Wonder on my Mind

     Lately, the sense and presence of wonder in our lives as humans has been on my mind. We love to share encounters in which we feel that lovely sense of awe. Standing at the brink of the Grand Canyon, watching the display of colors at daybreak, or sitting under the brilliance of starlight; despite the majority of us not having equipment or skill to fully capture the moment, we still try to do so. We, as humans, are wired to want to share these moments, these feelings. We want to share this joy that we feel so deeply with the world. 

    Is this not the same, if not more so, the way we Christians ought to relate to Christ Jesus? We have the witnessed the most glorious Beauty, been privy to the most marvelous Experience possible, but it doesn’t stop there. He isn’t just an experience or one time sense of wonder. He is glory in human flesh, God as man. Sure, we may be amateurs with our camera phones, but we can still try to share Him with the world. Our faith isn’t something to be kept secret, it is a relationship to be celebrated every minute of every day. We who once were dead have been made alive by Him, our Savior King. Is this not so much greater than the majesty of the grandest scenery? Is this not more stunning than the most beautiful sight? We do not serve a deaf idol of wood or clay or metal, but the very much alive Creator of the universe, everything bright and beautiful, creatures great and small, all things great and glorious.

E V E R Y T H I N G

    That’s something to share. So don’t be deterred by the fact that you’re not a pro with a degree in theology. Tell what you know. You were dead, but you have been made alive. Point people to the beauties of the Gospel of Jesus, the wonders of the Bible. Don’t keep it to yourself.

Encourage One Another

Music is life-giving. Music can effect moods. In 1 Samuel, the servants of Saul understood that music was a powerful antidote to spiritual oppression, which is what the Lord uses to bring David into the court of the king. In many other places in Scripture, we find examples of the weapon of song being used to combat depression, guilt, etc. but not only to fight the bad, but to spur on and replace what is wrong with what is right; joy, repentance, etc. Singing worship songs that declare truths about the greatness of our God, lyrical theology as it were, has a way of setting our minds right and lifting our spirits. We can see wonderful examples of this throughout Psalms, especially David's writings (Psalm 22, 130, 131; to name just a few). David sings his confessions as he is honest with God about where his heart is at, but he doesn't stop there. He turns his eyes from himself and fixes them on the Almighty and his perspective is set right. In the same way, as we bow down in holy surrender before the righteous King of the universe and glorify His name, our struggles are put in their place. There are times, however, when we feel the reality of our inability to do this by ourselves and we are unable to find our joy and peace in the all-sufficient goodness of our great God (it goes without saying that this does not imply any failing  on Christ's part, because He never fails us). It is at these times that fellowship with fellow believers is vitally important. We have to come alongside and encourage one another, stirring one another on to good deeds (we also need to press on in our personal times and not give up because it has become difficult to find joy in Christ, Who is the only complete and satisfying joy). In Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18b-20, Paul says, "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," (ESV) and again in Colossians chapter 2 verse 16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (ESV) This might look different for all of us, but here are a few ideas: sharing a passage of scripture (the Bible is a source of encouragement for any season of life), a song via a music streaming service, singing truth to one another -- if that's weird, even texting or reading a song lyric to a friend. A great example of this comes from the recent track by Hillsong titled "Good Grace:" //don't let your heart be troubled/hold your head up high/don't fear no[sic] evil/fix your eyes on this one truth/God is madly in love with you/so take courage hold on/be strong remember where our help comes from// (doesn't that just put a smile on your face??) 

and, better yet, from Scripture itself: 

Psalm 9:9-10 "The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in You,  for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." (ESV)

Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, 

because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." (ESV)

Those are only two of the myriads that can be found in the living and active Word. Scripture is full of life-giving passages.

I apologize, I have been jumping around quite a bit, but I will leave you with this:

Be active in searching for ways to encourage our brothers and sisters. Christ is risen, He is alive, and He is our joy. He is our life and, as long as we are in Him, we have this source of life -- the only source of true life -- to share with others. So let's be life-givers. Encourage the body of Christ with song.

