April 25, 2024

Flawless

October 26, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There’s got to be more
Than going back and forth
From doing right to doing wrong
‘Cause we were taught that’s who we are
Come on get in line right behind me
You along with everybody
Thinking there’s worth in what you do

Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We’re on the edge of our seats saying it’s too late
Well let me introduce you to amazing grace

No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The Cross has made
The Cross has made you flawless
No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The Cross has made
The Cross has made you flawless

Could it possibly be
That we simply can’t believe
That this unconditional
Kind of love would be enough
To take a filthy wretch like this
And wrap him up in righteousness
But that’s exactly what He did

Take a breath smile and say
Right here right now I’m ok
Because the Cross was enough

MercyMe
Songwriters:  Solomon Olds, Ben Glover, Nathan Cochran, Mike Scheuchzer,
Barry Graul, Robby Shaffer, Bart Millard, David Arthur Garcia

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

 

Flawless—

  • Having no defects or faults (dictionary.com)
  • Without any blemishes or imperfections; perfect (Google)

You shall be blameless (complete, perfect) before the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 18:13 AMP

God appointed His Son with an oath,
and His Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
Hebrews 7:28b NLT

As I was reading Psalm 18:30, the word “flawless” jumped out at me:

As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s Word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.

And, of course, I immediately started singing this song.  We know God is flawless.  Scripture repeatedly reveals His perfection:

The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul;
Psalm 19:7 AMP

He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
Deuteronomy 32:4 NKJV

God—His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is pure.
2 Samuel 22:31 HCSB

God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness],
and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].
1 John 1:5 AMP

I don’t know about y’all, but I have a really hard time thinking of myself as ‘flawless, unblemished, blameless’  (much less, perfect!).  I know my faults, my imperfections.  So does God.  But…

“Could it possibly be
That we simply can’t believe
That this unconditional
Kind of love would be enough
To take a filthy wretch like this
And wrap him up in righteousness
But that’s exactly what He did“

That is exactly what God did!  He sent His Son in our place.  The Lord is our High Priest who intercedes for us.  God views us through the righteousness of Christ.  We are blameless, complete, perfect before Him.  God’s perfection is THE source of our perfection.  We are His workmanship and His work is perfect and flawless. So, instead of beating ourselves up for our flaws and imperfections, let’s just

“Take a breath, smile and say
Right here right now I’m ok
Because the Cross was (and still is) enough“

The Cross has indeed made us flawless.

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

Broken Vessels

April 9, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see

All these pieces
Broken and scattered
In mercy gathered
Mended and whole
Empty handed
But not forsaken
I’ve been set free
I’ve been set free

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found…was blind but now I see
Oh, I can see You now
Oh, I can see the love in Your eyes
Laying Yourself down
Raising up the broken to life

You take our failure
You take our weakness
You set Your treasure
In jars of clay
So take this heart, Lord
I’ll be Your vessel
The world to see
Your life in me

Temree Miller along with SaddleBack Worship
Written by Joel Houston and Jonas Myrin

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Such grace…such amazing grace!!!

How blessed are we {mankind} to have been shown such love and grace by Almighty God that He would give us the gift of grace through the awesome, incredible gift of His Son? !! ?

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.
For if through the offence of one many be dead,
much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Romans 5:15

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:4-9

This is amazing grace!  That we…dead in our trespasses and our sins, without hope, destined for eternal damnation…have been redeemed, saved, set apart, made alive, raised up, seated in heavenly places!

He <Jesus>appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles,
and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain;
but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
1 Corinthians 15:8-10

The apostle Paul was a man who always purposed to magnify God and speak well of the grace he had received.

…and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost,
Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example
to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:14-16

In all of Paul’s encouragement and admonition through each of the Epistles, he wrote over and over again to the first century believers of the greatness of God’s grace. Paul seemed always to endeavor to help the people (and us, too!) to remain aware and thankful for God’s grace!

