May 4, 2025

Every Praise Is To Our God (Redux)

January 1, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Redux means to revisit, bring back, re-release. This last week of 2014, we—the bloggers here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour—are each ‘revisiting’ a blog we wrote earlier this year.  We would love to share with you just a bit about how very good God has been to us!  He has given us all so much grace and mercy, blessings and provision, protection and guidance!  He has led us and taught us through His Holy Spirit so many incredible things!  He has molded, and chastised, and encouraged us to be daughters with humble hearts who are dependent upon Him.  And He has helped us to be strong, committed, and faithful women who love Him and desire to bring Him much honor and glory and majesty.  We pray that our words would encourage you also…and draw You deeper into relationship with the One Who loves you so!

❦

<sigh!>  I have sat at my keyboard pondering and wondering just what to write as I reflect back on this past year.  Choosing which song to ‘redux’…that part was easy!  Singing praises to our wonderful God is one of the major joys of my heart!  As Pastor Hezekiah Walker says, ‘I don’t care how you’re feeling right now…sing HalleluJAH!’  and he is absolutely right.  Truly, it doesn’t matter what is going on in my life today…I can and should and WILL praise God in the midst of it.

2014 has been the most difficult time of my life…ever.  No doubt.  Situations and circumstances have seemed unbearable at times.  Temptations and trials have been abundant and stressful.  There has been much heartache and sadness; more than I thought I could handle.

But God…

But God never left me, He never forsook me, He never ever stopped loving me and holding me up with His mighty Hand.  But God was my Deliverer, my Savior, my Healer!  But God comforted, encouraged, provided, helped me.  I had much opportunity to <continually> confess these precious verses:

[What, what would have become of me] had I not believed
that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!
Wait and hope for and expect the Lord;
be brave and of good courage
and let your heart be stout and enduring.
Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.
Psalms 27:13 and 14

But God was always there!  I did ‘wait for’ and  ‘expect the Lord.’  And I praised Him…and continue to praise Him now.   Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, deserves  the praise and worship of His people.  In every situation, in any circumstance…no matter what…God is to be praised!  I look forward, with joyful anticipation, to 2015 because I know there will be much to praise God for!  I pray that you, also, will recognize God’s blessings, and His Presence in your life, and His provision…and sing out your praises, too.    ♥

❦

Hey now!  Chair dancing is just NOT going to be good enough with this moving and inspiring song!  Are your toes tapping…head bobbing…shoulders jiving…hands clapping?  Up on your feet!  Use your whole self—hands, arms, feet…and mind, heart, voice! Allow your WHOLE self to fully engage in giving ‘every praise!’ to your God!  Sing HalleluJAH!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Every praise is to our God
Every word of worship with one accord
Every praise every praise is to our God
Sing Hallelujah to our God
Glory Hallelujah is due our God
Every praise every praise is to our God

God my Savior
God my Healer
God my Deliverer
Yes He is, yes He is

Praise sung by Hezekiah Walker and friends
Songwriters: Hezekiah Walker and J. David Bratton

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Our God—our Savior, our Healer, our Deliverer—deserves all the praise there is to give!

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
Who can put into words and tell the mighty deeds of the Lord?
Or who can show forth all the praise [that is due Him]?
Psalms 106:1 and 2

Truly, no one can…that is why all of the praise of all of the peoples throughout all time is required to ‘show forth all the praise…’!

Throughout the Scriptures there are many records of God’s people praising and worshipping Him—the object of their every praise. For example,

  • Moses praising with the children of Israel praising God Almighty for the miraculous way He saved them from the Egyptians (Exodus 15)
  • David worshipping with the people of Jerusalem when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16)

Each of these show us wonderful examples of these Old Testament believers and their hearts to praise the Great I AM!  However, I just love the praises that are given to God by Daniel…and the king, Nebuchadnezzar…recorded in the Book of Daniel.  Here is one prayer of praise and worship Daniel prayed after God gifted him with wisdom and explanations of King Nebudchednezzar’s dream.

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever! For wisdom and might are His! He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding! He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him! I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might and has made known to me now what we desired of You, for You have made known to us the solution to the king’s problem.

