November 16, 2024

For The Cross

April 16, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The life You gave
Your body was broken
Your love poured out
You bled and You died for me
There on the Cross
You breathed Your last as You were crucified
You gave it all for me

Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Friend
Hallelujah, King forever
We thank You for the Cross

There in the ground
Sealed in the darkness
Lifeless laid
The frame of the Father’s son
In agony
He watched His only Son be sacrificed
He gave it all for me

But on that day
What seemed as the darkest hour
A violent hope
Broke through and shook the ground
And as You rose
The Light of all the world was magnified
And You rose in victory

Hallelujah, it is finished
Hallelujah, it is done
Hallelujah, King forever
We thank you for the cross

Though our sins are scarlet
You have made us white as snow. x2

And You rose in victory

Hallelujah, it is finished
Hallelujah, it is done
Hallelujah, King forever
We thank You for the cross

Though our sins are scarlet
You have made us white as snow.

 

Songwriters: Jenn Johnson, Ian McIntosh, Gabriel Wilson/Sung by  Bethel Live

I wonder what Jesus was doing on this day…so close to His crucifixion, and I wonder if He knew.  His last supper was fast approaching and His disciples are walking close, maybe closer than usual.  And what about Judas…had he already decided in his heart that he would betray Him?  If only he had asked for forgiveness, Jesus would’ve given it to him.

Just like Judas, we all betray Him in our own way.  And we are immediately forgiven when we ask.  Jesus was broken and poured out for us.  Do you really understand what that means?  He bore our cross—our jealousy, our gossip, our addictions and our rebelliousness.  He was crucified with any sin that we would or have committed.  And so we are free!  How amazing is that?  And His love for us is unending and He looks forward to us being with Him forever.

So today, we thank Him for the Cross.  We thank Him for His blood that washed away our sins.  We thank Him for His body, broken so that we will walk in freedom.  And we rejoice together for the empty tomb, for because of that, we are forever full of joy unending, and a life that is full!  So as you listen to the words of this song, let it sink in that the Sacrifice was given for you—yes, you.  Even if you were the only one, He would have died for you.

Let us pray:  Dear God, thank You for today.  Thank You for knowing us so well that You know our every move and You know our heart and You love us in spite of ourselves.  You are our Joy, Father, and we praise You and we love You!  And for Your ultimate sacrifice by sending Your only Son, so that we may have life. So as we walk into this week, help us to remember the real reason.  That it’s not the colored eggs, but that we will live forever with You.  In Your Kingdom, we will reside.  In Jesus’ precious Name, amen!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Beauty Will Rise

April 11, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

It was the day the world went wrong
I screamed ’til my voice was gone
And watched through the tears as everything
Came crashing down
Slowly panic turns to pain
As we awake to what remains
And sift through the ashes that are left behind

But buried deep beneath
All our broken dreams
We have this hope:

Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning
in the morning, beauty will rise

So take another breath for now,
And let the tears come washing down
And if you can’t believe I will believe for you

Cause I have seen
the signs of spring!
Just watch and see:

Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning
In the morning

I can hear it in the distance
And it’s not too far away
It’s the music and the laughter
Of a wedding and a feast
I can almost feel the hand of God
Reaching for my face
To wipe the tears away, and say
“It’s time to make everything new”

“Make it all new”

This is our hope
This is the promise
This is our hope
This is the promise
That it would take our breath away
To see the beauty that’s been made
Out of the ashes
Out of the ashes
That it would take our breath away
To see the beauty that He’s made
Out of the ashes…
Out of the ashes…

Out of these ashes… beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of this darkness…new life will shine
And we’ll know the joy is coming in the morning
In the morning…beauty will rise

Oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, Beauty will rise

~  Steven Curtis Chapman, songwriter and singer  ~

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Steven Curtis Chapman is no stranger to tragedy.  Of all people, he knows ashes and he knows the beauty that God can make out of the ashes of tragedy and loss and suffering.  On May 21, 2008, Steven’s youngest daughter, Maria, was killed in their front yard, by a vehicle driven by their son. She was the youngest of the three girls the Chapmans had adopted from China; she was a vital part of the family, loved and adored by all.

