"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness!" Psalm 115:1
I hope when you read this, that you can follow my thinking as I've typed it out. It's all really good stuff that the Lord has been revealing to me and reminding me, and I felt led to share it on my blog. It's pretty long but I believe worth reading. :-)
Think about these two questions:
What is the meaning of life?
How can I have a meaningful life?
These could seem like difficult questions to answer, but really it's quite simple. At least my explanation of it is going to be simple. I suppose one could make it more in depth than I am going to. Others could really answer these questions completely wrong and go way off track and certainly make it difficult in their own mind. But I do believe that God is clear in His Word as to how we can give ourselves and others the answers to these two questions.
We're going to approach it from the assumption that the person asking these questions is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me start by saying that I have been asking myself these questions lately. I've been thinking about my own life and how it would be different than it is if I had it the way that I think would be perfect. Like...I would, for instance, certainly be married and have a few kids by now, etc...(for example). So then I thought about how I have prayed for these things, but God's plans for me have obviously been different than what I expected. And yet, looking back I can see all that God has done in my life during these years that I would've liked to have been married, and I am VERY thankful to have had these years to grow in the Lord as I have and may not otherwise had I been married. So God has allowed me to see how, to this point, He has worked everything out for my good according to His purpose. He has shown me specifically how He has been faithful to that promise in my life even with things not going according to MY plans.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD." Isaiah 55:8
So...in saying that, I have realized that we can't exactly make our own plans and go for it and get what we want just because we want it. So in that sense, to have a meaningful life isn't something that we can plan out for ourselves what we think would make us most happy and then be ambitious and go for it.
We can pray for these things(and we SHOULD), but what is our desire behind the prayer for those things in our life(whatever they may be)? With my personal example for instance...WHY do I want to be married? WHY do I want kids? Because I think that's what is going to make me happy? If that's the case, then my motives behind praying for them are totally wrong. If I think that they are what will bring ultimate meaning to my life, then I am wrong to even ask for them from God.
Where am I going with this?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that WE are not what brings meaning to our lives. And THINGS are not what give us meaning. Other PEOPLE aren't our meaning. It's not even about us at all. It's all about Him. EVERYTHING is about Him including our salvation. We are here to glorify Him. That's it. That is the meaning of our lives and that is our purpose on earth.
Simple, huh?
We figure out what brings glory to God and we live our lives accordingly. We can start by being in the Word, in prayer, and spending time with the body of Christ. Also, as a lot of you have heard this most quoted statement made by John Piper: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." So we glorify Him the most when we are content in Him, finding all of our fulfillment in Him, and making every move in our life in order to please Him because we love Him.
For me, I have begun to understand this more even when it comes to petitioning the Lord for something that I desire in this life. Am I asking for whatever I am asking for because I want to have my desire fulfilled for my own benefit? OR am I asking the Lord to fulfill this request so He can be more glorified in my life by granting that request? And WOULD He be more glorified if I were to receive it? And another very important question, will I still glorify and bless His name should He so choose to NOT give me what I've asked for?
This can really pertain to anything in our lives. Any decision we make- including the seemingly simple/mundane things in life. We've got to ask ourselves, "Am I asking for or doing this for the glory of God?" "Will I glorify God if I choose to go that route?" "Will God be glorified through me if I speak to this person about that thing that I feel I should say to them?" etc...
Today the Lord led me to this passage in Psalms and again reminded me that it's not about us. It's about Him.
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness!" Psalm 115:1
The Psalmist goes on to talk about how our God is in the heavens and He does as He pleases. He is exalted over other gods. We are reminded to trust in the Lord and fear Him for He is our help and our shield. Then the Psalmist states how He will bless us- those who fear the Lord.
So...for His glory, He does as He pleases. For His glory, He blesses us. For His glory, He saves us. Yes, for His glory Christ Jesus died on the cross. All for His glory, He created us to glorify Him and love Him.
The meaning of life is to glorify God.
To have a meaningful life, we do our best to glorify Him in all that we do.
So we must ask ourselves, "Am I giving God the glory?"
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
We glorify God by being happy in Him.
God is all that we need. In Him is complete fullness and joy. ("You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11)
This is why Jesus Christ died, to bring us to God.(1 Peter 3:18)
So His love for us is revealed in that He would give His own Son to bring us to Himself because He is what we need more than anything else.
Oh Father, help me to live a life that will make much of You and much of Your Son. I am nothing without You.
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness!" Psalm 115:1
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Praying For My Death Sentence?
Last night I listened to another Paul Washer sermon, "Pray And Be Alone With God." Washer made a statement that really made me think hard. Here it is:
The most dangerous prayer you could pray:
Praying to be like Jesus Christ is practically calling a death sentence upon yourself.
What did He mean by that? At first I was a little bothered because isn't that what we're supposed to pray? And isn't that what sanctification is all about? And isn't it what I've been praying?
Then as I thought about that last part, how it is what I have been praying, I really began to understand what Paul Washer meant by death sentence.
I think when we pray that God will make us more like His Son, sometimes we forget what this entails. We are praying for and expecting the outcome of being like Christ yet not necessarily for the means of what it will cost us to become like Him.
Calling a death sentence upon yourself...
"...If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20
God did not spare His Son suffering and death. He surely will not spare us whatever it takes to make us more like His Son. If we really truly genuinely want to be more like Christ, and that is our prayer, we can't be expecting a life of comfort and ease.
We must die. Die to self. Death is the way to life.
"For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His." Romans 6:5
"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it." Mark 8:35
And let's not forget this verse...
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death." Philippians 3:10
The most dangerous prayer you could pray:
Praying to be like Jesus Christ is practically calling a death sentence upon yourself.
What did He mean by that? At first I was a little bothered because isn't that what we're supposed to pray? And isn't that what sanctification is all about? And isn't it what I've been praying?
Then as I thought about that last part, how it is what I have been praying, I really began to understand what Paul Washer meant by death sentence.