The Desiring God website has a phenomenal article written by Pastor John Piper about "ambushing Satan with song." It was written way back in 1985 but is still extremely relevant and encouraging and speaks to how our singing in worship actually can combat our spiritual enemy. I cannot recommend it highly enough (you can either listen to or read the transcript of it). It says what I am trying to say in a much more eloquent way (I mean, it's John Piper, so duh, but still).

til next time,

Simeon

With All Disrespect to Death...

a family gravesite in Edinburgh, Scotland
photographed Sept. 2018

I've been listening to O Praise the Name (Anastasis) by Hillsong quite a bit lately. I am regularly awestruck by the beauty in the rich theology and simple melody of the hymn. My favorite part, debatably, is in the third verse where we declare, “Oh trampled death, where is your sting? The angels roar for Christ the King”. I wish my voice could shout louder every time I come to this stanza because my heart screams in gratitude to our great Almighty Who did the trampling of that death and its curse. As much as I have been reveling in the English version, I have also been enjoying it in the Russian recording. The same part is said in a different (yet similar) way. Rather than addressing death, the heavens cry out that Christ has trampled death. I realized that the verb (попрал, - poprahl - past tense of the infinitive попрать) that is used was not familiar to me - although I understood it in context - so I looked it up. I was not prepared for what I read. It means “trample,” for sure, but it’s more violent than just "to trample." It means: to rudely or cruelly disrupt, stomp on, or break up; to trample. It may seem like a small differentiation, but it shed light for me on the extent to which Christ violated death. He removed, for the believer, any hold that the curse of death and the grave has on us. But not just for us. For. His. Glory. And we get to join Him in His mission to bring life to the dead, as we once were... all for the fame and glory and declaration of Him and His saving work. Although we still die, the spiritual death that was death's sting no longer holds power because of His saving work. That is good news, indeed. 

Little bits go long ways...

Did you know that January 21st is National Hugging Day? It just so happens that this year, it is also Martin L. King Jr. Day. I think that’s quite fitting. Our country seems more racially and politically divided than ever before. The opposing sides of the isle oppose each other more and more on the basis of party rather than the basis of issues that matter. Today we remember a man who literally gave his life in the pursuit of racial equality and true — not social — justice. A hug isn’t going to fix the world, but every little but goes a long way. Can we do that? Can we show a little bit more kindness despite how much we disagree with another person’s opinion? “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 ESV). We’re not talking about a condescending soft answer either, that doesn’t help one bit. Give someone a hug today, even if it’s only in memory of the man we celebrate today. Show kindness. Love mercy. Let’s all show a little more respect. Little by little, it’ll make the world less harsh. 

Much love,

Simeon

On Death and What is to Come

Last night, the song “It is not Death to Die” played on my phone and, as I listened to it, my mind was drawn to those I know that have gone on before me. I see a healed Mrs. Reich, worshipping Jesus without a hint of cancerous pain. I see Cousin Scottie, a wide grin plastered on his face, shouting for joy and lifting the arms, arms that were so long rendered useless by ALS, in praise of the Great Physician. I see R.C. Sproul, breathing without the help of an oxygen tank, singing as he beholds the unimaginable glory that he declared for decades. The glory of the Great I Am. 

I think of these few and I am innocently jealous that they have beat me home... but then I am reminded that they ran their race, I have a few more laps to go. I know my day will come, as fast as the blink of an eye, and I don’t fear that day at all. I pray that, when I do reach those beautiful gates, I will have left a similar impact on those who knew me. That when I’m gone, people won’t imagine that “heaven got another angel” but that I will have lived in such a way that no one will doubt where I will be. For I will be bowing at the feet of my King, all my struggles a thing of the past, finally made wholly without sin through His blood. 

Still, I am content to live on, however long He has written for me. I will receive the blessings with gratitude and the trials with faith. One day I’ll make it home. Oh my! What a day that will be!

