December 22, 2024

Born Is The King

December 7, 2015 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014
Born unto us this day the Savior
Gifted from Heaven to a manger
Hope of the world tonight for all mankind
All of the earth rejoice
It’s Christmastime

So lift up your voice and sing out His praise
It’s Christmas
Born is the King, rejoice in the day
It’s Christmas
Make a joyful sound
It’s Christmas
Let His praise resound
It’s Christmas

Goodwill to all the earth
And peace divine
All of the earth rejoice
It’s Christmastime
It’s Christmastime

It’s Christmastime

Phillips, Craig and Dean
Writers: Scott Ligertwood and Matt Crocker

*   ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★   *

Don’t be afraid!” he said.
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”
Luke 2:10 NLT

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
Matthew 2:10 NASB

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29 NJK

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:14 NKJV

I think I may have found a new favorite Christmas song.  Heard this song for the first time and I could not wait to hear it again.  To me, this song reflects exactly what Matthew 2:10 NASB is talking about: “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

We have so much to rejoice about yet we get so caught up in the worldly ideas of Christmas; we forget to stop and celebrate the great
Gift we have been given. There is a line in an Alabama Christmas song that says:

“The gift is just what’s in your heart and not what’s in your hand”

I need to remind myself of that quite frequently.  Christmas joy should come from what is in our hearts.  Our voices should be lifted in praise for what this one birth means to the entire world.  As Romans 15:10 states:

Again it says,
“Rejoice and celebrate, O Gentiles, along with His people.”
And again,“Praise the Lord all you Gentiles,
And let all the peoples praise Him!”

This song is that happy celebration of the glorious Christmas event. There is such joy in this song!  You can’t help but sing along in a loud, unrestrained voice. “Born is the King” is a great reminder to celebrate the birth of Jesus with unrestrained joy.

After all, isn’t that what Christmas is supposed to be about?

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

Prince of Peace

December 7, 2014 by

SHpeaceluke1

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given;
and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 AMP

Glory to God in the highest [heaven],
and on earth peace among men
with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].
Luke 2:14 AMP

Peace can be very elusive this time of year.  In some ways this has been a rough year for us—we lost our darling granddaughter five days after her birth.  This time of year is particularly hard.  Perhaps you, too, have suffered the death of a loved one or a major loss…loss of a relationship, job, home.

Maybe stress is stealing your peace right now.  {I must admit I have let a little stress sneak in as well.}  Our daughters live in other states so we don’t get to spend as much time with them as we would like.  However, they will be coming here after Christmas.  I want to have the perfect gifts for them.  I want to make wonderful memories while they are here.  And that gets me a little frantic and a bit stressed out. When the cares of this world weigh me down Romans 8:6 reminds me that,

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace…

So, how do we have this peace that seems so elusive?  The peace Romans 8:6 refers to comes only from Christ and passes all understanding.  There are so many wonderful scriptures that reiterate this.  Take a minute to read through these slowly and carefully.  And let their meaning sink deep into your heart and mind.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8 NASB

The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
Psalm 29:11 HCSB

You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace…
Isaiah 26:3 HCSB

…The chastisement {punishment} [needful to obtain] peace
and well-being for us was upon Him,
and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.
Isaiah 53:5b AMP

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:27 NLT

In John 16:33 (HCSB) Jesus tells us “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace.  You will have suffering in this world.  Be courageous!  I have conquered the world.”  As I was writing this, the words of a Castings Crowns song came to mind – “It’s all because of the blood of Jesus Christ!”  Truth!  We cannot do it alone.

Christ IS our Prince of Peace.  His birth was a step towards peace.  He came voluntarily, knowing what lay ahead of Him.  I do not want to be guilty of rejecting His gift that cost so much.

*   ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Today, I would like to leave you with Philippians 4:7 as my prayer because God puts it much more eloquently than I can.

Dear Lord, please let Your peace, which surpasses all comprehension, guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen – It Is So!

