Black Snake Moan

Mmm, black snake crawlin' in my room

Mmm, black snake crawlin' in my room

And some pretty mama had better come

and get this black snake soon

Blind Lemon Jefferson

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Romans 8:13

What does it mean to live? What are the promises of God according to this life we are to live? By living in the spirit, does it mean that we will be prosperous? Happy every day of our lives? Does it mean our lives will be easy? In John 17, before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, He prays for the believers that have been given to Him by the Father. He does not pray for our successes in life nor our happiness. He prays that we are kept from the evil one and made holy in his word. He does not pray that we will be kept from suffering, but that we will be free from the temptation and the grip of sin.

So to live by the flesh, we die. But through the Spirit, we put to death our sin, we shall live. We must mortify or kill our sin, not through behavior modification, but through the Spirit. I know that in my life my sin drags me through the mud, makes me weak, clouds my judgment, seperates me from Christ, and turns me into a miserable person. For such a long time, sin was allowed to reign in my heart. I eventually got to a point where godly things seemed foreign to me and my memories of a past christian life seemed like a blur. This is not the life we are intended to live. It's a sad state of affairs that the American church would rather make a political statement or preach on what is pleasing to our ears instead of preaching the seriousness of sin. The great theologian John Owen said of the believer who does not daily crucify and kill his sin, that their "heart is like the sluggard's field, so overgrown with weeds that you scarce see the good corn." Jesus says in John 15 that the Father will prune those that he loves, which means he will cut away the junk, so the fruit can multiply.

Many of us have measured our spiritual growth by how little we sin, but sin is far more than an outwardly action. The root of sin starts in the heart. Left unchecked, we water it and feed it and allow it to grow. So while the outward may be pleasing to our eye, the inward is bitter and rotten and love of sin has replaced the love of Christ. A man cannot serve two masters and our master paid a great price to purchase us and free us from the bondage of sin!

Daily, let us abide in the word. Let the word of God make us holy. Be sanctified in truth and love. Take captive all thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. When the black snake crawls into our rooms, do not feed him. Do not entertain him. Resist him and he will flee. Abide in God's word and through the Spirit seek to kill all the sin that is indwelling in your heart. This is the only way we can live. We were not meant to live as slaves. So let us live free!

In The Light

Though the winds of change may blow around you,

but that will always be so
When love is pain it can devour you, if you are never alone
I would share your load. I would share your load

Led Zeppelin

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Acts 2:44:45

The Gospel is about two things. The first is loving God with all our hearts, minds, and souls. The second is loving our neighbors as ourselves. I can't begin to attempt to count about how many people I've met that have been burned by church. How can this be so? I have certainly been burned by two churches, campus ministry, and a multi-billion dollar mission sending agency. While I was partly to blame with the mission sending agency, the punishment never came remotely close to fitting the crime. The other 3 instances, I'm not sure what I could have done differently. My point though, is that this happens to millions of people on a regular basis. Are we so self-absorbed that we assume as long as we show up to church and read our devotion book during the week that we really don't have to get our hands dirty? I've been in very few churches, maybe one or two, that were interested in doing the dirty work that Jesus requires of His church. By dirty work, I simply mean loving and serving others. It sounds easy. In principle it should be very easy. But it is not. I've come to realize that the average American church goer could really care less about the people in the next pew. And this is one of the reasons that the church is losing it's relevance every day. Instead of getting her hands dirty, she would rather water down her message, serve coffee, hire a rock band to lead the worship, all in a vain attempt to make herself less intimidating. I am a firm believer that people ( at least the majority) do not go to church to be entertained. I think people are simply looking for love. This world is so overbearing, oppressive, and lonely. Most people just want an ear to listen. I know I do. So where has the love gone? How easily the second greatest commandment gets trampled underfoot.

