In.Motion

I was in Hebrews 5 today, and a line stuck out to me.

Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.

Two things stand out to me here:

1. Jesus was the son of God, but he still learned obedience. It wasn’t inherent. This makes me feel better about my inability to obey sometimes. The more I learn about Jesus, the more hope I see for myself, only because of Him. I do think that the word “learned” here should be read, like in the original language, as “to acquire the habit” or “be accustomed to”, rather than like a child learning to read.

2. Suffering yields obedience. I believe that the circumstances of your suffering will determine who/what you are obedient to. Jesus suffered for something He believed in and He finished His suffering, so He “learned” to be obedient to God. The kind of suffering that brings complete obedience includes complete endurance of the suffering. No quitting. No letting up. We have to finish.

This is definitely a time of year that lots of people begin programs or make promises that lead to sacrifices and ultimately some suffering. Diets, exercise plans, and Bible reading plans. You know what I’m talking about.

As we suffer through the hunger pangs or sore joints, remember that if we see it through, we will learn to be obedient to ourselves or maybe Someone greater than us. However, this all begs the question . . .

Suffering yields obedience, but are we willing to endure?

One.Love

cd

“Why do I write my blog?”
This one of many questions a blogger should ask themselves on occasion. If I’m going to invest my time and some creative energy & thought into something, I like to have a clear purpose and focus behind it. I decided to conduct something like a self-interview. So, I cooked up a few questions to guide my thoughts on the What/Who/Why of In.Motion. Here they are . . .

Q: What is this blog about?
A: I want to stay mostly within 5 main categories.
Worship: My thoughts on worship leading and worship music. My general musings on growing as a worship leader.

Faith: My thoughts and observations on how God is moving in my life. This is my attempt to be transparent and open, within reason, with the good and bad of my walk in an effort to spur others to authenticity in their own lives.

Life: My thoughts on what is happening to me, in general. This is more about the day-to-day or interesting things that are going on.

Bible: My thoughts on what I am reading and how it applies in my life. Hopefully, this will encourage others to see how the Bible applies to them as well.

Creativity: My thoughts on any cool things that I’d call creative. Taking time to notice out-of-the-box ideas can lead to creativity of your own.

Q: Who do I write my blog for?
A: I write for believers, worship leaders, and friends.

Q: Why do I write my blog?
A: I write my blog so that I can put my thoughts about worship, life, and my walk into words. Hopefully, what I write can be encouraging and helpful as well as a mean of accountability for myself. I’d like to show how God is moving in my life and how I am being shaped through my circumstances, whether good or bad.

Q: Why In.Motion?
A: In Motion is a way for me to express the fact that no matter our circumstances, no matter where we are in life, we are always in motion. More importantly, God is always moving in our lives. Let me rephrase that: No matter our circumstances, God is always in motion. This can be a source of hope for those who believe because the Bible says in Romans 8:28, “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him”. God moves in the good, God works through the bad, and, undoubtably, God always redeems. That is my hope.

I think that this is going to be a good, fresh restart. I’m hoping that In.Motion can be used to glorify God, to help me grow, and, hopefully, help others grow as well. Also, let me say this: I know I’m not perfect and this is not my attempt to come across as such. I’m going to say dumb things and I might even offend people (I am a sinner). Please know that I write this blog with the intent of building others up and with some degree of foresight. I only want to share how God is working in my life and what I’m learning along the way.

I’d like to invite you along for the ride.

One.Love

cd

Now, the fear I’m talking about here isn’t your average, run-of-the-mill fear. The fear that I’m seeking to understand is the fear of the Lord. As a 22 year-old guy, I have no clue what that looks like in my life. I think this may be one of the things that I’ve battled with for quite a long time. I understand that it is important and that I need it, but I don’t know what it looks like.

It’s like telling a kid to share without showing them first hand. They have heard that sharing is good and they need to do it, but they can’t do it if they aren’t shown it.

Thats how I feel. Frustrated and just a little bit lost. Now don’t hear me say that I don’t agree with the Bible about how important it is to fear the Lord, or that it doesn’t show me how to do so. Actually, tonight I found just the opposite.

I was reading in Proverbs 2 and verses 1-5 paint a great outline for the basis of understanding the fear of the Lord. Solomon gives us five quick points that if we follow and pursue, then we will understand the fear of the Lord.

1. If you accept my words
- Just listen and take in wisdom that is spoken to you.

2. Store up my commands within you
- Internalize all the boundaries and guidelines that the Bible has given us.

3. Apply your heart to understanding
- When seeking to interpret scripture or anything of God, put your heart into it. Make it something you truly desire.

4. Call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding
- Seek insight and wisdom from mentors, disciplers, or leaders in your church about your life’s situations. Don’t hold these things in your heart, because the Bible tells us that the wise seek wise counsel.

5. Look for it (wisdom/understanding) as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure
- Hold wisdom and understanding as important, and more so, as anything worldly thing we could want.

Then, once we pursue and desire all of these things, it says that you will understand the fear of the Lord. I may not know what it looks like specifically in my life to fear the Lord, but I know where to start.

Do you know what it looks like to fear the Lord in your life? I’d love to hear what you think that looks like.

One.Love

cd