In the days and week to come, Steven thought about leaving the music industry altogether.  Then God came to him, and inspired him to make music out of his pain.  That just maybe his mess that became his ministry would help others see that there is hope and healing in His name. And it became his mission to SEE God in the details of this.

Since Maria was from China, they traveled there and opened a home for special needs orphans called “Maria’s Big House of Hope” where children can live and be ministered to and loved.  Because of the tragedy of losing her, tens of thousands of children will be saved from life-threatening illnesses and have a place to call home, with loving nannies and nurses and doctors to care for them. Beauty from ashes, right?  And, while they were there, the whole family went to visit the site of that terrible earthquake of 2008, where over 70,000 people lost their lives. and left 5,000,000 homeless.  The Chapman family knew loss and they were able to relate to these people who had lost their sons and daughters, their mothers and fathers.  And the only comfort that they knew to share was God’s comfort through Scripture.  So they shared with the people of  China God’s unconditional love—that even in earthquakes, He never left them.

Through the ashes, like those left behind in the earthquake, beauty will rise.  New buildings are built; new homes, beautiful new streets and sidewalks.  And also new life with God.  After every tragedy, our relationship with God gets stronger because He is our Comforter and He never leaves us.  He can make beautiful out of ugly.  I know this and believe this…He is able!

Isn’t this like the Cross?  It was painful, hurtful, unfair and i’m sure the crown of thorns hurt and the day was dark.  But then Hope was raised from the dead, and new life…eternal life was birthed! And now we will live in eternity with Him forever!  Because Jesus died, we will live.  Because of the darkness, we see light and God will alway make something beautiful out of our ashes.

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Let us pray: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You so much for taking our tragedies and turning them into triumphs!  Out of the ugly messes we get ourselves in, Lord, You can use them to reach others for the Kingdom.  Sometimes our messes become our ministries ;and we are better equipped to help our fellow-travelers who may also be struggling. Beauty from Ashes…only You have the ability and only You know what we need.  In loss, You never leave us, and as we put one foot in front of the other, You fill us with Your strength and courage.  Thank You for not leaving us the way we are. And thank You for the ultimate beautiful Redeemer and Savior You sent to die in our place so that we can live a full life and live forever with You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Take Me Back

April 9, 2014 by
It’s your heart that keeps you running
And it’s your mind that I can’t change
Will you ever be returning
And coming back again, coming back again
Take me back to the place where it started
Take me back to the warmth of the sun
To the place where the rivers meet the ocean
Take me back home
Yeah, that’s where I belong
And have you ever really wondered
As we walk beneath the stars
Will we find the truth, will we discover
It isn’t very far, it’s not so very far

I wonder if I’ve gone too far

Lord, please help me get back home
Where I belong

It’s your heart that keeps you running

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~  Songwriter: Mac Powell / Performed by Third Day  ~
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Do you remember the day that your life changed forever?  The day that you gave your whole life to Jesus?  You lay your burdens at His feet that very first day. But what happens from there?  I know…we start slowly picking those burdens back up again, and then some.  We try so hard to be good mothers, good wives, good daughters.  But, ultimately, we must go back to the beginning…lay it all down…and allow Him to take over and help us be like Him.
This song paints such a beautiful scene.  Warm sunshine and rivers meeting oceans and just real peace…makes you really want to go there, right?  I believe this is what Heaven looks like, plus a little gold, maybe.  But here on earth, things get messy and life gets hard and we have to make a conscious effort to look to the Cross and lay all our burdens down.  Every morning we must do that in order to have the life that Jesus died for us to have.  John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  That’s the life Jesus wants for us. And we can’t have that full life when we are burdened with past sins and shame and regret.  Jesus will only love you through it; He will not condemn you.  He will wrap His arms around you and say that you’re forgiven and that you’re loved.  Our biggest mistake sometimes is letting sins build up on top of each other.  Instead of repenting immediately because of fear, we keep repeating the same sins over and over.  Jesus already knows, and He loves you just the same.
As we enter the Easter season, let’s remember that it is because of the Cross that we are free to ask forgiveness for our sins.  It is because of His death that we will live forever in Heaven with Him.  So today, let this song take you back to the day that you were forever His, and He was forever yours.  Enjoy the song!
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Dear Heavenly Father,  You are an awesome, amazing, unconditionally loving and perfect God.  Thank You for Your patience, Your longsuffering and for caring so much about the details of our lives.  Thank You for that day, that we came to know Your Son and started a whole new life, a full life with you.  Thank You for letting us lay it down every day.  We love You and we praise You.  For it’s in Your Son’s precious name we pray, amen.

