December 23, 2024

Rose of Bethlehem

December 20, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

There’s a Rose in Bethlehem
With a beauty quite divine
Perfect in this world of sin
On this silent holy night

There’s a fragrance much like hope
That it sends upon the wind
Reaching out to every soul
From a lowly manger’s crib

Oh, Rose of Bethlehem
How lovely, pure, and sweet
Born to glorify the Father
Born to wear the thorns for me

There’s a Rose in Bethlehem
Colored red like mercy’s blood
‘Tis the flower of our faith
‘Tis the blossom of God’s love

Though it’s bloom is fresh with youth
Surely what will be He knows
For a tear of morning dew
Is rolling down the Rose

There’s a Rose in Bethlehem
With a beauty quite divine
Perfect in this world of sin
On this silent holy night

 Songwriter: Lowell Alexander ~ Performed by Selah

 *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

One of the favorite flowers of most women, and many men, is the rose—especially the red rose.  There’s a special perfect beauty to it and usually a wonderful sweet fragrance.  At Christmastime over 2000 years ago, a “rose” of great beauty and sweet fragrance was given to us in the form of a baby boy.

And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

He was born in Bethlehem just as the prophecies of old had said.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village
among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on My behalf.
Micah 5:2

I’m sure you have heard people refer to Jesus as the rose of Sharon, however, there is no such reference in the Bible.  But when speaking of the hope of restoration Isaiah says,

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose and the autumn crocus.
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the excellency of [Mount] Carmel and [the plain] of Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty and splendor and excellency of our God.
Isaiah 35:1-2 AMP

Our hope of restoration (returning to God) is found only in Jesus.  “And His Name will be the hope of all the world” (Matthew 12:21).  Jesus reaches out like a sweet fragrance to every soul.  This hope came at a great price.  Jesus wore the thorns on His head (Matthew 27:29).  In God’s great mercy toward us, Jesus’ blood was poured out for each of us (Matthew 26:28).

Jesus said, “For I have come down from Heaven to do the will of God who sent Me, not to do My own will” (John 6:38).  How lovely, pure, and sweet is that!

Jesus was born, lived, and died so that He might glorify His Father in Heaven.

Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say,
‘Father, save Me from this hour’?
But for this purpose I came to this hour. ‘Father, glorify Your name.’
Then a voice came out of heaven:
‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’
John 12:27-28

In Christ Jesus we now see His majestic splendor just as Peter wrote in one of his letters.

We saw His majestic splendor with our own eyes
when He received honor and glory from God the Father.
The voice from the majestic glory of God said to Him,
“This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.”
2 Peter 1:16

In this special season, let’s take in the beauty and sweet fragrance of hope that the “Rose of Bethlehem” so willingly sacrificed Himself to give us.

Born to glorify the Father
Born to wear the thorns for me

 *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Dear Jesus, You are truly like a rose to us in all Your lovely beauty and sweet fragrance.  Thank You for being willing to come as a babe in a lowly manger, and then to walk the road to Golgotha with thorns piercing Your brow.  You did it all to glorify Your Father, and to give each of us eternal hope.  Thank You, Father God, for loving us so much that You willingly “gave Your one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Tis the flower of our faith, ‘Tis the blossom of God’s love.”  In Jesus’ lovely Name, Amen.

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You Are The Voice of Hope

December 6, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

As high as the heavens are above the earth
So high are Your ways to mine
Ways so perfect they never fail me
I know You are good all the time
And through the storm yet I will praise You
Despite it all yet I will sing
Through good or bad yet I will worship
For You remain the same King of kings

You are the voice of hope
The Anchor of my soul
Where there seems to be no way
You make it possible
You are the Prince of peace
Amidst adversity
My lips will shout for joy
To You the Most High

You were the One before time began
There’s nothing beyond Your control
My confidence my assurance
Rest in Your unchanging word

Singer/Songwriter: Lara Martin along with the Abundant Life Church choir & orchestra

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This Week…HOPE (Advent, week one)

December 5, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, Ann, Ahmee, Cynda, and Tina have written such wonderful devotionals encouraging us to hold onto the hope that comes through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of the week, in Advent Week One…Hope, Tina shared a wonderful resource that outlined some ideas about Advent and specifically about the symbolism and Scriptural background of lighting the candles on an Advent wreath.  She also wrote,

“The first week of the Advent season is to acknowledge hope. Hope is where we realize that God will always fulfill His promises. It does not mean we will not see troubles, but we will see God’s best, as long as we seek His Will first. As we celebrate this Christmas season, let’s just forget the political correctness…let us worship and proclaim our Savior’s birth as never before!”

