Slumber

                                                         "Slumber"

Days they force you
Back under those covers
Lazy mornings they multiply
But glory's waiting
Outside your window
So wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes

Tongues are violent
Personal and focused
Tough to beat with
Your steady mind
But hearts are stronger after broken
So, wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes

All these victims
Stand in line for
The crumbs that fall from the table
Just enough to get by
All the while
Your invitation
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes

Take from vandals
All you want now
Please, don't trade it in for life
Replace the feeble
With the fable
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes

All these victims
Stand in line for
The crumbs that fall from the table
Just enough to get by
All the while
Your invitation
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes

Come on
Sing like we used to
Dance when you want to
Taste of the breakthrough
And open wide

All these victims
Stand in line for
The crumbs that fall from the table
Just enough to get by
All the while
Your invitation
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes

Come on
Sing like we used to
And dance like you want to
Come on now and open your eyes

Come on
Sing it like we used to
And we'll dance like we want to
Come on and open up your eyes

     Needtobreathe is one of my favorite bands, musically and lyrically.  This song captures a personal struggle, and a struggle with the larger western church.  We have fallen asleep.  We have grown comfortable in our own lives.  There is little or no room for risk.  Sadly, it reminds me of a favorite phrase of a hockey coach, "safe is death."

     "Days they force you back under those covers."  Comfort becomes like quicksand.  Spend too much time there and you can easily become stuck.  The longer you are there, the harder it becomes to break free.  Even worse, the more you don't want to break free.

     "All these victims stand in line for crumbs that fall from the table, just enough to get by."  We become so addicted to the comforts that the world offers that we forget the riches that Christ has for us.  But the world's offer is a temporary lie at best, evaporating like smoke.  Crumbs.  Wake up and remember all that God offers is true and eternal.  Wake up and help rouse the rest of the church that is content to just slumber while a world is perishing.

Half-hearted

     I was talking with a friend tonight about why so many within the church are so half-hearted and not experiencing the full riches of God in their life.  God has been working (Wow - thank You that You are still at work and haven't given up on me) to reveal to me that I am still fall back into trying to bargain with Him.
"I will try to be obedient, because I am afraid that You will punish me."
"I will try to be obedient, because then you will bless me with what I have asked You for."
     How about "I will try to be obedient, because what you ask of me is the right thing to do.  As your child, I desire to please you.  As your child, I do not need to fear your anger.  You love me and have already forgiven all my sins.  There will still be consequences when I fail, but I do not need to fear that you will throw me away when I do. Change my heart so that my desires are transformed into what you desire for me."
     When this truly becomes my prayer (and that of all within the church),  revival WILL happen, the church WILL experience the full riches of God and the world WILL see a God that moves powerfully.

Do Not Judge?

'Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

     Many people use these verses to claim that we don't have a right to tell people that what they are doing is wrong.  They want to claim that right and wrong are purely subjective.  They need to understand these verses in context with the next three.

'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

     Jesus is not saying we can't have object values of right and wrong. He is condemning the ignoring of your own sin, and the use of judgmental attitudes designed to lift yourself up by beating down someone else.  I love the phrase "the only level ground is at the foot of the cross".  There we can realize that on our own goodness, we are truly lost.  Yet a loving God has done all the work necessary to save us, if we humbly bow and admit our need for Him.
     Scripture is also to be read in the greater context of the whole book.  Matthew 7:1-5 shows that our true attitude when we see sin in someone's life should first lead us prayerfully inward, asking God to show us our own heart.  The following verse from Galatians shows us how we are to respond to the individual in sin.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2
     First, we see the person as trapped by sin.  Our heart's attitude should be to help them by freeing them from that trap.
     Then, it is to be done gently.  If we found a wounded animal caught in a trap, we would not simply try to yank it's leg out.  We would first try to pull back the jaws of the trap, and then carefully remove the leg. We would apply disinfectant and ointment.  Then we would try to attach a splint if there was a broken bone.  All this is done with a desire to heal, not torture.
     Like the hurt and confused animal, some will resist our help.  And like this case, our help offered may be painful for them. 
     The most important thing to remember here is that only God can actually heal them. Sometimes, all we can do is love them and wait for God to open a way for them to be receptive to us.  When God does, we need to be willing for Him to use us, even if it is inconvenient or messy.  Life is messy and we were certainly a mess when God found us.
     Above all, love them with God's love.  His love will always compel us to carry another's burden.  Carry it with them, and carry it to God.