November 21, 2024

Come As You Are (Redux)

December 28, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

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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 Kim Spring’s words.

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After Christmas, and now the new year is on the way…I look back on some of the songs that really touched my life.  This one Come As You Are still brings me to my knees. The fact that He accepts me just as I am, loves me, and forgives my every sin is totally humbling!  And one of the hardest things for me to do is to rest at His feet. {I am working on this.}

“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal”; I am claiming this, accepting this, that there is nothing too big or small, old or new problem, whether it is my own pit I have jumped in or whether it is  a pit I’ve been pushed into.  God can heal and redeem and renew!  Will you claim this with me and believe too that all is okay  and you can bring anything to the Cross. And most of all, you  CAN come as you are. You WILL find grace and mercy. You WILL find rest and you will find love unconditional.  Can I invite you to come along with me?  We can be just as we are!

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Come out of sadness from wherever you’ve been
Come broken hearted let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner, come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That Heaven can’t heal

Lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer, come home
You’re not too far
So, lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are

There’s hope for the hopeless
And all those who’ve strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace
There’s rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That Heaven can’t cure

Come as you are
Fall in His arms
Come as you are
There’s joy for the morning
Oh sinner, be still
Earth has no sorrow
That Heaven can’t heal

Songwriters: David Crowder, Ben Glover, Matt Maher
Performed by David Crowder and the Passion Band

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How awesome is it that we can come into the Presence of the Creator of the universe, the King of Kings, and we can just be who we are…?  We don’t have to get good enough or perfect enough—we can come as we are.  He knows us better than we know ourselves and He loves us in spite of us.

“You’re not too far” -You can never go too far that His arms can’t reach you!  And He meets you there.  Give all your cares and hurts to Him.  He is able and willing to carry it all for you.  Matthew 11:28 says,”Come to Me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”  A rest that lasts a lifetime.  He never gets tired of rescuing us.

“Come sit at the table, come taste the grace” — His grace is free.  Where would we be without it?  2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  See?  There is rest for you at His feet.

“There’s joy for the morning” Psalm 30: 5b,”Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.”  Yes, this means that hard times won’t last forever and we will rejoice and be full of joy in the midst of the hard and know it’s a short time.  He never leaves us in that place for long.  And He is hope! For He has a beautiful life planned for you. Trust Him!

And the end of the song? “Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t cure.”  So true!  Heaven can heal any sorrow on earth!  So today, we praise Him because we are His and He receives us… just as we are.

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Let us pray: Dear Lord, how amazing You are that You accept us and love us for who we are.  You know our faults and You give us mercy and grace when we stray.  You never give up on us, Lord.  You know our hearts, and You welcome us and meet us where we are in life.  Thank You for the joy that comes after the sorrow and for the rest You give us when life gets hard.  We love You, Lord!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Jehovah Jireh

September 7, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalms 103:1-5

As I read this passage “Jehovah Jireh” came to mind.  According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary the name “Jehovah Jireh” means, “Jehovah will see to it. Jehovah will provide.”  1 Timothy 6:17b (AMP) states we are to set our hopes “…on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment.”  God continually provides for us.  It is not a “one and done” event. He is always giving—concerned with even the smallest details of our lives.

In this passage there are at least six benefits mentioned that God provides:

  • Forgiveness
  • Healing
  • Redemption
  • Love, compassion & mercy
  • Goodness, good things
  • Renewal

Most of these are self-explanatory and such monumental occurrences that they are not easily forgotten.  But what about “goodness” and “good things”?  What does that encompass?

“All my need fully supplied, and everything “good.” Goodness is God expressed.”
– Frederick Whitfield

Good things not only supply our every needbut they are our personal blessing, our choicest favors.  They may not be monumental occurrences or breathtaking events.  Maybe they are small things we sometimes overlook, like finding a parking spot or campsite at just the right time in the perfect place.  Or having the sun break through just in time for a special event or occasion.  Perhaps it is a majestic view, a stunning sunrise, or a glorious sunset.  It could be something as simple as a reassuring or encouraging word appearing (and reappearing) at the point it is needed the most.  Often we fail to recognize these choice favors and we take these good things for granted.  Yet they are personal blessings designed specifically for us.

Psalm 116:12 (AMP) poses a very important question…

What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?
[How can I repay Him for all His bountiful dealings?]

How could we possibly repay Jehovah Jireh?  What could we offer Him?  1 Corinthians 2:9b (AMP) offers a partial answer: “…promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed.”  Being obedient and grateful is definitely a step in the right direction. But the first two verses of Psalm 103 hold the key:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;

Charles Spurgeon summed it up this way:

“Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of old. Let us, then, weave his mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus.”

