WAKE UP

"There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death."
— Proverbs 14:12

"'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
— Luke 12:15

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
— Mark 8:35-37

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."
— Galatians 6:7-8

"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
— Romans 3:23

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
— Romans 5:6-8

"...it is written:
'No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him'"
— 1 Corinthians 2:6-9

MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE

I sincerely fear waking up and getting out of bed in the mornings. For an entire week I've woken up feeling half-paralyzed, the other half aching in every joint in my body, particularly my knees and my ankles. I can't even sit to pee in the mornings (sorry for the visual), let alone get back up to finish, which makes me take peeing in a bowl for granted, something I used to joke about after my stays at the hospital. I've gotten the hang of this routine of waking up, feeling it, crying for a bit, finally getting up after trying for half an hour, going to the kitchen to get something to eat before popping ibuprofen pills, attempting to get back into bed and lay down with the least amount of pain possible, then falling back asleep, hoping to wake up to the healing power of over-the-counter medicine. Last night I was in bed for 19 hours. After 12 hours, I got up for meds and fell back asleep for another 7. That's almost an entire day. Then usually by nightfall, I have the fattest ankles but I feel okay until the next morning. I'm quite proud of myself to be doing it alone... only four days ago I was waking my roommate up, begging in tears to help me do something about it. Anyways, to keep this short, this post was really written with the intent on sharing these next set of words from the books of Matthew and Luke. If everything happens for a reason, then this past week has been (and after three ER visits and countless meds, needles, bloodwork, urine samples, you-name-it, this past year has been...) so I can better relate to Christ's perfect work here on earth for our brokenness:

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." 

— Matthew 9:9-13

How good is He who is faithful enough to beat humility down into our bodies and mind until we understand it in our hearts:

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

— Luke 18:9-14

She would change everything, everything, just ask her,

Caught in the in-between, a beautiful disaster,

She just needs someone to take her home.

— Jon McLaughlin, Beautiful Disaster

Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, 
as working for the LORD,
not for men,
 since you know that you will receive
an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. 
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

-- Colossians 3:23-24

THE SECRET

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And by the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

-- Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:4-13