I think when we pray that God will make us more like His Son, sometimes we forget what this entails. We are praying for and expecting the outcome of being like Christ yet not necessarily for the means of what it will cost us to become like Him.
Calling a death sentence upon yourself...
"...If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20
God did not spare His Son suffering and death. He surely will not spare us whatever it takes to make us more like His Son. If we really truly genuinely want to be more like Christ, and that is our prayer, we can't be expecting a life of comfort and ease.
We must die. Die to self. Death is the way to life.
"For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His." Romans 6:5
"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it." Mark 8:35
And let's not forget this verse...
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death." Philippians 3:10
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The True Gospel- Paul Washer
Notes taken from a Paul Washer sermon that I was listening to earlier this evening...
There was so much more to it, but this part really stood out to me and I had to post it on my blog. If for no other reason, to remind me of what I heard because it is so directly related to my own testimony and I have to continue to remember it.
When I think of when the Lord first revealed to me how much He has forgiven me, I am brought once again to my knees. We have to be constantly daily reminded of the Gospel and what Christ did for us. It keeps us forever grateful to Him and more passionate about sharing Him with others because of what He has done for us. I know I don't deserve what He has done for me. My sin is great. But His death on the cross was more than great enough to pay the price for my sins to save me from the penalty of being separated from God forever.
Until you understand the depths of the sin of man, you cannot understand the glory of God in the Gospel.
Example: where did all the stars go this afternoon? You couldn't see them because there was so much light. You couldn't see their glory. You couldn't find them. But when the pitch black darkness of the sky appeared, the stars came out in the fullness of their glory. In the same way, we cannot understand the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ until it is set against the pitch blackness of our own sin.
loves much because forgiven much(Luke 7:47)
We don't love Christ as much as we should because we do not realize how much we've been forgiven.
And we don't realize how much we've been forgiven b/c we don't see the full darkness of man.
sinful depravity...the more we see it, the more we see the glory of Christ.
We look at our sin so that it might lead us to Him.
"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Genesis 6:5
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
There was so much more to it, but this part really stood out to me and I had to post it on my blog. If for no other reason, to remind me of what I heard because it is so directly related to my own testimony and I have to continue to remember it.
When I think of when the Lord first revealed to me how much He has forgiven me, I am brought once again to my knees. We have to be constantly daily reminded of the Gospel and what Christ did for us. It keeps us forever grateful to Him and more passionate about sharing Him with others because of what He has done for us. I know I don't deserve what He has done for me. My sin is great. But His death on the cross was more than great enough to pay the price for my sins to save me from the penalty of being separated from God forever.
Until you understand the depths of the sin of man, you cannot understand the glory of God in the Gospel.
Example: where did all the stars go this afternoon? You couldn't see them because there was so much light. You couldn't see their glory. You couldn't find them. But when the pitch black darkness of the sky appeared, the stars came out in the fullness of their glory. In the same way, we cannot understand the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ until it is set against the pitch blackness of our own sin.
loves much because forgiven much(Luke 7:47)
We don't love Christ as much as we should because we do not realize how much we've been forgiven.
And we don't realize how much we've been forgiven b/c we don't see the full darkness of man.
sinful depravity...the more we see it, the more we see the glory of Christ.
We look at our sin so that it might lead us to Him.
"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Genesis 6:5
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
Sunday, October 3, 2010
All Things Crucified
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20
Taken from Milton Vincent's "A Gospel Primer":
The Gospel is not simply the story of "Christ, and Him crucified"(1 Cor. 2:2); it is also the story of my own crucifixion. For the Bible tells me that I, too, was crucified on Christ's cross. My old self was slain there, and my love affair with the world was crucified there too. The cross is also the place where I crucify my flesh and all it's sinful desires. Truly, Christ's death and my death are so intertwined as to be inseparable.
God is committed to my dying every day, and He calls me to that same commitment. He insists that every hour be my dying hour, and He wants my death on the cross to be as central to my own life story as is Christ's death to the Gospel story. "Let this attitude be in you," He says, "which was also in Christ Jesus...who became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."
Crucifixion hurts. In fact, its heart-wrenching brutality can numb the senses. It is a gasping and bloody affair, and there is nothing nice, pretty, or easy about it. It is not merely death, but excruciating death.
Nevertheless, I must set my face like a flint toward the cross and embrace this crucifixion in everything I do. I should expect every day to encounter circumstantial evidence of God's commitment to my dying' and I must seize upon every God-given opportunity to be conformed more fully to Christ's death, no matter the pain involved.
When my flesh yearns for some prohibited thing, I must die. When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die. When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die. When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die. When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die. When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die. When wishing to keep besetting sins secret, I must die. When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die. When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die.
"Not my will, but Yours be done," Christ trustingly prayed on the eve of His crucifixion; and preaching His story to myself each day puts me in a frame of mind to trust God and embrace the cross of my own dying also.
Thankfully the Gospel teaches me that dying is not an end, but a beginning also. For after Christ too up His cross and died, God raised Him from the dead, exalted Him to the highest heaven, and drew Him into His bosom. These facts surrounding Christ's resurrection stand as proof positive that God will not leave me for dead, but will raise me similarly, if I would only allow myself to die. Indeed, on the other side of each layer of dying lie experiences of a life with God that are far richer, far higher, and far more intimate than anything I would have otherwise known.
In God's economy, death is the way to life. "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it," Jesus says, "but whoever loses his life for My sake, he shall find it." Indeed the more conformable I am made to the death of Christ, the more I experience freedom from sin and taste the power of the resurrection of Jesus Himself. The path to such power is achieved with each incident of dying to myself and reckoning myself dead to sin.
The more I contemplate the Gospel, the more I understand that this "word of the cross" stands as a blueprint for my own life story. The death that Christ died is the death to which I also am called, and the death to which I am called is my entry point to union with Christ and life at its fullest. So, come what may, I'll let no one take this death from me!