Children’s Script— Grown Up Truth

I had the pleasure of attending a children’s nativity pageant on Christmas Eve and, in the innocence and simplicity of the adorable production, I was struck by the preposterous nature of the whole affair. That the God of all creation, the Almighty who keeps the universe in motion, would abandon His place to save those who would eventually kill Him will never not astound me. But I was taken aback by a new facet of the glorious story. It was a line that one of the little shepherds had. It’s not that I didn’t already know it, but rather that I had never really paid attention to the symbolism of the whole affair until this moment (or what’s more likely is that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to be destroyed by the naked truth). “Why would the angel come to us? We’re nothing special,” the one said to another. “What gift could we bring to such a great King?” As I sat in that quaint little church I realized God didn’t tell the shepherds merely because He was extending His love to the outcasts, although He most certainly was also doing that. He called those who had nothing but themselves to bring to the manger throne. This is the heart of the Gospel. Chris Tomlin sings it best, “/if I were a wise man/I would travel far/and if I were a shepherd/I would do my part/but poor as I am/I will give to him my all/“ He paid the price that a thousand lifetimes could never repay, and the response He desires is a life lived in seemingly reckless abandon for Him. It is a response to a the gift, not an earning of that gift. I pray that, despite my lack of eloquence, you’ll see the heart of what I’m saying. We can’t ever give a gift that compares to the One we’ve been given, but we can live our lives in humble reflection of the gratitude we have for that most wondrous gift. 

Merry Christmas, guy,

Simeon

That Book Post

Woooooah, two blog posts in as many weeks? What is happening? Haha, don’t get used to it because I can’t guarantee this type of consistency, but— as promised— here is a post that will include a couple reviews of books that I have devoured recently.

Gospel-Formed by J.A. Medders

I cannot — I repeat “CANNOT”— recommend this book highly enough. I believe I got it a year or two ago through a special deal on either Tim Challies’ website or the Gospel Coalition’s. Regardless, I regret not picking it up earlier. I had no idea the treasure trove of encouragements, tender rebukes, and exhortations to joy in Christ are hidden in the pages of this devotional. It is so packed full of scripture that, although I am being slightly hyperbolic, if every Bible on earth was destroyed, you could still have it entirely from the pages of this book. Paired with my personal devotion time (and by the wonderful power of the Holy Spirit) my love for and devotion to Christ has expanded so much more than I thought it could! Now, I only want more. Seriously. MUST READ.

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain by Matt Chandler and Jared C. Wilson

Another “wow, Simeon, if you had only known” moment (actually, many of those moments). I’ve had this in my iBooks library for at least three years, and although I started it around the time I bought it, I lost interest a couple chapters in. HOW?! HOW DID YOUNGER ME LOSE INTEREST IN THIS GEM?! I thought that I understood what Paul means by the verse which is the title of this book. So much, in fact, that I have Ж Х С П (the first letter in every word in the Russian translation: Жизнь (life)- Христос  (is Christ), Смерть (death)- Приобретение (is gain)) tattooed on my arm. I was so wrong. Now, although I do have a more thorough understanding, I feel like there is so much more to learn. I’m not going to say much else besides “Dear friend. Read. This. Book.” (It’s only twelve chapters). Your faith will be so very uplifted and the truth of Philippians will ring true in your hearts. I’ll leave you with the final quote of the book “To live truly is Christ. And to die is incomparable, infinite gain.” May those words be truer than ever in your life.

Sovereign Grace by D.L. Moody

This one is a collection, mainly, of sermons by him on the title, but the end has three pretty cool interviews that he did with other prominent pastors of his day (sadly, my hero Charles Spurgeon is not one of those). This one was free in iBooks some time ago and, again, I had no idea what I’ve been sitting on. Please don’t make the mistake I did, but rather, go find a copy and read it! I honestly did not realize how deep into reformed theology Mr. Moody was, but now, my goodness, I want to read more of his writings! It has been said by many a Christocentric pastor, but I will quote him here (hopefully this will inspire you to crack open Sovereign Grace’s pages) “We work from the cross, not to it. We work because we are saved, not in order to be saved. We work from salvation, not up to it. Salvation is the gift of God.”  

