Thursday, June 24, 2004
Stuck in My Head
I can't get these three things out of my head.
The first comes from Romans 4. Read the whole chapter to see what's going on regarding the faith of Abraham, but the verses that have been eating their way through my brains since I read them a few days ago are verses 19 - 21. I'll copy them here from the New American Standard Bible.
"Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet with respect to the promise of God he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform."
Yeah, so Abraham looked around and saw with his eyes that God's promise to him that he would have a son seemed impossible, but he trusted God and believed not only that God was able to, but also that we was going to do that which he had promised. That was Abraham's faith. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness. He believed despite what his fleshly eyes and his fleshly mind told him to believe. I don't know how many times I've read Romans 4, but this is the first time that concept ever hit me. And it's such a simple idea. And it is stuck in my head.
The second comes from a song by Jennifer Knapp. It is called "No Regrets" and is off the album "The Way I Am." Here are some lines from the song.
"Should I be rich and poor and scattered in my dreams
while all the figures that surround me live unguarded with no regrets?
Should I be lost in forgetfulness with no regrets in my head,
faithfully shed and free from the worry,
free from the dark that lives in me,
free to embark on the passion You've favorably fashioned in me?"
I like the way the song asks a question rather than proclaiming an answer. Is that the way I'm supposed to be? Is that what this freedom in Christ is for? So that I can live life without regrets? So that I don't have to worry that the decisions I make today will haunt me tomorrow? So that I can follow the passions God has created in me? So that I can be the person God made me to be? And ultimately so that I can stand boldly and reverently before God without shame? No Regrets. It's a wonderful idea, and it is stuck in my head.
So considering these two things that I can't stop considering, here's the third. Metaphorically speaking, what do I do about this wall I'm facing? I've ne'er been able to get to the other side of this wall: I can't go under it; I can't sneak around it; I'm too timid to e'en attempt to climb it. Can I continue hoping that someone will come along and give me a push from below or a pull from above? Could I possibly understand or e'er prepare myself for what is on the other side? Do I believe that, despite what my eyes and mind are telling me about this wall and how tall it is, how steep it is, how difficult it would be to climb, that God will make the "impossible" possible? For me? In my case? Can I live with the regrets I will surely face if I ne'er attempt the climb? How could I have e'er given up hope that one day I would accomplish this feat? For quite a while now, this idea has been stuck in my head.
The first comes from Romans 4. Read the whole chapter to see what's going on regarding the faith of Abraham, but the verses that have been eating their way through my brains since I read them a few days ago are verses 19 - 21. I'll copy them here from the New American Standard Bible.
"Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet with respect to the promise of God he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform."
Yeah, so Abraham looked around and saw with his eyes that God's promise to him that he would have a son seemed impossible, but he trusted God and believed not only that God was able to, but also that we was going to do that which he had promised. That was Abraham's faith. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness. He believed despite what his fleshly eyes and his fleshly mind told him to believe. I don't know how many times I've read Romans 4, but this is the first time that concept ever hit me. And it's such a simple idea. And it is stuck in my head.
The second comes from a song by Jennifer Knapp. It is called "No Regrets" and is off the album "The Way I Am." Here are some lines from the song.
"Should I be rich and poor and scattered in my dreams
while all the figures that surround me live unguarded with no regrets?
Should I be lost in forgetfulness with no regrets in my head,
faithfully shed and free from the worry,
free from the dark that lives in me,
free to embark on the passion You've favorably fashioned in me?"
I like the way the song asks a question rather than proclaiming an answer. Is that the way I'm supposed to be? Is that what this freedom in Christ is for? So that I can live life without regrets? So that I don't have to worry that the decisions I make today will haunt me tomorrow? So that I can follow the passions God has created in me? So that I can be the person God made me to be? And ultimately so that I can stand boldly and reverently before God without shame? No Regrets. It's a wonderful idea, and it is stuck in my head.
So considering these two things that I can't stop considering, here's the third. Metaphorically speaking, what do I do about this wall I'm facing? I've ne'er been able to get to the other side of this wall: I can't go under it; I can't sneak around it; I'm too timid to e'en attempt to climb it. Can I continue hoping that someone will come along and give me a push from below or a pull from above? Could I possibly understand or e'er prepare myself for what is on the other side? Do I believe that, despite what my eyes and mind are telling me about this wall and how tall it is, how steep it is, how difficult it would be to climb, that God will make the "impossible" possible? For me? In my case? Can I live with the regrets I will surely face if I ne'er attempt the climb? How could I have e'er given up hope that one day I would accomplish this feat? For quite a while now, this idea has been stuck in my head.
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I don't know that my thoughts are really very deep. They sure don't seem deep to me. But I'm glad that the things I write can be encouraging to others from time to time.
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