November 18, 2024

Brave

October 29, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You’re safe and sound and
Until now it’s where I’ve been

‘Cause it’s been fear that ties me down to everything
But it’s been love, Your love, that cuts the strings

So long, status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I’m spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your Name
Just Your Name and I’m ready to jump
Even ready to fall

Why did I take this vow of compromise
Why did I try to keep it all inside

I’ve never known a fire that didn’t begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me
That changes everything
So long, I’m gone

Singer/Songwriter Nichole Nordeman with Jay Joyce

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I had the gift of seeing Nichole Nordeman at the Women of Faith conference this past weekend in Denver, Colorado.  This song got me to thinking “What is status quo?” So I started doing some digging to find out about status quo and Christianity.  Here is what I found….

This excerpt, from Jane Morin, says it perfectly.  And she gives us examples of biblical people who dared to move beyond the safe way of living, a.k.a status quo, into a brave way of living.

“Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present current, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep things the way they presently are. There is nothing wrong with the status quo when it pertains to certain areas of our lives. However, living a status quo Christian life is totally unacceptable. At least it was during the days of the bible. I can think of many biblical characters who dared to move beyond the status quo of their belief system.”

•The woman who knelt and touched the hem of Jesus garment so she could be healed. (Luke 8:43-44)

•John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. (John 1:23)

•David as he danced before the Ark of the Covenant throughout the kingdom to welcome back God’s presence. (1 Chronicles 15:29)

•Moses, when God used him through a series of plagues to set the Israelites free. (Exodus 9:14)

I could go on and on but I think you are getting the idea of what I am saying here. We have never been called to live in the cozy, Christian, comfort zone of life.”

(JaneMorin.com)

For we live by believing and not by seeing.
2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT

Living beyond the status quo of what you see and fully trusting God in whatever it is—is a brave way of living.  This is how we were meant to live…not in our safe little boxes where we are afraid to step into the unknown.  The situations you have no control over are the ones where God can shine the most and where miracles can happen.

I also had the gift of seeing Christine Caine and Lisa Bevere at this conference.  Here are a couple of things they said that struck me about living in a Higher Place beyond the status quo….

“It is time to grow up, ladies! What are you doing under your circumstances? Go to the Rock that is higher than I…”
Christine Caine

…From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I….
Psalm 61:2 ESV

“Status quo is no longer an option, you are bringing the threshold of heaven.”
Lisa Bevere

Will you be brave and trust God with the very details of your life?  The choice is ultimately ours.

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Heavenly Father, I pray for each lady reading this, and myself, that we will choose to live beyond the status quo and be brave in the unknown places and trust you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!!!

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

Trust In Jesus

October 28, 2014 by

One of these days we all will stand in judgment for
Every single word that we have spoken
One of these days we all will stand before the Lord
Give a reason for everything we’ve done and what I’ve done is

Trust in Jesus, my great Deliverer
My strong Defender, the Son of God
I trust in Jesus, blessed Redeemer
My Lord forever, the Holy One, the Holy One

What are you gonna do when your time has come
And your life is done and there’s nothing you can stand on
What will you have to say at the judgment throne
Well, I already know the only thing that I can say

There’s nothing I can do
On my own to find forgiveness
It’s by His grace alone
I trust in Jesus, trust in Jesus

Singer/Songwriters: Third Day ~ Mark Lee, David Carr, Mac Powell, and Tai Anderson
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Jesus came to call the Jewish people to a new life.  When His people would not listen, He sent the disciples and Paul to minister to everyone.  Jesus reached many hearts who turned to Him and His Father, but He knew His twelve would need to reach the rest of the world.  Now it is up to us to go and tell others the good news of his edemptive work on the cross and how God loves us. John 3:16 (KJV) tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Isn’t that amazing! Only let’s look further, let’s look at the context of the verse. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a leader of the Jewish people. Nicodemus came to ask Jesus how to become saved. Here is a bit of their conversation from the Gospel of John, chapter 3…
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”  Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the Light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Wow, He did that for us.  We are blessed to know the Father through the Son.  When we feel the Holy Spirit nudge us, sometimes to the point of a hit, we should heed the warning and repent.  We should stop and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.  We do not know when we will be called home.  We should be mindful of what we are doing and example we are displaying for others to follow.  God is a forgiving God, One who does have limits.  I do not want to find those limits.  But I feel sometimes I push them. Thank You, Lord, for not giving up on me.