Although there are several more books that I would like to tell you about (most by Pastor John Piper), I will leave it be... for now. I would like to clarify, too, that all these books have given me a better love for Scripture and —thank you so much, Holy Spirit!— I am able to more fully see and savor Christ and “the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in him” (paraphrase of Colossians 2:3). I hope that you will pick up one of these priceless writings and that, through them, you will gain a deeper love for our wonderful Savior and Friend, Jesus Christ. 

I will try very hard to write again soon!

Not since February? This is getting ridiculous.

I’m done saying “I’m going to try to be more consistent” because... well, apparently that’s not going to happen. I don’t get paid for this (could you tell?) and my real job has me pretty busy as of late. A few songs have been written, tattoos gotten, and a lot of life has been lived.  I hope this post finds you guys in good health, if my two readers are still around haha. Have I told you about my church? I am blessed to be a part of the Passion City Church house.  w o w  g u y s . Let me tell you what, best eight-hour work day of my week. “Eight hours?!” you may say, and yes. I GET to wake up at 4:45am so that I can make it to church by 5:30am and help prepare the house ready for the gathering. We rent the Howard Theatre in DC and get there early so that we can, not only load in all our equipment, but also clean up from whatever event happened the night before. It’s a blast. Is it a saying that  “work is only as fun as the people you work with”?  Well, it should be, because this day of work doesn’t feel like it. Not even at 14-1430 when I get home not even needing a nap. The song says it so well “Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in the city.” (God of this City, artist). God is moving in DC people, and I am so thankful to be along for the ride. If you ever in the DC area on a Sunday, stop by! The gathering (the Passion City word for ‘service’— you’ll have to come to find out why) starts at 10:30am, but doors open at 9:45am! 

I am going to call this next section “A little late to the party” because, well, you’ll see...

The year is already so close to being over. There is so much that I have not written about that I probably should have at some point. I mean, it feels like just yesterday was A Quiet Place. Anyone? I only saw it once in theaters because, honestly, I don’t think I could have handled any more times. As a rule, I don’t care for horror movies, but oh. my. gosh. Masterpiece. Speaking of shock, I’m not going to talk in detail about how I feel in regards to Infinity War except to say that I was for sure in stunned by the ending (familiarity with the comics still doesn’t prepare you for that). Oh, one more thing, they probably should have killed off far fewer characters that have more movies coming out because after the initial “what. the. heck?” moment that the audience is left in, any reasonable person knows that (excepting Bucky, Falcon, Vision, and Scarlet Witch) every one of those characters is coming back for part two or three of their own trilogies. Ant-man delivered again and I think that it was, as far as sequels go, definitely one of their best— maybe even better than the original. Speaking of sequels, did anyone else feel that Incredibles II hit a little below the mark? Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but generally, Disney•Pixar delivers sequels that are  equal to, if not better than, the original (Toy Story 2, Monsters University, TOY STORY 3) not to mention it was Brad Bird! Still, D•P has failed us a couple times before (I mean, Brave? Need I say more?) and this wasn’t a failure of that caliber— let me rephrase that, this wasn’t a failure. Just... sub-Parr (I’m trying, guys). 

In keeping with the “Late to the Party” theme, I recently saw “Shutter Island” for the first time and, man, talk about tragic. Another first, “The Prestige.” I’ve gotta say, not a fan. Also, “No Country for Old Men,” not a fan. “I Can Only Imagine,” sobbed my eyes out. “Case for Christ”? ehhh. True story or not, the plot felt disjointed. I love the book though. 

