Tag Archives: God

Faithfulness …

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Andrew J. Nicewander| 633 Comments

It seems that true, persistent, plodding faithfulness is perhaps the hardest part of the Christian walk.

It is fairly easy to be flashy and it is easy to exert a great amount of energy for a small amount of time. But to be faithful and constant … that is hard. Patience and persistence is required for such faithfulness. To be faithful means constant warfare with the flesh. For the faithful man or woman there are no breaks, no rests, and no separation from the grind. The faithful Christian is a plodder. She is content in doing what she is called to do, even if she spends her whole life in relative obscurity. The faithful Christian does not mind doing the dirty work. In fact, he puts all of his effort into the task, knowing that there will be few who notice. The faithful Christian will be told at the end of things “Well done, good and faithful servant”. The faithful Christian is a slave and he rejoices in it. She is a servant and in her servitude she seeks the honor of God. He knows he might never be noticed, but he is ok with that possibility and general reality.

He is the pastor of a small congregation in the Texas Hill Country. The church he serves in has never had much numerical growth. He has never had many converts. He is not flashy and he is not real relevant. He is faithful in the little things and faithful in the big things he is given responsibility for.

She is the mother of ten believing children and currently the grandmother of fifteen. She was a beautiful woman in the flower of youth but now her body is wrinkled, bent and worn out. She is not flashy and she’s not real sexy. She is faithful in the little things and faithful in the big things she is given responsibility for.

This man might not be successful in the eyes of the world (or even the eyes of Evangelicals!), but in the Lord’s eyes this man is honored. This woman might not be beautiful in the eyes of the world, but in God’s eyes this woman exhibits true human beauty.

Are we content with faithfulness to God, or are we in such pursuit of fame, success, relevance and beauty that we lost sight of the one by whom and for whom all things exist?

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Posted in Christian Living, Some Thoughts

Tagged Beauty, Christianity, Church, Faith, Faithfullness, God, Patience, Relevance, Responsibility

Music Reviews – “Rebel” by Lecrae

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Andrew J. Nicewander| 8 Comments

Outside of the artists in the Square Peg Alliance, there is perhaps no musician today making better music or exhibiting more biblically edifying and encouraging music than Lecrae. This artistry is no more apparent than in his newest (and by far, best) offering to date, Rebel.

The album opens up with an awesome track aptly named “Rebel Intro”. This track sets the tune for the rest of the album with its direct statement that Jesus was a rebel, not because He was disobedient or rebellious per se, but because He was a “sanctified troublemaker” and obedient in perfection to the Father. The energy is maintained with the track “Don’t Waste Your Life”, and honest heart-felt appeal borrowed from the writings of John Piper to not waste your life on trivial pursuits, but to live life for the glory of God and for His renown.

Lecrae continues the plea to be a rebel in this world with the driving “God Hard” and the incredibly transparent, humbling and self-effacing “Indwelling Sin”, “Breathin’ to Death” and “Desparate”. The album continues with application in “Change”, “Fall Back”, “Live Free” and “Got Paper”.

Rebel ends in great encouragement with the songs “I’m a Saint” (reminiscent of Derek Webb’s “Saint and Sinner”), “The Bride” and “Beautiful Feet”. “The Bride” is an especially reassuring defense of the Church’s identity as Christ’s Bought Bride. Christians take a lot of flak in the World, many times justifiably so, yet this song asks us to consider ourselves not primarily as sinners, but as sinners loved by Jesus.

The whole album is worth a good long listen. Lecrae’s creative ability in songcraft is simply stunning, especially so when one couples the craft of the songs to their theological soundness and biblical consistency. “Rebel” is worth the purchase cost and will be an encouragement to your soul.

“Don’t Waste Your Life” Sermon Jam (with John Piper audio), Download here

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1138→ 8 Comments2009-05-19+23%3A30%3A05Andrew+J.+Nicewander

Posted in Music, Music Reviews

Tagged Beauty, Christianity, Death, Glory, God, Jesus, Lecrae, Love, Music, Sin, Sinners

The Masterpiece

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Andrew J. Nicewander| 644 Comments

There is a Hand that is Steady and Sure, and behind the Hand there is a Mind that has an idea for the Perfect Masterpiece

There are many brushes for the Mind to choose from, many exceedingly beautiful, with exquisitely chiseled handles, and perfectly aligned bristles, but oddly enough the Mind chooses the ugliest brush, with a handle of balsa wood, and a head of bristles that point in every which direction. The Hand then takes the ugly Brush and promptly, yet gently, dips it into the paint, and begins the Work.

The Brush at first strains against the Hand, its bristles attempting to run entirely contrary to the direction of the Strokes, but the Hand is Steady and Sure, and continues with the Strokes. The Brush wonders at this, for the Strokes are against its nature, but it will soon realize that its bristles are even then being reshaped by the Hand, to achieve the Mind’s Purpose.

