Friday, September 18, 2009, 5:11 a.m. – This song was in my head last evening and again this morning:
You Love Me Anyway / FFH
That’s it, I’ve had enough
I think I’m giving up
I can’t stay on this balance beam
I thought I had it all
Then I messed it up
The same old thing got the best of me
Then I turn around to see You
Knocking at my door
I can’t believe You’re still with me
You deserve so much more
You, You love me anyway
I am here to say
That I’m not good enough
For You, but You love me anyway
And I’m thankful everyday
That You never give in
You say it’s ok
You love me anyway
Here I am again
The middle of this road
I try to move but never take a step
So what can I say?
Another chance is gone
How many of those do I get?
I try to run but You keep me
Walking by your side
I see compassion in your eyes
And a love I can't describe
Your love’s amazing
It’s never changing
Whenever I need You
You’re right on time
You love me constantly
Even in spite of me
When I mess up time after time
And You never abandon me
You just keep loving me
When I try to run and hide
So, I prayed, and I asked the Lord for understanding of what it was that he wanted to show me through this song. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
As I examined the words to the song before the Lord, several things about this song stood out to me. First of all, I acknowledged what was true about it Biblically:
Then, I began to prayerfully examine or consider what the message was the author of these words was conveying. Here is how he described himself:
Then, the author describes God this way:
I believe the Lord would have me to examine, in light of scripture, these last 4 bullets under how the author describes God and then compare that with how the author sees himself, and then also to look at that in light of scripture.
The picture I am getting here from this song, although much of it is Biblically supported (above), is that the author is describing his life as one that is flesh-driven, that is running from God, that is traveling down the middle of the road (neither hot or cold, but lukewarm), that is continually falling into sin (messing up), that is never taking a step (I assume forward) and that shows no sense of remorse, other than to acknowledge that he “messed up,” and that shows no signs of repentance, seeking God, honoring God, obeying God, spending time at His feet, etc. It all seems to be about what God does for him, even though he appears to be living totally for his flesh without regard for God. And, he thinks that, even though this is the kind of lifestyle he is living, God’s response is that “It’s ok, I love you anyway.” Yet, is that love?
I am so thankful for God’s grace. I am extremely grateful for his forgiveness. I am greatly appreciative that he doesn’t come down on my head with a hammer every time I sin, yet I am also exceedingly thankful that his Holy Spirit convicts my heart when I sin, that he interrupts me when I’m getting ready to or even if I have begun to sin and he tells me “No, don’t go there!” I’m enormously appreciative that God’s grace keeps me from falling into sin, when I let him, and that he is there to pick me back up and to put me back on my feet again when I humbly come to him in sincere sorrow and repentance over my sin, and when I resurrender my will to him.
Truly God does love us. He is patient, kind, compassionate, long-suffering, etc. His mercies never fail. They are new every morning. Great is HIS faithfulness!! He does let us start over and over and over again when we come to him in genuine repentance. If that were not true, I would not be here today doing what I am doing. Yet, when we sin, especially if we are living a life that is continually giving into sin and is continually running from God and is continually riding the fence and taking the middle of the road and is not going anywhere spiritually, God does not say, “It’s ok, I love you anyway.” He does assure us of his love, but his response to our sin is never “It’s ok.” That would be like a parent telling a child who continues to disobey and to go his own way, “That’s ok honey, I love you anyway.” That is not love!
What loving parent is going to keep telling a child, who willfully disobeys and who shows the parents no respect and no regard for their standards of behavior, “It’s ok, I love you anyway.” Now, they should reassure the child of their love no matter what the behavior, but not to say “It’s ok.” Love speaks the truth in love. Love pulls people out of burning buildings and rescues them from drowning and keeps them from being hit from an oncoming vehicle. Love does not leave us out there to die! Love does not tolerate or accept sinful behavior. Love certainly acts with compassion, kindness and forgiveness, but it does not promote or facilitate ongoing sin. It does not delight in wrongdoing. Love sets boundaries. It says, “This far and no further.” It sets standards of right and wrong and it disciplines us when we need correction in order to get us back on the right path and to train us to live godly and holy lives.
