She says nothing of what she thinks / She just goes stumbling through her memories
Staring out on to Grey Street / She thinks, "Hey, how did I come to this?
I dream myself a thousand times around the world / But I can't get out of this place"
There's an emptiness inside her / And she'd do anything to fill it in
But all the colors mix together / To grey
And it breaks her heart /How she wishes it was different
Most destructive habit . . . Worry
Greatest loss . . . Loss of Self-Respect
Ugliest personality trait . . . Selfishness / Ungratefulness (Tie)
Crippling shortcut to success . . . Making Excuses
Never a good idea . . . Spreading Gossip
The deadliest weapon . . . The Tongue
Most worthless emotion . . . Self-pity
Greatest problem to overcome . . . Fear
During one of our weekly discussions we talked about if you could really know for sure, I mean absolutely sure, that you were saved and a child of God. He had a great answer, "First, I always ask people if they love Jesus with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and with all their strength?" (Mark 12:30) Most people will usually respond with a candid, "No". All of us can quickly recall deficiencies in our affection for Jesus Christ, because if we loved Christ perfectly, we would obey Him in all things. This is simply not the case for the majority of the human race.
His second question went like this, "So do you love Jesus like you should?" If the first answer was no, then the second answer also had to be no because even though we are supposed to love Him perfectly, we don't. In this area of our lives rests the tension that we often experience in regard to our salvation.
It will happen. Those words will echo in the hearts and minds of many for all of eternity. And yet, on that day many will be surprised . . .
Let me ask you something, when you look back on your week how many of these things showed up in your completed column? "Perform miracles", "Drive out demons", "Prophesy in the name of Jesus" Anyone? Yet Jesus said that on Judgement Day this is what countless men and women who thought they were working on His behalf will say and hear, "'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23)
I used to write this verse off since I believed that Jesus was only talking about false prophets and fake disciples – definitely not me. But then I read it again. These ‘false teachers’ actually prophesied, cast out demons and did miracles. I’ve never cast out a demon or performed a miracle or prophesied in Jesus’ name. And if someone were walking around today doing all these things I would probably consider them a super-Christian.
Another one of the key things that we cannot miss in this scripture is the fact that they were surprised! They didn't have a clue that they were not true followers of Jesus, in fact, they saw themselves as active participants in His Kingdom. They fully expected to hear Jesus say, ‘well done’ as they would be escorted into their faithful reward. How did they miss the fact that they were lost? How did they so inaccurately misjudge the trajectory of their life? And how do we keep from doing the same?
This whirlwind of activities, noise, information, attractions, and distractions of our post-modern lives can leave us feeling exhausted, confused, and disconnected from God. So how do we find calm centers in the storm where we can rest and focus on God?
Did you know that Aslan is the Turkish and Mongolian word for “lion?” It is also the name of the lion in C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.
Lions are the second largest of the big cats, after tigers.
I was working as the Media Director for our church at the time and one of my favorite memories was shooting some video footage in the Holy of Holies, alone and late in the evening, imagining what it must have been like for the High Priest when he pulled back the last veil and encountered the Almighty God . . .
I think that, especially in our modern day, that we have heard so much about God that we have perhaps lost sight of the majesty of God. There is a tendency to profane holy things by making them common, ordinary, perhaps even mundane. Yet scripture continually reminds us that God is a Holy God, and sin is not tolerated in His presence. The habits and choices that we so casually make, God does not view in that same light. Yes, God is love, and He has provided a way of forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus, but sin is still repulsive in His presence. I'm reminded of the verse, "The prayers of a righteous man availath much." Because the opposite fact is also true, that the prayers of a unrighteous man, who casually flirts with the grace of God, are met with silence from Heaven.
1) If they believe in God, then they would probably agree that God is aware of, and allows all events in our lives because He promises that everything will turn out for good if we are obedient to Him. (Romans 8:28)
2) If they don't believe in God, then they probably believe that we are in charge of our own destiny and everything that happens is based on our choices with an element of chance and luck mixed into the equation. There is either no God, or if there is a God He could care less about the details of our lives.
The problem with the first answer is obvious, if God is allowing everything that touches our lives than He is allowing evil to produce pain, tragedy, and death in everyone who is walking the planet. Which either means He is powerless to stop the influence of evil, or He doesn't care who gets hurt in the great scheme of things, or He is allowing evil to run unchecked (it seems) for reasons that He alone can comprehend. This explanation immediately ushers us toward the crossroads of our faith.
