The Active Christian

Psalm 105:1-5

"Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
seek His presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that He has done,
His miracles, and the judgments He uttered."

I was reading this this morning, and noticed how many active verbs there are:

-Give [thanks]
-Call [upon His name]
-Make [known His deeds among the peoples]
-Sing [to Him]
-Tell [of all His wondrous works]
-Glory [in His holy name]
-Seek [the LORD and His strength...His presence continually]
-Remember [the wondrous works that He has done]

This is nothing profound, but it really struck me this morning: the Christian life ought to be an active one. There is no room for complacency or passivity. In everything we do, we ought to be doing it for God! "Do" being the keyword. We should never stop doing, even if our doing is just simply remembering.

My Favorite Worship Songs [as of right now]

Lead Me To The Cross

Savior I come
Quiet my soul
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord, I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Oh, lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The Word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now You're risen

To Your heart
To Your heart
Lead me to Your heart
Lead me to Your heart



From The Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in Your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Neverending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Neverending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Neverending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the insdie out, my soul cries out

Perspectives

This morning I was reading Psalm 102. It starts out, "Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress!" For the next eleven verses, the Psalmist goes on to describe all his woes, focusing mostly on how he's wasting away. He uses a strong word picture in verse nine, and I couldn't help but think how deeply distressed he is: "I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears in my drink."

But verse 12 changes tone abrubtly. The Psalmist suddenly writes, "But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever." He got a new perspective. He was deeply focused on all his woes, but then he remembered his God! He continues his praises of God through verse 17, where his change of attitude is revealed: "He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer." Not only has he realized that God is so much bigger than Him, he sees that God hears his pathetic cries for help. Through the rest of the Psalm his awe and dedication to God is revealed. Verses 19-20 say, "From heaven the LORD looked at earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die."

In verses 23-24 it seems he has a brief spell of remembering his woes, but in verse 25 he jumps right back to praising God, who remains forever!

This reminded me that in the midst of what seems like a crazy life, a life where I never stop running, always have something to stress about, God is still God. I needed a new perspective, the one the Psalmist gained. I need to stop focusing on me and start focusing on God, the eternal and perfectly holy plan He has for His creation. Praise God that He is above all, even the smallest detail, and the stressful things in my life are there to accomplish God's holy will!