According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;
Ephesians 1:4-7

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

I pray for each of us that our hearts will cry out every day with praise and acknowledgment of His great grace to us.  And that we, like our brother Paul, would share this with others.

Come and hear, all you who reverently and worshipfully fear God,
and I will declare what He has done for me!
Psalm 66:16

Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see…

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

Broken Vessels

February 26, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see

All these pieces
Broken and scattered
In mercy gathered
Mended and whole
Empty handed
But not forsaken
I’ve been set free
I’ve been set free

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found…was blind but now I see
Oh, I can see You now
Oh, I can see the love in Your eyes
Laying Yourself down
Raising up the broken to life

You take our failure
You take our weakness
You set Your treasure
In jars of clay
So take this heart, Lord
I’ll be Your vessel
The world to see
Your life in me

Temree Miller along with SaddleBack Worship
Written by Joel Houston and Jonas Myrin

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Such grace…such amazing grace!!!

How blessed are we {mankind} to have been shown such love and grace by Almighty God that He would give us the gift of grace through the awesome, incredible gift of His Son? !! ?

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.
For if through the offence of one many be dead,
much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Romans 5:15

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:4-9

This is amazing grace!  That we…dead in our trespasses and our sins, without hope, destined for eternal damnation…have been redeemed, saved, set apart, made alive, raised up, seated in heavenly places!

He <Jesus>appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles,
and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain;
but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
1 Corinthians 15:8-10

The apostle Paul was a man who always purposed to magnify God and speak well of the grace he had received.

…and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost,
Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example
to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:14-16

In all of Paul’s encouragement and admonition through each of the Epistles, he wrote over and over again to the first century believers of the greatness of God’s grace. Paul seemed always to endeavor to help the people (and us, too!) to remain aware and thankful for God’s grace!

According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;
Ephesians 1:4-7

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

I pray for each of us that our hearts will cry out every day with praise and acknowledgment of His great grace to us. And that we, like our brother Paul, would share this with others.

Come and hear, all you who reverently and worshipfully fear God,
and I will declare what He has done for me!
Psalm 66:16

Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see…

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

How Sweet The Sound-Citizens Way

August 5, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Yea though I walk through the valley
I know that You are always right beside me
And I will fear no evil
You’re my Rock
And my Strength
You comfort me

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
I hear You singing over me
I once was lost but now I’m found
And it’s beautiful
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
It covers every part of me
My soul is silent
I am found
And it’s a beautiful sound

You carry me through the waters
Where Your peace clears away all my sorrow
And nothing can separate us from Your love
Oh, Your love it will always be

You were healing in the pain
You were shelter in the storm
Hallelujah You restore my soul

Songwriters: Josh Calhoun, Ben Calhoun
Performed by Citizens Way

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I have walked through the valley and right now it seems like I’ll be here for a while.  There is an empty parking space in the driveway and a room that has been cleaned out.  I moved my oldest baby girl to another state to start the journey that God has for her.  But, as a mom, I have mixed emotions yet He sustains me and walks with me.  The 23rd Psalm is one of His greatest promises and one that I cling to during this hard time of change. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

I love how the songwriters put the Scriptures and the hymn “Amazing Grace” together and share such hope with us as listeners.  Can’t you just picture God singing over you?  ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, I hear You singing over me. I once was lost but now I’m found…’ and it is a beautiful sound.  He does carry us through the waters and gives us peace that passes all understanding. And no matter what we go through or what we have done, nothing can separate us from God’s love and His grace.  There is healing in the pain, through Him and there is shelter from the storms, in Him.  Isaiah 43:2 NIV says,

When you go through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

I pray today, as you listen to this song, that you feel the hope and the love and His amazing grace washing over you.  You are His and He cherishes you and wants to be with you. He is able to carry you through anything and will keep you from harm.  Just trust Him and thank Him for the miracles and blessings that are yours…you just have to ask.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let us pray: Dearest Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for always walking beside us and protecting us from so much. Thank You for carrying us when we are too weak or sad to really walk through it alone, and thank You that we never have to be alone. You sing over us and love us so much. Your Word is our rock and full of promises that we can hold on to when this world is coming at us. Thank You for the healing and for the shelter and for being our strength. We love You! In Jesus’ name, amen!