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The Cross Is My Confession

April 4, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The Cross is my confession
Approach my soul, the Mercy Seat
Where Jesus answers prayer
For none can perish there
Your promise is my only plea
You gather broken souls
Oh, Healer, draw me close
Bowed down beneath a weight of sin
By war without and fears within

Oh, the Cross
Oh, the Cross
The Cross is my confession
Your Cross, Jesus

You are my Shield
And now In Christ
I’ll face my every foe
And tell them they have died
Oh, wondrous Love
Eternal Life
As we all plead Your name
All sinners such as I
By grace received my soul be still
Your work in me both power and will

Oh, the Cross
Oh, the Cross
The Cross is my confession
Oh…Your Cross

For I believe in God the Father
And in His Son there is no other
His very life living inside

This I confess my righteousness
His very life living inside
Jesus, Your Cross
Your Cross

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

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Are you a prayer warrior?  Do you know that prayer paves the way for the answers that you so desire?  Look back to the times of Moses…he and Caleb and Joshua learned that giants are best slain by a conversation with God before the battle.  They asked and they praised Him and they listened to His voice.  He answered their prayers!  What are the giants that they faced?  Probably similar to the ones we face today.  Difficulty, discouragement, and detours sometimes caused by our own lack of confidence or our own pride.  Or the biggest one—fear.

Prayer is more than just believing in God.  It’s believing that He is hearing you and He is answering you, whether you actually see it or not. We approach His Throne, or Mercy Seat, sometimes on our knees and other times just exactly where we are.  Sometimes we are confessing our sins, asking His mercy and grace to give us peace.  Other times we are in need of something…like a new job, financial freedom, healing from a disease, or whatever we need at the time.  He promises to always listen.  He hears every prayer.  And He takes away our fears and replaces it with courage in Him.

He is our Shield.  We are always protected under His mighty arms.  We can face anything this world has to throw at us as long as we arm ourselves with His Word— our Shield and Sword.  He wants the best for you, His child.  No matter what we have gotten ourselves into, no matter how low we have gone, or how far we have moved away from Him, we can never go so far that He can’t reach us.  He is our Beloved, our Eternal Love.  He gave His son in our place, so we can live forever.

At the Cross, we can go and find rest. We can find forgiveness for our sins and we can leave our brokenness at the foot of the Cross and walk away free.  Do you want that freedom?  Do you know how to have it?  Just ask Him.  Tell Him you need Him and He will meet you right where you are.  He loves you and is waiting….

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Let us pray:  Dearest Lord, we praise You for Who You are.  We thank You for letting us come before You and praise Your name.  You are the Authority over all.  You are patient, kind, and loving.  You give grace and mercy, You fill us with peace and joy.  Thank You for being our Shield, our Deliverer.  You answer our prayers, and we trust You.  For sending Your Son, we are ever grateful.  We believe in You, we believe in Your Son, we believe in the Cross. We will try to live out our confessions and be a witness to all around us.  Thank You for prayer…for listening…for saving us from ourselves.  It’s in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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When You Took My Place

April 2, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Lost like a little child, helpless as a baby
Searchin’ desperately to find Someone who could save me

Then along came from out of nowhere
Precious as the light of day
You gave me something no one could take away
When You took my place

Chained like a prisoner from the day I was born
Blamed like a criminal for the things that I’d done

Then along came from out of nowhere
Precious as the light of day
You gave me something no one could take away
When You took my place

 ~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

*  ~  *  ~    ♥ ~  ✞  ~ ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Have you ever been lost?  If so, then you can appreciate the amazing, indescribable feeling of relief of being found or finding your own way out.  Isn’t it true though, that you can’t truly appreciate the victory until you’ve tasted defeat?   And until you’ve been in the dark, you cannot appreciate the light of a flashlight?  My point is, until life really happens to you, and until you’ve really struggled and been in the valley, you cannot really appreciate climbing out of it and being on the mountain top.

