Jesus, Take EVERYTHING

There's a song by Seventh Day Slumber called Take Everything. [Maybe most of you know of this song, but it's new to me, so I thought I'd share...]

The chorus says:

Take the pain inside
Take the brokenness
Don't stop till there's nothing left
My arrogance my pride loss of innocence
Jesus, take everything.

That is my cry. I want God take away the pain of my past, and teach me how to let it go.
I want Him to take away my arrogance, my pride, and my loss of innocence.
I want Him to take it all away.

The song goes on to say:

There's nothing left of me
That's when I feel alive.

That is so awesome!
I want to have nothing left of me in me. I want God to feel me with Him - with His love, His compassion, His Holy Spirit.
I want everything like me to be replaced by the characteristics that are like Him.

My prayer is for God take EVERYTHING.

What Does It Mean to be a Christian?

Don’t give your literal definition of the word, really think about it.
Try to look past the horrible examples which have been set before you.
Try not to let the subversive Christians you've encountered, impact the perfection the Lord embodies.

Think about the sacrifices, think about the humility, think about the lifestyle, think about the love – think about the word's connotation.
From my actions, I can tell you what others may think it means…
”Oh, well it must mean indulging in your most basic desires without going 'too far'.”
“It must mean doing any- and everything except killing people, stealing, etc; you know, anything for which you could possibly be imprisoned.”
“Maybe it means appearing to be nice and sweet to others, while doing whatever you’d like behind closed doors.”
“Or maybe it means going to church, and participating in other religious activities, while still maintaining the entirety of your own individualism.”

In reality, being a Christian is something completely different.
Being a Christian means living love.
It means loving humanity enough to sacrifice yourself, your lifestyle, and your possessions, to draw those who are lost.
Being a Christian means making the ultimate sacrifice.
It doesn’t necessarily mean forsaking what distinguishes you from everyone else, but it does mean using those distinctions to serve God.
Ultimately, it is redefining the value you have as a person – trading what the world values in and about you for what God deems invaluable in and about you.

Now, beyond defining 'being a Christian', the true task is living it.