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

Healing Has Begun

October 27, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

 

You have carried the weight of your secret for way too long
Thinking if there is a place called forgiveness you don’t belong
Oh, but freedom can never be found behind those walls
So just let ’em fall, just let ’em fall

Oh, the healing has begun
Oh, the healing has begun

How long has it been since you felt anything but shame
Child, lift up your eyes ’cause mercy remembers your name
And those tears you’ve been holding back, let ’em fall down like rain
‘Cause today is the day, yeah today is the day

Oh, the healing has begun
Oh, the healing has begun

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Just lift your eyes
Lay it down
What once was lost
Has now been found, oh

There’s a world full of people dying from broken hearts
Holding on to the guilt, thinking they fell too far
So don’t be afraid to show ’em your beautiful scars
‘Cause they’re the proof, yeah you’re the proof
Oh, the healing has begun

Songwriter/Singer – Matthew West along with Joseph Houser

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I heard this song for the first time Saturday night at church during communion.  It touched me on so many levels, and in so many ways, I would have to write a book to explain it all.

Matthew West has said this is a song about healing and forgiveness…about embracing the gift of grace.  This song reminds me how grateful I am that “…mercy remembers [my] name.” The Psalms tell us:

The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.
Psalm 34:18 AMP

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].
Psalm 147:3 AMP

We all have broken, shattered pieces of our lives.  Things we regret doing, things that make us feel guilty and ashamed.  Jesus came to heal us of spiritual ailments as well as physical ones.  I love this part “So don’t be afraid to show ’em your beautiful scars, ‘cause they’re the proof, yeah, you’re the proof….”

I have often asked God not to let my pain be in vain.  Isaiah 61:1b (AMP) tells me: “He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound….”  Sometimes it hurts to reveal those scars.  Sometimes it is scary to open yourself up to others.  But just imagine what it would be like if doing so helped someone else begin to heal!

The part that really touched me this weekend is the “Oh, the healing has begun.” I have sung that refrain over and over and over again in my head.  There is a person…a situation…that I have been praying for and about for years.  This song is something they really need to hear and believe.  God showed me He is using my pain and my scars to begin their healing.  And those words were confirmation that God has indeed begun the healing in them.

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Thank You, Father, that Your healing in us has begun.  Let our pains, our scars be a light of hope to others.  In Jesus’ name I ask this, Amen – It Is So!

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

I’ve Always Loved You

October 26, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I don’t know how to explain it
But I know the words would hardly do
Miracles and signs and wonders
Aren’t enough for me to prove to you

Don’t you know I’ve always loved you
Even before there was time
Though you turn away
I tell you still
Don’t you know I’ve always loved you
And I always will

Greater love has not a man
Than the One who gives His life to prove
That He would do anything
And that’s what I’m gonna do for you

 Songwriter: Mac Powell / Performed by Third Day with Josh Wilson

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This song was more than words to a dear member of my family.  It was as if God was speaking directly to her.  On her worst days, this song would come on the radio and she would smile through tears.  How encouraging that when the whole world is crumbing at your feet and everything that you held dear is gone, that the Creator of the universe is wildly, madly in love with you. He always has been and always will be.

Sometimes He has to really work at making us believe it—that no matter what we do or don’t do, He will never stop pursuing us.  Miracles and blessings come our way, and yet on a hard day, we question.  Why do we still have so much doubt?  We hear all around us that if God loved us that ___ wouldn’t have happened, or that divorce wouldn’t have gone through, or that your child wouldn’t have become sick, or even worse, died.  We will never know the answers to those hard questions. Not on this side of Heaven.

What we do know is that He is Sovereign and His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  We know that even if we could rewrite the story, we would choose His way.  We only see what is in front of us.  There is a bigger picture and all of the things we trudge through  do have a purpose.  Maybe one person was saved through your example. Jesus stopped for the one, right?  And even if just one person asked Jesus into his or her heart, wasn’t it worth it?

All of this life is doable, simply because He does love us. There is so much hope in those four letters…and joy and peace.  I challenge you today to find all the ways He loves you.  Write them down and look at them when those bad days come (and believe me, they will).  But your hope is in Him.  And He is really all you need.

