Comments on: Music Talk http://college.hillcrestbc.com/thoughts/2010/01/music-talk/ Calling college students and young adults to lifelong discipleship. Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:48:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: EJ http://college.hillcrestbc.com/thoughts/2010/01/music-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-28 EJ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:24:54 +0000 http://college.hillcrestbc.com/?p=767#comment-28 Thanks for sharing guys, awesome stuff! Two lines in this song really stick out to me. The first one, "I wish I had more for you, but unfortunately, this is all I've got left." The second one is, "I may be breathing but don't for once think I'm alive." The first one just takes me to a wonderful place. It reminds me of first accepting Christ as my savior. In my case, when I first trusted Christ I realized that everything I thought was mine, even though it really wasn't, was now the Lord's. Everything that I had done and the way I had lived my life was now erased, I was a new creation! Although these are very good things I began to realize how little I had left. I was new, didn't know anything, just like a baby. Despite my lack of just about everything Christ still loved me and desired to be with me. He desired to grow me and mold me into the man He created me to be!! This absolutely blows my mind. The second line is on a sadder note. I see so many people that are breathing but they are not experiencing the true life that only Christ can give. This, unfortunately, is not just lost people but believers who have become stagnant in their walk with Christ. This line is just a reminder to me to live a life worthy of the Gospel and to share truth every chance I get. Only Christ can give life and only His word can move us to action. Let's build up the body and serve others!! Thanks for sharing guys, awesome stuff!
Two lines in this song really stick out to me. The first one, “I wish I had more for you, but unfortunately, this is all I’ve got left.” The second one is, “I may be breathing but don’t for once think I’m alive.”
The first one just takes me to a wonderful place. It reminds me of first accepting Christ as my savior. In my case, when I first trusted Christ I realized that everything I thought was mine, even though it really wasn’t, was now the Lord’s. Everything that I had done and the way I had lived my life was now erased, I was a new creation!
Although these are very good things I began to realize how little I had left. I was new, didn’t know anything, just like a baby. Despite my lack of just about everything Christ still loved me and desired to be with me. He desired to grow me and mold me into the man He created me to be!! This absolutely blows my mind.
The second line is on a sadder note. I see so many people that are breathing but they are not experiencing the true life that only Christ can give. This, unfortunately, is not just lost people but believers who have become stagnant in their walk with Christ. This line is just a reminder to me to live a life worthy of the Gospel and to share truth every chance I get. Only Christ can give life and only His word can move us to action. Let’s build up the body and serve others!!

]]> By: Caleb Wright http://college.hillcrestbc.com/thoughts/2010/01/music-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-24 Caleb Wright Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:56:41 +0000 http://college.hillcrestbc.com/?p=767#comment-24 Warning: Before reading this go get your bible, you'll need it. This song reminds me of Psalm 51 which David writes after he has been rebuked by Nathan. I see similarities of self condemnation, guilt, a sense of hopelessness, and shame. The author of the song writes of bloody fields, dirty hands, shattered glass (ever tried to put shattered glass back together), hating the inner man, and not being able to forgive oneself. David uses different words such as iniquity, transgression, sin, bloodguilt, and evil. These are some correlating themes that come to my mind when I read this song. However, I also see a significant difference between the two "songs" in that God has given David a way out of his guilt, given him hope and a way to be restored from the inside out. Look at some of the truths that God gives us through David: 1. God has the power to cleanse ALL sin and transgression. (verses 2, 1Peter 3:18) 2. Sin is not simply feeling bad about ourselves when we screw up, but when we sin it is first unto God. It reveals who God is and who He should be in our lives, He is THE God and He is JUST. (verse 4, 1Peter2:23) 3. It is GOD who renews us and restores us, not ourselves. (verse 7,9,10,12) David recognized only God could restore him, no amount of carnal effort could bring back the joy of salvation. 4. There is JOY in salvation! (verse 8,12) Those who share in salvation should live with joy in their life knowing their sins are no longer counted against them. The word "restore" means to bring back or reestablish, which means that God had obviously given David the joy of salvation in the past, and he longed for it to return to his life. 5. Our acknowledgement of what God has done for us should beckon an OUTWARD RESPONSE. (verse 8,13,14,15) "Then I will teach...my tongue will sing...my mouth will declare..." When God changes our lives, restores us, fills us, sustains us, it must beckon an outward response to those around us whether it is teaching transgressors or simply praising with our lips! I have struggled with self condemnation. In fact it has been one of my biggest struggles in the past. I have felt the crippling effects of feeling worthless, hypocritical, shameful, guilt filled...it is a disease that debilitates all aspects of your life. It is sin that prevents you from living the way God intended. It is also a battle that we will, in some ways, never be completely rid of until we are in Jesus' presence. BUT there is VICTORY and HOPE and JOY and God is waiting for all of us to claim it and choose to live in it by faith! Romans 8, Galatians 2:20, 5:22-25, Ephesians 1,2,6... As a guy I have fought this sense of pride that crying is for the weak, women and the emotional...I can tell you that I have never been so wrong in my life. The moments when I excepted and chose to believe that I am now completely forgiven for the sins of my life, that Christ took the wrath for me, that God counts them no longer against me, that my sin debt is paid by my Savior...I cannot help but cry my eyes out in thankfulness! God is SO good! The difference between those moments of joy and moments of weakness...my FAITH to believe the TRUTH of God's forgiveness. To answer the question, "How can we accept Christ’s forgiveness and still struggle with forgiving ourselves," I would answer because we do not see ourselves as we should...forgiven! There is a difference in just knowing about God and knowing the One, True and Holy God (Romans 1:21). I believe in the same way as believers we can live simply knowing about forgiveness or we can LIVE IN FORGIVENESS! Colossians 1:10-14 Warning: Before reading this go get your bible, you’ll need it.