Taken from Milton Vincent's "A Gospel Primer":
The Gospel is not simply the story of "Christ, and Him crucified"(1 Cor. 2:2); it is also the story of my own crucifixion. For the Bible tells me that I, too, was crucified on Christ's cross. My old self was slain there, and my love affair with the world was crucified there too. The cross is also the place where I crucify my flesh and all it's sinful desires. Truly, Christ's death and my death are so intertwined as to be inseparable.
God is committed to my dying every day, and He calls me to that same commitment. He insists that every hour be my dying hour, and He wants my death on the cross to be as central to my own life story as is Christ's death to the Gospel story. "Let this attitude be in you," He says, "which was also in Christ Jesus...who became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."
Crucifixion hurts. In fact, its heart-wrenching brutality can numb the senses. It is a gasping and bloody affair, and there is nothing nice, pretty, or easy about it. It is not merely death, but excruciating death.
Nevertheless, I must set my face like a flint toward the cross and embrace this crucifixion in everything I do. I should expect every day to encounter circumstantial evidence of God's commitment to my dying' and I must seize upon every God-given opportunity to be conformed more fully to Christ's death, no matter the pain involved.
When my flesh yearns for some prohibited thing, I must die. When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die. When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die. When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die. When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die. When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die. When wishing to keep besetting sins secret, I must die. When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die. When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die.
"Not my will, but Yours be done," Christ trustingly prayed on the eve of His crucifixion; and preaching His story to myself each day puts me in a frame of mind to trust God and embrace the cross of my own dying also.
Thankfully the Gospel teaches me that dying is not an end, but a beginning also. For after Christ too up His cross and died, God raised Him from the dead, exalted Him to the highest heaven, and drew Him into His bosom. These facts surrounding Christ's resurrection stand as proof positive that God will not leave me for dead, but will raise me similarly, if I would only allow myself to die. Indeed, on the other side of each layer of dying lie experiences of a life with God that are far richer, far higher, and far more intimate than anything I would have otherwise known.
In God's economy, death is the way to life. "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it," Jesus says, "but whoever loses his life for My sake, he shall find it." Indeed the more conformable I am made to the death of Christ, the more I experience freedom from sin and taste the power of the resurrection of Jesus Himself. The path to such power is achieved with each incident of dying to myself and reckoning myself dead to sin.
The more I contemplate the Gospel, the more I understand that this "word of the cross" stands as a blueprint for my own life story. The death that Christ died is the death to which I also am called, and the death to which I am called is my entry point to union with Christ and life at its fullest. So, come what may, I'll let no one take this death from me!
Monday, September 27, 2010
No Greater Love
What is love?
Ask any person this question, and they will have their own description of what love is to them.
The worldly definition of love would probably have to do with mushy gushy emotional, romantic, feelings and affections toward another.
Some may define love as a commitment.
As we read in 1 Corinthians 13, love is many different things such as patient and kind.
1 John 4 tells us that God is love.
So...how does that answer our question- what is love?
I think to know what true love is, we must look to Christ. He is love(1 Jn 4). His love for us gives us a real picture of what true love is. This also will help us to understand what true love is NOT and how we are to understand the meaning of love.
I thought about this today as I sat in my chair at work staring out my big window at the rain falling from the sky and the cars passing by. We have been singing "Through the Precious Blood" on Sunday mornings at my church for the past several weeks. It meant a lot to me yesterday and today I was really meditating on the words to this song. There was one particular phrase that I pondered for quite some time. It says, "For just one reason Christ was crucified." I thought about this...He died in obedience to our Heavenly Father and to bring glory to Him, but His death was for His bride. He died for me. He died to save me from my sins. He died for me. Why? For me, really understanding this has given me a fuller meaning to Christ's death on the cross and of His love for me. Think about it...
(I took these from some notes I had written awhile back from a Paul Washer sermon on the cross of Christ.)
When all have forsaken you, here comes the One who has your name carved on the palm of His hand!
There are people out there who will spend $40,000 for a car. That's almost a house! But I don't think there's anybody out there who will buy a car for $40,000 in order to fix it up. You don't do that. If something is wrong with your new car, you immediately take it back to the dealer and have them take care of it.
Christ spent His love to buy a bride that was ugly and that He would have to spend countless hours fixing up. Now that's love.
He buys you out of the ditch, your own filth, with His own blood with the intention of cleaning you up!
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
He spilt His blood!
When He went to the cross He knew exactly what He was going to suffer.
That is love.
As I often do, I am including a song that directly relates to Christ's love. Think about Him going to the cross for you knowing what He was going to suffer and why He was suffering it.
That is real love.
Thank you my Lord Jesus!
At the Cross
by Hillsong
Oh Lord You've searched me
You know my ways
Even when I fail You
I know You love me
Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season
I know You love me
I know You love me
Chorus
At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your Glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now?
You go before me
You shield my way
Your hand upholds me
I know You love me
Chorus
At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your Glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now
You tore the veil
You made a way
When You said that it is done
And when the earth fades
falls from my eyes
You stand before me
I know You love me
I know You love me
Chorus
Ask any person this question, and they will have their own description of what love is to them.
The worldly definition of love would probably have to do with mushy gushy emotional, romantic, feelings and affections toward another.
Some may define love as a commitment.
As we read in 1 Corinthians 13, love is many different things such as patient and kind.
1 John 4 tells us that God is love.
So...how does that answer our question- what is love?
I think to know what true love is, we must look to Christ. He is love(1 Jn 4). His love for us gives us a real picture of what true love is. This also will help us to understand what true love is NOT and how we are to understand the meaning of love.
I thought about this today as I sat in my chair at work staring out my big window at the rain falling from the sky and the cars passing by. We have been singing "Through the Precious Blood" on Sunday mornings at my church for the past several weeks. It meant a lot to me yesterday and today I was really meditating on the words to this song. There was one particular phrase that I pondered for quite some time. It says, "For just one reason Christ was crucified." I thought about this...He died in obedience to our Heavenly Father and to bring glory to Him, but His death was for His bride. He died for me. He died to save me from my sins. He died for me. Why? For me, really understanding this has given me a fuller meaning to Christ's death on the cross and of His love for me. Think about it...