Daniel 2:19-23

Just like in this song we are inspired by today, Daniel sang out his ‘HalleluJAH!’ and gave all the praise to his God!  What can we see in Daniel’s prayer of praise?  First, he praised God. Then he acknowledged Who God is and that He is in-charge and in control—‘He changes the times and the seasons…He removes…and sets up kings.’ And that all wisdom and knowledge are His. And then Daniel thanked and praised God for giving him wisdom and might.

Later on, given the mighty and miraculous acts seen (as well as the humbling that Nebuchadnezzar received), he had much praise to give to God, too.  He lifted his praise of the Most High God before all the peoples of his kingdom.

It seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed toward me.
How great are His signs! And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.

And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding and the right use of my mind returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored and glorified Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion; and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What are You doing? Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, Whose works are all faithful and right and Whose ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase and humble.

Daniel 4:2 and 3, 34-37

And, of course, there are many, many, many additional accounts throughout the Scriptures of praise and worship being offered to the One Who deserves every praise—our Great God!

Every praise is to our God
Sing Hallelujah to our God
Glory! Hallelujah! is due our God
Every praise, every praise is to our God!

 ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥

I will confess and praise You [O God] with my whole heart;
before the gods will I sing praises to You.
I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name
for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness;
for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your Word
and You have magnified Your Word above all Your name!
Psalms 138:1 and 2

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

Move In Me (Redux)

December 31, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Redux means to revisit, bring back, re-release.  This last week of 2014, we—the bloggers here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour—are each ‘revisiting’ a blog we wrote earlier this year.  We would love to share with you just a bit about how very good God has been to us!  He has given us all so much grace and mercy, blessings and provision, protection and guidance!  He has led us and taught us through His Holy Spirit so many incredible things!  He has molded, and chastised, and encouraged us to be daughters with humble hearts who are dependent upon Him.  And He has helped us to be strong, committed, and faithful women who love Him and desire to bring Him much honor and glory and majesty.  We pray that our words would encourage you also…and draw You deeper into relationship with the One Who loves you so!  Please listen to the words of my friend, Kim….

❦

This week at GCH the bloggers were asked to go back and give thoughts, insight, and growth from a previously written blog. As I was pondering which songblog to revisit…this one kept popping in my head. I wrote this blog almost a year ago; it is amazing to go back and see where you have come from and what trials have come your way and where you have grown! Growth in all things is the goal.

I have grown HUGELY since I wrote this blog and, oh boy, as I reflect on 2014 I have had MANY opportunities to practice not being moved no matter what comes my way. God wants us to be solid in our faith—not to be tossed to and fro like the sea when difficult times come. I have encountered some BIG trials this past year and many of which I was not prepared for. It was as if the rug had been pulled out from underneath me…I never saw them coming. However this I have learned and this I know: my God has been faithful in each and everyone of them! And the best part is that, after the dust cleared, I am still standing and I have been strengthened in the process. Strength comes from the journey….

What shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31

God’s timing is always perfect!  To be able to go back to this blog now and have the reminder of how God wants us to be—”steadfast, constant and consistent, keeping on in the faith walk, not wavering to the left or to the right, keeping on the love line“—is exactly what I needed to remember!  (Maybe you do, too….)

Father, thank You for our growth opportunities.  May we do them well as we focus on you.  In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

❦

The man I buried had a heart of stone
Left him there in the bright light, out on a dirty road
The day You saved me from shadow and shame
Old things gone, got a new song, got a new name

Burnin’ like the wildfire, kickin’ up flames
A brand new band in the wasteland singing about Grace
Gonna jump the fences ’til the world is free
But I won’t make a move ’til You move in me

I’m knocking on doors, You’re keeping the keys
Maybe they’ll open, maybe they’re not for me
I’m setting the sails, You ready the seas
But I won’t make a move ’til You move in me

Gonna sing a little louder, gonna rattle these chains
Locked up tight ’round midnight, won’t stay that way
Gonna bless this dirt floor, gonna kiss these walls
Singing Your praise ’til the earth shakes and watching them fall

~ performed by: Jeremy Camp;  written by: Nichole Nordeman/Bernie Herms ~

    *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

“Old thing’s gone, got a new song, got a new name. The day you saved me from shadow and shame….” It’s my story.  Is it your story too?   I love this song…it speaks to me in many ways.

But this morning the Lord has given me a new perspective. “I don’t want to make a move until you move in me….”  How many times I have been impatient with things and have taken control of my circumstances and tried to work them out myself. Instead of waiting for God’s leading and direction in making a move.  How many times have I taken control only to exhaust myself and end up in the same place that I started.  When I have made a choice to do this and ended up at the foot of the Cross weary, worn, and completely depleted.

God gave me a visual of Jesus standing there, waiting, as I run myself ragged trying to fix things instead of resting and trusting in Him.  Then as I fall to His feet, exhausted and defeated, He gently extends His hand and helps me up and says, “Are you ready to trust Me and let Me handle things???”

We want a quick fix, don’t we?  We want answers now.  But it is all in God’s timing and not ours!   Steadfast, constant and consistent, keeping on in the faith walk, not wavering to the left or to the right, keeping on the love line.

Listen to this: “We are to consider it wholly joyful when we encounter trials (temptations to get off faith), because the trial OF OUR FAITH (it’s our faith being tried not us) produces patience, constant consistency, resolute steadfastness.  As we let patience have its work (we yield to constant consistency, not looking to the left or to the right), so that we may be perfect (complete) lacking nothing.” Isn’t that a wonderful viewpoint on James 1:2-4.  Love that!

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Oh, Father, forgive me for when I have made the choice to move instead of trusting You to move in me. May I make the choice today to not make a move until I know that I know You are moving in me. Father, won’t You move in me…. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

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

More of You (Redux)

December 30, 2014 by
Redux means to revisit, bring back, re-release.  This last week of 2014, we—the bloggers here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour—are each ‘revisiting’ a blog we wrote earlier this year.
We would love to share with you just a bit about how very good God has been to us!  He has given us all so much grace and mercy, blessings and provision, protection and guidance!  He has led us and taught us through His Holy Spirit so many incredible things!  He has molded, and chastised, and encouraged us to be daughters with humble hearts who are dependent upon Him.  And He has helped us to be strong, committed, and faithful women who love Him and desire to bring Him much honor and glory and majesty.

We pray that our words would encourage you also…and draw You deeper into relationship with the One Who loves you so!  Here are my friend Tina’s words….

❦

We are at the end of the year and ready to begin a new one.  Usually it is a time of reflection, a time to make new plans, goals and celebrations.  God wants us to simplify our life and make time for Him.  Sounds so simple and easy, right?  It can be.   Remember—as always—God is there.
Give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over,
will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.
Matthew 6:38
 This is my favorite song blog from 2014.  I pray that you have, and will, enjoy it as well!
  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *
I made my castle tall
I built up every wall
This is my kingdom and it needs to fall
I want You and no one else
Empty me of myself
Until the only thing that’s left is

More of You
Less of me
Make me who I’m meant to be
You’re all I want all I need
You’re everything
Take it all I surrender
Be my King
God, I choose
More of You
Less of me

More of You

This life I hold so close 
Oh, God I let it go
I refuse to gain the world and lose my soul
So take it all I abandon everything I am You can have it
The only thing I need is

All to You, I surrender
All to You, my blessed Savior
I surrender all

Singer/Songwriter: Colton Dixon, along with Ben Glover, David Arthur Garcia

* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥ ~ *

Walking through life everyday, we can become complacent.  Not searching for any more than what we have right now, right here.  But, God does not want us to live that way.  He wants us to live life to the fullest.  He wants us to seek Him and seek His ways. Until we do that, we will never experience the life He holds. We can be safe…we can be ‘free’;  but are we really?  Are we truly free if we have to come to the same job everyday, perform the same tasks everyday, and are not living for Him?

  • When was the last time you told someone about your walk with God?
  • When was the last time you were on your knees with God?
  • When was the last time you were in His word, seeking His will for you?

You may say, ‘I am too old’ or ‘I am too young.’  Perhaps you may even say, ‘I am not physcially able to do anything.’  Sister in Christ, you are able. You can pray.  You can say positive words to a hurting person. You can even post things to your Facebook page to encourage someone.  You never know when your words, your actions, your kindess will impact a person who needs a touch from God.

 

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

Your Grace Finds Me (Redux)

December 29, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Redux means to revisit, bring back, re-release.  This last week of 2014, we—the bloggers here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour—are each ‘revisiting’ a blog we wrote earlier this year.

We would love to share with you just a bit about how very good God has been to us!  He has given us all so much grace and mercy, blessings and provision, protection and guidance!  He has led us and taught us through His Holy Spirit so many incredible things!  He has molded, and chastised, and encouraged us to be daughters with humble hearts who are dependent upon Him.  And He has helped us to be strong, committed, and faithful women  who love Him and desire to bring Him much honor and glory and majesty.

We pray that our words would encourage you also…and draw You deeper into relationship with the One Who loves you so!  Here are my dear friend Cynda’s words.

❦

This is one of the first songblogs I ever wrote.  I re-read it again today because this song has been very much on my mind.  I am still amazed at the words God gave me to write; they still hold true for me today.  His great grace surrounds me.

In the last 12-18 months I have experienced mountaintops and valleys.  We celebrated our youngest daughter’s wedding along with their first anniversary.  We celebrated the birth of our first granddaughter. However that celebration was bittersweet, knowing we would lose her in a matter of days.  We experienced the weeping and sorrow that comes with the death of a loved one—especially when that death comes way too soon.  Psalm 30:5b (NLT) reminds me that

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

As you read my previous blog (posted below), consider these Scriptures:

Great grace (loving-kindness and favor and goodwill) rested richly upon them all.
Acts 4:33b AMP

But even greater is God’s wonderful grace.
Romans 5:15 & 17 NLT

All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people,
there will be great thanksgiving.
2 Corinthians 4:15a NLT

But He gives greater grace
James 4:6a HCSB

God’s great grace. His amazing grace rests richly upon each of us.

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It’s there in the newborn cry
There in the light of every sunrise
There in the shadows of this life
Your great grace
It’s there on the mountaintop
There in the everyday and the mundane
There in the sorrow and the dancing
Your great grace
Oh such grace

From the creation to the Cross
There from the Cross into eternity
Your grace finds me; yes, Your grace finds me

It’s there on a wedding day
There in the weeping by the grave side
There in the very breath we breathe
Your great grace
The same for the rich and poor
The same for the saint and for the sinner
Enough for this whole wide world
Your great grace
Oh such grace

There in the darkest night of the soul
There in the sweetest songs of victory
Your grace finds me
Yes Your grace finds me
Your great grace
Oh such grace
Your great grace
Oh such grace

So I’m breathing in Your grace
And breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
Forever I’ll be
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

Singer / Songwriter Matt Redman (with Jonas Myrin)

* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥ ~ *

“And the most beautiful thing about the grace of God
is that it always finds us where we are.”
Matt Redman

I have an acronym that I use to define God’s grace:

  • G – God’s
  • R – riches
  • A – at
  • C – Christ’s
  • E – expense

Bible dictionaries define God’s grace as His ‘unmerited favor and undeserved mercy’.  But recently I saw a post about grace that completely captured my attention.  It said that grace is like water – it always flows down to the lowest point.  Wow!  So simple but completely true.  As Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation.”  No matter how high we are or how far we fall—from the peak to the pit—God’s grace will always find us. From creation to eternity, God’s great grace is available to us. Doesn’t that just make you smile?

We all struggle…just with different things at different times. I have a temper. I despise confrontations. I battle with insecurity and my pride is easily wounded. I have a hard time making friends and a harder time keeping them. I don’t do relationships well. I’m sure each of you has a similar laundry list of struggles. But Hebrews 13:9 NLT reminds us: “Your strength comes from God’s grace….” And Joshua 1:5 AMP states, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” That’s why the bridge of this song is my favorite part.

“So I’m breathing in Your grace
And breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
Forever I’ll be”

When my temper is ready to flare…when harsh, hurtful words are on the tip of my tongue…when I wonder why I am not enough, not good enough—I can breathe in His grace and breathe out His praise. My focus shifts to Him and I hopefully avoid doing something I truly would have regretted. Hiding in His favor and mercy, forever I’ll be.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Abba, thank You so much for the amazing gift of grace that always finds me wherever I am, be it sunlight or shadows.  Thank You for the strength I find in Your grace.  Allow me to see Your grace in everyday life.  To notice it, appreciate it and praise You for such great grace.  In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen—so be it.

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

Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem

December 24, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

Oh, little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shine
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep the angels
Keep their watch of wondering love
Oh, morning stars together
Proclaim thy holy birth
And praises sing to God the king
And peace to men on earth

Traditional hymn written by Philip Brooks and Lewis Redner
Arrangers for Elvis Presley: Steve Abbott / Ian Tilley / Martin Neary

     *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

I love this song! It makes me think of the peacefulness of that night…and what Bethlehem was like. And what Mary and Joseph were thinking as Mary awaited the birth of Jesus. Here is some interesting history I found on what Bethlehem may have been like all those years ago:

“ ‘O Little Town Of Bethlehem’ is one of the most famous Christmas hymns. Bethlehem has become almost a mythological place. Children imagine it with a few “huts,” a few camels and the Holy Family. At the time of Jesus, Bethlehem was a little town of 300-1,000 inhabitants. What people might not know is that the city of Bethlehem today is not in Israel but in Palestine, and that it is a bustling city with 28,000 people.”

(Click here to read the entire article: Bethlehem, Then and Now)

Let’s look at how the Scriptures describe that night:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod,
wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Matthew 2:1-2

I love the part in the song about ‘…Yet in thy dark streets shine the Everlasting Light.’

The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your Everlasting Light,
and your God will be your glory.
Isaiah 60:19

Jesus is our Everlasting Light.  Praises be to the Father for this precious Gift!

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that having been justified by His grace
we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7

“God’s gift to us, however, was a complete surprise. It was not expected, and as you examine it more carefully, you realize how great a gift it actually was.
Second, God’s gift came to us in the humblest of wrappings. What would you think if you saw a gift under your Christmas tree that was wrapped in newspaper and tied up with string? At first, you would probably assume that a guy wrapped it.
But think about God’s gift to us. Jesus was not born in a palace of gold; He was born in a stable. He was clothed with rags. He was laid in a feeding trough.
Yet these things do not, in any way, diminish the story of Christ’s birth. If anything, they help us realize the great sacrifice God made for us. God’s gift to humanity, the ultimate gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings.”

(Click here to read “The Greatest Gift“)

   *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Father, thank You for the most precious gift of Jesus. May it never be something we take for granted and may we daily remember the great sacrifice for such a precious gift…In Jesus’ name. Amen !!

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

O Come, All Ye Faithful

December 23, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born, the King of angels

O, come let us adore Him
O, come let us adore Him
O, come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

Sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above
Glory to God
Glory in the highest

Written by John Francis Wade

   *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Let us continue to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas.  After all the presents are purchased, the gifts are wrapped, let us give thanks.  While we are making preparations for the parties and meals for everyone to gather and love on each other, I pray we remember the birth of Jesus and the sacrifice He made to come and be among man here on earth.

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

Go Tell It On The Mountain

December 22, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014
Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed the Savior’s birth

Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn

Written by: John W Work Jr./ Fredrick Jerome Work 1907

   *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,
and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.
Luke 1:19 HCSB

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid,
for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people:
Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord,
was born for you in the city of David.
Luke 2:9-11 HCSB

Today, I’m taking it old school. I grew up listening to this song sung by gospel choirs and country artists.  It is meant to be belted out in joy and adoration!

To me, this song conveys the joy and the hope, along with the excitement and the message of Christmas.  I love the simplicity of the words and the depth of their meaning.  This is what Christmas was intended to be—a time of great joy and sharing.

Too often we get caught up in the trappings of Christmas and forget it’s purpose.  Many people do not fully understand the importance of Christmas.  They get lost in the hustle and bustle.  Sometimes, we ourselves get lost in all the Christmas preparations and forget the real reason we celebrate.  Luke 2:11 reminds us of the “good news…for all people.”  The birth of our Savior is news we need to celebrate and share, especially at this time of year.

