I See the King of Glory

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

It's rare that I can express what I feel completely in sink with lyrics from a praise song, but I've been really meditating on these words. As I prepare to begin a new sermon series on Jonah, I realize how all of us to some degree are running from God. Not literally running in the sense that we are being rebellious, but more indiscriminately; subtly. We conduct business, live our lives from day to day, going through the motions and we don't realize how racial, how discriminatory, how offensive we are in our disposition. We refuse to see from God's perspective how he has labored and invested even in the lives of our social, political and religious enemies. It's not that we can't see from God's perspective; not that we can't be broken with what breaks the heart of God; we just simply refuse. On the contrary, Jesus defused; the hatred Jews demonstrated, the disdain of the teachers of the law, even the betrayal of his disciples.... Why? Cuz I believe he saw the kingdom of God; he was the King of Glory. When will we see it? When will we realize that the same God who lavishly showed his grace and mercy to us desires the same for those who we deem "unworthy"? When will the vision of the kingdom of God capture our hearts, our minds and all that we are to become a genuine follower of Christ?
I pray that NOW is the time....

Atheist's Confession

“If I firmly believed, as millions say they do, that the knowledge & practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, then religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyment as dross, earthly cares as follies, & earthly thoughts & feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, & my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I should labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of Eternity. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences would never stay my hand, or seal my lips. Earth, its joys & its griefs, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon Eternity alone, & on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world & preach to it in season & out of season, & my text would be, what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world & loses his own soul?”

Challenging I would say....