Here are some verses that I encourage you to write on index cards and place them where you will see them and be reminded that He has always loved you.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,
that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

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For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13

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The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

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Let us pray: Dear Lord, You are amazing, wonderful, and loving.  You are Sovereign and You are good.  You have always loved us, even when we feel we do not deserve it.  You sent Your Son to die, so that we don’t have to work to be saved, we just are when we ask.  The veil was torn and now we come to You as we want.  No temples, no walls, no harsh judgment… only sweet love and forgiveness and grace.  Remind those who forget often.  Let them know that they are loved by You!  We thank You and we praise You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Come To The River

October 24, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I’m torn between myself and Your Truth
These cursed memories, forever seeping through
My thirst for myself left me wanting more
‘Til I found myself facedown on Your shore

You say, Come to the river
Oh, and lay yourself down and let your heart be found
You say, Come to the river
Drink from the cup I pour and thirst no more

My restless heart led me astray
To my selfish pride I became my own slave
But You placed a thirst in me with no drink in sight
‘Cause I could not see ‘til I saw through Your eyes

Songwriters: Allen Salmon, Rhett Walker Canipe / Performed by Rhett Walker Band

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Have you ever been caught in this place?  “Torn between yourself and His Truth”?  I know I have….

This song has such powerful Truth in it.  A restless heart can lead you astray and to selfish pride you will become your own slave.  WOW!!!  Powerful words to consider….  Let’s see what God says about pride.

The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
Obadiah 1:3

A prideful heart leads to a restless heart where you can be lost to yourself.  When my heart is restless I must come to the river and drink from the cup of living water where I will thirst no more.

I love how this excerpt from this woman’s website describes God’s love penetrating a restless heart.  She writes:

“That’s the Trust He’s asking of me, to let His love, as deep and endless as the ocean, to hold me up, to let the wellspring of His heart meet my deepest needs.”

(http://www.arestlessheart.com/)

This is the very trust that God is asking of you and of me, too.  That the “wellspring of God’s heart will meet my deepest need.”  Once we know and embrace the love of the Father towards us we can then be satisfied in our deepest needs and we will thirst no more.

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.
It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
John 4:14 NLT

God is calling us to come and drink from the endless river where we will thirst no more and let Him fill us up.  So many times in life we try and fill up those empty places with other things that will never satisfy us.  They aren’t meant to…only God can fill the empty places of the heart until we are completely satisfied.  Will you let Him?  The choice is ours.  He is waiting with open arms for us to take the first step. So He can tell His daughters how precious and valuable we are to Him.

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Heavenly Father, may my restless heart never lead me astray to where I become my own slave.  May I choose to drink of the Living Water where I will thirst no more.  In Jesus’ name!!  Amen!!

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Remind Me, Dear Lord

October 23, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

All the things that I love and hold dear to my heart
Are just borrowed they’re not mine at all
Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

Roll back the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where You brought me from and
Where I could have been
Just remember I’m a human and humans forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

Nothing good have I done to deserve God’s own Son
I’m not worthy of the scars in His hands
Yet He chose the road to Calvary to die in my stead
Why He loved me I can’t understand

Just remember I’m a human and humans forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

Songwriter: Mrs. Dottie Rambo / Performed by Vocal Union

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Oh, if only we WOULD remember what God has done!  The blessings, the healings, the provision, the miracles, the deliverances, the protection, the guidance…along with all the love and grace and mercy!  But, like the song says, ‘but humans forget…’.  And so we ask our compassionate and kind ABBA Father to ‘remind me…remind me, dear Lord!’  I think there are any number of ways that God reminds us of all that He has done…is doing…and will do.

One of God’s greatest gifts to us (in my own opinion) is providing the Holy Spirit…the Helper, the Comforter. While Jesus was preparing His disciples for leaving them, He told them of God’s plan. One thing He said was,

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
John 14: 25 and 26

Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them remember what He had taught them. The disciples had seen all that Jesus did and heard all that He had taught.  And, since we too are disciples of our Lord, the Holy Spirit can help us in the same way.  As we read and study the Scriptures, we can trust that truth will be placed into our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we are taught.  He will convince and convict us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from it.

The Holy Spirit does so much for us!   True, He does plant truth in our hearts, convince us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from it…but the responsibility to DO—obey—is ours.  He reminds…we obey.  He guides…we follow.  He helps us…we do what is right.