Mark 16:15 (NLT) instructs us to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”  To ‘preach’ simply means to share.  Psalm 96:3 (AMP) says we are to “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples.”  We are to go and tell so others can share our great joy.  Such joy should be too great to contain.  When we share His glory with other, Christ’s light shines through us, creating a beauty within us.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace,
who brings news of good things,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!
Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings!
[How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!]
Romans 10:15b AMP

 *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Lord, as we celebrate the wonders of Your birth, may we keep our focus on the Good News Christmas represents and not be hesitant to share our joy with others. In Your Holy name we pray, Amen – it is so!

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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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Christmas This Year

December 19, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

As fall rides off in the sunset
I sweep the snow from my doorstep
I just can’t help but stop and grin
It’s like I’m ten years old again
And everywhere I go I can feel it
Some say it moves like a spirit

It falls on us once a year
Like it came on a midnight clear
It’s all love
The season is a gift
When love came down to let us live
Let’s open up and let our hearts embrace this moment

For Christmas this year
Gonna make a sound
Gonna make it loud
For Christmas this year
We’re gonna make some noise
Let the world rejoice
For Christmas this year
For Christmas
For Christmas this year

The laughter starts before the sunrise
I sneak downstairs to sparklin’ lights
And oh what joy it brings to me
Our family around our Christmas tree
And I thank the Lord for His favor
As we sing the songs of the Savior
Our Savior

Holy…Holy… Holy, God is coming near
Unto us a Savior born on a midnight clear

 Toby McKeehan, Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure (and Leigh Nash)

 *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

‘The season is a gift when love came down to let us live’

Really ponder and think about that sentence!  It is so POWERFUL!!

I am the living bread which came down out of heaven…
John 6:51 ASV

Love came down from Heaven in the form of a little Baby so that we may live.  There are no words when you truly think about what Jesus went through to give us life.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

Let us all sing and rejoice with grateful, thankful hearts for the BEST gift of all—the gift of eternal life!

And this is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son.
1 John 5:11

 *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son.  A Savior born unto us on a midnight clear.  May we never take for granted the gift given to us….  In Jesus’ name. AMEN!!!

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How Many Kings

December 18, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we’ve projected, a Child in a manger
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in His mother’s shawl – just a child –
Is this who we’ve waited for

How many kings stepped down from their thrones
How many lords have abandoned their homes
How many greats have become the least for me
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for His honor, and frankincense for His pleasure
And myrrh for the Cross He will suffer
Do you believe is this who we’ve waited for

Only One did that for me
All, all for me…
All for you…

Written by Marc Martel, Jason Germain along with DownHere
   *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

only ONE Lord…only ONE Great…only ONE God…
only ONE Father…only ONE Son
only ONE King

How many do you know of?  How many would have such a depth of love?  How many would sacrifice?  How many would choose to be sacrificed?  How many would give their most precious?  How many would leave the most perfect place…for such a broken place?  How many would do all this for sinful humanity?  Only one God…only one Lord.

The love…

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

The sacrifice…

[Here is] the High Priest [perfectly adapted] to our needs, as was fitting—holy, blameless, unstained by sin, separated from sinners, and exalted higher than the heavens.
He has no day by day necessity, as [do each of these other] high priests, to offer sacrifice first of all for his own [personal] sins and then for those of the people, because He [met all the requirements] once for all when He brought Himself [as a sacrifice] which He offered up.
For the Law sets up men in their weakness [frail, sinful, dying human beings] as high priests, but the word of [God’s] oath, which [was spoken later] after the institution of the Law, [chooses and appoints as priest One Whose appointment is complete and permanent], a Son Who has been made perfect forever.
Now the main point of what we have to say is this: We have such a High Priest, One Who is seated at the right hand of the majestic [God] in heaven,

Hebrews 7:26-8:1

The humility…

Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

The greatness…

It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:26-28

The  majesty…

He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens,
so that He might fill all things.

Ephesians 4:10

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich,
yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

And the ONLY response…

By this the love of God was manifested in us,
that God has sent His only begotten Son
into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:9-11

By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and obey His commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome.
1 John 5:2 and 3

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
John 15:10

 *    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

{Here is a link to read what Marc Martel of Downhere shared about writing this song.}

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