November 22, 2024

Have Thine Own Way

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay
Mold me and make me after Thy will
While I am waiting, yielded and still

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way
Search me and try me, Savior today
Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now
As in Thy presence, humbly I bow

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way
Wounded and weary, help me I pray
Power, all power, surely is Thine
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way
Hold o’er my being absolute sway
Fill with Thy Spirit ’til all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me

Deborah P. Kim
Text: Adelaide A. Pollard, 1862-1934
Music: George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945

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Ms. Adelaide Pollard was a Jesus follower and she knew in her heart that God wanted her to go to Africa and be a missionary. However, she had not been able to raise the funds to go. At a prayer meeting, she had heard a woman praying to God saying that no matter what He brought into their lives, that it was alright  and that she trusted Him. Adelaide went home and wrote this hymn that night.

I don’t know about you but sometimes nothing makes me feel better than a good hymn from my childhood. God loves to speak to me through music and His message is always loud and clear. And lately, I have been trying to run this life of mine and it hasn’t worked out so well. In fact, I truly cannot do it. So as I was praying to Him, these words came flooding back to me and I prayed them to Him. Maybe you need to pray these same words today too.

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Dear God, have Your own way with my life.  You created me and You know what is best in my life.  Oh Lord, You are the Potter and I am the clay and whatever You mold my life to be, may it be all for You…

Yet LORD, You are our Father;
we are the clay, and You are our Potter;
we all are the work of Your hands.
Isaiah 64:8

Oh Lord, search my heart and bring to my attention all the things that I need to repent.  Wash me white as snow, oh Lord.  I bow to You, my awesome Father…

Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:2

Father God, I am so tired of trying and trudging on my own.  Please take over and heal me from my tendency to control.  For You do it so much better than me and I can actually rest in You…

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my praise.
Jeremiah 17:4

And last, Lord, may all who know me and all who may meet me, see Jesus in me. Fill me with Your Spirit and continue to bring me joy. You alone are all I need. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Some days your own resolve is strong
And other days you bend
It’s two steps forward, one step back
And a stumble now and then
You wonder if you’ll ever really make the difference
You’ve prayed that you will
Well, I know that prayer will be fulfilled ’cause

Your life woven day by day
Is a new design of the glory God displays
On the canvas of creation
Through the poem of history
In the pattern of redemption
Running through the tapestry
Your life in Christ can be
The greatest story ever told

You cannot see the hands of God
Or feel the grace that flows
From Him through you to those you touch
In ways you’ll never know
You cannot measure worth by human standards
That’s always a lie
Oh, you have to see through Heaven’s eyes how

In the light of eternity
Standing face to face you will finally see
For the very first time you’ll understand
Your perfect place in the Master’s plan and how

Avalon
written by Bill Gaither and J.D. Miller
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Yet LORD, You are our Father;
we are the clay, and You are our potter;
we all are the work of Your hands.
Isaiah 64:8

I love art.  Especially when I can take something that is broken into pieces and make a creative design.  Like a mosaic!  All the pieces are different shapes and colors; they are from different pieces of pottery that have been special to me in some way.  To someone else, they look like broken pieces of glass…until they are placed in plaster and set to dry.  Then…tada!  You have a table top, or a vase, or a trivet.  Whatever you want to make!

God makes broken things beautiful.  He is the Master Artist and He takes the hardest, most broken parts of us making out of them the most beautiful masterpiece.  We all have a story.  And if we let Him, He can make it His story and it can help countless people just by sharing it.  God then gets the glory for the redeeming and the restoring of you!

Maybe you are walking in freedom from addiction and have a story that will give other women and men hope that they, too, can be victorious. Maybe you are a child of divorce and can give someone the assurance that Jesus can help them through anything.  I don’t know your story…but God does.   He is so full of joy over you and He wants the world to see what He has done in you.

‘So what do we do next?’  you ask?  We have to be willing to do whatever He asks and go wherever He tells us to go and share with whoever He knows needs to hear our hope story.  And always remember that we couldn’t succeed on our own and that only One gets the glory for it all…Jesus!

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Let us pray: Dear Lord, You are the Master and we are Your clay—mold us and make us the way that best glorifies You, oh God!  Thank You for each one of these stories today.  Thank You for giving us victories over our trials and for allowing us to be a part of the greatest story ever told.  And for those still struggling today, give them the strength to ask for help and put someone in their lives that can help them through because of their own experience.  We worship You and we praise You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 1

Today we begin a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same concern–“Teach {me} to pray”?  Oh, I do! 
Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  My heart’s desire is that, as we take an in-depth look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who pray—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father.
Now we know that Jesus was asked this very question by His disciples.  One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”  His disciples SO desired to be like their Master!  They had observed Him going off to pray many times, I am sure.  In the Gospels, it is spoken of numerous times, that He “arose early,” “went off to pray,” “withdrew…to pray.”  Jesus PRAYED; He spoke with His Father.  And when asked, Jesus very simply taught His disciples the foundational basics of how to pray to God.  Listen to the full instruction that He gave to them when they asked :
“Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors. And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”  (Matthew 6:9-13).
The very first thing that He instructed them in was to address God as “our Father…”  Father God. What do you think when you hear “Father” relating to God Almighty? 
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet proclaims of God “Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
Paul writes in the New Testament:
“Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life]…” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
Think about the word Father in this context. When I read these verses, the words “Father…Potter…work of Your hand” as well as “one God, the Father, Who is the Source” all stick out.   
In addition, we get an even bigger picture of Who God is…our Father…in Galatians 4:6:
“And because you [really] are [His] sons {daughters!}, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!” 
Through the Holy Spirit, we can have the same relationship with God the Father as Jesus His Son did!  Imagine that!!!  Really, pause here, for one moment…maybe three…and think on that truth. <3  The word, “Abba” in the vernacular of our day & time would be communicated as “Papa” or “Daddy.”  It speaks of a very close relationship, one that is tender and intimate. Here is a good definition: “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person.”  That is the level of relationship that God (the Creator, the Almighty, El-Shaddai) wants with you. And with me. He wants to be our Father, our Abba Father!
Jesus shared a relationship with His Father that was close, tender, intimate.  So, of course, He desires for us to enjoy the same.  Therefore, when asked about praying, the very first thing of importance to Jesus was to show His disciples that a Father/beloved child relationship with God comes first. Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3
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This week in our blogs we have considered the question, ‘Are you God’s daughter?’  Together we have looked at various aspects of our lives that show, or prove, that we ARE God’s daughters. we have focused on 1) obedience 2) submission to your parents and how we ALL must submit to authorities in our lives 3) having a pure heart–and how that begins in our thoughts; how having God’s Word ‘hidden’in our hearts keeps us from sinning 4) attitude–having the right attitude; 5) beginning anew.  Let’s allow all of those considerations to bring us back to the foundation of our question this week: ‘Are you God’s daughter?’ 
I would like you to answer a question based on the premise that ‘YES! I am God’s daughter!’ Ready?  I promise, this is easy!  Fill in the blank: Since you are God’s daughter, then He is your __ __ __ __ __ __.  Right!  He is your Father!  Imagine that! Your heavenly Father.  Who loves you so much!  Who has provided for all your needs.  Who saved you, and redeemed you, and made a way to Himself through the perfect provision of His Son, Jesus Christ. <3
 

~Coleen

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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study A Daughter’s Worth starts October 1st! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.