April 20, 2024

At Calvary

March 29, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Years I spent in vanity and pride
Caring not my Lord was crucified
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary

Mercy there was great, and grace was free
Pardon there was multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary

Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything
Now I gladly own Him as my King
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary

Gaither Music
written by William Newell and composed by Daniel Towner

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In Whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:7

I have a sweet memory of Easter…I’ve got my pink Easter basket with tulle and lots of colored eggs, and I’m holding my mom’s hand as we head into the sanctuary.  Oh, how I loved Easter and the new white Sunday shoes.  But most of all, even at a young age, I loved the message. My God loved me so much that He allowed my Jesus, His Son, to become a man and walk the earth and ultimately die in my place.  After the message the choir would sing and chills would go all over as we sang about this day.

This song takes me back to those days…listen to the story behind the song:

William Newell wrote this hymn about his own testimony of God’s love and grace in his life that began with Jesus suffering and dying on the Cross to save him.  He was a teacher at the Moody Bible Institute and a Bible conference speaker. One day, while he was on his way to teach his class, he came up with the words to this hymn. He wrote them down quickly on the back of an envelope, just as they appear today. He then met with Daniel Towner, Director of music at the Institute, and showed him the words he had written.  Immediately Towner began working to compose a tune.

An hour later, the two met up and actually sang the hymn together. They were so grateful to God for this.  The hymn was published in 1895 in a collection called “Famous Hymns.”  The words of this hymn are sung all over the world in all denominations.  And, at Easter, the words mean just a little bit more.

“Mercy was great and grace was free,
pardon there was multiplied for me,
there my burdened soul found liberty…at Calvary“

As you listen to this hymn, I pray that you will ponder all that this means for you and maybe write your thoughts down.  He died for you, my friend.  At Calvary, all that you have done or ever will do was nailed to the cross with Jesus.

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Let us pray: Dear God, You are mighty and awesome.  Your love for us is unimaginable and Your grace and mercy are free.  Lord, as we come closer to Easter may we remember that it is not about the pastels and the bunnies but about something far greater—our Salvation.  One dark day Your Son was hung on a cross and died.  You couldn’t look. But on the third day He rose and now He lives and reigns with You. Thank You!  We love You…In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed

April 20, 2014 by

How can it be, the One who died
Has born our sin through sacrifice
To conquer every sting of death
Sing, sing Hallelujah

For joy awakes as dawning light
When Christ’s disciples lift their eyes
Alive He stands, their Friend and King
Christ, Christ He is risen

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed
Oh, sing Hallelujah
Join the chorus, sing with the redeemed
Christ is risen, He is risen indeed

Where doubt and darkness once had been
They saw Him and their hearts believed
But blessed are those who have not seen
Yet, sing Hallelujah

Once bound by fear now bold in faith
They preached the truth and power of grace
And pouring out their lives they gained
Life, life everlasting

The power that raised Him from the grave
Now works in us to powerfully save
He frees our hearts to live His grace
Go tell of His goodness

He’s alive, He’s alive
Heaven’s gates are open wide
He’s alive, He’s alive
Now in Heaven glorified

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Songwriters: Keith&Kristyn Getty, Ed Cash / Performed by Keith&Kristyn Getty

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It’s a traditional Easter greeting as old as the first-century Church.  One says, “He is risen!” the other answers, “He is risen indeed!”  What a joyous way to greet each other!

Easter has become quite a joyful time for me over the last few years.  Growing up, I was raised in a church tradition/denomination that celebrated Easter, but not with as much focus as I do currently.  Do you know what really made a difference for me?  One year I read my Bible from cover to cover.  (If you haven’t, you should – it’s amazing!)  Far from being outdated and irrelevant, the Old Testament showed me how much God truly loves His people.  Before Jesus, there were a pretty strict set of rules in relation to how you would be considered righteous before God.  When the Israelites fell short of the rules, blood was required in the form of sacrifice to cleanse sin.  In addition, only priests could come into the Presence of God in the temple/tabernacle. If you messed up, you brought your perfect sacrifice to the priest who would offer up prayers, petitions, and make atonement on your behalf.  As you can imagine, the priests were probably pretty busy, continually offering up sacrifices to cleanse the people of their sins.  This continued for hundreds of years!

Now enter Jesus.  When John the Baptist sees Jesus and says “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), my heart always starts beating faster. Jesus was IT, the final and perfect Sacrifice.  The blood requirement for all time that would cover every sin for everyone.  Jesus was (and still is) the Son of God, a revolutionary person that loved you and I so much that he willingly gave His life so that you and I could live with God forever!

