The Groaning

 

 “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Rom. 8:22 NIV) This is such a beautiful and powerful verse. The word “groaning,” though a strong term, still doesn’t capture the intense longing of creation for the Creator. I see it in autumn, when the feeble leaves fall away. I see it in the ocean, when the waves reach for, but never quite hold onto the shore. Of course, most of all, I see it in people.

    

St. Augustine once wrote in his famous Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” It’s true. Until we find satisfaction in the creator of our soul we will long without reward and groan with no relief. Even when people attempt to fill the God-sized hole in our soul, they show evidence of a need for a savior. In the words of the band Needtobreathe “It’s clear enough to me, the ugliness I see is evidence of whom I need.” So, the next time there is unrest, remember that it is our nature searching for peace that only God gives. ~ Sophia Wise

The Wonder of His Love

The Wonder of His Love

“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” – Jonathan Edwards.

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I think that most Christians today would agree with this quote.  If they’ve been taught solid doctrine, most people notice that it is by grace we receive salvation, not by works.  (Ephesians 2:8)  But I think that most Christians, in another sense, struggle with what this quote truly means.  I think that we can unconsciously slip into false concepts, just as someone might slip into a habit without realizing it. 

The concept of ‘by grace through faith’ can sometimes take a backseat to our fleshly nature that wants to drive us toward a stone wall of regret and dissatisfaction.  We can say “Jesus has forgiven me, I am saved by grace, because of His love,” until we’re blue in the face, but until our heart latches onto those words, they are merely words. 

It is not until the incredible restoring power of Christ’s redemptive love gives us spiritual life, that we will truly grasp what He did on the cross. 

Sometimes concepts like God’s incomprehensible love become incomprehensible in a way that separates us from God.  However, what the incomprehensibility of God’s love should be doing in our lives is causing wonder.  The very fact that you cannot ever, ever be separated from His love, whether you are alive or dead, (Rom 8:38-39) is amazing! 

His love is beyond our imagination, and that should enchant His children.  His love should move us to action and bring us peace in the same moment.  It both leads us to repentance by convicting us (Rom. 2:4), but also comforts us because we are no longer separated from Him by sin.  So let us be enchanted, moved, and inspired by His love.  Let us feel His forgiveness and love in ways we have never felt before. ~ Sophia Wise

Playing Christ's game

Something to Think About

The words of Psalm 20:5 really intrigue me, “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.  May the Lord grant all your requests.” (NIV)  I think this verse, according to our culture and society today, has a sense of paradox to it.  Psalm 20:5 uses its wording to place the image of a battle scene in the reader’s mind.  We see troops rallying and hefting their banners high, right before charging into battle.  Here’s the catch: the word joy. Troops are rejoicing and praising God while at war.  Many of these young troops will die but there is joy in the camp.  Why?  The battle is already won “in the name of our God.”

The problem is, our culture today tells us that war must be born out of anger and resentment.  Our culture always wants us to choose the fight over the joy of forgiveness.  If someone bullies you, you have to fight back. I f someone bombs your country, you must bomb back.  You are required by some unwritten “universal law” to hate, to be violent, and to play the same game your enemies play.  You have been told that this is a “dog eat dog world” and the only way to move up is stepping on people to get there.  You have been told that the only way to respond to sin is with more sin.  However, this only creates an unending cycle. 

See, their game is a game of sin that we can’t play anymore.  Sure, we used to play that game, maybe we were even champions, but now, we have a new game.  We must become the second place champions of the only fulfilling game, “How Well Can You Love Those Who Hate You?”  The first place champion is Jesus Christ.  Now, we must follow the suit of His “I Pray for Those Who Persecute Me” card.  When we transferred over to the life of Christ from the death of sin, we entered the game.  We stated that the Game of Sin and Hatred must be put to an end, that Satan’s game would never and could never fulfill us.  Something had to change.  At the same moment we also said “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21, NIV)  Now, we are to put that in to practice.  The rules of Christ’s game are simple:

1. We no longer have rights, we are a slave to Christ, and we now belong to Him. (1 Cor. 7:22)

2. Because we have been freed, we are no longer bound in any way to the Game of Sin and Hatred.

3. We are to act as Jesus would. (W.W.J.D – Col. 3:10)

4. When we don’t act like Jesus, we repent. (Acts 3:19)

So, the question stands, which game are we going to play?  ~ Sophia Wise

The Outcasts

The Outcasts

“Jesus loved the outcasts, he loves the ones the world just loves to hate.” 

These words from Relient K’s 2001 album both encourage and challenge me.  See, it’s a rare, and very wonderful thing that He loves the broken, failing, outcasts.  I think it is a beautiful paradox that the King of Kings and Prince of Peace, the enthroned one of Heaven, would come to earth to offer the unwanted ones a priceless gift. 