False teachers, the ones who say what our “tickling ears” want to hear, tell us “It’s ok, God loves you anyway.” They dress the wounds of God’s people as though they are not serious, saying “peace, peace” when there is no peace, i.e. “It’s ok, God loves you anyway.” But, it’s not ok! When I sin, I don’t want someone telling me “It’s ok.” I want someone to love me enough to tell me “It’s not ok” to behave this way. It’s not ok to go it in my flesh. It is not ok to run from God. It is not ok to keep living in sin and rebellion. It is not ok to live a lukewarm Christian life and to never move forward in my walk with the Lord. God has so much more planned for my life! He wants and desires so much more from me, because He loves me ever so much!! I want to see my children grow and mature and live responsible, peaceful, joyful and productive lives in Christ, too.
God’s indictment against these false teachers was that they did not dissuade people from their sin. They tell them, “It’s ok,” as though God’s love accepts and tolerates sin and as though God is perfectly content with us living this way. God does not! God is not complacent with regard to our sin. It is not ok with God for us to continue in a life of “teeter-totter” Christianity. He doesn’t force his will upon us. And, He will pursue us, but there are also times when he lets us go our own stubborn way. God is always calling out to us for us to repent and to turn from our sin and to turn our hearts and lives back to him in complete faith and obedience. And, He is compassionate, merciful and always forgiving, but his grace never leaves us drowning in our sin and rebellion telling us “It’s ok.” ‘Cause, it’s not ok.
God’s standard is this:
You Love Me Anyway / FFH
That’s it, I’ve had enough
I think I’m giving up
I can’t stay on this balance beam
I thought I had it all
Then I messed it up
The same old thing got the best of me
Then I turn around to see You
Knocking at my door
I can’t believe You’re still with me
You deserve so much more
You, You love me anyway
I am here to say
That I’m not good enough
For You, but You love me anyway
And I’m thankful everyday
That You never give in
You say it’s ok
You love me anyway
Here I am again
The middle of this road
I try to move but never take a step
So what can I say?
Another chance is gone
How many of those do I get?
I try to run but You keep me
Walking by your side
I see compassion in your eyes
And a love I can't describe
Your love’s amazing
It’s never changing
Whenever I need You
You’re right on time
You love me constantly
Even in spite of me
When I mess up time after time
And You never abandon me
You just keep loving me
When I try to run and hide
So, I prayed, and I asked the Lord for understanding of what it was that he wanted to show me through this song. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
As I examined the words to the song before the Lord, several things about this song stood out to me. First of all, I acknowledged what was true about it Biblically:
- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8)
- This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (I John 4:10).
- Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (II Co. 1:3).
- Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20).
- Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Heb 13:5)
- As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Rom 3:10-12)
Then, I began to prayerfully examine or consider what the message was the author of these words was conveying. Here is how he described himself:
- Living on a “balance beam” – a horizontal raised beam that is used for balancing exercises – to try to steady oneself horizontally – this is in the flesh, because the only way to be truly balanced, i.e. stable, is to be vertically balanced via our relationship with Jesus Christ – we can’t do it ourselves!
- Not good enough – true, none of us are – none is righteous, no not one!
- In the middle of the road, trying to move, but never taking a step – sounds like the Laodicean church that was neither hot nor cold but was lukewarm, so Jesus was about to spit them out of his mouth
- Trying to run and hide from God
Then, the author describes God this way:
- God is knocking at the doors of our lives – Rev 3:20
- God loves us – I John 4:10; John 3:16
- God loves us despite the fact that we sin – Rom 5:8
- God is the God of second chances (many of them) – II Co. 1:3
- God is with us always (those who are truly in Christ) – Heb 13:5
- God says, when we continually sin, “It’s ok, I love you anyway”
- When the person tries to run from God, God keeps him walking by his side
- Whenever the person needs the Lord, God is right on time
- When the person keeps “messing up” – note he does not use the term “sin” – time after time, God just keeps loving him, stays with him, meets his every need, and just says, “It’s ok, I love you anyway”
I believe the Lord would have me to examine, in light of scripture, these last 4 bullets under how the author describes God and then compare that with how the author sees himself, and then also to look at that in light of scripture.