It is easy to love God, but it is hard to love others, even other believers. Loving people takes time. It takes effort. It takes patience. It takes sacrifice. It takes faith. All of these things are the fruit of the Spirit. So let us love one another as Christ has loved us. Let us help our neighbor move his furniture. Let us spend time listening to those that have nobody to talk to. Let us give our time to meeting the needs of the less fortunate. Let us lend a helping hand to our lost co-workers. Let us give of our time and money with joy and humility. Let our ears be willing to listen and our hearts willing to pray for one another. This is my prayer. To love as Christ has loved. Loving like Christ will transform a lonely and broken world.

Lean On Me is probably my favorite song at the moment. It was written by Bill Withers. I could not find any info on his religious affiliation. This song has recently become my life anthem.

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

The Thrill Is Gone

The thrill is gone
It's gone away from me
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
Although I'll still live on
But so lonely I'll be

Rick Darnell & Roy Hawkins

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

I've heard a phrase said many times in my life.  Sometimes I have said it.  Sometimes I have pontificated on it's meaning.  Other times, I yearned for it.  I now repent of this phrase and letting it define my spiritual growth in Christ.  The phrase in question......."I want to be on fire for Christ!"  When I first came to faith, my passion yearned to know God.  After a period, I didn't feel that sort of passion anymore.  The thrill was gone.  I was even told this was normal.  I remember going to church and singing at the top of my lungs and doing all the things that good little pentecostals do at church during the exceedingly long "praise" time.  I got the "God goosebumps".  I attributed that feeling as some sort of divine closeness with Christ.  To me it meant I was growing.  And millions of christians base their spiritual growth according to what they feel or worse, how well they have modified their behavior.  I always wondered if Paul or Peter or John felt this way.  Their words certainly didn't show it.  Here are the cold hard facts about the Gospel.  If you're sin is not real, then your Savior is not real.  If you're sin isn't huge, then your Savior isn't huge.  During all those times where I felt nothing, I played a cultural hiding game, hiding the big sins from others and confessing the little sins in public.  If I can't live in the freedom that Christ died to provide, how in the world could I possibly get close to Him?  Now I am not advocating sinning by any means.  I am merely stating the obvious.  That we all are dreadful sinners in dire need of a huge Savior, that not only has purchased us freedom on the cross but gives us a renewing grace every day.  There is no condemnation for those in Christ!  Furthermore, in regards to worship, I had it all wrong.  David says it best in psalm 5:16, 17

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

   you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

A right sacrifice to God is a broken and contrite heart!  If I am playing a cultural hiding game with my sin, how can expect to have a broken heart over it?  If I am judging my spiritual growth on how little I sin, then I've reduced Jesus to a behavior modelist.  And If I am judging Christ's proximity to me in regards to how I feel at the moment, then I'm never going to be free and I am never going to live the life Christ intended for me!  He loves us and He knows our sins.  He has forgiven us.  Why would we allow Satan to tempt us into believing anything else?

Here is what I know.  God didn't redeem his people to live in bondage to either sin or their feelings.  His faithfulness and mercy are continually poured out on His people.  Faith is not and should not be about emotions!  It should be based in the fact that your very real Savior, the lover of your soul, has already forgiven you for your sin and is with you at all times.  Do not base your spiritual growth on fleeting emotions but on the fact of God's redeeming love.  We are the bride of Christ.  He hasn't gone anywhere and He will not leave us.  What he has done though, is laid out his expectations of us.  Our first priority in life is service to God.  Seek ye first His kingdom!  That means more than throwing up a quick "Thank ya, J for this day.  Be with me" prayer in the morning and reading a 15 minute devotion!  If we loved Him as much as we ought to or want to, then why wouldn't we make every thing we do centered around him?  You would certainly spend more time with your spouse than that.  Seek ye first, His Kingdom!  Then and only then will you see true spiritual growth in your life.  The thrill will not be gone.  And so lonely you will not be!  

