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Mix Tape Vol. I Track 5 - Glorious Day

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Alright, back to my mix tape!

Do you remember those tabs on the top of the cassette tapes? When you had a REALLY important recording, you could pop out the tabs to keep anyone, usually yourself, from accidentally writing over the recording on the tape. Since I was limited in resources, I rarely had a mix that was that important. I really enjoyed being able to put new songs on the mix as time went on...of course if the mix was for that special someone, I popped those tabs right out so they had to work to record over it...you know what I'm talking about.

These days, all you have to do is click the + or - symbol to add or remove the song from your playlist...far less exciting than back in the day!
 

Anyway, the reason for mentioning this is that I think it’s important to remember that our mix tapes can (and will) change over time. As artists release new songs, we have the proverbial revolving door in our top list. The song for this week falls right into that category! Back when I started writing this series, I hadn’t even heard this song. Now every time I hear it, the volume gets cranked, and the singing begins! (Even Greyson, our three year old, has memorized most of the words!)

Which song is it? Drum roll please......

Glorious Day by Passion! 

I’m sure you know the song. If you don’t know its name, you’ll probably recognize it as soon as you hear it. We’ve played it several times during service, and man is it a blast to play! But that’s not the only reason I like it.

You see, in John 11 we see the story of Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus who had gotten ill and passed away. As the story goes, Jesus arrives at the tomb days after Lazarus died and commands that the people around open the tomb. Of course this directive was met with opposition...I mean...he’d been dead several days. What was going on inside of that tomb was NOT pretty, and it certainly wouldn’t have smelled pretty either. In fact, Martha specifically called it out when she said, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible."

Jesus knew that the tomb would smell horrible, but He had another plan! Jesus' response to the crowd was, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?" Jesus had a plan the whole time, and it was to show His glory through this painful situation. Jesus proceeded to pray to God the Father and then commanded Lazarus to come out of that grave. Does the story stop there? Absolutely not! You might say the most important part came next.

Lazarus actually got up and walked out of the grave!

Man, what a sight that must have been! To see a man who everyone knew was dead, walk right out of that tomb! 

At face value, maybe the story isn't that impressive...ok, if a dead guy coming back to life isn't impressive, let's talk...otherwise, if you think about it, we're all just like Lazarus. I know, you're not dead...I think. And you're not stuck in a tomb on the side of a cliff. I get it. But what we fail to realize is that the sin that we've become involved in is just like the illness that Lazarus suffered from, and often times that sin has us bound, just like the tomb that Lazarus was in. That sin, without warning, takes everything away from us and causes death and decay in our lives. 

That sin could be anger towards others, it could be lust, it could be lying, stealing, adultery, sexual immorality, selfishness...the list goes on and on.

It doesn't matter what the sin is, it's causing death in your life!

That's where the good news comes in! You see, that my friend, is where Jesus steps down, opens the tomb, and calls your name.

Just as Lazarus would have never walked out of that tomb without Jesus, we'll never be able to escape the confines of our sin without Jesus!  

 

And THAT is why I love this song!

I have spent so much of my life walking in sin, so much of my life allowing the selfish desires, lust, bitterness, anger, and all of the other sins to rule my thoughts, my actions, my words, my entire life. But God is gracious and has allowed Jesus Christ to come down, live as a man, give up His life, and ascend to Heaven, as the payment for those sins that have gained such a strong grip on my life. So now, rather than being a slave to that sin, I can have freedom from that sin, because Jesus is calling me out of the tomb!

And that's what this song is all about!

What is it that keeps you from drawing closer to God? Is it how you look to other people? Is it sin that you've gotten caught up in? Is it the personal drive to do things yourself? There are many things that keep us from drawing close to God, but once we submit to Him and let Him into our hearts, Jesus will call us out of the tomb!

Check out this song. I know you'll be blessed as you listen to the lyrics! 

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Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land?

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I love how God will use the little things to help me in my walk with Him. He will use simple examples to speak about what the Word means or to help guide me through something. The other day I was thinking about roller coaster Christians. They are people who are up and down all the time. They kind of ride the waves of life and go where circumstances take them. This is opposed to solid Christians who have circumstances in their lives that suck or can be great, but they have a solid foundation in Christ so they don't fall into traps of circumstances. But as I was thinking about this, God was showing me this in context of a couple of kids' games. Many of you have played one or both or have kids who have played one or both.

 The roller coaster Christian is like the game Chutes and Ladders.

This game is probably the most frustrating game that I have ever played. You can advance quickly in the game, or you can get sent all the way back to the beginning very quickly. In any given turn you can go from the lead to last place. You can get stuck in cycles of up and down. Just as soon as you think you might win, you drop down to the bottom. It is so frustrating! I know that people have walks with Jesus like this though. You don't know where you stand with Him. One minute things are good and you are following after Him, then boom you stumble a little. But it's not just a stumble - it sends you back to the beginning. You are no longer running the race that Paul exhorts us to do, but instead you are trying to figure out where on the map you are. Your life feels like chaos because you don't know where you stand with God, or you feel like He is mad at you for the choices you made. Both of these are symptoms of a life that isn't founded in the Word of God. If you aren't in the Word, you will feel like this. I know this, because if you are in the Word you will know how much that God does love you. You will know that once you are in His hand, there is nothing that can take you from it.

The person who lives their life in the Word following after Jesus is like playing Candy Land.

In Candy Land, you are almost always moving forward. You occasionally draw one of those candy cards that can take you backwards, but every other turn you go forward. You sometimes get stuck on licorice, but you move forward. You always know where you are on the board, and you don't worry about what is going to happen next. You just move as quickly as you can to King Kandy's Castle. The speed at which you advance can vary depending on the cards you draw, but there is way less drama in this game. The race is awesome as you go through cool places like the Peppermint Forest or Frosted Palace, which are like seasons or circumstances in life. But you also go through Licorice Lagoon, which is not a good place to be. (Why people like licorice, I don't understand. I'm sorry if you do.) The person who is founded in the Word of God will move forward. Every once in a while you might go back a little bit and relearn something you already learned, but you are back moving forward again right afterward. Life throws circumstances at you that might really suck, but it doesn't alter who you are or how you run the race. You keep pressing in on the Lord.

Here is the cool thing about it - it doesn't matter which game you are playing, you will finish the race. One race isn't the race that God would have you to run though, and it is way more frustrating than the one that He has called you to. When we go in a direction that God doesn't want us to go, it is like beating our heads against the wall. The other way isn't always pretty or glamorous (or filled with candy), but it is satisfying and fulfilling knowing that I am doing what God wants me to be doing. I am doing what He has called me to do. Even when times get tough, even when things aren't perfect, I can know that He is there with me and is leading me along that nice candy road towards the Father. It is in those days that I know the circumstances and things that we go through in life aren't in vain. God will use them for His glory and His purpose because I am following after Him. That is the only way we make it through some days, is knowing that He is in control.

Which race do you want to run?

Posted by Scott Brown with

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