The picture I am getting here from this song, although much of it is Biblically supported (above), is that the author is describing his life as one that is flesh-driven, that is running from God, that is traveling down the middle of the road (neither hot or cold, but lukewarm), that is continually falling into sin (messing up), that is never taking a step (I assume forward) and that shows no sense of remorse, other than to acknowledge that he “messed up,” and that shows no signs of repentance, seeking God, honoring God, obeying God, spending time at His feet, etc. It all seems to be about what God does for him, even though he appears to be living totally for his flesh without regard for God. And, he thinks that, even though this is the kind of lifestyle he is living, God’s response is that “It’s ok, I love you anyway.” Yet, is that love?
I am so thankful for God’s grace. I am extremely grateful for his forgiveness. I am greatly appreciative that he doesn’t come down on my head with a hammer every time I sin, yet I am also exceedingly thankful that his Holy Spirit convicts my heart when I sin, that he interrupts me when I’m getting ready to or even if I have begun to sin and he tells me “No, don’t go there!” I’m enormously appreciative that God’s grace keeps me from falling into sin, when I let him, and that he is there to pick me back up and to put me back on my feet again when I humbly come to him in sincere sorrow and repentance over my sin, and when I resurrender my will to him.
Truly God does love us. He is patient, kind, compassionate, long-suffering, etc. His mercies never fail. They are new every morning. Great is HIS faithfulness!! He does let us start over and over and over again when we come to him in genuine repentance. If that were not true, I would not be here today doing what I am doing. Yet, when we sin, especially if we are living a life that is continually giving into sin and is continually running from God and is continually riding the fence and taking the middle of the road and is not going anywhere spiritually, God does not say, “It’s ok, I love you anyway.” He does assure us of his love, but his response to our sin is never “It’s ok.” That would be like a parent telling a child who continues to disobey and to go his own way, “That’s ok honey, I love you anyway.” That is not love!
What loving parent is going to keep telling a child, who willfully disobeys and who shows the parents no respect and no regard for their standards of behavior, “It’s ok, I love you anyway.” Now, they should reassure the child of their love no matter what the behavior, but not to say “It’s ok.” Love speaks the truth in love. Love pulls people out of burning buildings and rescues them from drowning and keeps them from being hit from an oncoming vehicle. Love does not leave us out there to die! Love does not tolerate or accept sinful behavior. Love certainly acts with compassion, kindness and forgiveness, but it does not promote or facilitate ongoing sin. It does not delight in wrongdoing. Love sets boundaries. It says, “This far and no further.” It sets standards of right and wrong and it disciplines us when we need correction in order to get us back on the right path and to train us to live godly and holy lives.
False teachers, the ones who say what our “tickling ears” want to hear, tell us “It’s ok, God loves you anyway.” They dress the wounds of God’s people as though they are not serious, saying “peace, peace” when there is no peace, i.e. “It’s ok, God loves you anyway.” But, it’s not ok! When I sin, I don’t want someone telling me “It’s ok.” I want someone to love me enough to tell me “It’s not ok” to behave this way. It’s not ok to go it in my flesh. It is not ok to run from God. It is not ok to keep living in sin and rebellion. It is not ok to live a lukewarm Christian life and to never move forward in my walk with the Lord. God has so much more planned for my life! He wants and desires so much more from me, because He loves me ever so much!! I want to see my children grow and mature and live responsible, peaceful, joyful and productive lives in Christ, too.
God’s indictment against these false teachers was that they did not dissuade people from their sin. They tell them, “It’s ok,” as though God’s love accepts and tolerates sin and as though God is perfectly content with us living this way. God does not! God is not complacent with regard to our sin. It is not ok with God for us to continue in a life of “teeter-totter” Christianity. He doesn’t force his will upon us. And, He will pursue us, but there are also times when he lets us go our own stubborn way. God is always calling out to us for us to repent and to turn from our sin and to turn our hearts and lives back to him in complete faith and obedience. And, He is compassionate, merciful and always forgiving, but his grace never leaves us drowning in our sin and rebellion telling us “It’s ok.” ‘Cause, it’s not ok.
God’s standard is this:
- Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it (Luke 9:23-24).
- Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:23-25).
- You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder… As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead (James 2:19, 26).
- Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (I John 2:15-17).
- We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did (I John 2:3-6).