~   ♥   ~

In Living Hope, Cynda shared this great perspective.

“Look at it this way:

  • Without Christ…there is no Christmas.
  • Without that miraculous birth…there is no crucifixion or resurrection.
  • Without Christ’s resurrection…there would be no hope.

Christ alone is our eternal hope, our living hope.”

~   ♥   ~

In False Hope, Ahmee helped us to see what TRUE hope is…and what FALSE hope is.

“Hope is a good thing. Hope means ‘to trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future‘. I’ve also heard it said that hope is a confident expectation of good.

False hope is a powerful tool, as well. I would say that false hope is hope in something that either is not real, distorted, (but most clearly) not grounded in God Almighty. False hope is putting your trust in human beings and believing that they have the ability to do what only God can do.”

~   ♥   ~

In Hope in the Lord, Ann reminded us what God has promised in Isaiah 40:31—

“Those who hope in the Lord have His promise of…

  • strength to revive them in the midst of exhaustion and weakness and suffering and trial
  • the ability to rise above their difficulties like an eagle that soars into the sky
  • the ability to run spiritually without tiring
  • being able to walk steadily forward without fainting at God’s delays”

~   ♥   ~

Dear Lord, we rest on the promises You have made knowing You are a faithful God.   Thank You for Your promise of a Savior, a Redeemer and the birth of Your Son that fulfilled that promise.  Thank You for Your promise, Lord, that You will return and Your will gather Your church and You will bring us to our eternal home.  As we continue through this season of Advent…focusing on all that the birth of Immanuel means…may our hope be sure and steadfast.  We love You and adore You…and pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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Living Hope

December 4, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3 HCSB

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines hope as

“one of the three main elements of Christian character (1 Corinthians 13:13). It is joined to faith and love, and is opposed to seeing or possessing. Christ is the actual object of the believer’s hope.”

Hope is when we eagerly look forward to something.

Rebecca VanNoord states “We don’t often realize where we put our hope. We can seek sustenance, energy, or relief in the most transient, innocuous things—from our morning coffee to a vacation we’ve been anticipating for months. These things are not bad in themselves, but if they constantly serve as minor fixes in our daily lives, they can shift our focus. We can end up trading God’s help for caffeine and a few days in the sun.”   (Go here to read the rest of this article.)

Ouch!  (Especially the coffee/caffeine part.)  “Shift our focus.” I don’t know about you, but my focus is easily shifted. How is it then that we are to place our hope in an infant born in a stable and keep our focus on something we have never seen or experienced? Especially in the world today where Christmas has been commercialized and Christ is being taken out of Christmas.

Look at it this way:

  • Without Christ…there is no Christmas.
  • Without that miraculous birth…there is no crucifixion or resurrection.
  • Without Christ’s resurrection…there would be no hope.

Christ alone is our eternal hope, our living hope.

Lamentations 3:24 (AMP) says “The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.”  It is Christ living in us that gives us hope.  1 Timothy 4:10 (HCSB) states,

In fact, we labor and strive for this,
because we have put our hope in the living God,
who is the Savior of everyone,
especially of those who believe.

Our hope is in the living God—the Savior who busted through the gates of hell and conquered death in our place. That’s where I need to keep my focus. It is in that hope I find my joy.  Who knew that one small baby born in a stable would have such a profound affect on the whole world?  God did.  He knew that Holy Infant would be our living hope.

*   ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Father, thank You for the living hope we have in the birth of Your One and Only Son. Let us be mindful that we have that living hope inside of us, to be shared with those whose lives we touch.  Thank You for that precious birth that changed our future and gives us such hope.  In Your Holy name we pray, Amen—it is so!

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Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus

December 3, 2014 by

 

SHhopeadventI wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.
I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,
I say, more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is mercy and loving-kindness,
and with Him is plenteous redemption.
And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.
Psalms 130:5-8

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel’s strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

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False Hope

December 2, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

I pray that God, the Source of hope,
will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.
Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Hope is a good thing. Hope means ‘to trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future‘. I’ve also heard it said that hope is a confident expectation of good.

We know that hope is good because Romans 15:13 tells us so!  And we know that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17).

Hope is

  • what pulls you out of bed in the morning when you are going through a depression
  • believing that things are going to turn out okay when you do something that seems impossible or crazy, but you are certain that God told you to do it
  • what motivates us to not give up
  • a powerful tool

False hope is a powerful tool, as well. I would say that false hope is hope in something that either is not real, distorted, (but most clearly) not grounded in God Almighty. False hope is putting your trust in human beings and believing that they have the ability to do what only God can do.