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Luke 18:10-14

Goodbye Babylon

Well I came to see, 

and what I found was not alright with me
Their desperation, some vocation, 

and it'd been the same thing all along
Goodbye Babylon

The Black Keys

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:12

It is so easy for me to get caught up on the worldly issues and lose momentary sight of the Gospel of Christ and my purpose and calling.  This happens most often at work, where I admit, that I hate my job.  Over the past few years, I have openly rebelled against the leadership at my job, which is probably why I am still in the same position with really no hope of moving up anytime soon.  As I have sought to rectify my mistakes and rebuild the bridge that I once burned down, I can't help but sometimes feel that things will never get better.  Basically, while I am at work, I do not believe the Gospel.  The utter despair and frustration that creeps into my mind while I'm at work, invariably leads to me inserting my foot into my mouth.  I just can't seem to help myself.  And while over the last month, my attitude has gotten remarkably better, I still have a very long ways to go.

So I have to remind myself that I have been put where I work for a reason.  It is not to make money, be the top person in sales, or try to get promoted.  I have been put in this job for 2 reasons.  And I feel the same applies for everyone working in a secular vocation.  

The first is to glorify God and to make his name known among my co-workers.  This is done in a variety of ways.  Submitting to authority in all things that are not in direct violation of God's law, loving my co-workers, praying for them, being a servant to their needs, and being a light in an otherwise dreary workplace.  My job is my mission field.  Why do I go there in such a bad mood all the time?  If my sole reason for showing up is to glorify God first, I will obtain all my professional goals.  I will make money because I work harder than everyone else.  I will be in line for a promotion because of my work ethic, my calm manner, and the leadership abilities that God bestows on those who follow him.  Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way preaching a prosperity gospel.  I am merely relaying the fact that by putting God first in the workplace and viewing work through the eyes of the mission field, that through Godly work ethic and love for my co-workers, that all the rewards that come by working in a secular environment will be a blessing from God and secondary to the reason why I am there.  People that are trust worthy, humble, and gracious are valued by their company and viewed as an asset.  And if those things do not come, then that is fine, because I will be content with all that has already been given me.

The second reason is a daily lesson that God teaches those He loves.  Submission.  If I cannot submit to a boss that pays me wages and contributes to food being put onto my table and my rent being paid on the time, how then can I fully submit to God?  My boss has been placed above me by God, Himself.  Daniel is the perfect example of how the christian is to work in the secular workplace.  Daniel was an exile, who served God faithfully, and through his service and work ethic, was promoted to a high place under the service of pagan kings.  The result of Daniel's faith was the conversion of both King Nebuchadnazzer and King Darius.  Because of Daniel's light, Darius issued this decree to be sent to every corner of his kingdom.

"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. 
       "For he is the living God 
       and he endures forever; 
       his kingdom will not be destroyed, 
       his dominion will never end.

   He rescues and he saves; 
       he performs signs and wonders 
       in the heavens and on the earth. 
       He has rescued Daniel 
       from the power of the lions." 1

Because of Daniel's faith, people were changed.  Because of his submission, God's light was shown to the pagan world.  

My prayer for you, and I hope this is your prayer for me,  that we take our faith to the workplace, in full submission to the authority that God has placed over us, and we show all the light of God working in us.  When we open our mouths, we let the holy spirit speak.  That we stay focused on the race that we're running and not on the circumstances of the temporal life.  Let us delight in hard work and boldly proclaim the love of Christ to those that God has put in our paths. 

1. Daniel 6:26-27

Last Kind Word Blues

"If I get killed,

If I get killed,

Please don't bury my soul.

Just leave me out and let the buzzards come and eat me whole."

Geechie Wiley

To live is Christ and to die is gain

Phillipians 1:21

Death. It never happens when we expect it. We've all lost loved ones that we thought left us far too soon. But as scripture tells us, our life is but a mist. So often when we lose our loved ones, we call it a tragedy. Death isnt the tragic end of life. The tragedy is a wasted life. A life pursuing our own desires. A life ruled by our emotions. A life apart from God. Or, and I hope this hits close to home, a life not fully and completely submitted to Christ. Anything else is a waste.

