Finally, I Surrender

The Lost Coin

I was reading the "parable of the lost coin" yesterday, and something struck me that never stood out before. Honestly, I have always looked over this short parable and chalked it up to what it was- It was about sinners coming to Christ.

"Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" Luke 15:8-10

I began to chew on it a little more yesterday and sort of put myself in the lady's shoes. First of all, I think, "If I lost a $100 bill, which is around the equivalent, I'd be cleaning everything too!" But one thing I'd like to point out...just because that $100 bill was lost, it still didn't lose its value. Even though I couldn't spend it, it was still worth $100. Just because something is lost, does not mean that it doesn't have value.

Its just like this with the lost (without Christ), and it is also like this with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. God has created all of us for a purpose. We all have a purpose because God creates us for a reason. So, just because someone goes astray, does not mean that they do not have gifts, special abilities or goals that God has created them to do. It is our job to find them and bring them back. If we look at our brothers and sisters just like we would that of something of value to us that is lost...we'd all be working to find people and give them to Christ. Everyone is valuable in God's eyes.

We tend to turn on people as they fall away. Instead, its us that should be diligently finding them to take them back to Christ. Its not until we completely surrender to Christ that we are going to be able to understand that this is part of our purpose. Last night I sang the song "Finally I Surrender" by Misty Edwards. Its about finally letting God take the driver's seat in our lives. He can't be the potter if we, as clay, are only moldable in some places and hard in others. Why? Because we then only become PART of what He wants us to me...PART of our full potential.

When we worship, we are not only praising and thanking God, we are surrendering to him. I challenge you to seek God like you would diligently seek that lost $100 bill. Move "heaven and earth" to find HIM. Once you finally surrender, I mean REALLY surrender, to Him, you will look for your fellow lost brothers and sisters with diligence so that they experience Him for the first time, or have a renewal with him as well. One thing you should NEVER forget: HE ALWAYS IS SEEKING YOU...just as the precious treasure you are.

That was my worship theme last night.

Redeeming Love

There is no greater love than Agape love. Redeeming love...

John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” I think sometimes we get love mixed up with what it really is. For one, I don't believe love is a feeling, and two, I don't believe it is out of our control. True love is Agape love...it is REDEEMING LOVE.

Last night, as I was leading worship, I started to think about Jesus' love - and the different levels that His love transcends. Here on Earth, we experience different types of love, but do we really understand His love? There is, in fact, only one type of love that is a feeling, best explained by the (Ancient) Greek word for it – έρως, pronounced “eros” – where we get our word “erotic” from. Eros is sexual love, the love which in the Bible is only associated as either the love between a man and his wife, or between two people having a sinful sexual affair. The love we should feel for our sisters in Christ (which is the only true biblical status of a “boyfriend” or a “girlfriend”) is both φιλία (“phileo/phillia”) and αγάπη (“agape”). Phileo love is the love felt between brothers and sisters, or between good friends (ex: Philadelphia – The City Of Brotherly Love). It is best known in the English as “brotherly love.” Agape love is unconditional, self-sacrificing, thoughtful love for another person, most commonly seen in God’s love for us in sending His Son to die on the cross for us. His love is Agape love.

Song of Soloman illustrates Eros love. Its the kind of love we feel when someone walks in the room and our heart loses control. Its thinking about someone every second of every day...we'll all experience this in some way in our lives, and it is a treasure! However, there is more...

Phileo love, again, we've all experienced this at some point in our lives. We love our friends, we love the people we care about, and this is a great feeling...to love and be loved. Jesus showed this kinds of love, we see this with his disciples. Still, there is more...

Agape love. Unconditional Love. Redeeming Love. The kind of love that says even when I make a mess of things, even when I fall short, even when I act like an idiot, I'm still loved. Not only that, but I will be loved MORE, and be made a better person BECAUSE of your love. That's Christ's love. There is no greater love story than that of the gospels. The story that shapes a lot of our lives and changes us forever. The story that makes or breaks your life as a follower of Christ. The story that shows a love that encompasses all other love. Redemption.

When I sing certain songs, I think about different things. Although my song-list was geared towards God's spirit coming down, hence, "Rain Down," "Open the Flood Gates," and "Freedom Reigns," I kept thinking about how much I am thankful for His love. I am thankful that He can redeem me every time I mess up, every time I fall short. This is why I love leading worship - because I can help convey this message of love to people. When you love, I believe that one of the best ways to show is is by worshipping that person. Not like building a shrine or anything crazy, but your actions, your words, your thoughts are geared all to whom you love. I DO THIS THROUGH MUSIC.

I read a book recently called "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. This book was powerful...seriously! It was life-changing. The reason it was so powerful is because it demonstrated that a person, although a fictional story, can love like Christ can. Although not perfect, we are still capable of Agape love.

What I am capable of is worshipping Him as best as I know how - yes, through music. Music is expressive, lyrically and emotionally: it touches our emotions. Worshipping, in whatever way, all comes down to this one point: It is His love that redeems - no human love can touch it. As we approach Valentine's day, don't forget about the ONLY ONE who is capable of redeeming you completely...Jesus.

"For God so loved the world..." The ultimate love story. You need a reason to worship? Read the gospels. Pastor Julian Bermudes said this weekend at the church retreat something I consider a very profound statement: "You want to know love, understand Redemption."

Will You Be There?

Will You Be There?

In Hebrews 13:5 God says "I will never leave you; I will never forsake you."

As I was listening to this song today, I started to think about how God never leaves us...it's us that leaves Him. We know that we are created to worship him. How many of us get lost in the logistics of worship? You know, the lifting of our hands, singing on key, closing our eyes, dancing, or however else you may worship. Today I sit here and I think, "yes, we are commanded to do these things, but its where our heart is that makes worship true and sincere. In Lamentations 3:41, we are told to "lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." I take this as, don't just lift your hands for show, mean it. When you lift those hands, surrender yourself to God; when you sing those lyrics, MEAN THEM.

The answer to my question, "Will you be there?" is yes. He is ALWAYS there. I tell you, I can worship God for this and this alone, yet I have a billion more reasons to worship Him. He's there when we are falling down, when we are cold, when our hearts are turned against him, in the midst of sin and trial, and He's there to celebrate with us in the good times. Unconditional love...WOW! What a treasure that is.

Its only through Him we find true peace. It's only through Him we find rest. He's there guys, always. I think of these Misty Edwards lyrics that say, "I don't wanna talk about You like you're not in the room, I wanna sing right to you..." How many of us can find ourselves with nothing to worship Him for if we know He is always there. Chris Tomlin says, "You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same." And you know what? He does. He really does.

So next time you find yourself wondering if you can make it through something, be reminded that "He will never leave you or forsake you," and fall on your knees and worship.

Yes, He WILL be there...