So, while we surely can (and should!) ask for God’s grace in reminding us through the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts, I do think we should be responsible to remind ourselves, too!  A few things that I have purposed to do so that I am reminded are:

  • daily Bible reading

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips;
meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Joshua 1:8

  • listening to praise and worship music

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,
with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another
with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15 and 16

  • spending time with other Christians

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24 and 25

  • having Scriptures up as decorations in our home

And these words which I am commanding you this day
shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts;
[then] you shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate,
and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house
and when you walk by the way,
and when you lie down and when you rise up.
and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand,
and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes.
And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9

{I would love to hear of ways that you remind yourself about our awesome God!}

Oh!  And here is a great list of 10 BIG daily reminders:

  • God exists
  • God loves you
  • Jesus died for you, and the Father has now bound himself to give you only good things.
  • God sees you as perfect
  • That is because of Jesus’ perfection…not yours
  • You will die
  • You will live forever in the new heavens and the new earth
  • For now. you are an exile on the earth
  • Nothing on earth is truly worth putting your hope in
  • You have no right to be unhappy

(Follow this link to read the entire article this list was taken from.)

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Busted Heart

October 22, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Winter has come back again
Feels like the season won’t end
My faith is tired tonight
And I won’t try to pretend
I’ve got it all figured out
That I don’t have any doubts
I’ve got a busted heart
I need You now
Yeah I need You now

Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Don’t let me lose my way
Hold on to me

I am the wandering son
Enough is never enough
I keep chasing the wind
Instead of chasing Your love
I’m screaming out Your name,
Don’t let me fall on my face
I’ve got a busted heart
I’m in need of a change
Yeah, I’m desperate for grace

Broke Your heart a thousand times
But You’ve never left my side
You have always been here for me
You never let me go
You never let me go
Don’t ever let me go

Winter will come to an end
Soon the season will end
I surrender tonight
You meet me right where I am

 

For King&Country (Joel and Luke Smallbone) along with Ben Glover, Jenna Torres

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Are you in a season where you are tired, weary…and ready to give up?  I am in that very season right now.  Maybe you can relate…the season when life is coming at you in all directions and the darkness is closing in and it is hard to see the light….

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NLT

When the unexpected things happen and life starts closing in and it is hard to find our way that is the very moment when we need to run BOLDLY to the throne of Grace.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:15 NIV

He is always there waiting with open arms to meet us right where we are at.

So be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid and do not panic before them.
For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you.
He will neither fail you nor abandon you.
Deuteronomy 31: 6 NLT

Life is hard and unexpected things in life will happen. He is our Strength. We only need to put our hope and trust in Him and not the things of this world.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 KJV

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Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy in our time of need.  Thank You that when we are about to lose our way and our faith is tired you meet us right where we are at.  Thank You, Lord, for holding on to us and never letting me go. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!!!

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Lift Me Up

October 21, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Waiting for the sunrise
Waiting for the day
Waiting for a sign
That I’m where You want me to be

You know my heart is heavy
And the hurt is deep
But when I feel like giving up
You’re reminding me
That we all fall down sometimes
But when I hit the ground

You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I’m letting go
You lift me up when I can’t see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I’m letting go

You lift me up with Your love
You lift me up with Your love
You lift me up with Your love
You lift me up

I know I’m not perfect
I know I make mistakes
I know that I have let You down
But You love me the same

And when I’m surrounded
When I lose my way
When I’m crying out and falling down
You are here to

I can see the dawn is breaking
I am feeling overtaken with Your love
With Your love
I don’t know what I can offer
In this moment I surrender to Your love
To Your love

You lift me up with Your love
You lift me up with Your love
You lift me up with Your love
You lift me up

Songwriters: Fuqua, Havens, Jordan Mohilowski, Dan Ostebo

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When Paul was writing to the Corinthians he boasted of his weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:6-10.) He boasted of being able to endure the pain God felt was necessary to keep Paul humble and ready to serve. Paul did endure many hardships in order to do what God had called him to do. Paul endured beatings, shipwrecks, near starvation, severe thirst, and abandonment from friends. All of this to make sure everyone who would listen,  could receive, and become a servant of God. Paul wanted others to know about God, to love God, and to have the passion Paul was given to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all of the nations, to all  people.

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Lord, thank You for lifting us up. Thank You for being there for us and for not always answering our requests the way we want. Please give us wisdom to know when we need to stop and listen, and when we need to step out in faith to do Your will.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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Cornerstone

October 20, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name

Christ alone; Cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour’s love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil

When He shall come with trumpet sound
Oh, may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless stand before the throne

Singer/Songwriter: Reuben Morgan along with Hillsong United

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Ever have God drop just a part of a song into your thoughts…and it keeps echoing through your mind repeatedly?  That’s what happened to me with this song.  As I was praying one morning “ ♪♬♪ Christ alone, cornerstone ♪♬♪ ” popped into my mind and hasn’t left yet.  (I figure there is a point God wants me to understand here.)