Understand me here, friends.  JESUS LOVES YOU!!  Jesus wasn’t tricked into dying for us.  He wasn’t forced into it.  He’s not sitting in Heaven angry with you for having to be crucified.  He willingly took our punishment so that we could be free!  LOVE died for you.  And guess what?  LOVE lives for you, in Heaven!  The grave couldn’t hold him!  Death couldn’t keep him!  Jesus kicked death in the face and told him – “you’ve got NOTHING on me!!” (My modern day translation…)  And the power, the beautiful power that raised Christ from the dead – you know, the Holy Spirit!– It LIVES in you and me when we give our lives to Jesus.  Hallelujah!!!  Just like our Lord, you aren’t a victim – you’re a victor!  Our bodies may decay, but our spirits are not bound by death – Jesus triumphed over death and evil so that we, too, could be triumphant!  If you can work through what that means in your life—if you can truly get your head wrapped around it and live like you believe it—you will be amazed at the change it brings in your life!  It did to me.

When I realized that Jesus LOVED me so much that He died for me…that He wasn’t mad at me…that He wanted me to live a full and abundant life…my life changed dramatically.  I went from being delivered from sin, to living a life of freedom in Christ!  You can too!  Jesus’ triumph over the grave means total freedom!  So, do I love Easter??  You bet!  It’s the ultimate celebration and glimpse of the glorious time we will be having in Heaven!

So I praise God and His glorious Son, Jesus with every ounce of my being!!  CHRIST IS RISEN!!  What say you, friends??

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We Believe

March 22, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only One Foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only One Salvation
We believe, we believe

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the Crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the Resurrection
And He’s comin’ back again, we believe

So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised
In the here and now, let love invade
Let the Church live love, our God will see
We believe, we believe
And the gates of hell will not prevail
For the power of God, has torn the veil
Now we know Your love will never fail
We believe, we believe

He’s comin’ back again
He’s comin’ back again
We believe, we believe

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

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I imagine you can say along with me that there have been times of desperation in your life.  At some time we have all experienced doubt and fear.  Those things happen in this broken generation, and in our weakness and temptations.

BUT GOD—

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
Psalm 73:26

But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious,
longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth
Psalm 86:15

With God, our Triune God, we find our One Foundation, our One Salvation.

I get chills as I sing this song. It is my statement of faith, because I BELIEVE!  I believe in God the Father, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in His Holy Spirit.  I believe in Jesus’ crucifixion, and in His resurrection.  I believe in New Life through Jesus Christ. I have experienced it!  I believe He’s coming back for every believer (you and me.)

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God
John 1:12,13

Because I believe, I agree that The Church (you and I) need to live love that our God will see.  We need to stand against the gates of hell, because our God has torn the veil, and is The Power and The Love we can depend on to conquer sin and death.  We believers need to show and tell that Good News to those who don’t know God’s love yet.

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
Romans 5:7, 8

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord
Romans 6:23

Ladies, Jesus is coming back! Do you believe? If not, today is your day to surrender—and take a stand for the One and Only True Foundation and Salvation by which you can be saved, and live eternally with Him.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

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Forever — Kari Jobe

March 8, 2014 by
psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse was broken

One final breath He gave
As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever,  He is glorified
Forever,  He is lifted high
Forever,  He is risen
He is alive
He is alive

We sing Hallelujah!  The Lamb has overcome!

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Can you imagine what it was like to watch Jesus die that dark, sad day…the day that Jesus and God were separated and our sin died with Him?  His mother looked on and so did many others who loved the Son of God, Son of Man.  Wasn’t it just last night that He broke bread with His disciples and gave thanks for it?  When He poured the wine and drank with them?  He knew what the next day held.  And one of His own had betrayed Him.

That night He prayed in the garden as His disciples slept peacefully and He begged for His life, But God!  His plan was to be carried out and Jesus was to be crucified on the Cross.  His body was broken and His blood was poured out so we could live eternal life with Him in Heaven.  God Himself, with every nail that was hammered into His hands and feet, cried as only a father would as His only Son became the Savior of the world.

After His death, they laid His dead body in the tomb and rolled a stone in front of it.  No man could move it.  Three days passed and on the morning of the third day, He was no longer there.  He had risen from the dead and He was alive!  The earth shook fiercely and the stone rolled away and Jesus watched from above.  The veil was torn and we now have access to God the Father, through Jesus the Son.  Hallelujah, He has risen! We are no longer dead to sin, but live alive with Jesus, forever!