(I took these from some notes I had written awhile back from a Paul Washer sermon on the cross of Christ.)
When all have forsaken you, here comes the One who has your name carved on the palm of His hand!
There are people out there who will spend $40,000 for a car. That's almost a house! But I don't think there's anybody out there who will buy a car for $40,000 in order to fix it up. You don't do that. If something is wrong with your new car, you immediately take it back to the dealer and have them take care of it.
Christ spent His love to buy a bride that was ugly and that He would have to spend countless hours fixing up. Now that's love.
He buys you out of the ditch, your own filth, with His own blood with the intention of cleaning you up!
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
He spilt His blood!
When He went to the cross He knew exactly what He was going to suffer.
That is love.
As I often do, I am including a song that directly relates to Christ's love. Think about Him going to the cross for you knowing what He was going to suffer and why He was suffering it.
That is real love.
Thank you my Lord Jesus!
At the Cross
by Hillsong
Oh Lord You've searched me
You know my ways
Even when I fail You
I know You love me
Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season
I know You love me
I know You love me
Chorus
At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your Glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now?
You go before me
You shield my way
Your hand upholds me
I know You love me
Chorus
At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your Glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now
You tore the veil
You made a way
When You said that it is done
And when the earth fades
falls from my eyes
You stand before me
I know You love me
I know You love me
Chorus
Sunday, September 26, 2010
My Boast- My God- His faithfulness!
"Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
LAMENTATIONS 3
21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
LAMENTATIONS 3
21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
My Jesus
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works." Psalm 73:25-26,28
I'd like to share some of the songs that have been on my heart lately...
All That Thrills My Soul
hymn by Thoro Harris
Who can cheer the heart like Jesus
By His presence all divine
True and tender, pure and precious
O, how blest to call Him mine
Chorus
All that thrills my soul is Jesus
He is more than life to me
And the fairest of ten thousand
In my blessed Lord I see
Love of Christ so freely given
Grace of God beyond degree
Mercy higher than the heavens
Deeper than the deepest sea
What a wonderful redemption
Never can a mortal know
How my sin, though red like crimson
Can be whiter than the snow
Every need His hand supplying
Every good in Him I see
On His strength divine relying
He is all in all to me
By the crystal flowing river
With the ransomed I will sing
And forever and forever
Praise and glorify the King
Enough
by Chris Tomlin
All of You is more than enough for
All of me for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
You are my supply
My breath of life
Still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
Still more awesome than I know
All of You is more than enough for
All of me for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
You're my sacrifice of greatest price
Still more awesome than I know
You're my coming King You're everything
Still more awesome than I know
All of You is more than enough for
All of me for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
Absolutely
by Starfield
Lover of my soul
I want to tell You
Only You have all of me
I cannot contain my adoration
I'm in love so desperately
No one is as lovely as You are
There is no one else who has my heart
Jesus, You have me completely
Every breath I breathe
I am absolutely in love
Jesus, I am Yours forever
All of me surrenders
I am absolutely in love with You
Down upon my knees
I'm lost in worship
Humbled by Your majesty
What is there to say
But how I love You
Thank You for forgiving me
No one is as lovely as You are
There is no one else who has my heart
Jesus, You have me completely
Every breath I breathe
I am absolutely in love
Jesus, I am Yours forever
All of me surrenders
I am absolutely in love with You
None But Jesus
by Hillsong United
In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored
When You call I won't refuse
Each new day again I'll choose
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise
In the chaos, in confusion
I know You're sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will
So when You call I won't delay
This my song through all my days
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise
All my delight is in You, Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You, Lord, forevermore
Only Jesus
Sovereign Grace Ministries
By Doug Plank
Father of grace, You’ve sacrificed
Your only Son for us, the crucified Jesus
Enlarge our hearts to love Your Son
O grant to us the grace to walk with Him always
To make Him our great delight
Bringing worship with our lives
Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
Give us Jesus, we cry
Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
The Pearl of greatest price
Spirit of grace, You’ve shed Your light
Upon our darkened eyes, unveiling Jesus Christ
Come change our hearts, conform our ways
To honor Jesus’ Name, His glory our refrain
Let His love compel our own
As we worship at His throne
Jesus, our great Savior,
Lord of heaven, Son of God
Longing Heart
by Jeremy Camp
What can separate us
From the love of Jesus Christ
Nothing this world can even change
The thought I once was lost
But now been given grace
It's a mystery that I will not chase
You are all this heart is longing for
Jesus, You are all my soul is pleading for
What can separate us
From the love of Jesus Christ
Nothing in this world can even change
The thought I once was lost
But now been given grace
It's a mystery I will not chase
I don't understand it
How You love the way You do
Even when I've fallen
You always lift me up to You
You are all this heart is longing for
Jesus, You are all my soul is pleading for
I'd like to share some of the songs that have been on my heart lately...