I found several definitions of ‘cornerstone’:

  • at the tip of the angle
  • capstone that holds the whole structure together
  • the most important stone in the structure
  • the one on which the structure’s stability depends

I also found the following Scriptures:

Therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed [shaken, ashamed]
Isaiah 28:16 NASB

…with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:20b HCSB

Look!  I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame!
1 Peter 2:6 HCSB

As I was researching this song, I found this quote by Ben Fielding of Hillsong United:

“Jesus is the cornerstone…He is the centerpiece of our hope and compass for all our endeavors. Jesus is the firmest of foundations. Jesus is the reference point for all we have and all that we are. He is the One who holds all things together.”

Jesus laid the foundation with His very life.  He is what holds us together.  He is the one on which our stability depends.  I knew that Jesus was the cornerstone of my salvation but I had never thought of it in this way.  Not only is He the cornerstone of my salvation but Jesus is also the cornerstone of my relationship, the foundation of my life.  So what does that look like?

1 Samuel 15:22a tells us “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice”.  And in Mark 12:30-31 (NLT) Jesus shows us what is most important:

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.
No other commandment is greater than these.”

With Jesus as our cornerstone, our lives should be a reflection of Him.  Our greatest challenge is to bring our lives under obedience to God and love as Jesus loved.  Being submissive to Him is a choice we make; our obedience brings glory to God and shines His light of love on those around us.  We may occasionally fail but, when we trust solely in Jesus’ name, we are met by God’s unchanging grace.  Though we are weak, Christ’s love is our strength.

“Christ alone, cornerstone…for He is Lord of all.”

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Father God, thank You so much for giving us Jesus as our cornerstone.  Thank You for the stability He brings to our lives, and the strength we find in His love.  Help us be a reflection of Him in our daily lives.  Thank You for Your unchanging grace when we fail.  We love You.  Amen – It Is SO!

 

 

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

Today Is Beautiful

October 19, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Sometimes the day won’t ever end
Sometimes you just throw up your hands
It’s the little things sometimes

Sometimes the world has just gone dark
Sometimes your praying for a spark
It’s the little things sometimes

But if you lift your eyes
See it in a different light
Just a cloud up in the open sky
Let the rain fall away
‘Cause today is beautiful

Right now it feels so hard to breathe
Right now you’re asking God why me
It’s what you can see right now

Cause right now there’s a greater truth
Right now there’s a bigger view
Than what you can see right now

If you see more than what’s in front of you
You might see more of heavens view
If you see more than what’s in front of you
You might see more of heavens view

Singer/Songwriter David Dunn (written with Sam Tinnesz, Blake Bollinger)

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It’s all about perspective.  When you’re standing too close to a painting or a picture, you miss out on the whole picture.  You can only see a small piece of the painting. That’s how it is with life.  When we are standing in the midst of our story, and the rain is falling and storms are raging, all we can see is the water in our eyes.  But if we step back under a walkway, out of the rain, we can see sometimes what had to be.  Oh, there will be things we will not understand on this side of Heaven.  But one day, our eyes will be open and we will see the view from Heaven.

Your life is beautiful because He made it.  Sometimes we are so focused on what we are going through…maybe our heads are down because we don’t have the strength to look up.  All we have to do is ask and God will deliver.  All we have to do is look up—and see there is light, there is joy, and there is hope.  At the end of that day that you thought would never end, there is a promise that joy will come in the morning.  At the end of the rain, sometimes you can even see a rainbow.  If you look hard enough, you will see that there is beauty all around us.

Our Creator made sure that we would be surrounded by His goodness.  His artwork fills the earth.  The sun is shining and the stars are singing His praises.  The ocean knows where to stop and the fish of the sea have their own song of praise.  The Bible says that even the rocks will cry out in praise.  Luke 19:40 says, “I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  And we, as His chosen people, have the ability to sing His praises in the middle of whatever it is that we are going through. Just close your eyes, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you see this life in His light.

Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of His great power and incompatible strength, not a single one is missing.
Isaiah 40:26

And because of His strength, you will be empowered to keep on!

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Let us pray:  Dear Lord, You are amazing.  You are the Creator of this amazing place, and You are Holy.  You made the stars and the moon and the sun all for our enjoyment, and we are so grateful.  Thank You that we can see things so differently when our eyes are on You.  That life is just a little brighter when we look up to the heavens for our help.  This world can be so hard, but You went before us to prepare the way.  Thank You for the rain.  For when the sun comes out, we are so grateful.  We love You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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