"thank you Lord for the twenties on the Escalade"

The love He gave us
Thank You for the bills paid
Thank you for the twenties
On the Escalade
Lord I thank you for your Holy Word
Even when I'm ballin'
I can still tell the world what's up
Look how you died for me
Forgave me my sins
And your Blood has set me free
Oh Lord, I will do anything for you

I was listening to random songs on my computer, and unfortunately heard these lyrics... from a CD called, "Soul Vibe." I don't know where I got it, or when, but I laughed out loud when I heard the lyrics.

Essentially, the singer is thanking God for his bills paid, the twenties on the Esclade, and oh yeah... Jesus' blood.

From there he promises God he will "do anything" for the Lord.
What if your bills don't get paid?
What about the rust on those 20s on the Escalade?

Trip Lee says it better:
You might want you some change, yeah you might want a crib
But tell me where the Bible say that Jesus want us rich
It say we should be content if we got food and clothing
That's the truth and we trippin' really being foolish homie
We shouldn't put no value on fallin' screens and stylish chrome
Even if you say that stuff can't go with you when you back at home
Allow me to encourage you, if you agree the Word is true
You can only serve one Master some of us is serving two
Can't serve God and cash, can't love the world and Christ
Put money out ya mind, focus on eternal life

The Bible says it best:
Matthew 16:24-25
²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

is abortion a means to genocide?

[The] incidence of abortion has resulted in a tremendous loss of life. It has been estimated that since 1973 Black women have had about 10 million abortions [probably up to 13 million now]. Michael Novak . . . calculated, “Since the number of current living Blacks (in the U.S.) is 31 million, the missing 10 million represents an enormous loss, for without abortion, America's Black community would now number 41 million persons. It would be 35 percent larger than it is. Abortion has swept through the Black community like a scythe, cutting down every fourth member.”

--blackgenocide.org (2002 statistics)

I'm writing a research paper on the correlation between abortions and the high percentage of minorities who receive them in urban areas. The facts are disturbing.

I do not argue in the paper for rightness/wrongness of abortion, but focus on such facts like the one listed above, calling to question the intentions of Planned Parenthood, and/or other organizations or persons who administer a majority of abortions to minorities (percentage).

This is tough.

I sin

Lord Jesus,
I sin--
Grant that I may never cease grieving because of it,
Never be content with myself,
Never think I can reach a point of perfection.

Kill my envy, command my tongue, trample down self.
Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure, peacable,
To live for thee and not for self,
To copy thy words, acts, spirit
To be transformed into thy likeness,
To be consecrated wholly to thee,
To live entirely to thy glory.

Deliver me from attachment to things in unclean,
From wrongful associations,
From the predominance of evil passions,
From the sugar of sin as well as it's gall,
That with self-loathing, deep contrition,
Earnest heart searching
I may come to thee, cast myself on thee,
Trust in thee, cry to thee,
Be delivered by thee.

O God, the Eternal All, help me to know
That all things are shadows, but thou art substance,
All things are quicksand, but thou art mountain,
All things are SHIFTING, but thou art ANCHOR,
All things are ignorance, but thou art wisdom.

If my life is to be a crucible amid burning heat, so be it,
But do thou sit at the furnace mouth
To watch the ore that nothing be lost.

If I sin willfully, grievously, tormentedly, in grace
Take away my mourning and give me music;
Remove my sackcloth and clothe me with beauty;
Still my sights and fill my mouth with song,
Then give me summer weather as a Christian.

The 'nevers' of the Gospel

"...may I never confine my religion to extraordinary occasions,
But ackowledge thee in all my ways;
Never limit my devotions to particular seasons
But be in thy fear all the day long..."

Election

"it is not feeling the Spirit that proves my saved state
But the truth of what Christ did perfectly for me;
All holiness in him is by faith made mine,
As if I had done it...
I rejoice to think all things are at thy disposal,
And I love to leave them there.
Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
And all I can do is to adore and love thee.
I want not the favour of man to lean upon,
For I know that thy electing grace is infinitely better."

