Proverbs 16:6

"Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man aviods evil."

I want to comment on the last half of the verse, if we really fear the Lord - which is to revere Him, love Him, serve Him, represent Him, to my understanding - we are to aviod evil.
It is like a cause and effect relationship, through fearing the Lord we avoid evil. Think about that.
How come I am attracted and go towards evil a lot of the time, because it looks good, feels good and so on, it makes me wonder if I take the fear of the Lord seriously enough. Or if I have a certain understanding of it and just stop there. I want to be continually seeking the Lord and learning what it means to fear the Lord every day! It is a process, and through that process, we learn to aviod evil and stay away from the things that are offensive to God. Interesting isn't it?

Hillsong United - Hosanna

Verse 1

I see the king of glory
Coming down 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

Chorus
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

Verse 2
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a new revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees

Bridge
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 for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Hosanna


I love this song, we need to be a generation that rises up to take our place and do so with selfless faith, we need to live for others in this sinful world.
I love the line "break my heart for what breaks yours." I want to hate sin, and I want to be sensative to the things that break God's heart. I want to care about the things that God cares about, and I want it to transform my heart.

Language

My heart breaks to hear the language that people use today. Especially Christians, we swear and tell dirty jokes, and criticize and belittle our own friends. I am including myself in this as well, but God has been working in me over the last while and I am really starting to notice it all around me.

As representators of Christ, we need to cut out the bad language and the hurtful talk and start encouraging people, and let our conversations be glorifying to the Lord.


"Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." - James 3:10

Comparing Gifts

I am reading a book called If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat, and in the second chapter, it talks about the gifts that God has given us. He is the Lord of the Gift.

The author talks about comparing one's gifts to your own. We must not compare our gifts to what other people have. God has given each one of us our own gifts so that we may glorify His name. God has a purpose for each of us and He has entrusted us with everything that we need to fulfill that purpose. Sometimes we bury those gifts because we think that other people are better than we are, and when we do that, we completely throw away what God has given us.

I have been struggling with comparison over the last little while, I see so many people who can play the guitar better than me, or who can lead worship better than me, but that is a dangerous attitude and view to have. God wants us to use the gifts He has given us, "comparison is not an adequate excuse for the tragedy of an unopened gift...fear is not an excuse...comfort is not an excuse."

So be challenged and encouraged, that God has given you everything you need to use your gifts, it is not that someone is better than you, it is that they are different and God has equipped them differently.

What have you been comparing yourself to recently?