This song reminds me of Psalm 51 which David writes after he has been rebuked by Nathan. I see similarities of self condemnation, guilt, a sense of hopelessness, and shame. The author of the song writes of bloody fields, dirty hands, shattered glass (ever tried to put shattered glass back together), hating the inner man, and not being able to forgive oneself. David uses different words such as iniquity, transgression, sin, bloodguilt, and evil. These are some correlating themes that come to my mind when I read this song.

However, I also see a significant difference between the two “songs” in that God has given David a way out of his guilt, given him hope and a way to be restored from the inside out.

Look at some of the truths that God gives us through David:
1. God has the power to cleanse ALL sin and transgression. (verses 2, 1Peter 3:18)
2. Sin is not simply feeling bad about ourselves when we screw up, but when we sin it is first unto God. It reveals who God is and who He should be in our lives, He is THE God and He is JUST. (verse 4, 1Peter2:23)
3. It is GOD who renews us and restores us, not ourselves. (verse 7,9,10,12) David recognized only God could restore him, no amount of carnal effort could bring back the joy of salvation.
4. There is JOY in salvation! (verse 8,12) Those who share in salvation should live with joy in their life knowing their sins are no longer counted against them. The word “restore” means to bring back or reestablish, which means that God had obviously given David the joy of salvation in the past, and he longed for it to return to his life.
5. Our acknowledgement of what God has done for us should beckon an OUTWARD RESPONSE. (verse 8,13,14,15) “Then I will teach…my tongue will sing…my mouth will declare…” When God changes our lives, restores us, fills us, sustains us, it must beckon an outward response to those around us whether it is teaching transgressors or simply praising with our lips!

I have struggled with self condemnation. In fact it has been one of my biggest struggles in the past. I have felt the crippling effects of feeling worthless, hypocritical, shameful, guilt filled…it is a disease that debilitates all aspects of your life. It is sin that prevents you from living the way God intended. It is also a battle that we will, in some ways, never be completely rid of until we are in Jesus’ presence. BUT there is VICTORY and HOPE and JOY and God is waiting for all of us to claim it and choose to live in it by faith! Romans 8, Galatians 2:20, 5:22-25, Ephesians 1,2,6…

As a guy I have fought this sense of pride that crying is for the weak, women and the emotional…I can tell you that I have never been so wrong in my life. The moments when I excepted and chose to believe that I am now completely forgiven for the sins of my life, that Christ took the wrath for me, that God counts them no longer against me, that my sin debt is paid by my Savior…I cannot help but cry my eyes out in thankfulness! God is SO good! The difference between those moments of joy and moments of weakness…my FAITH to believe the TRUTH of God’s forgiveness.

To answer the question, “How can we accept Christ’s forgiveness and still struggle with forgiving ourselves,” I would answer because we do not see ourselves as we should…forgiven! There is a difference in just knowing about God and knowing the One, True and Holy God (Romans 1:21). I believe in the same way as believers we can live simply knowing about forgiveness or we can LIVE IN FORGIVENESS!

Colossians 1:10-14

]]> By: Andrew http://college.hillcrestbc.com/thoughts/2010/01/music-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Andrew Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:51:28 +0000 http://college.hillcrestbc.com/?p=767#comment-23 It's easy to say lack of belief, lack of faith in regards w/ not moving on from our past. Clearly b/c of the Word, it is not dependent upon us, but on Him. It is Christ who we boast in and His Cross! I believe this in my head, but I do not live like that when I bring my eyes back on my past and even recurring actions. The fact is the past has happened, and here we are now. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise...He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus..." 1 Cor. 1:28-30 It’s easy to say lack of belief, lack of faith in regards w/ not moving on from our past. Clearly b/c of the Word, it is not dependent upon us, but on Him. It is Christ who we boast in and His Cross!

I believe this in my head, but I do not live like that when I bring my eyes back on my past and even recurring actions. The fact is the past has happened, and here we are now.

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus…”
1 Cor. 1:28-30

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