All That Thrills My Soul
hymn by Thoro Harris
Who can cheer the heart like Jesus
By His presence all divine
True and tender, pure and precious
O, how blest to call Him mine
Chorus
All that thrills my soul is Jesus
He is more than life to me
And the fairest of ten thousand
In my blessed Lord I see
Love of Christ so freely given
Grace of God beyond degree
Mercy higher than the heavens
Deeper than the deepest sea
What a wonderful redemption
Never can a mortal know
How my sin, though red like crimson
Can be whiter than the snow
Every need His hand supplying
Every good in Him I see
On His strength divine relying
He is all in all to me
By the crystal flowing river
With the ransomed I will sing
And forever and forever
Praise and glorify the King
Enough
by Chris Tomlin
All of You is more than enough for
All of me for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
You are my supply
My breath of life
Still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
Still more awesome than I know
All of You is more than enough for
All of me for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
You're my sacrifice of greatest price
Still more awesome than I know
You're my coming King You're everything
Still more awesome than I know
All of You is more than enough for
All of me for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
Absolutely
by Starfield
Lover of my soul
I want to tell You
Only You have all of me
I cannot contain my adoration
I'm in love so desperately
No one is as lovely as You are
There is no one else who has my heart
Jesus, You have me completely
Every breath I breathe
I am absolutely in love
Jesus, I am Yours forever
All of me surrenders
I am absolutely in love with You
Down upon my knees
I'm lost in worship
Humbled by Your majesty
What is there to say
But how I love You
Thank You for forgiving me
No one is as lovely as You are
There is no one else who has my heart
Jesus, You have me completely
Every breath I breathe
I am absolutely in love
Jesus, I am Yours forever
All of me surrenders
I am absolutely in love with You
None But Jesus
by Hillsong United
In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored
When You call I won't refuse
Each new day again I'll choose
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise
In the chaos, in confusion
I know You're sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will
So when You call I won't delay
This my song through all my days
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise
All my delight is in You, Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You, Lord, forevermore
Only Jesus
Sovereign Grace Ministries
By Doug Plank
Father of grace, You’ve sacrificed
Your only Son for us, the crucified Jesus
Enlarge our hearts to love Your Son
O grant to us the grace to walk with Him always
To make Him our great delight
Bringing worship with our lives
Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
Give us Jesus, we cry
Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
The Pearl of greatest price
Spirit of grace, You’ve shed Your light
Upon our darkened eyes, unveiling Jesus Christ
Come change our hearts, conform our ways
To honor Jesus’ Name, His glory our refrain
Let His love compel our own
As we worship at His throne
Jesus, our great Savior,
Lord of heaven, Son of God
Longing Heart
by Jeremy Camp
What can separate us
From the love of Jesus Christ
Nothing this world can even change
The thought I once was lost
But now been given grace
It's a mystery that I will not chase
You are all this heart is longing for
Jesus, You are all my soul is pleading for
What can separate us
From the love of Jesus Christ
Nothing in this world can even change
The thought I once was lost
But now been given grace
It's a mystery I will not chase
I don't understand it
How You love the way You do
Even when I've fallen
You always lift me up to You
You are all this heart is longing for
Jesus, You are all my soul is pleading for
Saturday, September 11, 2010
What have I to offer?
"...I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing." (2 Samuel 24:24)
The Lord told King David to go and raise up an altar on the threshing floor that belonged to Araunah the Jebusite. When the king asked Araunah if he might buy it(the threshing floor), Araunah begged him to take it, as a gift, along with his oxen for an offering and the threshing sledges for fuel. "No," said the king, "...I will not offer to the Lord my God whole-offerings that have cost me nothing..."
In the same way, God has asked us to offer everything to Him. I have been writing very similar posts on my blog lately. My most recent was about surrender and how God asks for everything. I also posted back in August about how we're to lay everything at His feet.
As you can see, God is really teaching me what it means to give Him everything. Romans 12:1 says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." God has also been reminding me that I am not my own for I was bought with a price(1 Cor 6). Jesus Christ paid the ransom for my life with His own blood, therefore I am His. So my life should be lived in every way to glorify His name. To live in every way to glorify His name, we have to give ourselves to Him. And I have chosen this 2 Samuel passage for my post today to point out something very important about giving ourselves to Him. When we give ourselves, we have to give Him everything. If we give Him everything BUT...that one thing that is so hard to give up...then we aren't truly giving Him EVERYTHING. In fact, we must give to Him FIRST the things that are most difficult and in the context of the 2 Samuel passage, the things that are most costly- what we treasure the most.
I believe that He blesses us with wonderful gifts because He loves us. But then we have the opportunity to GIVE those wonderful gifts back to Him because we love Him.
What is the hardest thing for you to let go of? What do you treasure the most? What do you think of all the time? What consumes most of your time and energy. What does your heart long for? Where do your affections lie?
Think about this long and hard and ask yourself, "Am I giving this to the Lord?" And if not, "Am I willing to give this to the Lord?" Should the answer still be no, then I suggest asking the Lord to enable you to give this to Him. He will hear and respond to your prayer if it is your heart's desire.
He sacrificed what was most important to Himself for us out of His love for us. We need to be willing to give everything back to Him. It belongs to Him anyway.
Don't just give to Him what is easy to let go of. Give to Him what is the most difficult thing to give. You will never regret it.
"...I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing."
The Lord told King David to go and raise up an altar on the threshing floor that belonged to Araunah the Jebusite. When the king asked Araunah if he might buy it(the threshing floor), Araunah begged him to take it, as a gift, along with his oxen for an offering and the threshing sledges for fuel. "No," said the king, "...I will not offer to the Lord my God whole-offerings that have cost me nothing..."
In the same way, God has asked us to offer everything to Him. I have been writing very similar posts on my blog lately. My most recent was about surrender and how God asks for everything. I also posted back in August about how we're to lay everything at His feet.
As you can see, God is really teaching me what it means to give Him everything. Romans 12:1 says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." God has also been reminding me that I am not my own for I was bought with a price(1 Cor 6). Jesus Christ paid the ransom for my life with His own blood, therefore I am His. So my life should be lived in every way to glorify His name. To live in every way to glorify His name, we have to give ourselves to Him. And I have chosen this 2 Samuel passage for my post today to point out something very important about giving ourselves to Him. When we give ourselves, we have to give Him everything. If we give Him everything BUT...that one thing that is so hard to give up...then we aren't truly giving Him EVERYTHING. In fact, we must give to Him FIRST the things that are most difficult and in the context of the 2 Samuel passage, the things that are most costly- what we treasure the most.
I believe that He blesses us with wonderful gifts because He loves us. But then we have the opportunity to GIVE those wonderful gifts back to Him because we love Him.
