As the Watchman Waits

People have asked me what my blog title is about, so I thought I'd do some explaining: 

Throughout the Old Testament, there are numerous allegories of watchmen waiting at their post in anticipation for the sun to rise; always on their guard through the night, but in hope to see the sun so that they may rest. 

My favorite of these references is found in Psalm 130:

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy.
 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
 But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
 I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.
 He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.

Psalm 130

These watchmen are an example of the Church.

We are watchmen over the city; on guard through the night, anticipating the coming of the Son. We wait anxiously, awaiting His return, knowing that we will not find rest until that time.  

This blog is written for the Christian; for those waiting in anticipation for Jesus, struggling through this night of life, clinging to the promise of dawn. It is for my fellow watchmen who are seeking to be faithful to their King in their duties to guard, protect, warn, and prepare their city. We who are weary in this long night, we who desire to serve our King and His nation correctly, we who long to be identified as steadfast servants, we who crave to hear "Well done" at the Son's long expected return. 

I am a watchman for this world.

Jesus has left me with the duty of guarding this world, warning it from harm, protecting it from the enemy's destructive plans, and preparing it for His return. 
He has called you, Christian, to the same.
And I'll tell you what, this job is no joke.

As a young Christian, it is difficult to not only live in this world, but to love it through serving it the ways my Commander has taught me. 
The city is stubborn, caught up in it's own ways, full of arrogance yet naive to the realities of the danger it faces. 

But, regardless of it's stature, we must be steadfast to serve it, lead it, and love it. Correctly.

Correctly is a key word in the equation.
It takes the relativity from it's high horse that has taken charge of the common mind. 
My God's love is not relative, therefore our love should not be as well. 
More importantly, my God doesn't love according to our (current understanding of) love, He loves us with His perfect, correct form of love.
He in His perfect creating of it, knows exactly how to act upon it; how to put the perfection of the word into perfecting the action. 

Like all perfect, good and beautiful ideas that God creates, we take and pervert them in our own shallow understanding- hence why love has become a relative term. 

We are called to love this world correctly, and we have failed to do so. You know this.

So, how do we love correctly? How do we wake up from dozing, rise to our post, and do our duties correctly? How do we keep one another alert and eager yet patient and gracious as we struggle through this difficult yet honorable position? 

I do not have the answers, but I know who does.
In this waiting, I put my struggles before you, brothers and sisters, from my thoughts to my words to my keyboard, hoping that we will yearn to do this correctly, and strive to act like the people that Christ has died for.

"More than the watchmen wait for the morning,

       More than the watchmen wait for the morning."

"He Himself is our Peace"

So to begin my year, I have been going through Ephesians for my personal devotion time.
Have you read this stuff??
It's insane!
I've read through this book many times, but for this season of life God is truly sanctifying my heart in  new ways through some incredible truths.

Reading Chapter two shook me to my core yesterday; convicting me and compelling me.
I have been so disobedient to my Jesus.


I posted a photo last week of my feet on a Japanese train station platform. During my time home, I was taking a series of photos of "patterns from my past", and the dotted yellow lines are ones that flooded my mind with memories of my childhood. The yellow line represents the barrier you are suppose to stand behind as the train comes.
My sweet sister pointed out to me that this photo represents my "Straddling the lines, pushing limits, embracing a little rebellion..." My stubborn heart is evident to all. It's a characteristic that can be both a strength and a weakness (most characteristics are this way).
This year, I plan on harnessing this characteristic in my blogging. I have been told in the past that I'm not allowed to speak on certain topics for petty reasonings. But I'm officially calling BS on that.
Christ has been pressing on my heart for over a year to speak on difficult topics; controversial topics that need to be discussed. I have been disobedient because of the fear of people's responses and critiques, it has kept me quiet on so many issues I feel compelled to speak on.
I will stubbornly (but lovingly) choose to obey my Jesus and not the world (a struggle I have had).
So here I go, straddling the line, pushing limits, and embracing my rebellious nature for the sake of keeping myself and others uncomfortable with the state we are in. Topics of controversy are some of my favorite, because I feel they are ones that hold the deepest sheltered truths- thus people wish to keep those truths unexposed for the sake of "comfortability". Let's get uncomfortable. Let's discuss difficult topics. Let's break down these barriers that we refuse to acknowledge. Let's flee from the pathetic estate of being a culture that merely "tolerates" one another and seek to be a culture that LOVES one another despite differences- that can't be done when we are too afraid to discuss differences.
So, with humility and love and with hope in truth and the power that it holds, I invite you to join me in some terrifying and uncomfortable conversations that are long overdue.
My hope is in Christs ability to bring unity through His redemption and His ability to reconcile what is broken in me, in you, and in this world.
Yesterday, as I feasted on Ephesians, my heart was so freed in the beautiful truths of chapter 2 verses 14-16.
"For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one, and has destroyed barriers, the dividing wall of hostility... His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility."
This is what Jesus has for us, this peace was His full purpose.
With this knowledge, how can I not strive to obtain what Jesus has in store for this world?
Through Him, and Him only, can these differences be discussed and dismembered for the sake of peace. Gods peace is not the lack of conflict, but rather the love and grace expressed amidst conflict.
So as we seek this peace, we have to acknowledge that differences shouldn't be seen as barriers to cause hostility, but rather greater reason to cling to Jesus to bring unity despite differences.
I need to cling to Jesus. My heart struggles so much with what differs from me, but I believe that as I cling to Jesus, He will help me to love more and more what I do not understand.
I believe He will do that for each of us as we all cling to Him and cling to His promise of restoring our brokenness.
In the knowledge that topics being discussed may bring strife, I will be praying (and hope you pray with me) that our ultimate and common goal would be loving and gracious discussion that respresents the peace that Ephesians is talking about. Through Christ and Christ alone can these barriers be brought down.