Listen to me carefully as I tred into this territory….

It’s okay to have hope for a positive future.  And it’s okay to hope that God can turn a horrible situation into a good situation.  However, when we fail to see the signs or choose to ignore them and still hope for the best, this is false hope. For example,

If God said that your friendship with a person needs to end because there is no repairing it, for you to stay in the relationship and hope for the best,  would not only be in direct disobedience to God but would not have a solid foundation.

What is (and is not) false hope is something that you have to speak to God about.  He will guide you in your situations.  Remember there is no reason to place your hope in something or someone that is not trustworthy. (Regardless of how much you want things to be a certain way.)

*   ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *  

Lord, keep our hearts and our minds clear so that we trust in Your will and Your will alone.  Please help us to see the truth in our lives, and not just what we want to see. Help us to see through the lies and the schemes of Satan.  You are an all-knowing God. Please share Your knowledge with us.  Amen.

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Hope in the Lord

December 1, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19-20

Hope is a product of having faith that something that you have been looking for, or been desiring to have, will come to pass.

• Hope moves you from anxiety to fact of life
• Hope comes from deep inside your heart
• Hope gives confidence

Our Hope (the One Who moves us from anxiety and gives us confidence) is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He became our Hope of glory over 2000 years ago.  When faced with challenges in this life He (our Hope) should be our number one main Friend to go to before interacting with anyone else.

To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles
are the riches of the glory of this mystery,
which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27

To hope in the Lord is to trust Him fully with our lives.  It involves looking to Him as our Source of help and grace in time of need.

…But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Those who hope in the Lord have His promise of

  • strength to revive them in the midst of exhaustion and weakness and suffering and trial
  • the ability to rise above their difficulties like an eagle that soars into the sky
    the ability to run spiritually without tiring
  • being able to walk steadily forward without fainting at God’s delays

God promises that if His people will patiently trust Him, He will provide whatever is needed to sustain them constantly.

However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it.
Romans 8:25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for He Who promised is faithful.
Romans 10:23

Sisters in the Lord, remember…no one who puts his/her hope in the Lord will be put to shame.

No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame
but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
Psalm 25:3

*   ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *  

Dear Lord, we thank You for You are a wonderful and loving Father, Who makes promises…and always fulfills Your promises.  We love You, Abba Father, for all the promises that You have fulfilled and those that you are yet to fulfill in our lives.  We have hope because You are perfecting everything for our good.  We trust You with our anxieties, challenges, and everything about us.  We trust in You for Your help.  Please help us to sort out our issues and perfect our walk with You in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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Advent, Week One ~ Hope

November 30, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

The first week of the Advent season is to acknowledge Hope.  Hope is where we realize that God will always fulfill His promises. It does not mean we will not see troubles, but we will see God’s best, as long as we seek His will first. As we celebrate this Christmas season, let’s just forget the political correctness…let us worship and proclaim our Savior’s birth as never before!

As I researched Advent, I came across this devotional. The link is located at the end of this blog. Please feel free to use this throughout the coming season.

Lighting of the Candle

[As someone lights the first purple candle, the following should be read or paraphrased.]

We light this candle because, like God’s people centuries ago, we also look forward with hope to the coming of the Shepherd. The purple color of the candle reminds us of the seriousness of our hope.

Psalms 80:1-7
In this psalm, we join the people of Israel as they invite God, their Shepherd, to save and to restore them.

Isaiah 40:1-11
This passage looks ahead to the coming of the Lord, Who will care for His people like a shepherd.

Revelation 7:9-17
Like God’s people before the coming of Christ, we also look ahead to the time when Christ, who is both the Lamb and our Shepherd, will finish His work and “God will wipe away every tear” from our eyes.

Prayer of Hope
[To be read or paraphrased]

Dear God, as we light this candle, we hope for Your coming as our Good Shepherd. Please gather us in Your arms, feed us with spiritual food, wipe away every tear from our eyes, and “let Your face shine, that we may be saved.” Come, our Shepherd! Amen.

 

{ Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/advent-devotional-guide-preparing-for-the-coming-of-christ/#ixzz3KUfQx5uJ }

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Hope During Affliction

October 16, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your word to Your servant;
You have given me hope through it.
This is my comfort in my affliction.
Psalm 119:49-50a HCSB

This passage reminds me of Roman 12:12 NIV; in fact, it seems to me this passage provides the reason we are urged to be“…joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer…”.

