I really enjoy the music of a group called Jesus Culture. I put my earphones as I do my morning routine. I float on the loveliness of their music as I brush the cats’ teeth, give them medicine, clean the kitchen, scrub the counters and floor.
Then I feed and box the kitties (our word for cleaning the cat box and feeding them,) and straighten up the house, making the bed and checking for cleaning needs in the bathroom, on the carpet and in my office, dining room and sun room.
I want my home to be ready at any moment for anyone to visit. I spent too many years panicking if someone showed up. I decided that my retirement would be different. Al and I love to have people over. I often comment how I love that our friends bring laughter into our home. I have learned to love my surroundings, and enjoy every moment.
This year’s album release by Jesus Culture is called Unstoppable. The songs bring me joy and remind me of how loved I am by the Almighty. I know that this will come as a surprise to those who know me (not!), but I tend to be a little (little?) excessive. When new music comes into my life I listen to it repeatedly until I am totally sick of it and have memorized every song.
I have learned that when I wake up in the morning with a Jesus song going through my mind rather than worries, I have listened to enough. One song off that album has lodged in my head has revealed something Christianity I have misunderstood.
The song is called We Will Run. This stanza opened my eyes to new truth:
“We will run to Your arms
Give everything to You
We will run to You
Leave our past at the cross
Surrendered before You
We will run to You”
I have gone to the cross and left my sin and shame there. I am relieved and experience such freedom! What I see in this song is an ‘about face’. I have heard this definition of repentance: Confess your wrong doing, agree with God about it, and then to do a ‘180’. Completely turn around and do not go back to whatever it was that was hurting you, God or others.
When I heard this song, I translated it into BarbTalk: I put all my sin and shame on the cross and then turn around and run into God’s arms. I think I have always just stayed at the cross. That means I am still sitting there, looking at my sin and shame. I feel guilt because Jesus died for me there. I see His pain and suffering on my behalf and I never move on!
When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus, we are washed, sanctified, and justified forever. We are free to go, free to run to God, and free to ask for help, instruction, compassion, and mercy. If it is good enough for God, it is good enough for me.
This may not be a big deal or maybe I am not explaining my revelation well. It is revolutionary! The old Never Good Enough Syndrome (NGES) is only fueled as I sit at the cross, remembering everything hideous I have done and been.
The song says Leave our past at the cross, surrendered before You, we will run to You. This is not a passive ‘sit and do nothing’; this is a command to leave all behind to run as fast as we can to the open arms of the One who provided everything necessary to have a relationship with Him.
The disciples turned their backs on their professions, and professed Faith in Christ. They were anglers, tax collectors, doctors, and some shady characters, with conditions ranging from anger management, doubt, fear, and disbelief to full of themselves obnoxiousness. They walked away from homes, family, and jobs to have the adventure of a lifetime. They walked with Christ. They ate, prayed, and sang with Him. They believed in Him and doubted Him. In the end, they would all live a full life of sacrifice, telling ‘the greatest story ever told’, and then went to Heaven to be with Jesus forever.
I think of how the disciples must have looked at their former lives, regretting things that hurt and maybe even killed others. As they fixed their eyes on Jesus, they became part of Him. They put away their old life and started fresh. We read about Judas and his infamous betrayal of Jesus. I wonder if he ever stopped looking at his life before he met Jesus. One look at Jesus changes everything. Is it possible to be in His presence and not change?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. We cry out for change, but when offered change, we run the other way. My favorite word: surrender, freaks most people out. I have had so many people tell me that it works for me, but not for them. I think that to receive a life change, we have to be willing to run away from everything that held us in the past.
Look at Jesus’ Words to us:
Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.
Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it.
Luke 9:24
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.
Luke 17:33
Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
John 12:25
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
I love to look up verses in other translations. This is the Message translation of Luke 9:23-27:
“He (Jesus) told them what they could expect for themselves: ‘Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with Me and the way I’m leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when He arrives in all His splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn’t, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God’”
When I read those verses, I remember the “Lord’s Prayer”, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. The last thing that Jesus wants to do is lead us into temptation. He came to deliver us from evil.
Why did Judas not see this? Maybe he spent too many hours looking back.
Today, when the NGES starts drawing us in, I am praying that we will drop our sin, shame, and self-importance at the foot of the cross, and run as fast as we can into salvation in Jesus’ arms. No looking back, no ‘trying to fix it ourselves’, no bargaining. Run to Him and nothing will ever be the same.