 

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

Amazing Grace

March 25, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Amazing grace, oh, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found was blind, but now I see

When we’ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise then when we first begun

Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come
‘Twas grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home

Amazing grace, oh, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see (was blind but now I see)

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

Amazing Grace!  How sweet the sound!  Oh, YES, the sound of grace has been so sweet in my life.  I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see….

Grace is the word that God gave me as ‘my word’ for this year 2014.  Grace is something I am so very thankful for in my own life and something that God expects me now to give to others.  What God has so freely given you…you must now pour out onto others.  Let’s explore the meaning of the word grace.

“Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor. Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you do deserve; compassion, forbearance. God is abundant in grace and mercy; we can read about it in the Bible. His greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation that is available for all people through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). When the gift is accepted, eternal life is promised to the recipient. This eternal life is a promise of a home one day in Heaven with God. The promise to the believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that one day Jesus the Christ will return to earth to claim His purchased possession (Ephesians 1:12-14; 4:30).  Jesus purchased every sinner with His own blood on the cross at Calvary.”   Read the rest of this article at What Christians Want To Know

I really love how this sums it up: I am not capable of loving anyone, without God’s grace. When I give grace to others, it is not my grace. I’m just passing along grace that God has given me.

We also give grace to others by forgiving them.  Everyone fails sometimes.  The church needs to be a safe place to come back to, even (especially!) when you’ve blown it.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean that the other person hasn’t hurt you. It means she has hurt you.  But you are choosing to release that hurt, and that person, into the grace of God given through Jesus Christ. After all, your sins have been forgiven. If God’s grace is enough to make forgiveness a reality in my life, it should be enough to make forgiveness a reality in the life of the person who hurt me.

Grace and forgiveness go hand in hand.  We must give the grace to others that we have so freely been given and we must forgive others as God has forgiven us.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
Matthew 6:14 ESV

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me.  I thank You that once I was lost and now I am found.  I thank You that I was once blind but now I see.  Please empower us through the Holy Spirit to pour out to others the AMAZING Grace and forgiveness that You have so freely given to us.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN!!!

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

Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 5 – Make the Choice (pp 144-148)

February 7, 2013 by

MAKE THE CHOICE

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs.  The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.  They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

Psalm 84:5-7 (NLT)

Have you ever had something just “fall into your lap” and wonder why it appeared when it did, the way it did?  Last month, the February 2013 issue of “In Touch,” a magazine from the ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, arrived in my mailbox and I dropped it in my bag to read when I had the time.  Preparing for this blog, I pulled it out and decided to peruse for anything that might be helpful.  Turns out this issue is about grace, about a deeper relationship with God, about seeking Him during our trials.  I doubt this is a coincidence.

I think we can pick up a few good tips from this little magazine today.

“God is willing to provide what we need in our darkest moments.  Like a spring, His provision never ceases to flow, but we must seek it.” (Hughes, 10)

Dr. Stanley writes, “Too many believers approach the Christian life on a behavioral level.  They go to church, read their Bibles, serve others, give generously, and try to be as good as possible, thinking that they’re doing what God wants.  Although all these practices are beneficial, they’re not enough.  He desires more for us than knowledge and good behavior.  He wants us to know Him experientially—person to person.” (22)

But, Max Lucado brings it home in such a simple way, ‘Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.  ‘Twas grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”  (31)

Recognize those words?  Amazing Grace!  For me, this chapter has been screaming about grace.  Not just about His grace towards me, but being gracious to myself.  God gives us a free gift (grace) to forgive every sin we’ve committed, and even those yet to be.  All we have to do is accept His gift.  It’s our choice.  Pretty simple, right?