~   ♥   ~

May the Lord turn His face toward you
and give you peace this Christmas season and all year long.
2 Thessalonians 3:16

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:2

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

When Hope Came Down

December 2, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

So this is how it was
a silent night like any other
When heaven sent the One
the One we would call our Savior
And redemption began
in a stable in Bethlehem

All of the angels lifted up their voices
and filled the night with hallelujahs
God is with us now
Everyone come and join the heavenly chorus
Our Savior King is here before us
O to hear the sound
The song creation sang when Hope came down

So this was truly God
wrapped up in a tattered blanket
Hope was finally here
sleeping while the world awakened
And redemption began
with a baby in Bethlehem

So let us sing redemption songs
Let us worship Christ the Holy One
We were lost but we were found
When Hope came down

Words and Music by Chris Eaton ~~ Sung by Kari Jobe

*    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Glory to God in the highest
And on earth peace among men
with whom He is pleased.
Luke 2:14

God sent us His only begotten Son. To save us. Not to confuse us, not to manipulate us, but to save us. No matter what has happened in our lives, God is faithful to save us. All we have to do is call out His name, to cry out to our Abba Father. Listen to the words of this song and feel God’s hope, joy, and acceptance. There is never a wrong time to ask Jesus to come and live in our hearts, whether we are new believers or someone who has believed for many years. Our hearts need to be stirred by the Holy Spirit.

 

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

God’s Goodness

March 5, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare His praise?
Psalms 106:1-2

I love the Lord for His love endures forever. In verse 2 of Psalm 106, the psalmist had come to a point of failing to understand the manner of love the Lord has for His people.

Why all that love? It is because He is good.

The goodness of God endureth continually
Psalm 52:1

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5

The “goodness” of God refers to the perfection of His nature.  There is such an absolute perfection in God’s nature and being that nothing is wanting in it or defective in it; and nothing can be added to it to make it better.

He is originally good —good of Himself—which nothing else is; for all creatures are good only by participation and communication from God.  He is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself.  The creature’s good is a super-added quality, but the goodness of God—it is His essence.  He is infinitely good; the creature’s good is but a little drop, but in God there is an infinite ocean or gathering together of good.  He is eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is.

The goodness of God appeared most illustriously when He sent forth His Son “…made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might received the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5). Then it was that multitude of the heavenly host praising their Maker and said, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good-will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

The goodness of God is the life of the believer’s trust. It is this excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His goodness endures forever, we ought never to be discouraged.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him.
Nahum 1:7

When others behave badly to us, it should only stir us up the more heartily to give thanks unto the Lord, because He is good.  And when we ourselves are conscious that we are far from being good, we should only the more reverently bless Him because He is good.  We must never tolerate even an instant’s unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord; whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain—that Jehovah is good; His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always the same.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Father, we thank You for Your goodness.  The love that You show us is so great that we always give You honor.  May You receive all the praise and honor in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!!

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Mary’s Little Boy Child

December 2, 2013 by

gchcarolsbloggraphic

Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.
And man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day.
Long time ago in Bethlehem—so the Holy Bible says—
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.
Hark, now hear the angels sing ‘a King was born today!’
And man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day.
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.
While shepherds watch their flocks by night,
They see a bright new shining star,
They hear a choir sing a song, the music seemed to come from afar.
Hark, now hear the angels sing, ‘a King was born today!’
And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.
Now Joseph and his wife, Mary, came to Bethlehem that night,
They found no place to bear her child, not a single room was in sight.
And then they found a little nook in a stable all forlorn,
And in a manger cold and dark, Mary’s little boy was born.
Hark, now hear the angels sing, ‘a King was born today!’
And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

Mary’s Little Boy Child ~ Mandisa

Aren’t we just so thankful for those words: “…and man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day….”?  I remember when I first heard this song, and the thankfulness I felt in my heart because of Jesus’ birth as a Savior…a Savior for you and for me. A baby born in the humblest of circumstances. Humble in a sense that He was born in a stable full of animals and yet His birth radiated Glory!  It was revealed to shepherds in a field by angels.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men
Luke 2:14

From the manger to the Cross… Oh, how thankful I am for that (and I bet you are too…)!
As we enter this Christmas season, may we keep our eyes focused on The One Who came in the humblest of circumstances to then endure the Cross to save you and me.

 

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Hark, now hear the angels sing ‘a King was born today!’
And man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas!

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