Think back to your darkest hour… Did you feel His arms around you?  Did you know that He is strongest in your weakness?  And at some point, did you think that there is no way you can make it one more day not one more minute?  Then out of the Heavens, He shows up.  He shines His light into our darkness.  He meets us exactly where we are and saves us.  We don’t have to get good enough. We can never be good enough.  You know, we are all sinners and we all come short of His glory.  But because of a loving God Who sent His Son to literally take our place, we have a life that is abundant, a life full of blessings.  All we have to do is ask.  All we have to do is accept His redeeming love and His unending forgiveness.  And we are not to live in the shame of our past.  We have to live that forgiveness.  We have to hold on to His grace.  We have to live out His love for us and love others the way He calls us to.  All because He took our place.

Where are you today?  Are you in the woods somewhere lost and in need of a road map?  Or are you in a valley and need a rope to get up to the mountain?   He is a word away. He says “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  God delivers with a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 5:15).  And then when you are on the other side of the road from your circumstances and God has rescued you and given you the victory, then tell the world that “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God (Psalm 40:3).

If you’re still in the middle of a hard place, then place your hope in Him. He will not leave you in one place too long.

He loves you.

He took your place so that you could live forever with Him in eternity.

And take heart…He overcame the world!

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Scandal of Grace

March 29, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
Grace, what have You done?
Murdered for me on that Cross
Accused in absence of wrong
My sin washed away in Your blood
Too much to make sense of it all
I know that Your love breaks my fall
The scandal of grace, You died in my place
So my soul will live

Oh to be like you
To give all I have just to know You
Jesus, there’s no one besides You
Forever the hope in my heart

Death, where is your sting?
Your power is as dead as my sin
The Cross has taught me to live
In mercy, my heart now to sing
The day and it’s trouble shall come
I know that Your strength is enough
The scandal of grace, You died in my place
So my soul will live

And it’s all because of You, Jesus
It’s all because of You, Jesus
It’s all because of Your love
And my soul will live

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~  Songwriters: Joel Houston, Matt Crocker  /  Performed by Hillsong United  ~

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Would you give all you had just to get to know this Savior?  The One Who died for you and me?  This thought just blows me away—that the Son of God was born to save all of God’s people.  He came so that we would have life and life abundant. Just like the song says, it’s all because of Him that we are free, and joyful and can have peace in spite of circumstances.  “Grace, what have You done?”  Let’s see, He’s walked on water, He’s healed the sick, He gave sight to the blind, He raised the dead to life, He carried all of our sins to Calvary and they were nailed to that tree, and He gave us hope for a future.

It’s getting closer to Easter.  As you can see already, sometimes the bunny gets more attention than Jesus Himself.  There are eggs and Easter baskets and marshmallow Peeps in all colors.  But what about the Cross?  It’s our job to spread this message…especially now.  It’s time for us to step out of our comfort zone and be the courageous people He has called us to be.  Ask people what their story is, and then give them yours.  All roads lead to the Savior and to everlasting life. If we don’t—then who will?

This song gets me every time.  It’s all about grace and how we will give anything and everything to be like Him and get to know Him intimately.  I can’t help but raise my hands in praise and worship when this song comes on.  Don’t you just love it?  Aren’t we so blessed to be broken beautifully and poured out so that only He can fill us?  Oh friend, how I want you to know Him.  Take a minute to really listen to the words and let them sink in. The Holy Spirit will speak to your heart, this I do know. “…Scandal of grace, You died in my place so my soul will live!”

He did die and rose again, and we will live forever in eternity.  And while on earth, we will live freely because we have been forgiven,with all sins nailed to the cross. Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Let us pray: Most Gracious Heavenly Father, thank You for being so patient with us.  Thank You for creating us, knowing that we would sin and turn against You and that we would need a Savior—Who is Your only Son.  You let Him die in our place so that we will live, not only in Heaven, but here on earth we will have abundant life. Oh Lord, we are so unworthy, yet You love us so much. You will not take second place to anything or anyone as You are a jealous God.  May we never put You beside anything either but always put You first.  You are the beginning and the end, and there are no other gods before You.  Thank You for giving us the courage to step out and share You with all who will listen, and to love on all those who are hurting.  May we always be Your hands and feet, and may we always strive to be like You.  For it’s in Your Son’s name we pray, Amen.