What is the hardest thing for you to let go of? What do you treasure the most? What do you think of all the time? What consumes most of your time and energy. What does your heart long for? Where do your affections lie?
Think about this long and hard and ask yourself, "Am I giving this to the Lord?" And if not, "Am I willing to give this to the Lord?" Should the answer still be no, then I suggest asking the Lord to enable you to give this to Him. He will hear and respond to your prayer if it is your heart's desire.
He sacrificed what was most important to Himself for us out of His love for us. We need to be willing to give everything back to Him. It belongs to Him anyway.
Don't just give to Him what is easy to let go of. Give to Him what is the most difficult thing to give. You will never regret it.
"...I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing."
Friday, September 10, 2010
Surrender
Die to self and live to God...
Matthew 16:26
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, '"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'"
What kind of a God is it who asks everything of us?
The same God who "...did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all; and with this gift how can He fail to lavish up us all He has to give?"
Romans 8:32
"He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"
HE GIVES ALL.
HE ASKS ALL.
Oh Lord, let this be my prayer today...
Surrender
by Jeremy Camp
Purify this tainted soul
I'm tired of living life a fool
Soften up this heart in clay
To be a servant this I pray
A reflection of You I long to be
So Your kingdom I will see
I Surrender to Your throne
I Surrender to Your throne
And I will make my heart Your home
Oh I Surrender to Your throne
I've taken things I've thought my own
Only to reap what I sow
You've given back the years I've fought
An Ending love and grace You brought
Eternal hope and peace You bring
And forever unto You I will sing
Forever unto You I will sing
And I surrender
And I surrender
And I surrender now
Soften up this heart in clay
To be a servant this I pray
Matthew 16:26
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, '"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'"
What kind of a God is it who asks everything of us?
The same God who "...did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all; and with this gift how can He fail to lavish up us all He has to give?"
Romans 8:32
"He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"
HE GIVES ALL.
HE ASKS ALL.
Oh Lord, let this be my prayer today...
Surrender
by Jeremy Camp
Purify this tainted soul
I'm tired of living life a fool
Soften up this heart in clay
To be a servant this I pray
A reflection of You I long to be
So Your kingdom I will see
I Surrender to Your throne
I Surrender to Your throne
And I will make my heart Your home
Oh I Surrender to Your throne
I've taken things I've thought my own
Only to reap what I sow
You've given back the years I've fought
An Ending love and grace You brought
Eternal hope and peace You bring
And forever unto You I will sing
Forever unto You I will sing
And I surrender
And I surrender
And I surrender now
Soften up this heart in clay
To be a servant this I pray
Thursday, September 2, 2010
My Lord, I Did Not Choose You
My Lord, I Did Not Choose You
(Verses by Josiah Conder (1836), Music and chorus by Devon Kauflin)
My Lord, I did not choose You
For that could never be
My heart would still refuse You
Had You not chosen me
You took the sin that stained me
You cleansed me, made me new
Of old You have ordained me
That I should live in You
Jesus, You have saved me
And taken all my sin, all my sins away
Jesus, You have called me
Before the world began, to glorify Your name
I was without hope and dead inside
But You chose to save my life
Unless Your grace had called me
And taught my darkened mind
The world would have enthralled me
To Your glories I’d be blind
My heart knows none above You
For Your rich grace I thirst
I know that if I love You
You must have loved me first
Jesus, You have saved me
And taken all my sin, all my sins away
Jesus, You have called me
Before the world began, to glorify Your name
Jesus, You have saved me
And taken all my sin, all my sins away
Jesus, You have called me
Before the world began, to glorify Your name
I was without hope and dead inside
But You chose to save
I was without hope and dead inside
But You chose to save my life
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)
Thank you Lord for choosing me and saving me. Thank you Jesus for taking all my sins away. My heart's desire is to live for You and glorify Your name!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
At His Feet
Today's daily reading from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:
Come to Me . . . —Matthew 11:28
SELF-AWARENESS
God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.
Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. This only serves to sap your strength and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of anything that can split your oneness with Him, causing you to see yourself as separate from Him. Nothing is as important as staying right spiritually. And the only solution is a very simple one— “Come to Me . . . .” The intellectual, moral, and spiritual depth of our reality as a person is tested and measured by these words. Yet in every detail of our lives where we are found not to be real, we would rather dispute the findings than come to Jesus.
The Lord is continually teaching me to lay everything at His feet including the very gifts He has given to me in answer to my requests. He gives to us that we may give back to Him. You may wonder why God would give you something so wonderful just to ask for it back...He wants us to trust Him. If we can't trust Him with the gifts He Himself has given us, how can we trust Him at all?
I think of Hannah in 1 Samuel who prayed for years to the Lord to give her a son.
"And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."
She poured out her soul to the Lord and He soon gave her a son, Samuel. She goes before the Lord again in prayer,
"For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD."
She gives back to the Lord what she had prayed for.
This must be our pattern as well. We can trust the Lord with our lives and with what is most dear to our hearts.
Lay everything down at His feet.
Come to Me . . . —Matthew 11:28
SELF-AWARENESS
God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.
Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. This only serves to sap your strength and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of anything that can split your oneness with Him, causing you to see yourself as separate from Him. Nothing is as important as staying right spiritually. And the only solution is a very simple one— “Come to Me . . . .” The intellectual, moral, and spiritual depth of our reality as a person is tested and measured by these words. Yet in every detail of our lives where we are found not to be real, we would rather dispute the findings than come to Jesus.
The Lord is continually teaching me to lay everything at His feet including the very gifts He has given to me in answer to my requests. He gives to us that we may give back to Him. You may wonder why God would give you something so wonderful just to ask for it back...He wants us to trust Him. If we can't trust Him with the gifts He Himself has given us, how can we trust Him at all?
I think of Hannah in 1 Samuel who prayed for years to the Lord to give her a son.
"And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."
She poured out her soul to the Lord and He soon gave her a son, Samuel. She goes before the Lord again in prayer,
"For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD."
