In Psalm 96:13 it says: He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
It strikes me as I read this that we do not fathom His righteousness or faithfulness. It is so far beyond our thinking of righteousness.
His righteousness is perfect.
He sees the injustice and all the suffering we cause each other on this earth, and says it needs to be judged. He also sees so much deeper.... how it's the suffering of one person that causes them to bring suffering on another. He sees how we are all here caught in this cycle of suffering and death, causing it and being victim to it. Do we see that we are part of what's killing us. He saw it more clearly than all of us, and inserted Himself into our suffering, and took the judgement for it all upon Himself to save us from it. How perfect is that righteousness. To see someones darkness and act in love toward them by sacrificing Himself for others salvation. Instead of condemning us He saves us, instead of judging us He frees us. How beautiful is that righteousness.
Beauty's Rage
Beauty rages at the darkness.
Darkness, curious and alluring.
It has a strength that destroys.
So Beauty rages
Furious at it's selfish threats
to consume
Beauty rises up with
overwhelming light and
reveals the weak frailty
of the darkness.
It's lies and emptiness
exposed for what it truly is
...a defeated enemy.
Darkness, curious and alluring.
It has a strength that destroys.
So Beauty rages
Furious at it's selfish threats
to consume
Beauty rises up with
overwhelming light and
reveals the weak frailty
of the darkness.
It's lies and emptiness
exposed for what it truly is
...a defeated enemy.
Will the real Jesus followers please stand?!
We minimize the work of Christ when we bring it down to merely thinking that we are being a witness of Jesus cause we don't use "inappropriate language" and don't go to certain places. That is not a witness of Christ. People weren't drawn to Jesus because he had pure language and didn't hang in the wrong places. They weren't having their lives changed and their thinking rearranged because they were amazed at his moral choices. We are kidding ourselves if we want to reduce being a witness of Jesus down to those things.
Jesus had a radical love, an inspiring understanding of truth, and a direct honest strength that was disconcerting. He knew the depths of suffering of humanity, and he walked among them with a love, and compassion that was utterly unconditional. He spoke clearly on issues that spoke to people's hearts. He was direct and honest in dealing with peoples evil intentions. He never backed away from speaking directly to the blindness of the religious pride of the day. He saw things as they were and spoke to it. He was not a wimp or passive aggressive in avoiding conflict. He stood in truth and integrity, so there was no fear in dealing head on with people.
He had no fear of man and so he could love them without concern for himself. He was angry at injustice and religious hypocrisy. People are drawn to truth, justice, compassion, strength, and self sacrifice. They know what it is, and they know when it's missing.
WAKE UP! Open your blind eyes! Quit hiding out in religious comfort, and get a vision of who Jesus really was, and what he actually did. He left his comfort behind and came to dwell among
broken humanity out of pure love, and he called his followers to do the same. Enter into the suffering of this world, weep with those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn. Feel for people the compassion He felt for them, and take action as he did to speak love into the lives of those he loves with an unending love.
If we walk out of a church service where there was just complaining about how many people don't love the Lord as much as we do, if we find ourselves nodding in agreement of condemnation of the big bad world out there, if we leave church feeling justified about the smug moral life we live that has no actual Jesus kind of love.....shame on us.....wake up.
We can be defensive and justify ourselves to keep going in our blind bubble. The obstinate fearful majority will do just that, but those weren't the people who followed Jesus. We might as well classify ourselves as pharisees and continue to crucify anyone who would call us out on our religious blindness. Jesus wept over the city in frustrated grief that His people would not see him for who he was and repent of their religious pride.
Jesus was far beyond what the religious reduce him to. He was strong and true, full of goodness, and compassion for humanity.
This is the Jesus we should be seeking to know and imitate. If we aren't following him we are following the traditions of men and are off the path. The blind leading the blind....
fury
Screaming in my head
alone
I believe yet
doubts nip at the ankles
the house called by His name
lies in ruins.
Is it all make believe?
cause I don't see it
those who claim sight
are blind
ripping and shredding hearts
in the name of the beautiful One.
runaway
or lose my mind
be free from this blind hypocrisy.
Overwhelming defeat
washes over.....
This is not the end!
live in love
in this is victory
swirling fury
threatens to conquer
and also revives the passion
press on against the crushing
appearance of defeat.
Simple thoughts
The freedom of innocence is exhilarating, and boundless.
Strength lies in purity and truth.