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The Only Name (Yours Will Be)

March 21, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Yours will be the only Name that matters to me
The only One Whose favor I seek
The only Name that matters to me

Yours will be the friendship and affection I need
To feel my Father smiling on me
The only Name that matters to me

Yours is the Name, the Name that has saved me
Mercy and grace the power that forgave me
And Your love is all I’ve ever needed

When I wake up in the Land of Glory
And with the saints I will tell my story
There will be one Name that I proclaim

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, just that Name

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

 
~  Performed by Big Daddy Weave / Words and Music by Benji Cowart  ~
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Jesus.  The Name that calms storms and heals the sick and raises the dead to living. The blind could see again just by believing in Him.  The woman at the well carried Living Water home with her so she never would thirst again.  And Lazarus, he rose from the dead, just as our Savior would one day.  Jesus.   Doesn’t saying His name just calm you?

His Name is the name that we should seek above all.  Do you know that He experienced everything on earth that we do?  I’m not saying that He sinned, I’m saying that He lived here and walked here and saw the same hurts and sickness that we do.  God sent Him to pave the way for us.  And to experience the same powers that He had.  Of all the things of this world, nothing else matters except our relationship with Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God.  Jesus is the difference between life and death.  He is the difference between Christianity and all other religions. You must accept Him in your heart and have a relationship—a day to day speaking, and loving, relationship with Him.

Do you see His beauty?  Do you feel His presence with you?  As it says in this song, His name saves.  His name forgives and shows mercy and grace.  He so readily loves and so readily befriends all.  He is Jesus, friend of sinners.  He is the “I Am.”  We all will live with our Heavenly Father forever, because of Jesus.  He ate with tax collectors.  His own brother didn’t believe in Him and yet Jesus loved him so.  His own disciple betrayed Him, yet He broke bread with them and gave thanks, knowing that His own Father would have to turn His back on Him.  Don’t you want to love like that?  If so, then let’s do this together.  Let’s start now, preparing our hearts for His coming.  While we are here, let’s love each other.  Let’s get our hands dirty and get in the middle of life with each other.  There are plenty of onlookers but not enough team members!  Let’s ask God to empower us to truly turn it all over to Him and start fresh.

This week was the first week of Spring.  It’s time to do some cleaning up and cleaning out; and it’s time to plant some new seeds.  And when you’re ready to give in or give up, or when life is so hard and you just can’t breathe—just whisper His Name, Jesus. It still calms storms!

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Let us pray:  Dear Lord, we praise You for who You are.  We thank You for sending Your Son to walk before us in life and prepare the way for us.  Thank You for Your Word that documents His every move, from birth to death and every miracle in between.  Oh, how we are blessed!!!  Thank You that we can call on You in every situation and You are right there.  Because of Your Son, we are never alone and never will be.  We will forever walk with You and we have been given life abundant, full of joy, full of peace, full of grace, and full of You!  Thank You for the journey…for the wild ride that’s called our life.  Help us to prepare our hearts for Easter and to never take His death for granted.  For it’s in His name we pray, Amen.

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Forever — Kari Jobe

March 8, 2014 by
psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse was broken

One final breath He gave
As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever,  He is glorified
Forever,  He is lifted high
Forever,  He is risen
He is alive
He is alive

We sing Hallelujah!  The Lamb has overcome!

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Can you imagine what it was like to watch Jesus die that dark, sad day…the day that Jesus and God were separated and our sin died with Him?  His mother looked on and so did many others who loved the Son of God, Son of Man.  Wasn’t it just last night that He broke bread with His disciples and gave thanks for it?  When He poured the wine and drank with them?  He knew what the next day held.  And one of His own had betrayed Him.

