A little ramble about music...

So I've had some thoughts rattling around in my head for the past week and thought I'd share them. There are some secular (as in they don't mention God) songs that I've found incredibly emotionally moving recently. Songs that are incredibly relevant to my life. One song in particular I've heard a lot of people say that this song has gotten them through so many tough times. And I was thinking, that’s like God speaking though music, reassuring people of His love, though they don't yet know that. See, it’s all a matter of perspective.

Since I know that it's God speaking through these songs, I can go to the source and directly thank God for speaking to me. When people don't realize this, they can false attribute the song or the songwriter only for getting them through depression.

As I look through my Top 25 most played songs on iTunes, half of them are Christian. The ones that really fulfill me are the Christian songs, because they point towards God. Now I totally belive God can use secular songs to teach us things about him. But there is something about songs that quote the source of our strength and point directly to God that pulls me through much better than songs only talking about earthly love.

In the end, I’m thankful to God for speaking through all songs—secular or Christian. I'm so grateful that he inspires musicians to write His truth.

So, any thoughts or reactions? I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on this!

Putting God In A Box?

So my university had an awesome meeting centered around this thought: Do we put God in a box? Seriously, we often limit what we think God can do based on our preconceptions of who he is. This is the God who shut lions' mouths, raised people from the dead, and spoke to storms. We read about all these stories in the Bible, and we think God can't work that way now.

I left the meeting feeling challenged. In my life, I want God to suprise me and shock me. I don't want to limit what he can do. I want to be able to expect miracles to happen. The meeting ended with a couple of the leaders speaking words of encouragement over specific people. That night, I prayed to God and asked him to give me words of encouragement for the people around me. And he did. He told me, "Love them unconditionally. Reaffirm their worth in me." It's intimidating for me to actually speak words God has given me to people. So right now, I'm trying to do that through my actions. I pray God will give courage to speak those words aloud.

Impure thoughts...

So I was contemplating this week about the purity of my thoughts. It's not something I think about much, but I think it is an important topic to discuss. So many times, I've started thinking one thing, and then before I know it, my thoughts drift toward fleshly desires, or sins such as greed, envy, or selfishness. I'm reminded of the passage in the Bible to "take every thought captive" and subdue it to Christ. It is something I need to be on careful guard against. As well, I know that what I watch or listen to affects my thoughts positively or negatively. If I watch a tv show based around materialism, selfishness, or sexual immorality, then that is what I will think about. However, if I am constantly listening to worship music or watching uplifting movies or tv shows, I tend to think impure thoughts less. It's not necessarily the initial thought that's wrong, but the obsession it can lead to if it gets too out of hand.

I wanted to write this today to encourage you to take a stand against a lustful or selfish thoughts and bring them before the Lord! He is able to cleanse and renew us day by day.