Speaking of books,  I reread “This Present Darkness” and “Piercing the Darkness” again and is it just me, or would those make great thirteen part Netflix shows? I hope it’s not just me because, as long as they were executed properly, I would for sure buy those. Now, to segue into more books or Netflix? We’ll stick with Netflix because the book tangent will be its own post later. Has anyone watched TrollHunters? Sure, it’s a kid’s show, but don’t let that reason shy you away from this gem. For starters, it’s Anton Yelchin’s final work (Yelchin was killed in a tragic car accident a few years ago, he recorded seasons one and two for his character but had to be replaced by Emile Hirsch for season three), but don’t let that be the only reason! It’s a del Toro work of art full of intrigue and mystery, dark (but again, geared towards children, so not too dark) but with a rich story that shouldn’t be left to the kids. Luke Cage’s second set was a step above its already well-done pilot season, and season two of Iron Fist was light years better than it’s maiden thirteen, amiright? I have high hopes for Daredevil Season 3, especially seeing as how the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen has been the best of the Defenders on Netflix. Agree? Disagree?

I think that’s going to wrap up this extended look into my mind from the past few months. If you have any comments or questions, leave it for me down below and I’ll be sure to get back to you. Thanks for reading all the way through! 

The Problem

America is in turmoil. What's new? The most recent cause of division is a shooting in Florida. Everyone knows about it. I am not going to talk about politics or gun rights or gun control, etc. What I want to discuss here, if anyone still reads this (I understand that I haven't been very active in the past few years), is ideology. Beliefs. There are those who want to blame things. Those who want to blame the people who promote those things. They desperately want to point fingers at anything but the actual problem, which is in the heart of man. The cause of this shooting is not some big corporation that has millions of people in membership. The cause is not a government who failed to act on much evidence (although that may have been a factor). The cause of horrific acts of violence like this is something that those who do not believe in a biblical worldview cannot account for. It is sin. Guns do not cause people to want to kill people. Knives do not cause people to want to kill people. Bombs do not cause people to want to kill people. The evil in the heart of man is what causes a human to want to the lives of other humans. The problem is not those who oppose our own viewpoints. For someone to have another viewpoint does not automatically make them a monster. It does not make them a murderer. We need to stop dehumanizing our political opposition, because in dehumanizing them- in reducing them to their opinion- we make them less than human. And (I am paraphrasing Ben Stuart) when we have reduced our thinking about someone to one of their opinions, we can treat them as an opinion. When we have dehumanized someone, we can treat them as less than human. This is the problem with our social media saturated culture. We have begun to see people as words on a screen and have ceased to see our humanity. We have divided into our groups and villified those who aren't in our own groups. We have fallen into an "us vs. them" mentality. Out of this comes the "those who disagree with me are nazis" mentality. This is baseness. This is stupidity. It shows the lack of education, the lack of knowledge we have about who nazis were, about what nazism really is. As a society, we need to focus more on those issues which unite us, rather than on those which divide us. This is not a time for division and divisiveness, but for unity and peace making. We must learn again how to disagree with civility. We must learn how to listen to each other and how to discuss our differences with respectful dignity and not with angered hostility. It is a spirit of division causing the problems not people who think differently. Diversity need not divide us. 

In closing, when you come up against someone with whom you disagree, rather than becoming angry with them for that different opinion, take a moment and listen to them. Be respectful of them, hopefully they will be respectful of you, and let yourself be challenged. Formulate opinions. Don't be reactionary. Be thoughtful. Obviously, this is a good way to approach situations, but there are times when this won't work. In those moments, don't enter into the insults and derogatory behavior. Walk away. Not in an arrogant "I'm better than that" attitude, but in respectful humility. Treat others as human, even if they don't return that kindness. But don't belittle them by saying that you are doing that, though, because that defeats the point.

Don't forget that we are in this together. We all want what is best for OUR country, so let's work together to that end. Not against one another. 

Simeon

I’m back... again.