Then I feed and box the kitties (our word for cleaning the cat box and feeding them,) and straighten up the house, making the bed and checking for cleaning needs in the bathroom, on the carpet and in my office, dining room and sun room.
I want my home to be ready at any moment for anyone to visit. I spent too many years panicking if someone showed up. I decided that my retirement would be different. Al and I love to have people over. I often comment how I love that our friends bring laughter into our home. I have learned to love my surroundings, and enjoy every moment.
This year’s album release by Jesus Culture is called Unstoppable. The songs bring me joy and remind me of how loved I am by the Almighty. I know that this will come as a surprise to those who know me (not!), but I tend to be a little (little?) excessive. When new music comes into my life I listen to it repeatedly until I am totally sick of it and have memorized every song.
I have learned that when I wake up in the morning with a Jesus song going through my mind rather than worries, I have listened to enough. One song off that album has lodged in my head has revealed something Christianity I have misunderstood.
The song is called We Will Run. This stanza opened my eyes to new truth:
“We will run to Your arms
Give everything to You
We will run to You
Leave our past at the cross
Surrendered before You
We will run to You”
I have gone to the cross and left my sin and shame there. I am relieved and experience such freedom! What I see in this song is an ‘about face’. I have heard this definition of repentance: Confess your wrong doing, agree with God about it, and then to do a ‘180’. Completely turn around and do not go back to whatever it was that was hurting you, God or others.
When I heard this song, I translated it into BarbTalk: I put all my sin and shame on the cross and then turn around and run into God’s arms. I think I have always just stayed at the cross. That means I am still sitting there, looking at my sin and shame. I feel guilt because Jesus died for me there. I see His pain and suffering on my behalf and I never move on!
When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus, we are washed, sanctified, and justified forever. We are free to go, free to run to God, and free to ask for help, instruction, compassion, and mercy. If it is good enough for God, it is good enough for me.
This may not be a big deal or maybe I am not explaining my revelation well. It is revolutionary! The old Never Good Enough Syndrome (NGES) is only fueled as I sit at the cross, remembering everything hideous I have done and been.
The song says Leave our past at the cross, surrendered before You, we will run to You. This is not a passive ‘sit and do nothing’; this is a command to leave all behind to run as fast as we can to the open arms of the One who provided everything necessary to have a relationship with Him.
The disciples turned their backs on their professions, and professed Faith in Christ. They were anglers, tax collectors, doctors, and some shady characters, with conditions ranging from anger management, doubt, fear, and disbelief to full of themselves obnoxiousness. They walked away from homes, family, and jobs to have the adventure of a lifetime. They walked with Christ. They ate, prayed, and sang with Him. They believed in Him and doubted Him. In the end, they would all live a full life of sacrifice, telling ‘the greatest story ever told’, and then went to Heaven to be with Jesus forever.
I think of how the disciples must have looked at their former lives, regretting things that hurt and maybe even killed others. As they fixed their eyes on Jesus, they became part of Him. They put away their old life and started fresh. We read about Judas and his infamous betrayal of Jesus. I wonder if he ever stopped looking at his life before he met Jesus. One look at Jesus changes everything. Is it possible to be in His presence and not change?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. We cry out for change, but when offered change, we run the other way. My favorite word: surrender, freaks most people out. I have had so many people tell me that it works for me, but not for them. I think that to receive a life change, we have to be willing to run away from everything that held us in the past.
Look at Jesus’ Words to us:
Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.
Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it.
Luke 9:24
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.
Luke 17:33
Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
John 12:25
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
I love to look up verses in other translations. This is the Message translation of Luke 9:23-27:
“He (Jesus) told them what they could expect for themselves: ‘Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with Me and the way I’m leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when He arrives in all His splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn’t, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God’”
When I read those verses, I remember the “Lord’s Prayer”, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. The last thing that Jesus wants to do is lead us into temptation. He came to deliver us from evil.
Why did Judas not see this? Maybe he spent too many hours looking back.
Today, when the NGES starts drawing us in, I am praying that we will drop our sin, shame, and self-importance at the foot of the cross, and run as fast as we can into salvation in Jesus’ arms. No looking back, no ‘trying to fix it ourselves’, no bargaining. Run to Him and nothing will ever be the same.
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