New CD brings New Convictions

Have you ever had a "face plant moment"? You know, where they lyrics of a song, or the message in the sermon, move you so much that you find yourself able to do nothing else but fall on your face and cry out to God? I have those moments all the time, and love them. Casting Crowns is a band that causes me to have face plant moments quite frequently. I have loved Casting Crowns since I first encountered their song "Who am I?"... it pretty much became my life song.
Well, anyway.. Casting Crowns came out with a new album just a few days ago, and so of course I downloaded the entire thing off iTunes. This CD has continued to live up to Casting Crowns' standards by finding the tender strings of my heart and tugging on them like there is no tomorrow. I found myself so convicted of things, and stretched to new limits I had never before experienced. And it's amazing to me, because I had been praying for God to move in me, and strengthen me.

And let me tell ya, He did.

The biggest conviction I found was in the song entitled "Jesus Friend of Sinners". The chorus goes:

Oh Jesus friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doorsOh Jesus friend of sinners break our hearts for what breaks yours

That last line is the one. I heard that the first time, and instantly felt ashamed. Shouldn't that be our plea? That God would break our hearts for what breaks His own? To feel the way God feels, so that we could experience the way God loves? I think that I have found myself too selfish. I'm way to wrapped up in how I feel, and how things affect me, and don't even worry about what God is feeling. I mean.. our God is a jealous God. He YEARNS for us to know Him and grow with Him, and yet I'm still standing here only concernned about my life and not allowing others to see the true love and beauty that is a relationship with Christ? Something's a little wrong here.

My friend said it best, I think. "Don't rob God of His glory. Illuminate His love. And the church of tomorrow will rise as a godly generation right before your eyes." It breaks God's heart that there are people out there who don't know Him. Isn't it our job as Christians  to show God to the helpless and hopeless? To carry our candle, and "illuminate His love"? If our hearts are supposed to break for what breaks God's, then we too should be devastated that there are so many people out there who don't even know who God is, let alone the power He possesses.

And the funny thing is, showing Christ to others is SO EASY! It's just as my friend said, we just have to Illuminate His Love- be living examples of Christ so that others can catch even the smallest glimpse of true love and friendship. There's no need to be those crazy college evangelists who tell everyone that they are going to Hell. We simply just need to love one another in the way that Christ himself loves us.

Jesus is a friend of sinners because He loves them and wants to know them. We should be like Jesus, so why not befriend those who seem almost unfriendable?

And so it goes...


"Who am I that the Lord of ALL THE EARTH would care to know my name? Would care to feel my hurt?"