01.05.09 Reflections

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Read Genesis 9 & 10, Psalms 11 & 13, and Matthew 7 tonight. I think that Matthew 7 really convicted me the most. Somehow reading it from the Message was very revealing.

As I was reading through the passage, I felt like I had been reading my life in many ways. I want that to change in 2009. I want to truly live. In the notes that Eugene Peterson wrote, he said this:

"In verse 24, the idea of building a life out of Christ's words is based on one word in the Greek -- "poieo", which in other translations is rendered "do". From the Greek word, which is a very active word, we get the English word poet. A poet is a person who takes words and does something with them, makes something persona and original out of them.

Jesus says, 'Be poets. Make something out of these words I've spoken to you. Make a life, epic, and poetic. And make it beautiful. Make it a work of art.'

That something we can all do. One well-chosen word at a time. One stanza of service at a time. And with our words and deeds, we can leave something beautiful behind in the lives of others."

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