. While moving to another country is nothing compared to some of the challenges that many people in this world face, it was and still is a strain on me as a person, largely because I haven't had a whole lot of change in my life. Around that same time, I watched a close friend deal with the severe illness of her father and his death. I would think of her when listening to this song as well, and wonder when I will be in a similar situation and what toll that will take on me.
So here's the YouTube video, take a look, listen and read the words....
For me this song is about that old adage, "God won't give you something you can't handle." I like to add "with his help." Sometimes you just know that you can't handle the trials of this life on your own. We all try to be in control, but some of the trials are just too hard....illness, loss, the things in life that could cause us to question Him, or reach out for help from Him because there is no one else.
Maybe that's the point
to reach the point of giving up
When I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out
Maybe we do have the strength handle it, but we are overwhelmed by it and trusting in God can help us cope and not suffer through the situation. Or perhaps the situation is so new and different for us that God needs to make us stronger to be able to endure.
It is these times when the pain is too much to bear, the addiction too hard to overcome, the fear so great that it hinders us, that our own efforts as humans just aren't enough. We need extra strength, extra courage from the only one that can give it. It's too bad that sometimes we wait until we are at rock bottom to seek His help.
My favorite part of this song is actually scripture: Phillipians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
or
I can do everything through him who gives me strength (NIV)
It's such a simple scripture to memorize and have in your back-pocket for those challenging situations. It's even easier for me to remember it when I sing it in my head now, thanks to this song.
This song comes from Matthew West's "Story of Your Life Album" for which he asked listeners to send him letters for him to write songs about. So as part of this album he has created videos with the back-story about who inspired this song and their story. This one was inspired by a girl named Haley.
May you be able to trust in the Lord and give your problems to Him. He will guide you through the trials of this life and give you strength and comfort.
So here's the YouTube video, take a look, listen and read the words....
For me this song is about that old adage, "God won't give you something you can't handle." I like to add "with his help." Sometimes you just know that you can't handle the trials of this life on your own. We all try to be in control, but some of the trials are just too hard....illness, loss, the things in life that could cause us to question Him, or reach out for help from Him because there is no one else.
Maybe that's the point
to reach the point of giving up
When I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out
Maybe we do have the strength handle it, but we are overwhelmed by it and trusting in God can help us cope and not suffer through the situation. Or perhaps the situation is so new and different for us that God needs to make us stronger to be able to endure.
It is these times when the pain is too much to bear, the addiction too hard to overcome, the fear so great that it hinders us, that our own efforts as humans just aren't enough. We need extra strength, extra courage from the only one that can give it. It's too bad that sometimes we wait until we are at rock bottom to seek His help.
My favorite part of this song is actually scripture: Phillipians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
or
I can do everything through him who gives me strength (NIV)
It's such a simple scripture to memorize and have in your back-pocket for those challenging situations. It's even easier for me to remember it when I sing it in my head now, thanks to this song.
This song comes from Matthew West's "Story of Your Life Album" for which he asked listeners to send him letters for him to write songs about. So as part of this album he has created videos with the back-story about who inspired this song and their story. This one was inspired by a girl named Haley.
May you be able to trust in the Lord and give your problems to Him. He will guide you through the trials of this life and give you strength and comfort.
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