In my life, I often looked at those that I deemed to have it all figured out and thought to myself, that I could never attain what they have attained. I could never be the spiritual giant that some of my heroes were. Guys like Will Kropf, Steve McNees, Jon Rape, and Justin Hipps just seemed to have something in their relationship with Christ that I did not have. Sisters like Stacy Hill and Tory Cheatham seemed to have a passion that I couldn't seem to produce. Having been around them for extended periods of time, I saw real faith being lived out in daily situations. Then it dawned on me. I loved Christ. I served Christ. But I was not fully and completely submitted to Him. I held onto things that I did not want to give up. I flirted crossing the line of sin and left Satan a foothold in my life that prevented me from growing closer to my Lord, and ultimately led to fall. This was the difference! I often found myself forsaking Christ to chase lovers less wild.

When looking at the words of Paul, he says "to live is Christ." To be fully devoted to the submission to the will of God. That should be our one goal. Our one focus. Our one passion. Everything else in life is meaningless and trivial in comparison to knowing Christ. So let us crucify our flesh, take up our crosses and follow Christ in full submission. Only then will we be able to say that death is gain.

Your Southern Can Is Mine

"Lookie here momma, let me explain you this

If ya wanna get crooked, I'll even give ya my fist

Ya might read from revelation, back to Genesis

Ya keep forgettin' that your southern can belongs to me.

So ain't no use in bringin' no jive to me,

Your southern can is mine in the mornin'.

Your southern can belongs to me."

Blind Willie McTell

And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them,  and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Nehemiah 9:29-31

When I was young, I was not the greatest son.  I often disobeyed my parents and did things my way.  My actions often resulted in my Dad removing his belt and tanning my hide.  My dad had a belt with his name on it.  Tim.  One day, after my daily disobedience, he grabbed me, pulled my pants down and took his belt off.  He said that he was gonna whip me so hard that his name would be tattooed onto my backside.  he said that everybody would call me Tim from then on.  Was my dad a cruel man?  Was he just in his discipline, no matter how severe I thought it was at the time?  I learned a lot from those beatings that I deserved.  I learned how to be a man.  I learned respect.  My nature cried out to be free and to do things my way.  But I also knew that I was incapable of taking care of myself.  I needed my dad to provide me with a roof, clothing, food, and love.  I was his.  I may have thought that I could do things on my own, but I quickly realized by his loving guidance that I could not.  Every time I was disobedient, I was taking him for granted.  As the tattoo on my backside read, I was Tim's and out of his love for me, he was going to make sure that I grew up to be an intelligent and respectful member of society.

Looking back, I could see how so many of friends would have benefited from having a dad like mine.  Most of my friends in jr. high never went to college, they never made much of themselves.  They were left to their own accord.  Some even went to prison.  Most had children early on in life out of wedlock. Most have had hard lives.  I remember being asked to join them in bathroom for a smoke or to cut class.  While, I was all for being as mischievous as possible, I knew that if I were to get caught doing those things, my southern can would be torn apart.  I had a reverent fear of my dad.  I never doubted his love and his provision for me, but I belonged to him and his rules were in place to help me, and his discipline was purely out of love.

It is the exact same with God.  We are his sons and daughters.  No tantrum ever made my dad love me less.  No act of disobedience ever resulted in being kicked out of his house.  No amount of disrespect for him ever led to disownment.  But all my acts of disobedience did result in admonishment.  Admonishment means to reprove or scold, in a good willed manner.  Our Father in heaven admonishes his own.  We were bought with a steep price and belong to Him and Him alone.  Because he wants us to be the men and women that we were created and saved to be, He disciplines us with love.  No good work ever brought us into his favor and no bad deed will remove us from his favor.  So let us rest in his grace and take joy in his admonishment of us.  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.  Let us abide in Christ and bear much fruit for Him.  And when we do stumble and fall, let us see God's powerful grace and mercy in action in his admonishment!  As God removes his leather belt, the one with Jesus Christ's name on it, the world will see the effect of his admonishment and know that our can's belong to Him.