Wow, I really have to get better at this posting thing. One day I’ll get consistent.
2018. Another year that I am grateful to be living the only life I have to the glory of our great and gloriously precious Savior. I get so caught up in my selfish living that I forget to stop and think about everything that the Father has done for me. Big things like sending the Son to become sin and, in doing so, redeem mankind (not to mention the Son sending the Spirit to dwell in us). But also the little things, like opening up parking spots when there seem to be none. So much has happened this last year, I can’t even begin to write it down for lack of space. One thing that I do want to share, however, is this song that I wrote.
It “came to me”, I guess one might say, during a time of deep depression last fall. Not like, “oh bummer, I had a rough day” blues, but never ever “what’s the point of going on” (by the grace and mercy of Christ, I have never been at that point). Still, it was bad. My point in sharing this is because of what happened next. The Holy Spirit, as He is known to do, convicted me in my self-centered lonely groaning and showed me all the things that He had accomplished in my life. All the people that He had used to help change me. All the work that was yet to be done. Work that could not be accomplished by sitting on the carpet in my living room, depressed about things I couldn’t change. He reminded me that some of the greatest songs of our faith were written by tortured souls in the midst of far worse situations than I was in, and that thought caused me to pour out my own heart to the Father in that moment. I’m not comparing my plush situation with that of the likes of Cowper or Spafford, but this song still comes from a low point in my life and I want to share it with whoever it is reading this now. I pray it will come as an encouragement and a reminder that the Author has written your story perfectly and He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Notice that key word “the”. What Scripture does not tell us is that the Lord works all things together for good. Rather, it is for the good of those who love Him... you may not see it now, but later, you’ll look back and thank Him for His mercy in letting you weather this storm now to learn lessons that will help you in tests to come later. Here it is, if it speaks to you, please share it. Hopefully it will bless others too. (I apologize for the audio quality, I have no other tools at this time)

I would say “I’ll try to be more frequent” but I’m not fooling anyone.

Simeon.

Encourage One Another

I'm going to try to be more consistent with this, guys, but I'm not going to promise because I want my word to start to mean something. Something that has been on my heart quite a bit lately is Colossians 1, but specifically verses 3-4 and 9-12. Paul begins this letter by telling the church at Colassae "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints because of the hope laid up for you in heaven." How often do we, not only thank our Father for the gift of faithful and godly friends, but also express this gratitude to those friends themselves? I hope you do it more than I do. A little gratitude can go a long way. We should live in a constant state of thanks, choosing to see the silver lining on even the worst of storm clouds. Sure, we can be happy people, but happiness is based on circumstances. Scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is to be our strength (Neh. 8:10b). This joy is not based on our circumstances. This joy is a way of life, an attitude towards living. Can we be happy? Absolutely. But, when we lose a job, a friend or family member that was so dear to our hearts, or even an opportunity that we had our hearts set on; although the happiness might flee, we must retain our joy. We must say with Habakkuk "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor the fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God is my strength." (Hab. 3:17-19a). Why must we retain our joy, even though the world falls around us? Because our hope is not anchored on things of earth, which grow strangely dim in His glorious light. No, our joy must hinge on the goodness of our Father. The other part of Colossians that has been in my meditations lately is verses 9-12. 

After encouraging the Colossians to continue in their work and thanking them for their faithfulness, he goes on to say "so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Here we see the two-fold task that is ours; first, we need to express our gratitude to those who God has put in our lives as encouragers; and secondly, we need to return the blessing and be encouragers ourselves, in order to not use people but to be constantly thinking of others. We should, as Paul says here, be praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our request should be like this, asking that God give them a stronger and deeper thirst for Him and His will for our life, as opposed to our plan for our life. 

I encourage you to take a moment, maybe more, and think of someone who encourages you; but don't just think of them. Thank them. Then, find someone who you can encourage in Christ. 

