#89: Bound

"Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Satan's sin began with the decision to serve himself instead of God. Satan did not however take power on his own accord, it was allowed to him by God. Satan may have power for a time, but God will reign for eternity.

Bound by my sin and restless within
I’m haunted by nothingness,
Hopelessness and helplessness

Trapped in my cell where sinful men dwell
I’m surrounded by brokenness,
Lifelessness and wretchedness

As darkness is won and my efforts undone
I’m left with my restlessness
Sinfulness and nothingness

Forever lost, forever bound
Chained by my vices, buried in the ground.

#88: Masterpieces

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam

We think we’re real

We think we’re complete

But that is a lie

Covered by our conceit

We act like we’re fine

Like everything’s okay

We act like we’re strong

With our problems at bay

We thank ourselves

For the things we've done

But forget to praise God

For the morning sun

We’re stuck in a rut

In our nine to five

We think we are righteous

But that is a lie

We walk over the stranger

Who’s fallen down

We show no emotion

Not even a frown

Is this our life?

Do we live for ourselves?

Is life this lonely?

Could this be hell?

Is this the plan

God has intended?

Our souls have been broken

Yet meant to be mended

We are his creation

We are all masterpieces

But we are incomplete

Until we find Jesus

Life becomes beautiful

Our gains become lost

His masterpieces signed

To cover our cost

Now we must look on

To the battle ahead

Many hearts are wounded

Many souls are dead

They’re all looking for life

But are poisoned by sin

They long to be saved

And let a new life begin

#87: Breathe in me

Have you ever prayed the prayer to become a Christian? When you did, did you expect things to fall in to place and your life to be peachy and fun from that day on? And then that very day you sinned in some minuscule way and felt terrible about it? Like you questioned your decision to follow Christ and your own sincerity in that very moment? 

I know how you feel. When I sin, I want to either hide or run away, but that feeling of guilt is not a sentencing of guilt, it is the Holy Spirit convicting you so God can do a mighty work to and through you. 

A great question to ask your self after you sin is "Now what?"

And the answer, is to turn to God and ask for forgiveness. Cru has a great resource for this as explained in their "Spirit-filled Life"  booklets called Spiritual Breathing. 

https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/the-spirit-filled-life.html

Spiritual breathing (exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure) is an exercise in faith that enables you to continue to experience God's love and forgiveness.

1. Exhale -- confess your sin -- agree with God concerning your sin and thank Him for His forgiveness of it, according to 1 John 1:9 and Hebrews 10:1-25. Confession involves repentance - a change in attitude and action.
2. Inhale -- surrender the control of your life to Christ, and appropriate (receive) the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith. Trust that He now directs and empowers you; according to the command of Ephesians 5:18, and the promise of 1 John 5:14, 15.

Here is a poem I wrote many years ago about breathing in the spirit. 

Here I am, in need of you

The only way I can be made new

My life is filthy and unclean

I cannot hide, expose my need

I need a savior, redeemer

A provider and friend

Who brings peace and joy

So my heart can mend

You breathe in me, and make me whole

Pure and perfect, you cleanse my soul

Your word is complete, etched in me

My soul, my heart, my life set free

#86: A Single Knock

A single knock

It's echo will fade 

In time

But time is forever

So what of the knock?

What came of it?

A door was opened

But only for a moment

What came of that moment?

A greeting was shared

Pleasantries expressed

Then the moment faded

Into infinity

Yet each moment begets the next moment

And the next begets the moment after that

And on and on and on it goes

That single knock

It's echo is never ending

Insignificant things become significant when you peal back the layers of existence. Every part no matter how big or small makes up our vast universes existence in this specific moment in time. Every interaction with every particle from the beginning of time (whenever that was) to the present time is what constitutes our present reality. And the interactions that take place now will impact the future for all time until the end of time.