these lyrics tell a story...

"He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us all,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is our portion and we are His prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And the heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Yeah, He loves us"
- He Loves Us (abridged), by John Mark McMillan

These lyrics tell a story. As John 1 has been so fresh in my mind and my life these past two weeks, this song has captured my attention. It's the story of the mysterious creator of the universe loving us so much that he, himself became a part of creation to redeem us. No matter how far we may wander, his desire is for our returning. He continues to show his love for us. This song was introduced to me by my good friend Matt LeRoy, and performed at Southern Wesleyan's Spiritual Emphasis week by Dustin and Miriam Ah Kuoi.

Check it out on itunes if you have a chance!

Acts 5:12-42

I've been reading in Acts chapter 5 for the last few days...I am both amazed and convicted. Even before chapter 5, but especially in it, Peter and the Apostles are out healing people, teaching them about Jesus Christ and many lives are being changed. The Apostles are arrested, beaten and imprisoned, then when they are released, every time, they are told not to teach or even mention the name of Jesus again. As soon as they leave the presence of the priests and scribes, they go out from the temple right back to it.

But why? Maybe it's because an angel freed them from prison? Maybe it's because they find joy in suffering? Maybe it is because God told them to teach the words of life? Yeah, maybe it's all of these things...

But what about me, what about us??? As Christians we have been set free from prison, we have been told to count ourselves blessed if we suffer as Christ did, and God has told us to Go - make disciples. Still, day in and day out I keep the message to myself. I'm afraid people will think I'm a freak for talking about Jesus, and I don't want to offend anyone. On top of that, I'm lazy. I'm not really even in danger of being beaten or imprisoned. What then...are any of these good excuses? I guess not.

Lord, I pray,for myself and anyone reading this, that today you may put someone in our paths that we may share the Gospel message with. Give me the eyes to recognize him or her. Give me the boldness to speak up and share the message and the the love that you've so willingly shared with me. It's all about you. In Jesus name, Amen.