That night He prayed in the garden as His disciples slept peacefully and He begged for His life, But God!  His plan was to be carried out and Jesus was to be crucified on the Cross.  His body was broken and His blood was poured out so we could live eternal life with Him in Heaven.  God Himself, with every nail that was hammered into His hands and feet, cried as only a father would as His only Son became the Savior of the world.

After His death, they laid His dead body in the tomb and rolled a stone in front of it.  No man could move it.  Three days passed and on the morning of the third day, He was no longer there.  He had risen from the dead and He was alive!  The earth shook fiercely and the stone rolled away and Jesus watched from above.  The veil was torn and we now have access to God the Father, through Jesus the Son.  Hallelujah, He has risen! We are no longer dead to sin, but live alive with Jesus, forever!

So as we enter into this time of Lent and Easter, may we remember the sacrifice that He made with His life and that even though He knew this would happen, He still gave thanks to God.  Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle and isn’t His resurrection the biggest miracle of all?  He loves you with an everlasting love—a forever love.  As you listen and meditate on these words today, let His love flow all over you and and let it flow through you.  For you are bought with the highest price of all—Jesus Christ!

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Let us pray: Dearest Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the sacrifice of Your only Son.  Thank You for tearing the veil and allowing us to come straight to You.  You saved us from our sins and sometimes we take this for granted.  Help us to never forget and to follow Jesus’s example of giving thanks even in the hardest of times.  And for those who don’t know You, help us to be the witnesses we need to be and spread Your love that You so freely give.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus name, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

CHRISTLife — ThirtyEight: Bold and Confident

March 5, 2014 by

cl bold and confidentGod chose us.  He also chose us to do His good works here on earth, as we await His return.  And the most amazing thing about this is He seems to choose the most unlikely and unqualified people to carry out His most important works.

Do you know this to be true? And often the response to His calling is, “Are You sure, God? Me? Why?”  Unintentionally we limit Him by what we think we can and cannot do.  For what’s impossible to us is possible with God.  We just have to believe that He has called us and He has a mission for us to spread His Word to the world.

Feeling unqualified?  When He calls, He equips and qualifies us to do that which we so feel we aren’t qualified to do.  Let’s go to His Word and look at some of those He called…and their response to Him.  And how different the world would be if they had felt they couldn’t do it!

God calls Moses:

Moses was 80 years old when he was sent to free the Israelites from Pharaoh.  His response was something like, “Me? I can’t even speak well. Do You really think anyone would even listen to me?”  When Moses finally quit making excuses and obeyed, the way was paved by God through the Red Sea, across a desert and, finally, to the entrance of the Promised Land.  All along the way, God was providing food and shelter and water for these people who trusted Moses with their lives.

Have you ever thought about what could have happened if Moses has said no?

God calls Jeremiah:

Jeremiah was a teenager at the time that God sent him to deliver news to the Jewish people.  Because He was so young, he thought that no one would take him seriously.  But God did.  He said in Jeremiah 1:5,”Before you were born I set you apart.”  For 24 years, Jeremiah was at God’s call, and all he did was write books filled with God’s words. The first one was destroyed and Jeremiah was imprisoned. His feet were in chains and he was thrown into a pit. But God sent rescuers and made a way for all His messages to be delivered.

God calls Gideon:

Last one on my list today is Gideon—and my favorite, I will have to say!  God called him His mighty warrior!  He told him to save His people who were being attacked constantly by their enemies.  He also wanted Gideon to destroy the idol, Baal.  But Gideon, who was working in a wine press, hiding in fear from his enemies, had many excuses as to why he wasn’t God’s man.  He said that he was a coward and how could God use him to fight for His people?  Fast forward…God fully equipped Gideon to do so much more.  He used his weakness to prove God’s strength.

See?  You are ready for any task that God has laid in front of you.  You may not even know what you are called to do but know this—you are called to do great things!  And He will make sure you have everything you need to complete His will.  God calls you to serve with what you have and just as you are.  All you have to do is trust and believe Him,  and love Him enough to do what He says.

  • Matthew 14:22  If you love Me, then look at me. Keep your eyes on me.
  • Matthew 16:4     If you love Me, follow me.
  • Luke 10:37          If you love Me, go and do likewise.
  • John 21:15-17    If you love Me, feed My sheep…tend My lambs.