She gives back to the Lord what she had prayed for.
This must be our pattern as well. We can trust the Lord with our lives and with what is most dear to our hearts.
Lay everything down at His feet.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
I'm Alive
I enjoy getting out in the "fresh" air to run regularly when possible. I use this time to clear my mind, think, pray a LOT, and listen to music. I have a few songs that I particularly enjoy running to, and I wanted to share one on my blog that has a lot of meaning in my life.
The song is called "Alive" and is written and sung by Rebecca St. James. I believe that we're never truly alive until we know Christ, and when we do truly know Him we are very alive and He becomes what we most long for on this earth.
How true these lyrics are that it's only when we let go of what we most want in this life and embrace Christ that we find true joy and life. I praise God for giving me a new heart to know Him and to want Him so much. Through Him we can leave our past and ourselves behind and become completely alive in Him leaving us so fulfilled that we no longer crave earthly pleasures as we once did.
1 Corinthians 15:22
"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."
Romans 6:11
"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:4-5
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved."
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Mark 8:34-36
"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?'"
"Alive"
By Rebecca St. James
I always wanted to be free
‘Til I was bound and then
I always wanted my own way
‘Til I saw that I find my life when
I lose it
You make me come alive
You make me come alive
I found the secret
It’s only when I let go of what I want in this life
You make me come alive
I used to think that me, myself and I were all that mattered
But You’ve shown me all this world can give
Cannot compare to the joy that comes from
Giving away
And as I follow after You
Now I need to
Leave my past, myself behind
This I will do
I always wanted to be free
‘Til I was bound and then
I always wanted my own way
‘Til I saw You
‘Til I saw You
I also found a video if you're interested in hearing the song. :-)
As I was typing, I realized that I also have to share another song because it goes along so well with what I've posted. This is probably my favorite running song because it has awesome lyrics and it is perfect to run to!
Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 2:13-14
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
"I'm Alive"
by Jeremy Camp
I felt so overwhelmed with guilt
I don't know how many times that I'd fight it
Well, I tried it and barely survived it
I fell in the nearest pool of shame
Took the blame and everything that surrounds it
Well, I found it and I drowned in it
Oh, I never thought I'd erase this
Or replace this feeling now
Oh, but my whole life changed
When You saved me and forgave me now
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
I lost everything I had
But I'm glad 'cause I would never have found you
Well, it rings true, the words that spoke through
You've given more than I can say
And I know that I could never repay You
But I thank you, I can't wait to embrace You
Oh, I spun around for a long time
And I always felt so blind
Oh, I never thought I could feel it
Well, I feel it now
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
Oh, I can feel it now every time I turn around
Knowing I have been set free from the pain and misery
Oh, I will make the most of this hope I have
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
The song is called "Alive" and is written and sung by Rebecca St. James. I believe that we're never truly alive until we know Christ, and when we do truly know Him we are very alive and He becomes what we most long for on this earth.
How true these lyrics are that it's only when we let go of what we most want in this life and embrace Christ that we find true joy and life. I praise God for giving me a new heart to know Him and to want Him so much. Through Him we can leave our past and ourselves behind and become completely alive in Him leaving us so fulfilled that we no longer crave earthly pleasures as we once did.
1 Corinthians 15:22
"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."
Romans 6:11
"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:4-5
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved."
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Mark 8:34-36
"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?'"
"Alive"
By Rebecca St. James
I always wanted to be free
‘Til I was bound and then
I always wanted my own way
‘Til I saw that I find my life when
I lose it
You make me come alive
You make me come alive
I found the secret
It’s only when I let go of what I want in this life
You make me come alive
I used to think that me, myself and I were all that mattered
But You’ve shown me all this world can give
Cannot compare to the joy that comes from
Giving away
And as I follow after You
Now I need to
Leave my past, myself behind
This I will do
I always wanted to be free
‘Til I was bound and then
I always wanted my own way
‘Til I saw You
‘Til I saw You
I also found a video if you're interested in hearing the song. :-)
As I was typing, I realized that I also have to share another song because it goes along so well with what I've posted. This is probably my favorite running song because it has awesome lyrics and it is perfect to run to!
Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 2:13-14
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
"I'm Alive"
by Jeremy Camp
I felt so overwhelmed with guilt
I don't know how many times that I'd fight it
Well, I tried it and barely survived it
I fell in the nearest pool of shame
Took the blame and everything that surrounds it
Well, I found it and I drowned in it
Oh, I never thought I'd erase this
Or replace this feeling now
Oh, but my whole life changed
When You saved me and forgave me now
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
I lost everything I had
But I'm glad 'cause I would never have found you
Well, it rings true, the words that spoke through
You've given more than I can say
And I know that I could never repay You
But I thank you, I can't wait to embrace You
Oh, I spun around for a long time
And I always felt so blind
Oh, I never thought I could feel it
Well, I feel it now
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
Oh, I can feel it now every time I turn around
Knowing I have been set free from the pain and misery
Oh, I will make the most of this hope I have
I'm alive, I'm alive like I've never been
Been revived from the lies that were deep within
It's the past now, it's the past
'Cause Christ has given life where I'll never thirst again
Saturday, July 31, 2010
I want to be more like Jesus
Yesterday morning while spending my time with the Lord in the early morning, I was in Matthew and really meditating on Jesus’ character and thinking about how much I long to be like Him. He was perfect (still is!) and while He was on earth lived a perfect sinless life as a man always obeying the Father and every moment of His life loving God with all of His heart, soul, mind, and strength. I thought about how we, as Christians, are to be striving every day as hard as we can to be more and more like Him.(And I might add that this is certainly possible, but only with His help. So we need to be relying on Him and trusting in His strength to enable us to be as He wants us to be.)
This process is called sanctification.
“Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.”
How can we be more like Jesus?
Here is what came to mind as I was praying for God to make me more like His Son.
