Fix My Eyes

This past week I heard a new song that was just released by for King & Country. I decided to look the song up at home and ended up playing the song over and over because its really good.

Fix My Eyes - for King & Country

Hit rewind
Click delete
Stand face to face with the younger me
All of the mistakes
All of the heartbreak
Here's what I'd do differently

I'd love like I'm not scared
Give when it's not fair
Live life for another
Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones
Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle
Stand tall but above it all
Fix my eyes on you

The things of Earth are dimming
In the light of Your glory and grace
I'll set my sights upon Heaven
I'm fixing my eyes on you
I'm fixing my eyes on you
I'm fixing my eyes

Its really quite interesting how now that I think about what my latest blog posts have been about, they are quite similar. My recent blog posts all point to how life with Christ as our Lord and savior is of such worth that its worth more for us to give up our identity, our self-worth, our everything to follow and serve Him. Once again I find myself thinking about the same thing. I feel as though I must be constantly reminded that Christ is all, He is everything I will ever need. If Christ has us is His care all other things of this world, things not of God, will become pointless endeavors to us.

Only, now I am getting older. Only now am I learning to put childish things away. Over the past years in high school I have learned so much, but still I'm learning such things about life.

I would love not afraid to sacrifice myself to God because He sacrificed His all for me.

I would give to those who don't deserve to have anything given to them because Christ gave me Mercy over the death of which I deserve.

I would live my life for God instead of living out my own selfish desires to gratify my own pleasures. I have learned that a life lived for myself still ends in death.

I would take the time to be around my brothers in Christ to build them up when they are struggling. I would take the time to really pray for them when in need.

I would fight for those who don't have the strength to fight themselves. I would lift up those who are put down just as Christ did.

I would speak of the Freedom of life in Christ. If we don't have freedom in Christ are we really free?

I would trust God when I am down and don't know what to do instead of relying on my own knowledge and strength. God knows all that we need and if He loves us so much to save us, wouldn't He give us what we need?

I would speak out and stand for who I trust and believe in instead of being timid about proclaiming the name of my Savior.

However, the most important thing I would have done is fix my eyes on Jesus more than just some of the time, but all of the time.

The more I think about fixing my eyes on Jesus the more I realize how important it is to do so. The more you or I fix our eyes on Jesus the more the aforementioned things will become the case in our lives. If Christ is at the center of our vision the profound reality is, all the other things that Christ has called us to pursue or be will follow as a result of that focused vision on Christ. Fix your eyes on Him.

Identity Theft

A while ago I was watching a video from Blimey Cow which is a youtube channel I watch. They always bring forth good topics and give great advise to people. In the video the guy talked about how we should not put our identity in whoever we are in a relationship with. If our identity is in the girl or guy we love when that person no long is a part of our life, what is our life? Do we know who we are?

Is your life based off of love? I would say that is a bad thing to do, but it isn't. The worth of making your life based off of love is really dependent on who you love.

Ultimately what or who you love most is your religion. If you love money most, your life is built around the gain of money. If you love girls most, you will build your life around attracting women. If you love security, you will do whatever you can to save yourself from harm. If you love God most, you will serve Him with all you have. If your life is based off of loving and living for Christ you are living as you are indented.

See, ultimately its not just a problem when we put our identity in our girlfriend or boyfriend. When the thing or person we love most doesn't fulfill our idea of what we need, or abandons our reach we lose who we are. When your identity is put into something or someone and that person or thing leaves you, you no longer have your identity.

However, when your identity is in Christ your identity is constant and secure. Christ will never leave you nor forsake you. You will never find one day Christ to not be there to comfort you, love you, or save you. If your identity is in Christ, if you greatest love is for Christ, you will never lose that identity.

Don't put your identity or your love into the things of this word. The world passes away, is imperfect, and will leave you for another, but Christ has no beginning or end, is perfect in every way, and will always stay with you. Christ's love will profoundly never end or run out, therefore your identity is true and constant if it is in Christ.

More Precious Than Silver or Gold?

Last year in January my family and I went down to Honduras to work on building an orphanage down there. The one day during morning worship and devotions we sung this hymn.

Lord, you are more precious than silver.
Lord, you are more costly than gold.
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds. 
And nothing I desire compares with you.

While we were singing this song, I was hit with a question. Do I really believe what I'm singing? Is what I'm singing true for me? I wondered if God, is really worth more to me than, silver, gold, diamonds, or anything else I desire? Would I give up wealth, fame, friends, even my family to praise, glorify, and follow Christ? Is Christ's love, mercy, and presence worth fighting against the word? Is He worth giving up the world for?

Philippians 3:7-8
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

Paul gives quite the answer. Everything else other than the life of knowing Christ, Paul says is garbage in his eyes. How come? Because Christ gave His all so that we might know Him. In Christ we are given unconditional love, grace to cover the worst of all sins, mercy to receive what we do not deserve, righteousness to be able to live in Christ's presence, joy to endure all things, peace to take away all fear, and life to endure past the end of time without end.

What is silver and gold in your mind? Is Christ worth more than all of that? Is knowing and living with Christ your greatest desire? Christ's worth is so profoundly great that all things that seem to have worth have no ability to compare. Will you throw away your gold and silver to live in the presence and glory of Christ?