And remember, there is only one that wants to see you fail. There is an enemy who wants to fill you with fear and lies and keep you silent so you won’t do the Lord’s work. But God did not give you a spirit of fear, “…but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

He gives you courage.  Courage is what will help you persevere.  And it’s God’s power that resides in you and gives you the confidence you need to go on and accomplish with victory the will of your Father in Heaven.  The Lord is your Shepherd, you shall not want for…anything!

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CHRISTLife — ThirtyThree: Worthy

February 26, 2014 by

cl worthy

Worthy ~ having sufficient merit or importance, estimable, honorable

Do you know that you are worthy in your Father’s eyes?  Read that definition again and let it sink in.  You are worthy.  Do you see that nowhere in that definition is the word “feeling”?  We rely so much on those, feelings I mean.  We base our worth on what we have done, who we have hurt, what we have said and who we have said it to.  You are not defined by what you have done, praise the Lord!  You cannot do anything to get in to Heaven.  You were bought with a price and that price was the life of Jesus Christ.  God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the Cross with every sin that we would ever sin on Him.  God had to turn His back on His own Son, they were separated by darkness—His only Son was beaten and suffered for you.

The only way to be worthy is through Jesus Christ.  You have to accept Him as your personal Savior; apart from Him, you are not worthy.  It’s that simple, really.  You confess with your mouth that you are a sinner and you fall short of the glory of God;  then you ask for forgiveness and ask Jesus to come live in you and walk with you through this life and to fill you with His joy.  Oh friend, I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this is.  If this is hard for you to believe, and even if it’s not, listen to just how worthy He says you are!

But God so rich in mercy and He loved us so much
that even though we were dead because of our sins,
He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.
(It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
For He raised us from the dead along with Christ
and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms
because we are united with Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT

If you are a parent, when you hold that beautiful baby in your arms, you are in love. Fast forward to the years that they try you every single day.  Are they still worthy to be your child?  Yes!  Just as our Heavenly Father feels about us, no matter how far down we have gone, He still loves us and calls us His.  He designed each one of us to do good works for Christ.  And He wants us to do good works of eternal significance.  We are called and chosen by God to finish well.

Think about this: God made us. We may all get here differently.  Some are prayed for and loved on.  Some are unwanted by their parents while some are brought in with love.  We may not like our circumstances but each one of us has the chance to be born again.  Before the earth was created, God knew all of the details of our lives. Here’s what we do know:

  • God chooses us: You are chosen, individually by name.
  • God is always with us: Even if our parents have neglected us, God never leaves us or forsakes us.
  • God names us: Before we were given a name by our parents, God already knew us.
  • God calls us: We are all wanted! God wanted us because He called us and designed us from the womb.
  • God saves us: He has made a way for us to be born-again!  You actually get a do-over!  He wipes away all your sins, your many mistakes and messes and gives you a clean slate. He writes your name in the Book of Life with a pen…it cannot be erased. He gives you a hope for the future! His mercies are new every day, to all of us! Each one of us has the same opportunity with God! Whether you are rich or poor, sick or well, God sees us all the same—His!
  • God is our Father: You may have a father that doesn’t interact with you, or maybe he’s never told you that you matter.  But God promises us that we can know His voice and that we will become more like Him daily, as we spend time with Him and in His Word.

God chose you despite your failures and sometimes uses them for His benefit.  Now it’s our job to spread the hope to others.  God’s people are hurting and may be feeling a little less than worthy but we know they are and we need to tell them.  So from now on, don’t overlook anyone.  Make everyone feel important and tell them this: “God loves you!”

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Let us pray: Dearest Lord, thank You for creating us and loving us before we were ever a thought in our parent’s mind.  Thank You for having such good things in store for us and for all the blessings that rain down on us every day.  You are amazing and so loving and we praise You for that.  Lord, forgive us when we speak negative to ourselves.  Help us to remember Whose we are always and may we never forget the price You paid for us.  Give us the courage to step out of our comfort zone and tell others that they are loved by You and that You have a great plan for us all.  Keep us humble, oh God, and keep our ears open so we will hear Your voice always over the lies of the enemy.  We love You and we thank You.  It’s in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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