Another angle to see this lyric quote from, is that because Jesus has called us to be an alien in this world, (John 17:16, John 15:9, Romans 12:2) we have become the outcasts.  We are outcasts for His glory. 

See, in this upside down kingdom known as The Kingdom of God, everything is reversed; the first becomes last (Matt. 20:16), the kingdom belongs to children, (Luke 18:16) and the perfect Son was slain for the imperfect (2 Cor. 5:21).  Wouldn’t it make sense then, that the outcasts become God’s beloved children?  So the question is, do we follow Christ’s example?  Do we love the hurting ones that you’d never see in church on a Sunday morning?  Are we out there loving those “diamonds in the rough,” or are we worried about our reputation and image too much to manifest Christ by loving the “outcasts”?  Last week, I wrote on love and made this statement, “Love Him, love them; that is your religion.”  See, our faith boils down to a four letter word: Love. Let’s make sure we’re doing it right. ~ Sophia Wise

The Community

The Community - by Sophia Wise

“No cure but the cross, no greater community than the church, no cause greater than the cause of Christ.” – Dudley Hall.  Last week, my dad and I wrote on the cure.  This week, I’ll be expounding on the second point in this quote:  The community of the Church.

What are we, as a group of “cured” people, supposed to look like?  What other group of people should be greater than the body of Christ?  Families may share the same bloodline, but they’ve got nothing on the Church!  We’re covered by the holy blood of Jesus and have been brought into the eternal family of God (Galatians 4:7).  Nationalities share a culture, but again, the Church’s community far exceeds this.  We belong to the culture of heaven!

As the body of Christ, we are unified beyond ethnicity, our pasts, our opinions, and more (Galatians 3:28).  We now belong to Christ (1 Corinthians 7:2, Romans 6:18), not ourselves, and that transcends our own nature as we put on His nature (Colossians 3:10).  When we truly walk in unity under His headship, great things happen.  The key here, is walking in unity.  As the Church, we are to act out of our being, doing the things He has called us to.  We are to build relationships within the Body of Christ, and be unified with one another (1 Corinthians 3:3) so that we may truly express the fact that we are the greatest community.

Convicted Felons no more.....

“Find the things that stir your affections for Christ, and saturate your life in them. Find the things that rob you of that affection and walk away from them. That’s the Christian life as easy as I can explain it to you.” ~Matt Chandler

Wow, as always, Matt Chandler’s words give us quite a challenge. Doing what he says means the “Christian life” should be easy if we love Christ, correct? However, it isn’t always a math equation.

 Our love, apart from Christ, is deformed and broken; it has been since humanity fell from abiding perfectly with God. By ourselves, we are creatures only capable of a conditional, dishonest love. In order to truly walk away from what does not spur us on toward worshipping God, and instead spend our time on that which does spur us on to worship Him, our love must be complete. Unfortunately, our love for Christ seems to be attached to our situation or feelings much more than it needs to be.

Now, here’s the good part. It doesn’t matter that we’ve been convicted of a felony, called “the neglect of Christ.” His love is so perfect and holy that it transcends the gap between our selfish, unworthy love, and God’s love for us. We, the leaky vessels, have been filled, and are being filled, with the love of Christ.

There is hope--we have the strength and grace of Christ to continue to turn away from that which does not drive us toward God and instead turn toward the things that are of Him. So continue to say yes and amen to this matchless love by fleeing immorality and striving for God by Christ’s complete love. ~ Sophia Wise

3 Steps to consider before making THAT decision

Recently, I was reminded by a friend that life is full of decisions and in order to do one thing, you must automatically choose not do something else.  Well, often, life will throw big decisions at you that you may not feel well prepared for.  Here’s my advice, despite the fact that I’m only fourteen. 

Step One:  Abide in Him.  You cannot have sufficient wisdom, peace, or joy in the situation if Christ is not in you.  Go back to the word, go back to the main reason for everything you do (glorifying Him), and go back to worshipping God.  As Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  (NIV)  If your eyes are on the situation instead of Christ you will sink. 

Bringing us to our second step:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  (Philippians 4:6 - NIV)  Step Two:  Prayer.  James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  (NIV)  God gives you clear direction through the word, through divine revelation (the Holy Spirit), and even through other people, so be listening.

 Here we are at Step Three: Seek Counsel.  I bet there is someone you can trust to give you counsel on at least one decision in your life.  Maybe they are not someone you would trust with every situation, but you can learn something from them.  Surround yourself with fellow Christians, those who will build you up with godly wisdom, and not tear you down with worldly wisdom.  So to recap, in the midst of tough decisions: Abide, Pray, Seek.~ Sophia Wise

Sophia Wise is a high school freshman.  She is growing in Christ and worshiping Him through her musical talents--singing and playing the guitar and piano.  She attends Veritas Classical Schools of SWGA. When she is not playing music, she can be found painting shoes and listening to the Christian band named Switchfoot, her all-time favorite band.