Call a Sin a Sin

Anxiety is obviously a sin:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let you reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which or you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: the neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?...But seek first the kindgom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Anxiety is one of the sins with which I most struggle. It creeps into my heart and mind when I least suspect it, and suddenly I am beneath a dreadful weight of minor cares. So, I am both confessing my anxiety and dissecting it...

Why am I anxious usually?
First, and worst, I am not most satisfied in God and his righteousness. I am seeking earthly success or comfort (in my life this means good grades, health, reputation...). Secondly, I do not trust that God can meet my needs.

What does God say about anxiety?
As I mentioned earlier, it is a sin. I think that God cannot provide or sustain me. I am not treasuring God above all else or finding my satisfaction solely in Him.

Why should I not be anxious?
When Jesus talks about anxiety in Matthew (and in Luke's parallel), he says, "Therefore, ...do not be anxious." So, what preludes these therefores? In both gospels, he has talked about earthly riches and how I can not provided for myself or keep riches here on earth. I think from this I can safely say trying to have these things on earth will produce anxiety, and I should not be concerned with earthly riches.

What is the solution?
Seek first God and his righteousness and in prayer with thankfulness for God's gracious kindness present my requests (what I am concerned about) to God.

My prayer is that my anxiety about what I can find to wear or if I will be able to make the grade I want on the next test will be replaced by peace from God. However, I do not think that the solution is simply to stop worrying; I must find my happiness and joy in Christ and Christ alone.

I know this post is long, but I will end with this song:


Why so downcast, my soul, within me?
Why so downcast, my soul?
Your Father, God, He has redeemed thee.
Why so downcast, my soul?

Lord, You are my only hope,
The Bright and Morning Star.
You came to earth to set me free-
and shed your blood for me.

Father, my flesh it weighs upon me,
tears my heart from Thee.
Save me, Jesus, from myself,
And pour your grace on me.

Lord, You are my Only Hope,
The Bright and Morning Star.
You came to earth to set me free-
and shed your blood for met.

why I am blogging...

As is obvious from earlier entries, I write poetry. I will not say I am a poet because this is in no way my first or greatest calling. In fact, writing poetry falls fairly low on the list of my priorities and responsibilities. However, I do enjoy expressing my gratitude and praise to God for his grace and love through writing songs and poems, and I have been urged, nay spurred onward, by my encouraging husband to post my poems and share them with my friends, family, and any other innocent (only in the sense that they have stumbled upon this blog unknowingly) readers. The purpose of this blog, and hopefully of my life, is to glorify God and to encourage other Christians. Also, if you are reading this and you are sure that you are not a Christian, or you are not sure that you are a Christian, I pray you will “make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). I have several links that I think are beneficial for learning about God, so feel free to follow them or ask me questions. Besides posting poetry, I also plan to post my thoughts on some things I am studying (which may include many medical references once school starts back) and some of the things with which I am struggling or that I am learning. As always, I appreciate your prayers, advice, and accountability.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10: 24

a hymn on satisfaction

Your strange mercy has reached into my soul,
And made the old self new.
And when from the depths, I hear myself cry,
I know it's not me but You.

Ah, blessed grace that holds me close
And speaks of hope to come-
When my hungry soul is fed,
and I need no light or sun.

CHORUS:
O Christ, O Saviour, O First fruit,
O Maker, and my God,
My hope, my ache, my thirst, my goal,
In You is satisfied.

Dear maker of this dying world,
Of man and beast and sea,
When will you loose the binding chains,
And set the captives free?

Your tribes dispersed await that day,
With expectations great,
When Christ, their life, appears again,
And wipes their tears away.

CHORUS

In the promise of your Word,
We now are made to rest.
For we know that all our needs
And hopes in You are met.

O grace that we cannot explain,
O love that is so deep-
Keep our eyes afixed on You,
O Shepherd of your sheep.

CHORUS



"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them and they will reign forever and ever."
Revelation 22:1-5

waiting for glory

a lone tree stands amid the fields

  fields and fields

    rows and rows

      and one tree calling my name.

calling and calling

  until at last I hear

    until I have to notice despite myself.

what does it want, this lonely tree

  that it disturbs my thoughts so persistently

    that it transcends nature's bounds to make me its confidant.

it speaks, softly now

  of sorrow and love

    days and days

      years, generations

of an ever growing old and of newness each spring

  of leaves and branches and birds

    of small hands and large ones, too.

all these things, the lone tree says

  they are just a shadow

    a fading glimpse.

and now I know why the sad tree speaks

  words and words

    grace upon grace.

for his soft voice is truly a groan,

  and his sad smile is one of expectation.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:18-25

Living Water

the Spirit carves me out like a slowly moving River
a Spring welling up in me daily
I cannot see how the rocks of my soul are slowly softening
wearing away beneath the work of his Holy Rush and Flow

but yearly as the Waters run
my hard heart is changed
and I can map the alterations in my course
and so the future is bright

may my river bed be eventually a way made straight for the Lord
may I never dig my own cisterns
but may I pant for the Holy Water
the Gift that is also the Giver
and may my Spring of Water be also a deposit
guaranteeing hope to come



"Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirst forever. The water that I will give him will beocme in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" John 4:13-14

"In him we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:11-14

"Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:13