Actively Waiting

“There is therefore

now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free, in Christ Jesus, from the law of sin and death.  For God did what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do — by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their mind on the things of the flesh, and those who live according to the Spirit set their mind on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace :)  The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law — indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead is in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through the spirit that dwells in you.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.  But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the spirit of adoptions as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba, father!’.  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.  And if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided that we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  And we know the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  Now, hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God’s will.  And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  And those whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed in the image of his Son, in order that he may be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined, he also called.  And those whom he called, he also justified.  And those whom he justified, he also glorified.

What then can we say to these things?  If God is for is, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us freely, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn?  Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God and indeed is interceding for us.  Who can separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it was written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long.  We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors in him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

next up, Philippians :)

‘Until You Know’

Haha it’s been a while since I’ve written an original.  About three years?  I guess it just took another one of those nights, and the perfect inspiration.  We’ll see where this goes :)

Good, when there’s nothing good in me

Hi!  I’m just going to go line-by-line through “Forever Reign”, a song written by Jason Ingram and Reuben Morgan from Hillsong Church, and meditate on each one :)

I’ll admit that a lot of times when I can’t think of anything to pray, I just pray through this song.  Every line is kind of like a huge truth bomb.  It’s kind of crazy that they stuff so much into one song.  Every individual line could probably be expanded into a whole song.

Anyways!

“You are good, when there’s nothing good in me”

“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Psalm 107

I love how you can take any property of God, any word you can try to describe Him with, and be able to say, “Well…that’s a huge understatement.”

God is good.

God is good:

1. to me
2. despite me

God is good to me.

I guess I had always heard this growing up.  But at that time it was always more just something you would read in a book or talk about.  It wasn’t “real”.  This story would take far too long to tell, but there came a point in my life where this fact became undeniably real.  Where I knew he was good not just because of some theological premise, but because of unshakable reality.  He’s good, and I’ve seen this proven over and over again in my life.  His unrelenting goodness.  What is more, he makes (literally) all things work for the ultimate good of those who love him.  Literally.

God is good despite me.

God is impenetrably pure.  He has an unquenchable thirst for justice.  Everywhere you look, God is good.  His goodness pervades nature, reality, thought, society, and the world.  You don’t need to look far to find God’s goodness because it truly is in everything.  But what is crazy is that all of this goodness is the antithesis of who I am (or was?  if you want to be particular about it).  His holiness is the literal anathema of my sinful nature.

But in all things, the sun also rises.

Whether or I live or die, whether I accept Him or not, whether I love or do not, whether I even draw breath or not, He is good.

He is good despite me, He is good regardless of me.  His greatness extends far beyond eternity, and back again.

So crazy, and unfathomable.  And yet here we are, tiny specks in the vastness of the universe.  Tiny specks amidst such a greater picture.  Extras in a movie.  A fraction of a paint stroke in the background of a portrait.

How easy it is to lose sight of the big picture.

God is so unfathomably good.