He > Me

El Shaddai god: you're almighty
and father i worship you

Jehova Nissi: Lord you're my banner
Lord you're my banner
and father i worship you

Jehova Jirah: you're my provider
and father i worship you

El Shalom: God of peace
and father i worship you

Martin Luther

Search and examine your own heart thoroughly and you will find whether or not it
clings to God alone. Do you have the kind of heart that expects from him nothing
but good, especially in distress and want, and renounces and forsakes all that is
not God? Then you have the one true God. On the contrary, does your heart cling
to something else, from which it hopes to receive more good and help than from
God, and does it flee not to him but from him when things go wrong? Then you
have an idol, another god.

--Martin Luther

Satisfaction: The pursuit of happiness

Truth: People want to be happy, satisfied, and experience pleasure.

But most people's means to this end is WEAK.

Examples:

• I sought pleasure in soccer, and athletics--convincing myself that praise because of success would satisfy my craving to be known
• I witness friends drinking night after night to the point of sickness
• I witness friends smoking, getting high and enjoying that
• I hear people frustrated that they have not made out with anyone for X amount of time, and it has been "too long."... "I just wanna make out with someone!"
• I see people pursue happiness in academic success, "worshiping" their goals to a point where they cut off even friends from their life
• I have witnessed people become so in love with their meals, and food that their life is dictated by restaurants and "snack times"
• I have seen in myself, an attitude of idolizing friendships or role models to the point of extreme disappointment when that person fails me (which is a given!)
• I have witnessed people's display of extreme patriotism, investing all--or none--of their trust in a national figure...pledging allegiance first and foremost to this country
• I have seen the love of money consume people: buying, spending--this feeds almost each of these other things: food, clothing, beauty
• Sex... in any form: out of marriage, with a guy, or a girl, over the internet... people are experimenting more and more. More $$ is spent on pornography each year than Pro baseball, football and basketball combined
  
• I grew up with hundreds of girls who seek to be "beautiful" in their appearance--including myself--buying the right brands, having the right hair cut, being tan, and being skinny.
• American dream: get a job, have a family, get a dog, retire... then move to Florida and collect sea shells
  

These are just a few examples of our common pursuit of happiness. Yet each one is WEAK.

"Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”--C.S. Lewis

We are far too easily pleased with these weak actions to satisfy our craving for enjoyment.

>>ONLY GOD HAS THE CAPACITY TO SATISFY US<<>>We EXIST to "GLORIFY GOD BY ENJOYING HIM FOREVER" (Piper)<< When you come to see JESUS CHRIST as the treasure that He actually is, all of these previously stated things that we all pursue to please us... seem like "dung".

Why drink muddy, toxin infested water as your only nourishment--that will surely lead to death

when you are OFFERED THE MOST PURE, SATISFYING, NEVER ENDING FOUNTAIN OF CLEAR WATER for your ENJOYMENT--that gives you life?

Why make mud pies in a slum when you're offered a holiday at the sea?

Jesus Christ is serious about your happiness, and that is why He died on the cross to pay the penalty for Sin--so that, you may know true joy and total satisfaction.

He is not a temporary "numbing" sensation, like getting drunk or getting high, HE IS ETERNALLY GOD, the "bread of life"... if you drink the water he gives you will "never thirst again."

He doesn't get boring. Knowing Him only gets more exciting--if it doesn't--it is not a reflection on Him, but on us--the half-hearted creatures...fooling about with all these other created things that we think will make us happy.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

ENJOY GOD. to do so, IS INDEED THE HIGHEST PLEASURE.

Philippians 1:19-23

it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

When Jesus Christ is your treasure, DEATH IS GAIN. This world and its "pleasures" fade in comparison to the enjoyment found in Jesus Christ.

Turn from "weak" attempts to satisfy yourself--and enjoy God forever!