"For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."1 Corinthians 6:20
Purchased For His Glory
Joy, Madagascar and The Gospel!!!!
My daughter love’s the movie Madagascar. Seriously!! By the way she refers to it as “Marty”, which is one of the characters in the movie, andrea and I thinks it’s hilarious. she can watch this movie over and over and over and over and over and over and over you get the picture. And each time she watches it, I tell you the truth , its as if she’s just watching it for the first time she’s laughing and smiling and talking filled with complete joy! I remember asking andrea one day after putting the DVD in for the 17th hundred time “why is she so excited about watching this movie” I don’t remember her reply but I think it went something like “As long as she’s setting down i am fine with it” I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the response but for the sake of the story l’ll leave it. However, it still bothered me for some worried reason that she wanted to watch that movie repeatedly. Until the other day when I was riding down the road thinking about the Gospel. At that moment it dawned on me that Nyla enjoys Madagascar because it brings her Great Joy!!!! Just as the Gospel brings Me Great Joy!!!! Now the difference between the two are huge. Alex the lion can’t dare compare to the Lion of Judah(Jesus)!!! But the obvious remain and that’s the reoccurrence of something that Brings you Great Joy do not produce boredom. And that’s what the Gospel does for me regardless of how many times I’ve heard it. God extending His free gift of mercy and grace to us through Christ Jesus who paid my sin debt with His life!!! Yet while we were sinners Christ died!!! I could hear this a million times and rejoice. Nothing about the Gospel is boring and God used Madagascar as an avenue to draw me closer to my daughter and her joy and closer to Him through the Joy He has giving me. What brings you Great Joy? And is God seen in or through it?
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Do you believe this? Lets see an example
The Proud
“I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”
The Humble
“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
The Grace
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The question is which one are you?
Honestly I can see myself falling in The Proud category often than i desire due to sinful thinking or sin period! And in this thinking I’ve allowed myself to forget the glorious Gospel of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ whom according to the scriptures died for us while we were still sinners. And who at the present moment lives because of our justification a justification that is not our own but a justification that comes from and belong to him!!! and I believe this justification through Christ is the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees spoken about in Matthew 5:20. I believe that there is also more to be said about this statement made by Jesus in Matthew 5 but my augment is that ultimately the righteousness that places us in the kingdom of heaven must be more than moral in it of itself it must be a divine Righteousness beyond our ability to produce.
So what are you proud or humble?
But through your work on the cross,
You brought life abundantly,
I oppose to the view that you never ever died, you was crushed for our lust you was crushed for our pride, you was crushed for our sins committed by all men, against a holy God who’s just and sovereign, by your strips we were healed, all on your behalf, no more beef with the king Romans 8 did the math, now I focus on the fact that your love will never lack,
I was dead in my sins till the day you brought me back, Know I want to make you famous like them dudes up in Acts, constantly screaming Maranatha till the day you coming back.
On you is where my focus be,
This is like my Eulogy, So when it’s said done I pray people will see you in me,”
Some mornings I get up struggling with praise and that’s because I have allowed the beauty of God and his mighty works not to be my primary focus. And like the psalmist I have to remind myself who God is and what he have chosen to do toward me. Benefits!!!!!! Please don’t forget! Stir yourself up to praise because he is worthy. Who is like Him!
A couple of young gunners I spend my Friday nights with. These dudes won the championship last night!!!
Funny to some but not so funny to me!!! My boi dropped me off at the airport last Friday to catch a early morning flight down south(Home Sweet Home Baby). Unfortunately, on my behalf, that morning my boi wanted to do some payback for getting him up out of bed so early. So taking advantage of my lack of experience in flying he saw fit to crack a few jokes which resulted in me freaking out. He’s not alone two nights prior my brother said to me over the phone “Hey you know they shutoff the engines once y’all make it a couple thousand feet up!” What? Ok, I don’t have a hint of aviation knowledge but that didn’t sound close to being right plus who shutoff engines on something that big and heavy. But hey maybe I’m wrong anyway it was enough information to plant the seed of fear. But here’s a brighter note! My dude looked at me and laughed and quoted to me this verse :”He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” I was like wow!!! Hebrews how could I forget as if the pilot or the engine had all to do with me not plummeting to my death!!!!! It’s Christ who holds it all together!!!! It’s by his word!!! As lone as he speaks I fly when he stop speaking I fall. That one verse shattered all my fears and brought me closer into the presents of God!!!!!! Who is like Him!!!!! To be continue………………