John The Revelator

"Tell me who's that writin'?
John The Revelator
Tell me who's that writin'?
John The Revelator
Who's that writin?
Son House

The Book of John

Chapter 3

When looking at passages of scripture, it is imperative that we put the passages in their proper context.  In John 3, Nicodemus goes to Christ at night to ask Him questions because he realizes that Jesus has come from God because of the signs and miracles that Jesus performed.  It is important to know that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and the belief among the Pharisees and the Jewish people was that the Messiah would be a warrior messiah, that would liberate them, and the Messiah was the savior of the Jewish people.  In John 3, Jesus destroys both notions.

One of Jesus' most important teachings was on the Kingdom of God.  He says in v. 3 that one must be born again to see the Kingdom of God.  When Nicodemus asks him how this is possible, Jesus replies that one must be born of spirit and water to enter the Kingdom of God.  Two things to note.  The first is that this birth of the spirit is nothing that a man born of the flesh can do.  What is born of the flesh is of the flesh and what is born of the spirit is spirit.  Since all men were born of the flesh, how can this be?  To be born of the spirit, the holy spirit must regenerate the sinful man first.  Regeneration consists in the implanting of the principle of the new spiritual life in man, in a radical change of governing disposition of the soul, which under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gives birth to a life that moves in a Godward direction.  In principle this change affects the whole man in intellect, will, feelings, and emotion(1)  The second note for believers and a great comfort to me, is that once born in the spirit, the flesh and all its desires no longer have any power over the believer.

v.8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Verse 8 is a clear picture of God's sovereignty in election and salvation.  How does a human response or action or inaction warrant birth in the spirit?  Just as the wind blows in any direction it pleases, nobody knows where the spirit comes or goes.  In these first 8 verses, Jesus has corrected Nicodemus' beliefs in salvation.  As a Pharisee, Nicodemus no doubt believed that salvation came from the law, but Christ teaches here that it comes from being born of the spirit, and the fact that Christ doesn't limit this birth in the spirit to the Jew, teaches us that salvation is not exclusive to the Jew.  We see this more clearly in verses 15 and 16.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  For God so loved the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Salvation isn't based in works or keeping the law, but by first being born of the spirit and then believing in the Son of Man.  Both Jew and Gentile can share in this blessing for God's love extends well outside Israel and Judea.  What a fascinating thought for Nicodemus to hear!  

In verse 17, Jesus expounds further on the role of the Messiah.  He was not sent to condemn the world, but to save the world.  Jesus says that all who believe, those born of the spirit, will not be condemned.  Paul echoes this statement in Romans.  "Therefore there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus".  God loves his people and has sent his Son to reconcile his people to Him.  Those that don't believe, Christ says, are condemned already.  He doesn't say their disbelief will condemn them.  He says they are condemned already!  But why are the condemned?  Let's read verses 19-21.

"And this is the judgment:the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

Jesus has come to shine a light into the darkness.  The wicked do not want to be exposed by the light because their deeds are evil.  In fact, none are righteous, no not one.  All our deeds were like filthy rags to God.  It is our spiritual birth and preceding faith in Christ that allows us to come to the light and so that all men, those in the light and those in darkness will see the good deeds of the elect, so that it may be clearly seen that our works have been carried out in God.  It is God working through His people that shines light into the darkness so that he may be glorified.  

In closing,  Jesus teaches us that those born in the spirit will produce good deeds because it is the spirit working through them and nothing of their own accord, including being born of the spirit and placing their faith in Christ.  Being born again occurs through a regeneration through the Holy Spirit.  It frees the sinful mind from the bondage of sin and moves him toward God.  Many passages mention that the gospel is foolishness to the wise.  In reality, the gospel is foolishness to all who are not born of the spirit.  The fruit of regeneration is faith.  The fruit of faith is righteous acts carried out by God through the believer.  In the words of Derek Webb, "I am thankful, that I am incapable of doing any good on my own."

1. Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof