December 26, 2024

Even So Come

October 23, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

All of creation
All of the earth
Make straight a highway
A path for the Lord
Jesus is coming soon

Call back the sinner
Wake up the saint
Let every nation shout of Your fame
Jesus is coming soon

Like a bride waiting for her groom
We’ll be a Church ready for You
Every heart longing for our King
We sing 

Even so come, Lord Jesus, come

There will be justice
All will be new
Your name forever
Faithful and true
Jesus is coming soon

Even so come, Lord Jesus, come
So we wait, we wait for You
God, we wait
You’re coming soon  

Kristian Stanfill / Passion
written by Chris Tomlin, Jess Cates, Jason Ingram

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When I recently heard this new song I became excited.  It talked about something I’m looking forward to—Jesus is coming soon!  The Church (the fellowship of believers) is waiting like a bride for The Groom, Jesus, to come get her.  In Jesus’ day, the bride would be waiting in her parents’ home for the groom to come and take her with him to the home that he had prepared for her. [Click here to learn more about marriage in Jesus’ day.)  How excited she must have been, waiting in anticipation.  Did she keep looking out the window, or crack the door open to check to see if he was coming up the street?  How many times did she straighten her dress, and check her hair to make sure everything was perfect for her coming groom?

With that same anticipation, preparedness, and excitement, we as believers should be looking for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We hear stories occasionally of a bride being left at the altar, jilted by her groom.  That is very, very sad.  But we have the assurance that Jesus is faithful and true, and He loves us so much that we never need to worry about being jilted by Him.  Jesus will come again to take us to His home in Heaven.  He has prepared a place for each of us to spend eternity with Him.

Here are a few encouraging and reassuring Scriptures to get you excited about our soon-coming King:

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
Isaiah 40:3

Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away.
For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor Him, for He is your Lord…
The bride, a princess, looks glorious in her golden gown.
In her beautiful robes, she is led to the King, accompanied by her bridesmaids.
What a joyful and enthusiastic procession as they enter the King’s palace!
Psalms 45:10-15

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10

…there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and laughter.
The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again,
along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord.
They will sing, ‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
for the Lord is good.  His faithful love endures forever!’
Jeremiah 33:11

“Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself.
She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
Revelation 19:6-9

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches.
I am both the source of David and the Heir to his throne.
I am the Bright Morning Star.”
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.”
Let anyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
Revelation 22:16-17

He Who is the Faithful Witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.
Revelations 22:20-21

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me.
There is more than enough room in My Father’s home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.
John 14:1-3

So with joy and anticipation, as this song says, “Wake up the saint, let every nation shout Jesus’ fame,” because it is a sure thing—Jesus is coming.  Maranatha!

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Dear God, we are so thankful to be called the bride of Christ!  What joy, what privilege, and also what responsibility.  Help us by Your Holy Spirit to be alert and waiting with great anticipation for our soon-coming King.  While in that waiting, may our joy draw others to seek You, too.  Come, Lord Jesus!  In Your Holy Name we pray.  Amen.

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Your Word is a Lamp

October 22, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

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Here is a simple chorus to help us memorize this Scripture.

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Were It Not For Grace

October 22, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Time measured out my days, life carried me along
In my soul I yearned to follow God but knew I’d never be so strong
I looked hard at this world to learn how heaven could be gained
Just to end where I began where human effort is all in vain

Were it not for grace…I can tell you where I’d be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
And I know how that would go—the battles I would face
Forever running but losing the race…were it not for grace

So here is all my praise expressed with all my heart
Offered to the Friend who took my place and ran a course I could not start
And when He saw in full just how much His Love would cost
He still went the final mile between me and heaven so I would not be lost

Sandi Patty
written by David Hamilton, Phil McHugh
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“Were it not for grace!” (Were you belting out this chorus along with Miss Sandi Patty?)  I believe you (me, too!) are thoroughly and thankfully cognizant of the awesome goodness of Almighty God to mankind in the incredible provision of His grace.  And it is SO good to be aware of where we would be…but perhaps even more important to recognize that, because of grace, we are where God would have us to be.  We—all of mankind!—are constant recipients of God’s amazing grace!  Throughout the Bible, we find many believers well aware of and thankful for God’s grace!  Whether it was James offering motivation to the Hebrews living in dispersion throughout Europe or David’s exclamation of praise, these are just two examples of men who were assured of the truth regarding grace.

But He gives more grace.
Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
James 4:6

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

Equally we, too, should be assured of all that Jesus’ sacrifice and death has given to us by God’s grace.

[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God,
freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy),
through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
Romans 3:24

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1 and 2

And so we can also praise our God declaring how good and kind He has been to us! We are redeemed, saved, freed from slavery to sin and now live, in that freedom, under grace.

For sin shall no longer be your master,
because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14

Paul shared the following with Titus as he urged him to encourage and reprove the people in Crete.  May we have the same heart—keeping in mind the grace we have received and do constantly receive!

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
waiting for our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for Himself a people
for His own possession who are zealous for good.
Titus 2:11-14

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His Word – Our Light, Our Lamp

October 21, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105 NLT

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The simplicity of this verse astounds me.  So easy to say!  Yet often, it is very difficult to do.  According to Bible.org, the “Word” /(imrah) denotes anything God has spoken, commanded or promised—His thoughts, His commands, His promises give guidance and instruction for our lives.  The Word of God can make our steps clear.

The Bible should be used to help us walk the way God wants us to walk and live the way He wants us to live.  When we choose not to use His Word, our path becomes unclear.  We aren’t sure if our next step will be on a firm foundation or down a dangerous alley.

For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,
and corrective discipline is the way to life.
Proverbs 6:23 HSCB

His Word shows us not only where to step but where NOT to step.  It doesn’t always light the whole path but it does provides direction for the next step or two.

I was pondering this verse during my morning walk.  As I started to pay attention to the path, I noticed it wasn’t always clear. Sometimes it was cluttered with leaves, making it hard to determine where the edges were. Other parts were shaded by tall trees blocking the sun.  And sometimes the path wasn’t clear because I had forgotten to remove my sunglasses.

My spiritual path is like that as well.  Sometimes it is cluttered with the junk I allow in my life.  Other times it is shaded by worldly views or my opinion. Often I cannot see it clearly simply because I have forgotten to spend enough time in His Word.   Then I begin to wonder things like:

  • Why do I neglect to consult His Word throughout the day?
  • Why do I only seek His guidance sometimes?
  • Am I too busy?
  • Do I trust my judgment more than His?

I don’t know; it could be all of the above.  But I do know that, when I neglect His Word, my steps falter.  The more time I spend in His Word, the more I study His Word, the more it will become an ingrained part of me.  Job 29:3 tells us “He lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness.”  My path will be smoother because He will be directing my steps. And surely there won’t be nearly as many wrong turns, dark alleys, or so much time spent going in circles.  I know I need His Light but sometimes I forget to turn it on.  How about you?  Is your path well-lit?

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Let’s use Psalm 43:3 HCSB as our prayer:

Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me.
Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.
– Amen, it is so!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Turkey-Quinoa Meatloaf

October 20, 2015 by

Ahhh, meatloaf!  Either you love it…or you hate it.  (Doesn’t it seem that most folks fall into one category or the other?)  How about your family?   Meatloaf is on our menu 2 or 3 times each month…along with the leftovers, too.  So, I am always on the lookout for an additional FABulous ingredient to change it up.   We got over the hurdle of making it gluten free by the addition of dehydrated potatoes (or, even better, dehydrated sweet potatoes…oh!my!).  But that doesn’t fit into our menu right now.  For a month or so now, we have been eating really low-carb…which presents a problem with meatloaf.  So I been thinking of something to sub in for breadcrumbs or dehydrated potatoes.  And I thought perhaps some leftover quinoa…and when I googled some recipes, I found that this was not an original thought. 😉  There’s a ton of recipes and variations out there!  Here is what we enjoyed; hope you and your loved ones do, too!

Turkey-Quinoa Meatloaf

2015-10-13 18.46.21

ingredients :

1 T olive or coconut oil
1 small sweet onion
1 small zucchini
handful of baby carrots
1 stalk celery
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
handful mushrooms
2# ground turkey, 94 or 99%
2 large eggs, whisked
1/4 cup spicy mustard (or bbq sauce, or ketchup)
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried thyme (or oregano)
1 T each, sea salt and freshly ground pepper

directions :

  • preheat oven to 375
  • line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
  • clean all veggies and cut into chunks
  • in batches (depending on size of your food processor) chop all of the veggies into small-sized dice
  • heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat
  • add the chopped veggies, stir ’til oil is well distributed.  cook veggie mixture ’til softened.  set aside and let cool
  • in a very large mixing bowl, combine turkey, eggs, cooled quinoa and vegetables, herbs and seasonings.
  • mix well by hand ’til thoroughly combined
  • divide in 1/2; shape into two equal loaves about 2-3 inches high on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet
  • bake for 40-45 minutes. done when temp reaches 165. allow to sit for 5 minutes or so to firm up

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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The Word is Our Light

October 20, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

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Life is filled with choices that can either make you or break you.  At different stages of life you are presented with a variety of choices.  And to make such decisions without errors you need proper guidance—which only God’s Word can provide.

In John 1:9 the Bible says the Word of God is the True Light.  It is the Sword of the Spirit with which you pierce your way through the darkness of life.  If the True Light dwells richly in you then fear, defeat, failure, and all other results of darkness won’t have any place in you.  You won’t fear because the True Light will show you that God has not given you the spirit of fear.  You won’t be defeated because you will see that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  You won’t be sick because you will discover that by His stripes you were healed.  The Word of God will reveal to you what God sees you to be.

The unfolding of your words gives light it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:130

It’s your responsibility to invest the Word of God in yourself by studying it regularly. If you can feed your mind with it and store it in your spirit, the Word of God will produce great results in you and you will glow with the glory of God.  You will have a clear direction in life and others will acknowledge that you are different.

We can live victoriously if we keep the Word of God in our hearts.  If there is any darkness in your family, academics, or business just take hold of the light of God’s Word and pierce through the darkness in the name of Jesus.

The Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.

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Dear Lord, thank You for who You are to us.  Your love for us is so great…we bless You, dear Lord.  Thank You for the portion of Scripture this week that we need to walk in the understanding that it is only by Your Word we are given guidance. Thank You that You direct our paths in Jesus’ name.  We pray that You do not leave us alone;  guide and protect us always in Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen!

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Guidance

October 19, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

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Did you know when people traveled at night in the old days, they would attach a lantern to their sandals?  This way the pathway was lit and they could travel safer.  During the day, robbers would lay in wait for their victims, but at night they were usually home with family and friends.

But, that aside, how can someone travel through life without knowing God?  God designed us for fellowship with Him.  Not for us to be separated from His perfect love. God chose a people to be called his own, a people to be set apart.  As God searched, He found Abram.  God calls Abram to leave his family and go to a land He will give him and will make Abram a father of many nations.  So Abram packed up his wife and his nephew went with him to this new place.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country
and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:1  

Abram never questioned his walk with God.  He choose to follow and believe no matter what…or how long a promise might take to be fulfilled.  Can we wait 30, 40, 50 or more years for a promise to be fulfilled?  We may not think so.  My friends, we serve a God who looks out for our best, not what we think is best.  He knows the bigger picture.

God promised Abraham and Sarah a son.   And, when Abraham was near 100 years old and Sarah was almost 90 years old, the promise was fulfilled.

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age
at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:2

How awesome is God for proving His love for these two.  Sarah may have doubted, believing her body was past the time to provide children, but God had a bigger plan for these two.

My friends, God would do this and much more for us—if only we would believe and follow His good and righteous path for our lives.  We need to cultivate our love for Him by reading or listening to His word and by submitting to the teaching of others.

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Father, I thank You for loving us when we are not lovable.  Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who keeps us from walking too far away from You.  Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who fulfilled Your promise and showed us how to walk with You.  Do not give up on us.  Do not take your Spirit away from us when we stray or stubbornly look away. Forgive us for our rebellious nature and for sinning against You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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10,000 Reasons

October 19, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I worship Your holy name

The sun comes up; it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
10,000 years and then forever more

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I worship Your holy name
Jesus, I worship Your holy name
I worship Your holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I worship Your holy name
I worship Your holy name
I worship Your holy name

Matt Redman
written with Jonas Myrin

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.
Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
Psalms 103:1-2a AMP

Recently I have seen several FaceBook posts about blessing the Lord.  This song immediately came to mind.  And, as I thought about blessing the Lord, two questions were at the forefront:

1) Why are we to bless the Lord?    2) How do we bless the Lord?

First, WHY  are we to bless the Lord?  The song title says there are 10,000 reasons to bless the Lord.  And in the second verse, it gives us several specific reasons taken from Scripture:

  • The Lord is rich in love

But God, being [so very] rich in mercy,
because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us…
Ephesians 2:4 AMP

Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God,
…rich in faithful love and truth,
Exodus 34:6 HCSB

  • The Lord is slow to anger

Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Joel 2:13 NKJV

The Lord is slow to anger…forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion
Numbers 14:18 HCSB

  • His name is great

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord
You are great, and Your name is great in might
Jeremiah 10:6 NKJV

I will vindicate the holiness of My great name
which has been profaned among the nations
Ezekiel 36:23 NASB

  • His heart is kind

For His merciful kindness is great toward us
Psalm 117:2 NKJV

“But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.
Isaiah 54:8 AMP

The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds
Psalm 145:17 NASB

But, the best reason is because He loves us.  John 3:16 tells us He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place, so that we could have everlasting life.

Augustine explained it like this
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

His plan would have been put into effect even if you or I were the only person on earth. This leaves me speechless!

And, second, HOW  do we bless the Lord?  What could I possibly do that would bless Him?  Thankfully, in the words of David, we have the answer:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:1-3NKJV

We are to praise the Lord continually—boast about Him, magnify Him, and exalt His Holy name.  That’s how we bless the Lord.  (That’s not asking too much, is it?)

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

Thy Word

October 18, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.

When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way,
Still You’re there right beside me.
And nothing will I fear
As long as You are near.
You are near me to the end.

I will not forget Your love for me, and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus, be my Guide,
And hold me to Your side.
I will love You to the end.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path,
And a light unto my path.
You’re the Light unto my path.

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Be One

October 18, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

We don’t feel ready, we don’t feel steady
Question what we really have to give

Stay where it’s safer, claim faith but waiver
Is this how we’re really meant to live

We pray but never move
We say but never do

It’s time to get our hands dirty
oh oh, oh oh
Be love – there’s a whole lot of hurting
oh oh, oh oh
Calling all hearts, calling all hands
Calling all feet to take a stand
Why sit around and wait for a miracle to come
When we can be one, when we can be one, when we can be one

A little somethin’ might feel like nothin’
But in His hands it’s all we’ll ever need

To speak life to the broken
Watch the blind eyes open
It’s who He’s calling you and me to be

We can be the change – be the hope
We can be the arms that don’t let go
We can be a light in the dark
We are, we are, where it starts

Natalie Grant

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

A lukewarm Christian is not something that I want to be. Oh…I definitely have been. But I much prefer to be in the game; and when you’re in the game, you get dirty.  Jesus did.  He didn’t play it safe and protect himself and just associate with His disciples and followers.  No, He ate with the hated and He got close to the sick to heal them and He walked with prostitutes.  His main objective was to make sure that everyone knew His Father and that they would go to Heaven when they died.

This is exactly how we should be.  I am sure that around your area, there are homeless people who have needs to be met before they can even think about making a decision to know Him.  Hungry families live on streets near you.  There are women in your circle who may be fighting an addiction of some kind and need to know Jesus still loves them. There are marriages on the brink of divorce.  You are someones hope today!

So as you listen to this song, pray to God that He will reveal to you where to go and who needs to hear hope from you.  Ask Him to lead you to them and He will guide you and speak through you.  How awesome is it to actually be His hands and feet?!!!  There are so many changes that this world needs and it can start here with us….

Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
Psalms 96:3 NKJV

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear God, thank You so much for sending Jesus to earth as a man, to walk among sinners.  He showed us what we should be like.  He was a Friend of sinners and loved  the ones who are hardest to love.  Lord, You created everyone and You love us all. Please plant in us that same love for our neighbor and give us the desire to walk through their hard with them.  Reveal to us who we are to share with and direct our steps and send us where we are to go.  You have blessed each one of us by living in us and granting us grace for each moment.  I pray that no one has to go one more day without knowing how much You love them.  Help us to get in the game and not be afraid to get our hands dirty.  We love You. In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

 

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