What is hope?

  • Bakers Evangelical Dictionary – to trust in, wait for, to expect something beneficial
  • Strong’s Concordance – a strong and mighty trust, actively waiting

God’s Word gives us hope. We trust in it. It is the foundation of our hope and should be the only source of our hope. We can be assured God will never disappoint the hope He has given us. Take a look at these two verses:

Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word
and to do what He had promised.
Romans 4:21 AMP

So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish
and confess and our acknowledgement of it,
for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.
Hebrews 10:23 AMP

We are to have hope even in times of affliction.

So, what is affliction?

  • Holman Bible Dictionary – the state of being pained or distressed
  • Strong’s Concordance – persecution tribulation, distress, pressure

His Word comforts and sustains us in times of affliction. Check this out:

For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction,
so that we may have hope through endurance
and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.
Romans 15:4 HCSB

His Word was written for OUR instruction. We are to have a strong and mighty trust in His Word as we actively wait during times of pain, distress, and pressure. When we do so, we can be confident in this:

…the God of hope (will) fill you with all joy and peace,
as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 HCSB

I think one of my favorite verses sums up what happens when we hold tight to hope during times of affliction.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13 NIV

Continue to expect something beneficial in the future, especially during times of trouble, and you will see the goodness of the Lord.

He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father God, we are so thankful we have Your hope to hold on to, especially in the trying times of life. Help us actively wait with a strong and mighty trust in You, knowing we will eventually see Your goodness come through. In Your precious and Holy name we pray – Amen, it is so!

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Overwhelmed

July 9, 2014 by

I see the work of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance, oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

And I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

And God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

I know the power of Your Cross
Forgiven and free forever You’ll be my God

And all that You’ve done is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
In the Glory of Your Presence
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

And God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

You are Beautiful, You are Beautiful
Oh God, there is no one more Beautiful
You are Beautiful, God you are the most Beautiful

You are Wonderful, You are Wonderful
Oh God, there is no one more Wonderful
You are Wonderful, God You are the most Wonderful

Yes, You are Glorious, You are Glorious
Oh God, there is no one more Glorious
You are Glorious, God you are the most Glorious

I delight myself in You
In the Glory of Your Presence
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

And God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

There is no one more Beautiful
God You are the most Beautiful  

 Sung by Big Daddy Weave  (Music and Lyrics by Mike Weaver/Phil Wickham)

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Have you ever just heard God’s voice so clear, over the noise of all that is around you?  As we were coming home the other night from our anniversary dinner, kids included, this very song came on and I felt His presence.  I heard His voice and I was overwhelmed.  I immediately went to iTunes and found it and downloaded it so I could be taken away to that place again. A place that I literally felt like I was sitting at His feet and looking at the glory that shone around Him and I was calm. Isn’t He just amazing?

Just to see the work of His hands, the green grass and color splashes all over in the different flowers. To see the oceans and the sandy beaches and the sea shells that make perfect homes for the sea critters. Only God. And to hear the sound of His voice, in loud yet gentle ways, is so overwhelming. The thunder and lightning and rain at just the right times. I’m in awe of our Creator.

“Lord, the way You wait patiently for us to find our way home after a hard, tiring road we took, and the grace and mercy that are ours for free, a gift from You, the Lover of our souls. The Cross that Your Son died on to save us from our sins, so that we could live free here on earth and one day go to Heaven to be with You for eternity, is so overwhelming and we are forever grateful!”

When the chorus plays, I turn it up really loud and I can’t help the tears that fall at the sound of His name, “God, all that You are, is so overwhelming…I delight myself in You, captivated by Your beauty, I’m overwhelmed by You…God, I run into Your arms, unashamed because of mercy, I’m overwhelmed by You…You are beautiful, oh God, there is no one more beautiful…You are wonderful, oh God, there is no one more wonderful, You are the most wonderful!”  Chills run down my spine that the Lord of everything is in love with me and that He is overwhelmed by me and I by Him. And He loves you so much.  So today, find a phrase of this song, write it on a notecard in big letters, and place it somewhere that you will see it and be reminded of all that He is and all that He has done and the love He has for all of us and the love you have for Him. I pray you hear Him today….

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Let us pray:  Oh Lord, all that You are is overwhelming. Your beauty is beyond compare and Your mercy is so freely given even though we don’t deserve it. Thank You for open arms that wrap us in them and shelter us from this world that sometimes is too much. And may someone hear today from this song, the hope and the message that You want for them to hear. We love You and we praise You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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