“Bless the Lord, oh my soul, oh my soul and worship His Holy name.”  Jehovah will see to it and we will gratefully praise and worship Him with all that is within us.

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Father, thank You for all the good things You provide.  Forgive us for the times we fail to recognize or take for granted Your blessing and favor in our lives.  Make us aware of Your Presence in the even the smallest details of our lives so that we may gratefully lift up praise and glorify You.  In Your Holy name we pray, Amen – it is so!

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

“I AM” Chapter 2 – Day 4: Restoration & Renewal

July 18, 2013 by

Do you need a little R & R?  I know I do.  I’m talking about Restoration and Renewal, my friend.  As a mom, we wear many hats and, as women in general, we have many responsibilities.

How about adding watchman to the list?  A watchman, as Teresa explains in this section, is a person who keeps a look out for danger.  If there is any danger, the watchman is to sound the alarm so that the people are aware and can find protection.  Isn’t that what we women do in general?  It is pretty much ingrained in all of us, for example, mother’s intuition or women’s intuition.  It can be a gift but may feel like a burden, right?  If we are followers of Jesus, our job is made a lot easier by using His words given to us in the Scriptures. The key is to stay on His word, soak it in, and really listen to what God has to say to us, so that we can spread His message of hope to others.

Let’s go to His Word and read about another watchman named Ezekiel. In this section, God is using him to deliver messages of future hope and restoration for the people who were captive in Babylon.  God is Holy, right?  But Jerusalem and the Temple had become defiled.  The nation had to be cleansed through a hard seventy years of captivity and, in the midst of this darkness, Ezekiel spreads a message of a future full of glorious restoration—that God’s people would experience the fullness of His Presence again.

Now, what if Ezekiel had not been willing to do this?  This definitely wasn’t what he had planned for his life.  He had already been through a lot and now he was a “chosen” captive just like Daniel.  Like Daniel, he chose to use his story for God’s glory.  He willingly became the light for others to see.  He lived a one piece life in hopes of leading others to the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel was human, just like us. We may not be held captive in a foreign land, but things of this world can become too much. There’s so much sorrow and hurt, and you may feel stuck right now. It may seem that everyone else is moving forward with life and you seem to be doing the same thing over and over.  You are wondering when you will move past this.  But God!!  He promises to break all chains that bind us and restore us to a new person.  And, when He does, He wants us to go running through the streets shouting what He has done for you!  Because not only does He forgive all we have done, He actually wipes the slate clean and never looks back.  He rebuilds you to a better you and He restores your family, your finances and gives you an abundant life.

Ezekiel 33:16

” None of their past sin will be brought up again for they have done what is just and right. And they will surely live.”  Through Jesus, our past sins are overshadowed by a new life ahead of us.

Ezekiel 36:35

“I will no longer allow these foreign nations to sneer at you and you will no longer be shamed by them or cause your nation to fall, says the Sovereign Lord.”

What if you made this verse personal? For example, “I will no longer allow ___________ to sneer at you and you will no longer be shamed by _____________ or cause your (family) to fall, says the Sovereign Lord.”

Ezekiel 34:31 

And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are My people, and I AM your God, declares the sovereign LORD.

This makes my heart swell with joy overflowing, that I am His, you are His, and He is ours. The Sovereign Lord is ours. The God of Moses, Isaiah, David, and Ezekiel, is our God. The same God that set the captives free, who shut the mouths of lions for Daniel, and brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Doesn’t that renew and restore your soul?

I end with this verse, as I could go on and on just sharing His goodness:

Ezekiel 39:28,29

“…then my people will know that I am the Lord, their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never turn my face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”

He will never leave any of us behind, and neither should we. We must be His watchmen here, to spread the message and sound some alarms. We plant the seed and let the Holy Spirit pour like rain into all those we come in contact with. We must live a one piece life all for Him so that others will see and know that there is something different about us. They may want what we have—the Lord Jesus, our Savior.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Sovereign Lord,

We come to You today on our knees, as Your humble servant, and we thank You for all these messengers that have come before us. We thank You for Your Word and the freedom to spread it. Oh how we take this for granted, that we can shout it in the streets that You are God, we can sing of Your goodness in our churches on Sundays and carry the message to all who will listen.  Oh Lord, when we do fail You, we thank You for being just and for always forgiving and for making us whole.  May we be so grateful that we cannot contain it and may our light be so bright that others can’t miss it. We love You!  We praise You! We ask these things in Jesus’ Holy name.

Amen

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,