December 23, 2024

My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

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 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.
For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.
And always be thankful.
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.
Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives.
Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:15-17

*   ~   ♥   ~    ✞    ~   ♥   ~   *

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me with His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow’r upon my heart
My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace
My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who reigns above
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace
Whose every thought is love
For every day I have on earth
Is given by the King
So I will give my life my all
Stuart Townend
written along with Keith & Kristyn Getty

There Is A Hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

SeekingHimLogo

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Stuart Townend
written along with Mark Edwards

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

There is a hope that burns within my heart
That gives me strength for ev’ry passing day
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part
Yet drives all doubt away
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv’n
and Christ in me, the hope of heav’n
My highest calling and my deepest joy
to make His will my home

There is a hope that lifts my weary head
A consolation strong against despair
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit
I find the Savior there
Through present sufferings, future’s fear
He whispers, “Courage!” in my ear
For I am safe in everlasting arms
And they will lead me home

There is a hope that stands the test of time
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face
When sufferings cease and sorrows die
and every longing satisfied
then joy unspeakable will flood my soul
For I am truly home

Every Promise Of Your Word

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer. It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body. Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’! We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past. We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause, a hug, and the rest they so deserve. God bless you, ladies!

 

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your promise to me;
    it is my only hope.
Your promise revives me….
Psalm 119:49 and 50

Stuart Townend
written along with Keith Getty

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

From the breaking of the dawn to the setting of the sun
I will stand on every promise of Your Word
Words of power strong to save that will never pass away
I will stand on every promise of Your word

For Your covenant is sure
And on this I am secure
I can stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

When I stumble and I sin condemnation pressing in
I will stand on ev’ry promise of Your word
You are faithful to forgive that in freedom I might live
So I stand on ev’ry promise of Your Word

Guilt to innocence restored
You remember sins no more
So I’ll stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

When I’m faced with anguished choice, I will listen for Your voice
And I’ll stand on every promise of Your word

Through this dark and troubled land
You will guide me with Your hand
As I stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

And You’ve promised to complete
Ev’ry work begun in me
So I’ll stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

Hope that lifts me from despair, love that casts out ev’ry fear
As I stand on every promise of Your word

Not forsaken not alone for the Comforter has come
And I stand on ev’ry promise of Your word
Grace sufficient,grace for me
Grace for all who will believe
We will stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

In Christ Alone

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my Light, my Strength, my Song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my all in all—here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that Cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—this is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand;
‘Til He returns or calls me home—here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

Keith and Krystin Getty and Band
written by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

The words of a song can be so stirring!  For myself, I have found hymns to have this effect on me.  A choir director once told me that hymns are songs that “are soaked in doctrinal truth.”  One definition of hymns says that they are “… songs that help teach faith.”  What we sing through this type of song can profoundly affect how we think and feel.  And each of us have our own favorite hymns and choruses…they come to mean so much to our hearts!  This song, In Christ Alone, is considered a modern-day hymn. It contains such foundational truth.

Take for example, the very first three words of this song, “In Christ alone…” You could say them in other ways, too—‘only Jesus…’ ‘Jesus is everything to me…’ ‘You, Lord, JUST You…’

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
And He is the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything He might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:15-18

In and through Jesus we have been given so very much!  He truly is our ‘Light… (John 8:12), our Strength… (Psalms 28:7 and 8), our Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:5 and 6)!’

I just love to sing these next lines of this song; they are so beautiful!

What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

Through Jesus, also, we have love (Romans 8:38 and 39), peace (Philippians 4:7), comfort (Psalm 46:10)!  He IS our ‘All in All.’

And when all things shall be subdued unto him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him
that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28

In Jesus our hope, our trust, our constant assurance is in the right place—on the solid foundation of who we are in Christ.  In my own life I seem to need continual reminding  to not let my feelings get in the way or my circumstances be allowed to dictate my actions.  But, as we (I!) stand firmly on the unchangeable truths of the gospel of Christ, our (my!) faith is being continuously built.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us….
Hebrews 6:19 and 20

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

How about you?  Do the words of this beautiful hymn evoke a response in your heart when you hear them?  (I would so LOVE to ‘hear’ your answer in the comments below.)

Every Promise Of Your Word

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your promise to me;
    it is my only hope.
Your promise revives me….

Psalm 119:49 and 50

 Stuart Townend along with Keith Getty

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

From the breaking of the dawn to the setting of the sun
I will stand on every promise of Your Word
Words of power strong to save that will never pass away
I will stand on every promise of Your word

For Your covenant is sure
And on this I am secure
I can stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

When I stumble and I sin condemnation pressing in
I will stand on ev’ry promise of Your word
You are faithful to forgive that in freedom I might live
So I stand on ev’ry promise of Your Word

Guilt to innocence restored
You remember sins no more
So I’ll stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

When I’m faced with anguished choice, I will listen for Your voice
And I’ll stand on every promise of Your word

Through this dark and troubled land
You will guide me with Your hand
As I stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

And You’ve promised to complete
Ev’ry work begun in me
So I’ll stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

Hope that lifts me from despair, love that casts out ev’ry fear
As I stand on every promise of Your word

Not forsaken not alone for the Comforter has come
And I stand on ev’ry promise of Your word
Grace sufficient,grace for me
Grace for all who will believe
We will stand on ev’ry promise of Your word

In Christ Alone

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

 ~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my Light, my Strength, my Song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my all in all—here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that Cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—this is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand;
‘Til He returns or calls me home—here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

 

~  In Christ Alone; words and music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend  ~

 *   *   *   *   *

The words of a song can be so stirring!  Particularly, I have found hymns to have this effect on me.  A choir director once told me that hymns are songs that “are soaked in doctrinal truth.”  One definition of hymns says that they are “… songs that help teach faith.”  What we sing through this type of song can profoundly affect how we think and feel.  And each of us have our own favorite hymns and choruses…they come to mean so much to our hearts!  This song, In Christ Alone, is considered a modern-day hymn. It contains such foundational truth.

For example, the very first three words of this song, “In Christ alone…” You could say them in other ways, too—‘only Jesus…’ ‘Jesus is everything to me…’ ‘You, Lord, JUST You…’

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
And He is the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything He might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:15-18

In and through Jesus we have been given so very much! He truly is our ‘Light… (John 8:12), our Strength… (Psalms 28:7 and 8), our Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:5 and 6)!’

I just love to sing these next lines of this song; they are so beautiful!

What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

Through Jesus, also, we have love (Romans 8:38 and 39), peace (Philippians 4:7), comfort (Psalm 46:10), and joy (John 15:11)! He IS our ‘all in all.’

And when all things shall be subdued unto him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him
that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28

In Jesus our hope, our trust, our constant assurance is in the right place—on the solid foundation of who we are in Christ.  In my own life I must need continual reminding  to not let my feelings get in the way or my circumstances be allowed to dictate my actions. But, as we (I!) stand firmly on the unchangeable truths of the gospel of Christ, our (my!)faith is being continuously built.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us….
Hebrews 6:19 and 20

How about you? Do the words of this beautiful hymn evoke a response in your heart when you hear them?  (I would so LOVE to ‘hear’ your answer in the comments below.)

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Interested in joining us for our next Online Bible Study that starts on January 13, 2014?   Click HERE for more details!