The Creed Of The Cross

"Where is its heart? 

Where is its reality? 

Where is the 

gravitas?"

-P.L. Travers, Saving Mr. Banks

Nine days and 2,000-something years ago, the greatest phenomenon in history happened. 

The greatest story in literature. The greatest idea in philosophy.

Something that had never entered the limited imaginations or speculations 

of even the most brilliant human beings shook the world. 

A man, a prophet, a teacher, a rabbi-

The Son of God-

lowered himself to the deathly constraints of our planet and was bound to it for 33 years. 

He died to magnify his glory, and to bring his kingdom to earth, 

giving us an opportunity to be saved. 

He loved us that much. 

But now, as many stories do, this one has lost it's heart. 

It's reality.

It's gravitas.

Our feeble minds can't comprehend the pain, the loss, and the power of what happened. 

The story has been watered down. It has lost it's center, it's force, and it's purpose.

In the words of P.L. Travers, "Where is its heart? Where is its reality? Where is the gravitas?"

It is my prayer that God will help me find those things in the story of His grace. 

He wants to reveal to us the unfathomable things, but we must listen. 

We must let Him work against what we know, and tell us what He wants us to hear.

This Easter season, (Because we know that every day is the Easter season), let God reveal the unfathomable to you, and to show you the heart, reality and gravitas of his story. 

Let those three things be the Creed by which we share Christ's gospel.

Heart, Reality, Gravitas.

The Creed Of The Cross.

Soli Deo Gloria,

To God Alone Be The Glory,

Forever And Ever.

With All That I Am

A few weeks ago, I had my birtday. I received many gifts, large and small, lavish and humble.

But the one gift that meant the most to me, was simple. 

We had our elderly friend over for cake and ice cream. As we ate, she handed me a bent envelope with my name on it. As I tore open the paper, an old fashioned card fell out. "Happy Birthday!" it read in big, bold print. As I opened the card, a bent, torn and ragged 5 dollar bill came out. You could tell it was old, as if it had been saved up for something. Five dollars can't get you much- Maybe a coffee at StarBucks, or two donuts at Krispy Kremes. Yet, that five dollar bill felt like a treasure to me. Why? Because it was all she had. 

I had seen the trailer she lived in. 

I had seen the cracks and faults inside of it.

I had seen her hardships.

And yet she spared the five dollars she had saved up, and gave it to me. 

God wants the same from us. God wants us to give him everything we are. He doesn't mean our houses, and all our money. He means us. God wants all of us. God obviously doesn't need us, just as I didn't need those five dollars, but he gives us the opportunity to lay ourselves down at his feet and present ourselves to him. He wants our hearts. He wants our lives. He doesn't want just half of us, or a third of us, he wants ALL of us. Are you willing to give him everything? Are you willing to give your life, your heart, your mind over to Jesus? If you do, that simple gift will mean everything to Him. So with all that you are, give your whole self to Jesus. 

Not Comprehended

This world is dark.
This world is evil.
This world is painful.

Ever since Adam and Eve took and ate of the tree, sin has dominated the world. Darkness has ruled, and will continue to rule until Jesus returns for his bride. But even in the midst of the evil of this world, there is still a glimmer of light.

Jesus called us to be lights among the darkness. It really is quite the honest cliché. We go out into the darkness, eager to be that "light", but we grow dim, and our lights fade. We come back, empty handed and empty hearted. Trust me friends- It's happened to me.
That's the place where some people lose faith, and are discouraged from going back. But don't you want to break the cliché? Let's let our lights shine before men more brightly than the sun, and more continuously than the rushing river. But how? Think of an oil lamp.

By lighting it, it throws off light, enough to break the darkness. But if you leave it running without care, it will run out, and it's light will fade. It needs to be replenished constantly. We need to fill ourselves up at Jesus' well constantly too. We can't give hurting people what they need if we don't get what we need. It would be like a starving person feeding a starving person.

But we can still be that light that people need. We can pierce the darkness of this world in simple ways. You don't have to be going to Africa or preaching to criminals to be a light. Your own community needs a light. But just as the moon reflects the sun, remember that we reflect the SON. Our light is not our own- It's Jesus inside of us.

So don't be discouraged when all you see is darkness. The reason you don't see any light, is because you are the light.  We can't take all of the darkness and evil out of the world, but we can fight it.

Don't you want to be like Jesus? A "light shining in the darkness, but the darkness could not comprehend it" John 1:5

Don't give even a hint of darkness. Don't let the  world comprehend you. Don't let it understand you. Don't let it discourage you.

Because we can have faith in the everlasting light.

New Years Revolutions

2013 is almost over. This year will soon be a memory. Are you ready for 2014? To me, it's crazy to think that 2013 is over already. With the changing year, a lot of people are making changes too. Some try to change their appearance, some, their actions, and some try to change themselves. The common word that people use is "resolution". Like many words, "resolution" has been abused. The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as "The quality of being determined or resolute". So many people make resolutions and then don't keep them. A resolution is supposed to be a strong promise to make positive changes in your life. Why have we taken that idea and made it into a petty tradition? This year, I'm challenging you not to make resolutions, but to make a REVOLUTION! The Oxford Dictionary defines a revolution as "a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it". Let's revolutionize our lives in 2014. Let Jesus be your revolution this coming year. A revolution is more than just resolute, it's revolutionary! What can you revolutionize in your life?

Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV) Says,
"[To] Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

This year, I'm going to revolutionize my life. I'm going to take off my old self everyday, and put on my new self. To me, that is the best change you could make.

So tonight at midnight, amongst the counting down and the noise, take a quiet minute to look around at the world and see what you can revolutionize.

Dear Readers,
"On The Mountaintop" is a blog about my journey in life, and what God teaches me.
He is my all, and I just want to glorify Him in all that I do.
I chose the name "On The Mountaintop" because first of all, I love mountains. :)
Just the thought of them just gives me a sense of adventure, and a feeling of peace.
Mountains are one of the places I feel close to God, and feel His presence.
Second, a "Mountaintop" experience is a time when you feel close to God, and/or
have an amazing spiritual experience. I know from experience that coming home from these is hard, and often, I feel depressed, and long to be back on "the mountain". This blog is meant to capture what God tells me on those mountains. I hope that they encourage you as much as they did me, and that you can join me on my "mountain".

Sincerely,
Gabriel Fox