We Can Do So Much Better

Third Day, Thief

This is probably more personal than I'm comfortable sharing but I've always considered my blog to be a place where I can come years from now to reminisce about my life and the road I've traveled.

I'm not one who's prone to tears but as I sat down to write in my blog this morning the tears flowed freely. I was considering some music to add to the beginning of this post, something Easter related. As I did that I was reflecting on the loss of Hosanna (my former church) in my life and how sad that has been for me. Couple that with the words below from the song I've linked above describing an innocent Jesus on the cross suffering for my sins. I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I don't know where my spiritual life is headed. I'm so far from where I was not so long ago. I still believe that Jesus is my savior but I've grown so distant from the church as I struggle to understand the disconnect from too many of us who claim to follow him but lead lives that offer little resemblance to the Jesus we follow. We embrace our guns while turning our backs on those without healthcare. We require some (such as same-sex couples) to jump over hurdles before they're accepted into the church while allowing ourselves and others to bypass our own hurdles.

It's not right. We can do so much better.

Third Day, Thief

I am a thief, I am a murderer,
Walking up this lonely hill.
What have I done? I don't remember.
No one knows just how I feel;
And I know that my time is coming soon.

It's been so long, oh, such a long time,
Since I've lived with peace and rest.
Now I am here, in my destination,
I guess things work for the best;
And I know that my time is coming soon.

Who is this man? This man beside me,
That they call the King of the Jews.
No, they don't believe, that He's the Messiah,
But, somehow I know that it's true.

They laugh at Him in mockery,
They beat Him till he bleeds,
They nail Him to the rugged cross,
And they raise Him, yeah, they raise Him up next to me.

My time has come, and I'm slowly fading,
But I deserve what I receive.
Jesus, when You are in Your kingdom,
Could You please, please remember me.

Well, He looks at me still holding on,
And the tears fall from His eyes,
And He says I tell the truth,
Today, yeah, you will live with Me in paradise.

And I know that my time, my time, is coming soon.
And I know that my time, my time, is coming soon.
And I know that paradise, paradise is coming soon.

Comments

John A Hill said…
Bless you on your journey, brother. You do not walk this path alone.

JH <><
March 31, 2013 at 10:49 PM
Kevin Gilmore said…
Thanks much, John. It's been a winding road of late and I'm never sure what's around the next bend.
March 31, 2013 at 11:23 PM
Anonymous said…
We need to place our faith in Jesus ABOVE anything and everything. Its not theology or church or even other Christians that we place our faith in because those things do not transform us...Jesus is the transforming grace..:) When we place our faith in theology then we are depending on the "rightness" of our faith to save us and we will become defensive to others that disagree. Doctrines can differ but the centralness of every Christian needs to lie in surrendering all so He can transform us by His Love that we cant get on our own. Jesus opens our eyes to how Real He is ...making it a personal relationship.When we place faith in a church or other Christians,it will always come up short for us and give us disappointment. None of us have it all together and that is why we need Him daily. I think it is great that you are asking questions and there is nothing wrong with being vulnerable about it on your blog. Many people do so cuz when you get down to what's real...it is all that is inward..not outward that matters. Our relationship with Jesus is all about the inward and what He wants to give, show and teach us. He only asks that we place Him first. He is Good! Bless you on your journey.
April 21, 2013 at 4:54 PM
Anonymous said…
http://whchurch.org/blog/1331/gatekeepers-of-the-royal-son. Here is an excellent sermon by Greg on the subject. Even the disciples had Jesus "in a box" with their thinking that He came to conquer in a militant style. Jesus love did not change for them because they thought that way..He loved them deeply as He loves those today that may think the same way...Thinking outside the box is seeing that God is for all people. As Greg says "Our identity is getting life from Christ"...Not politics...not things...not other people. He is the freedom He wants us to discover in Him. I think you are going to like this sermon...:)
April 22, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Kevin Gilmore said…
He has a lot of good things to say...especially beginning around the 25:00 mark where he's speaking of Gandhi and his thoughts on Christians. He's right though, if Christians really did practice the ways of Jesus people would want to be a part of Christianity but as it is, we don't and so people are reluctant to become involved. That's the group I'm finding myself in more and more.

Thanks for the link!
April 22, 2013 at 4:23 PM
Anonymous said…
I remember when I first was seeking Jesus in my late teens. I had asked Him in my heart and was attending a Pentecostal church...I had a huge struggle with my thoughts on the people of that church. I was still going out to bars and one night I saw the piano player from the church at the bar..I thought 'What is he doing in a bar?' I felt a bit guilty myself once I saw him but I excused it cuz after all I was 'new' in my faith but this guy was on fire at church and felt HE should be setting an example ...not being a stumbling block for baby Christian like me. Those were my thoughts. Prior to that I saw the people at that church all on fire for Jesus..I liked what I was learning...but seeing that guy out in the bar confused me big time about all the people there. I remember praying about it and Jesus teaching me to look to Him not people. It made things much more clear as it was about MY relationship with Him...And This guy had his own personal relationship with Jesus. Church is for the sick not the perfect. I had them all pegged as "super spiritual"...I had them in my own box ...As it was, it took me years and years to totally surrender the drink ...I wonder how many people I tripped up as I talked about Jesus while I was a guzzling my beers. Happy His grace brought me out of that misery. So...I believe God is always drawing people to know Him deeper and show us who He really is and who we really are but we trip ourselves up by looking to people. Im certain the enemy loves that tactic...:(
April 22, 2013 at 7:35 PM
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