So as we enter into this time of Lent and Easter, may we remember the sacrifice that He made with His life and that even though He knew this would happen, He still gave thanks to God.  Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle and isn’t His resurrection the biggest miracle of all?  He loves you with an everlasting love—a forever love.  As you listen and meditate on these words today, let His love flow all over you and and let it flow through you.  For you are bought with the highest price of all—Jesus Christ!

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Let us pray: Dearest Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the sacrifice of Your only Son.  Thank You for tearing the veil and allowing us to come straight to You.  You saved us from our sins and sometimes we take this for granted.  Help us to never forget and to follow Jesus’s example of giving thanks even in the hardest of times.  And for those who don’t know You, help us to be the witnesses we need to be and spread Your love that You so freely give.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus name, amen.

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“I AM” Chapter 4 – Day 5: I AM the Resurrection

August 2, 2013 by

GFCHmemverse2

This week in our study, we have been learning about Jesus’ character from someone who knew Him very well—His chosen disciple, and friend, John.  Throughout the gospel written by John, we learn much about Jesus.  We come to understand, know, and love Him through

  • The 7 ‘I AM’ statements
  • His relationship with His Father
  • His promises
  • His incredible love for His followers
  • His prayers and intercession for them (and us!)

It is this deep love and tender care for His followers that I would like to focus on today.  With all that we have come to understand and know about our Lord as He walked this earth, should it surprise us at all that He had great relationships?  His love…unconditional.  His forgiveness…just amazing.  His patience…looooong-suffering (think about the manner in which the Pharisees seemingly were constantly looking to snare Him).  His grace, His mercy…just amazing!

In today’s lesson, Teresa wrote about Jesus identifying Himself as ‘I AM – The Resurrection.’  And she shared the record from John chapter 11 about Jesus’ dear friend, Lazarus’ death…and Jesus raising him from the dead.  I always love reading the account of Jesus dealing with Mary and Martha’s deep grief.  He loved these three siblings very much!  (You can read the full account here.)

Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the same spot where Martha had met Him.  When the Jews who were sitting with her in the house and consoling her saw how hastily Mary had risen and gone out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to pour out her grief there.  When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she dropped down at His feet, saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who came with her [also] sobbing, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  And He said, Where have you laid him? They said to Him, Lord, come and see.  Jesus wept.  The Jews said, See how [tenderly] He loved him!

(verses 30-36)

What a true Friend, and how tender, gentle, compassionate Jesus was to these two sisters!  This record gives us the opportunity to know more about our Lord and Savior.  We know from the Scriptures that ‘…we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning’ (Hebrews 4:15).

But He knew there was a purpose and plan in the waiting.  He told them that their brother would be made alive again.

Jesus said to her (Martha), Your brother shall rise again. (verse 23)

Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Jesus to not run immediately to them when He first heard that Lazarus was sick!  But He—Who was always busy about His Father’s will—denied His own desires to bring glory to God!

Then Jesus said “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said,
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  I knew that You always hear Me,
but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,
that they may believe that You sent Me.”
(verses 40-42)

This great care and concern for others was supremely evident all throughout His life; we could talk about time after time after time after time when He loved to the utmost…even up until the very end.  As He hung on the Cross, His very life dripping out of His Body, He made sure that His mother, Mary, was taken care of.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her,  “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple,  “Here is your mother.”  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27

This same love, care, and compassionate concern that our Lord had for those who lived and walked this earth with Him—He also has for us!  Nothing less!  The worries, the burdens, the cries of our hearts…all are known by our Lord.  He intercedes for us as He reigns at God Almighty’s right hand.  There is not a moment of our lives that Jesus is not watching over us.  There is not a need we have that He is not providing for.  There is not a tear that falls that He is unaware of.  There is not a burden that threatens to overwhelm us that He is not willing to help us carry.  And so we must do the following.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, we come before the Almighty’s throne of grace and mercy acknowledging Your perfect provision of everything we need!  We love You, Lord, and we are so thankful for the privilege of learning and knowing more about You, our Precious Savior!  May we speak and shout to the world about You, Lord Jesus, helping them to know the Truth that we know—YES!  Our Jesus cares!  He cares for You!  We pray, Lord, for each life we reach out to and each heart that we speak life and peace and truth into…by Your grace may they be drawn into a relationship with You—You Who are The Way, The Truth, and The Life!  By Your grace!  We love You, Lord…and pray and ask this in Jesus’ name.

Amen

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