So why is it easy to accept His grace for us, but we cannot extend the same gift to ourselves?  When I look back on the experiences that led to my heartache or bad circumstances, it’s been due to my choices.  I ended relationships, or started ones that were inappropriate.  I left jobs for no other reason than boredom.  I said things that hurt other people.  And, even though God has forgiven me and washed me clean with the blood of His son, Jesus, there are days I cannot look at myself in a mirror without thinking I’m a wretch.  I yelled at my kids.  I grumped at my husband.  I didn’t use His time wisely, or manage money effectively.  I trashed my body because the bad food sounded so good.  My hair’s out of control.  My waist is too thick.  My complexion is too splotchy.  I find every little fault possible with my life, my character.  What does this say to God?  Am I grateful for His creation?  His design for MY body, my character, my life?

While a symptom of my heart’s protective nature, it’s also a sign that the father of lies, Satan, is trying to keep me from thinking the truth.  If God has forgiven me, I need to let it go and stop beating myself up.  I’m not a bad person.  I’m just a person who made bad decisions.  This negative thought system is one of the biggest issues I need to overcome.  I need to stop checking off the endless list of things ‘wrong’ with this woman God created.   It affects how I view myself as a wife, a mother, a worker, etc.  And, rather than focus on my short-comings, I need to (1) focus on His Word & Truth about my life, (2) focus on not comparing myself to others, (3) focus on finding gratitude for each day and circumstance, and (4) focus on letting it go.  Hmm, there’s that control thing again!

We’re told in Ezekiel 36:26, 27: 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My Laws and be careful to do what I tell you.  (NLV)

He will give us a new heart and a new spirit.  Will you reach out and accept this treasure from The King?

PRAY –

Take the time this weekend to write a prayer to God.  Acknowledge your shortcomings, character defects, areas you wish to change.  Tell Him what you would like to see instead in your life.  Be specific.  I once read that while God knows our prayers before we speak them, He wants to know that we have thought through the requests and really zeroed in on what we’re asking for.  I think it makes for a much more personal prayer than the rote memorization we learned as children.  Show God your gratefulness, even in difficult times, and as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, thank Him for everything (good & bad) in your life.  Ask Him to show you ways to change, and lessons to be learned from the experiences you have.

WRITE –

List  areas you have been able to turn over and surrender to Jesus during our study.
Are there areas you still need to turn over, attempting to control on your own power?  Remember, we make progress by focusing on one defect (or task) at a time.  Not by trying to attack it all at once.

Sometimes it’s not easy to see the positive changes in our lives.  What changes have you seen in the past 5 weeks?  Have you been able to celebrate and find joy in these steps?

Check out Life’s Healing Choices for an excellent note card exercise to help you focus on His Truth regarding your character and life.  I have a list of verses at my desk that I can see at a glance, but this exercise gives a more hands-on approach to keeping the Word close to your heart.  I have listed some of the verses from this exercise below.

SHARE –

Share the one defect God has guided you to focus on changing first.

Share the progress God is making in your life in changing this defect.

Share about your efforts to act yourself into a better way of feeling.

As I was writing this blog, this song came on my Pandora station.  I think it’s another God-moment.

 

Power Verses for Chapter 5:
Psalm 37:5

Matthew 5:6

Romans 12:1, 2

Philippians 1:6

James 4:10

1 Peter 1:13, 14

1 John 1:9

2 Thessalonians 3:3

 

Verses from the Note Card Exercise:

2 Corinthians 5:17

Psalm 9:10

Proverbs 3:5, 6

Proverbs 16:3

Matthew 11:28

Philippians 4:6, 7

Hebrews 11:6

 

Pray this with me:

Lord, show me Your will in working on my shortcomings.  Help me not to resist the changes that You have planned for me.  I need You to direct my steps.  Help me to stay in today, not get dragged back into the past or lost in the future.  I ask You to give me the power and the wisdom to make the very best I can out of today.  Amen. (prayer taken from Celebrate Recovery Participant Guide 3, p. 36.)

 _____________________

If you are interested in joining us for the amazing online Bible study, and would like to join our private Facebook Discussion Group, click HERE to sign up.  Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send Amy a private email in regards to this blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

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