I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.

For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep.

Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If God is for us, who can be against us?
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Blessing, and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Amen!

O, precious is the flow
  That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m currently a young man in my twenties.

Reflecting on my youth reminds me of my favorite song from elementary school, “I Wonder How It Felt.” The chorus held deep meaning for me as a child, and still does today, for I will always be a child of God, with eternal life before me.

  I’m just a child
    My life is still before me
  I just can’t wait
    To see what God has for me
  But I know that I will trust Him
    And I’ll wait to see
      What life will be for me

When I discussed one of my favorite albums the other day, I would have loved to be able to link to the lyrics. It certainly would have made my comments more comprehensible to people that have never heard of Jars of Clay, let alone listened to their latest album.

You can, of course, find lyrics on the Internet – a simple Google search reveals dozens of Web sites with the full lyrics to thousands of albums. Unfortunately, they’re almost certainly violations of copyright. Worse yet, most of the sites try very hard to get you to install spyware – nasty software that seems harmless (even useful!) but can do all sorts of ugly things behind the scenes. Be careful out there!

I’ve really been enjoying Who We Are Instead, the latest album from Jars of Clay. One song on that album, “Jealous Kind,” has particularly moving lyrics. In fact, I was all set to blog about it when John Moody, friend and coworker, beat me to the punch.

Why do we “choose the gallows to the aisle”? Why would I rather put a noose around my neck than walk down the aisle with my Savior? Why do I seek my desires before the kingdom of God?

I’d rather feel the pain all too familiar
Than be broken by a lover I don’t understand
‘Cause I don’t understand

Lord, help me understand.

There are few things in this world that can break through my seemingly impenetrable heart like music. Church hymns are some of the most moving pieces of music for me; this morning, we sang one of my favorites, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I can never remember why I like that hymn so much until I get to the third stanza:

Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.

I can barely sing the words. Faith and doubt are constantly at war in me; my greatest fear is that I would leave the God I love. I know that only God himself can draw me to him, and I pray each day that he will continue to do so.

Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:23-27, NIV)