One thing I’ve realized more of lately is the power of music. Music, at least for me, is more potent than penicillin for pain; more filling than food for thought; more rushing than a sugar high; and more soothing than sleep. I’ve been extremely vulnerable to influence via cadence my entire life, and especially the last few weeks. When I’m lonely, the minor chords resonate in my chest like they’ve known me since grade school. Similar to wrapping myself up in the arms of a friend, I feel surrounded with courage when an uplifting song graces my ears. On the other hand, I can slip into somber thoughts when I hear songs I’ve associated with the skeletons in my closet. Some songs, I’m sure you have them too, are loaded: double-barreled, catchy and cruel at once. Songs like these I need to remove from my playlist, at least for now. Otherwise, I’m at the mercy of the DJ. Like the waves, he doesn’t give a hoot for my requests, but plays and splashes as he wills. This leaves me short of breath and sputtering salt water in surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut God.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Arguably the two most powerful words in the Scriptures (save for \u201cthe cross,\u201d \u201cthe gospel,\u201d \u201cset free,\u201d and \u201cunconditional love\u201d of course!). But God is a \u201cbut God\u201d kind of God. He relishes the opportunity to surprise human kind. He is quick to pick us up, out of the dirt. He is quick to demonstrate His power in our greatest weakness. He is quick to redeem, turning our \u201cmess\u201d into His \u201cmessage.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul writes to the church in Ephesus the following anthem concerning God\u2019s work of grace and mercy as the foundation for life transformation:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience\u2014 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ\u2014by grace you have been saved<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong> (2:1-5, ESV) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I cannot emphasize enough the power of \u201cbut God\u201d in the human story. Contrarily, the majority would seem to emphasize the opposite refrain: \u201cbut I.\u201d One \u201cbut I\u201d emphasis boasts of human accomplishment and potential\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2026 have done more good in my life than bad\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2026 am not as evil as that person\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2026 have a 4.0 GPA\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The other side of the coin is similarly deceitful:<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2026.am SO far gone I can\u2019t be redeemed\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2026don\u2019t believe God could use me as much as her\/him\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2026am not the best person for the job\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Both of these statements miss the mark because, simply, they are focused on US, ME, I. The Scriptures, rather, focus on Christ, not us. It is Christ who saves us. Honestly, if we could\u2019ve saved ourselves, we would\u2019ve by now. We cannot save ourselves, we don\u2019t have the willpower, capacity, perseverance, goodness, etc. But God does! He reaches down to us wherever we are and says \u201cyou can\u2019t do it\u2026 but I can. Will you accept my invitation to an intimate and everlasting relationship?\u201d No matter what our \u201cbut I\u201d statements look like, \u201cbut God\u201d always, ALWAYS conquers.<\/p>\n Will you take a moment to identify your \u201cbut I\u201d statements, and ask God to reveal to you His \u201cbut God\u201d answers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"