It is with much patience that the Hand makes the Strokes. Often times the bristles do not conform easily, but the Mind is indeed patient, and pays especially minute attention to detail, using each and every bristle for every stroke. To the Brush, the strokes seem unordered, more chaotic than anything. Then water is spilled onto the Painting, blurring the previous work, and the brush moans that all is lost. Then the Piece gets scratched, disrupting the continuity of the Painting, and the Brush despairs at the time spent on that very continuity. But still the Hand keeps making Strokes with the Brush. And still the Brush is made more beautiful and straight, bristle by bristle, Stroke by Stroke. Every so often the Brush is lifted from one spot of the Painting to another, to be used as the Mind sees fit. And every so often the Brush is re-dipped into different colors of paint that the Mind uses for the different parts of His Masterpiece. At these times the Brush notices that the Strokes do seem to be coming together, yet still the Final Product is veiled.

So it continues: the Brush is swept back and forth, dipped and re-dipped in a variety of paints, all the while the bristles are coming in line with the Purpose of the Mind.

Finally, the strokes cease, the Brush stops, the Hand lifts the Brush into the air, and then the Brush sees the Masterpiece. And suddenly the Brush realizes why the Hand allowed, and orchestrated, the scratches, spills, and wild bristles. It was all a part of the Masterpiece, all coming together to show beautifully the Purpose of the Piece, and all coming together to wonderfully express the Mind behind the Purpose.

And the Brush is filled with gratitude because the Mind would choose the Brush, and the Hand would use it for such a glorious Purpose. Then the Hand places the Brush back into a case, but not into the old case, now it is in the Master’s Case, filled with beautiful, sculpted, perfect Brushes, all having been used by the Master, all made perfect by the Mind in their own corresponding Masterpiece. And suddenly, the Brush understands.

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Posted in Poetic Prose

Tagged Art, Christianity, God, Growth, Poetry, Reformation

The Non-Conditionality of God’s Eternal Reality

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Andrew J. Nicewander| 595 Comments

God’s self-designation of the “I am” is the only non-conditional reality that can ever be. Or, to phrase it another way, it is the only self-conditional statement that can ever be.

To explain: God cannot be unless he has always been. Existence cannot be unless God is. How is this so? Because everything else that is, is conditioned upon God being. For instance, the very language we use to describe such ideas are dependent upon the condition of God (who made language) being. Our own reality can only be understood with the condition that God is. Creation is conditioned and dependent upon a Creator. Love is conditioned on a Lover. God’s Grace is conditioned on the reality of sin (as well as the Sinner and the Grace-Giver) which is conditioned upon God’s Holiness which is conditioned on the essence of God’s character which is conditioned on God’s existence. If God is not the “I am”, then there is no such thing as holiness and thereby no standard with which to condition sin and thereby no sinner and thereby no Grace to save us from our sin. Scripture is conditioned by the reality of a God who reveals Himself and Truth itself is conditioned upon a God who defines it.

Because God is, reality itself is possible and in fact actual. God’s existence is because He is. He is because He exists. He is the un-conditioned Reality from which all reality is understood and known. He is not bound to any external understandings or realities. He defines what is, because He is. He is the un-influenced Influencer, the un-moved Mover, the non-Created Creator, and the non-conditioned Reality.

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Posted in Philosophical Musings, Some Thoughts

Tagged God, Philosophy, Reality

God Saves

Posted on December 30, 2008 by Andrew J. Nicewander| 72 Comments

I’m saved by grace through faith in Christ
The Son of God our Lord
It’s not be works I’m justified
But by the love of God
He loves me with a deepest love
I’ve never been alone
My Sovereign King does rule my life
I never am my own

I’m sanctified by grace alone
I grow in Jesus’ Truth
For my small heart which once was dead
Has now been made anew
God give me grace to live for You
And do as You command
Please use me as a useful tool
In Your great Master Plan

When my short life comes to an end
And to my death I come
I know I have a place to dwell
I know I have a home
A place where I will dwell with Christ
Forever and anon
A place of warmth, a place of joy
I’ll dwell e’er in the Son

580→ 72 CommentsGod+Saves2008-12-31+02%3A56%3A41Andrew+J.+Nicewander

Posted in My Writings, Poetry

Tagged Death, God, God's Glory, God's Grace, Heaven, Jesus Christ

The Masterpiece

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Andrew J. Nicewander| 725 Comments

There is a Hand that is Steady and Sure, and behind the Hand there is a Mind that has an idea for the Perfect Masterpiece

So it continues: the Brush is swept back and forth, dipped and re-dipped in a variety of paints, and all the while the bristles are coming inline with the Purpose of the Mind.

And the Brush is filled with gratitude because the Mind would choose the Brush, and the Hand would use it for such a glorious Thing. Then the Hand places the Brush back into a case, but not into the old case, now it is in the Master’s Case, filled with beautiful, sculpted, perfect Brushes, all having been used by the Master, all made perfect by the Mind in their own corresponding Masterpiece. And suddenly, the Brush understands.

393→ 725 CommentsThe+Masterpiece2008-12-13+01%3A47%3A02Andrew+J.+Nicewander

Posted in My Writings

Tagged God, God's Grace, Painting, Writing