One thing that was really precious to me about going with this group to Passion is that it was one of the first times I have gotten to see these people pour their hearts out to the Lord in worship on a grown up scale. We work together with kids all summer and worship in that way but because of the way our particular summer ran, we didn’t get the opportunity for a lot of time together in deep spiritual teaching. Don’t mistake what I’m saying-- there is unspeakable value in both but it was beautiful to be together as adults in a worship setting.
I cried more watching them leave Atlanta than I did watching them leave Nashville so many months ago. I think it’s the unshakable thought that we might not ever all be back together like this again... I have learned this though: true friends are the ones you have made for life, and I am blessed by the Lord to have these people in my life always. mmm.
But now onto what’s really important...
The Lord moved in unthinkable, ineffable, indescribable ways this week as 22,000 college students came together to praise His name and delve further into His word. I sit humbled at the fact that my notes from the week include names like Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Beth Moore, David Platt, Redman, Crowder, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, John Piper.... but all that is so irrelevant and at the end of the day the only name that matters is the name of Jesus. It makes my heart soar that each of those people worked together in agreeance with that thought-- and inspired all of us as students to live out that way also.
I walk away from the week with a lot of different truths held tightly in my hand and scribbled abruptly across the pages of my journal. I'll leave you with just one of those today that I'm marinating in and trying to grab hold of... it's a lot to think about.
Piper started off by asking us this question: Do you feel more loved by God because He makes much of you or because He enables you to make much of Him?
...What? The more I soak that in and the more I question who is truly at the bottom of my joy, the more I wonder this: do I worship the Lord for all that He does for me, or do I worship Him out of great gladness that He allows us to praise His beautiful name? I was hit hard during community group one night by the thought of this-- Philippians 2:6-7 says this in reference to Christ: "...being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." That says a lot of things to me about Christ coming to earth in human form to bring God glory but my new thought behind it is this: he made himself nothing by choosing to look like me. How humbling is that? Puts it in perspective a little, doesn't it? I walk around so often knowing that I am valued by God (because we are!) and taking that beyond the limits of what I should. We are loved, friends, and we are held of utmost value to the Lord but in comparison to Him, may we never forget that we truly are nothing. We are here solely for the sake of bringing Him praise and bringing Him glory-- He is the reason we sing, the reason we live, not because of all He has done and will continue to find joy in doing for us, but because He designed us to cry out His praises simply for who He is. The earth cries out His glory-- how much beauty He finds in seeing His children do the same. Ephesians 1:6 talks about how He has saved us and adopted us into His family "to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." He did it because He loves us, yes, but moreover He did it to the praise of His glorious grace. Just a thought that I'm chewing over today...
I was so touched and humbled this week to look around and see that many people my age stretching out their hands and lifting their voices high in worship to the Lord. One of my favorite parts was when the song God of This City was being sung (or shouted, rather) in different languages across the room. I couldn't break free of the thought that this is what Heaven is going to sound like... all of creation sweetly praising His name.
One more thought and I will leave this marathon blog post: Over the past few years of my life, the Lord has really been at work in my heart as far as missions. Now, I'm not quite ready to pack up my life, but I know that the Lord has plans for me somehow and has given me a heart for the nations. This week we had the opportunity to be a part of Do Something Now and the poor, Ramen Noodle eating college students of the world together gave over $1.1 million dollars for the name of Jesus to be spread across the nations. Take that in for a second... wow. This money goes to help orphans, get clean water, end sex trafficking, and a host of other causes. I'm leaving you now with just a few shots I got that touched my heart at the Do Something Now exhibit. Thanks for reading, guys.
I loved what you were talking about when you mentioned:
ReplyDelete-- "We are here solely for the sake of bringing Him praise and bringing Him glory-- He is the reason we sing, the reason we live, not because of all He has done and will continue to find joy in doing for us, but because He designed us to cry out His praises simply for who He is."
for me its really easy to be intimidated by the wisdom of people like John Piper, Francis Chan, and others. Knowing that God does not care about that or anything else and that my purpose here is to praise Him and show people His love gives me a lot of comfort...i'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 where Paul, who was very smart and would have become a teacher of the law, says,
--"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." --so awesome
anyways...didn't mean to write a mini blog as a comment...won't happen again haha
Very good blog though :)