Lord, I Need You

Life is not meant to be lived alone. Life is not meant to be wasted. We, once saved, are not meant to remain in habitual sin. Yet, so often, we misunderstand the purpose of Christ's grace and mercy on the Cross. We fall into sinning that grace may abound. We claim to cling to Christ, but are not abiding in Him. We cry out to our Father for deliverance from sin that we hide in our closets and dark storage spaces, but we really don't want Him to take away this pet sin, this habit that has become so close to our hearts. We stop trusting Him to be the Good Father that we believed Him to be and buy into the lie that He is holding back from us. So we run to our addictions, to our vices and temptations, knowing that they only provide a temporary satisfaction, but not caring because at least there is "satisfaction." We forget that "those who live according to the flesh set their mind on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:5-6). We forget that the Christian walk is not a one and done thing. We don't just pray a prayer at the beginning of this new life and again walk away from Christ. Jesus told us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. (John 14:15) This is not a call for legalism. This is a cry for relationship. We do not deliberately do things to our friends that we know they dislike. It's not because we are trying to earn their favor, but rather we are showing our love for them. With Jesus it is not much different, granted we may recoil at the thought of 'commandment' but He is not just our friend, He is also our Lord. No one can pluck us from His hand, but He can absolutely walk away from us. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23). It is not because He is unjust. Rather, this is because our faith is a two way street. If we don't walk with Him, pursue Him, live according to the His Spirit; we are walking in sin, pursuing sin, and living according to sin. It can be nothing else. There is only a two way street here. The one side leading to Christ and His glory, while the other leads to hell and God's wrath. Don't think for one second that this is peace. No. This is all-out war with the Deceiver. As John Owen said so eloquently, "Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Cry out for a thirst for Jesus. Beg Him for a love for Him that only He can give. He does, indeed, have water that can satisfy our deepest longings, but we have to ask Him for the desire for that water. He said  we would never be thirsty again. That doesn't mean that we won't need water, but we won't be thirsty because we can find all that we need, whenever we need it, in Him. The Living Water. So abandon your pet sins and addictions, the ones you don't want people to know about but that you aren't about to let go. Open your clenched fist and drop this mud at His feet. Like Adam Raccoon, let go of the little red ball that isn't necessarily bad, but is distracting you from King Aaron. Reach up and grasp onto that scarred hand and don't let go, because He won't let go of us. Don't forget that we need Him, oh we need Him. Every hour we need Him. Our one defense, our righteousness, Oh how we need Him. (That was paraphrased from Matt Maher's song "Lord, I Need You" a desperate prayer for relationship with our Savior). 

I hope you find this to be encouraging.

In Christ, the only Savior and our King,

Simeon Charles

the wickedness of our hearts and the righteousness of our savior

"We think with our feelings, it's true. We allow our feelings to guide our thinking, and we shouldn't. Emotions are a wonderful gift from God should. And our relationship with God should bring to our lives strong godly affections. However, our emotions shouldn't be vested with final authority. This should be reserved for God's Word alone." ~ Sinclair Ferguson 

In our day and age, too many Christians, in an innocent attempt to encourage our church family, say, "follow your heart" but these brothers and sisters aren't seeing how misguided and even dangerous this is. Scripture clearly tells us "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9). Don't follow your heart. Don't listen to yourself. Do follow His. He won't lead you astray and His plans are always best. Do pray, like David, for our Father to create in you a clean heart. (Psalm 51:10) because He has promised to give us one (Ezekiel 36:26) We must lift our eyes up and run hard after that crown (the one that we'll be throwing at our Savior's feet). We must fix our gaze on the Lion of Judah and not look to the right or left. Then at the end, we can say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). We must speak the truth of the glorious gospel to our hearts. "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body" (Colossians 3:15) and not forget that the head of that body is Christ (Ephesians 5:23-24). God is not our Genie. We are His servants, not the other way around. Again, let us not listen to or follow our own wicked hearts, but rather the heart of our ever-loving, always-good, righteous Father. 

return from absence

Wow. It's been almost two full years since I posted anything here. I am so sorry, if anyone still reads this, for the massive break in writing. The reason for this silence is, well, I joined the US Navy (hooyah) last year (22FEB2016) and then spent a year learning Russian. Now that I don't have three/four hours of homework a night, I will try to write more often. We'll see if people actually read it 😂😂😂. God has done so much with me in the past year and a half and I can't wait to share with you guys some of the bits and pieces. 

Simeon