Something that happened at work just over this past week popped into mind. I have worked at this particular job for over three years now. I spend more waking hours with these people than I do with my own family at home. I often hear them commenting on how they know each other SO well and how they spend more time with each other than they do their own husbands. Well…I find myself also now finishing their sentences, hearing some of their favorite phrases come out of my own mouth, and knowing exactly what they are thinking in a particular situation just by an expression on their face or one look in their eye. A couple of days ago one lady said something, and I made a comment back. Then she said, as she often does, “You know me so well.” My reply was simply, “Yeah, it’s kinda scary sometimes.”
So as I was praying, I thought of this and realized just how much more I need to spend time with my Savior. Think about it. The more time we spend with someone, the more we become like that person. The more we observe them, talk with them, really LISTEN to them, and even think about them…the more we find ourselves so connected to them and becoming like them(even in our thinking).
Isn’t this how it should be with Jesus? I found myself crying out to God just pleading with Him to give me a hunger and thirst for His Word and for righteousness.
We need His help, and we need to do our part! Ask God to reveal Himself to You and to open your heart to desire Him more so you may know Him better and become more like Jesus.
Here is another verse that came to mind:
"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." 1 John 3:2
When Christ comes back to bring His children home, it says that we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is. God promises that when Christ returns He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body(Phil 3:21). Well, this is because we will see Him! We won’t be made fully perfect until that day comes, but as we eagerly await that day we can strive to be more like Him by spending time with Him in prayer and meditating on His Word. God has given us His Word to reveal Jesus to us today, and through His Word we can see Jesus and know Him. The more we see of Him and spend time with Him, this is how we can become more and more like Him each day until that final glorious day when we will really truly see Him and be made perfect just as He is.
I am reminded of the hymn “Take Time to be Holy”.
I chose just a few key parts of the hymn that really go along with what I have written.
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be.
By looking to Jesus...We become like Him by looking to Him. Fix your eyes and your heart on Jesus and spend the time with Him that you must. Study Him, talk to Him, sing to Him, worship Him, think about Him throughout your day, & really truly LISTEN to Him when you pray.
There is no greater thing. He is our treasure. He’s the pearl of greatest price. He’s the one we must sell all that we have for. He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life.
I want to, I need to, be more like Jesus.
This process is called sanctification.
“Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.”
How can we be more like Jesus?
Here is what came to mind as I was praying for God to make me more like His Son.
Something that happened at work just over this past week popped into mind. I have worked at this particular job for over three years now. I spend more waking hours with these people than I do with my own family at home. I often hear them commenting on how they know each other SO well and how they spend more time with each other than they do their own husbands. Well…I find myself also now finishing their sentences, hearing some of their favorite phrases come out of my own mouth, and knowing exactly what they are thinking in a particular situation just by an expression on their face or one look in their eye. A couple of days ago one lady said something, and I made a comment back. Then she said, as she often does, “You know me so well.” My reply was simply, “Yeah, it’s kinda scary sometimes.”
So as I was praying, I thought of this and realized just how much more I need to spend time with my Savior. Think about it. The more time we spend with someone, the more we become like that person. The more we observe them, talk with them, really LISTEN to them, and even think about them…the more we find ourselves so connected to them and becoming like them(even in our thinking).
Isn’t this how it should be with Jesus? I found myself crying out to God just pleading with Him to give me a hunger and thirst for His Word and for righteousness.
We need His help, and we need to do our part! Ask God to reveal Himself to You and to open your heart to desire Him more so you may know Him better and become more like Jesus.
Here is another verse that came to mind:
"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." 1 John 3:2
When Christ comes back to bring His children home, it says that we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is. God promises that when Christ returns He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body(Phil 3:21). Well, this is because we will see Him! We won’t be made fully perfect until that day comes, but as we eagerly await that day we can strive to be more like Him by spending time with Him in prayer and meditating on His Word. God has given us His Word to reveal Jesus to us today, and through His Word we can see Jesus and know Him. The more we see of Him and spend time with Him, this is how we can become more and more like Him each day until that final glorious day when we will really truly see Him and be made perfect just as He is.
I am reminded of the hymn “Take Time to be Holy”.
I chose just a few key parts of the hymn that really go along with what I have written.
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be.
By looking to Jesus...We become like Him by looking to Him. Fix your eyes and your heart on Jesus and spend the time with Him that you must. Study Him, talk to Him, sing to Him, worship Him, think about Him throughout your day, & really truly LISTEN to Him when you pray.
There is no greater thing. He is our treasure. He’s the pearl of greatest price. He’s the one we must sell all that we have for. He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life.
I want to, I need to, be more like Jesus.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Clear the Stage
Clear the Stage
by Ross King
Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols
Chuck the pews and all the decorations too
Until the congregations few then have revival
Tell your friends that this is where the party ends
until you're broken for your sins you can't be social
Then seek the Lord and wait for what He has in store
and know that great is your reward so just be hopeful
Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song
Take a break from all the plans that you have made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper
Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open
Then read the Word and put to test the things you've heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken
Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song
Anything I put before my God is an idol
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol
Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol
Anything that I give all my love is an idol
We must not worship something that's not even worth it
Clear the stage and make some space for the One who deserves it
Cause I can sing all I want t
Yes I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song
And you can sing all you want to
Yes you can sing all you want to
by Ross King
Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols
Chuck the pews and all the decorations too
Until the congregations few then have revival
Tell your friends that this is where the party ends
until you're broken for your sins you can't be social
Then seek the Lord and wait for what He has in store
and know that great is your reward so just be hopeful
Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song
Take a break from all the plans that you have made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper
Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open
Then read the Word and put to test the things you've heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken
Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song
Anything I put before my God is an idol
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol
Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol
Anything that I give all my love is an idol
We must not worship something that's not even worth it
Clear the stage and make some space for the One who deserves it
Cause I can sing all I want t
Yes I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song
And you can sing all you want to
Yes you can sing all you want to
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Are We Still Running?
This post is taken from The Daily Spurgeon which I receive in my e-mail. It really hit me because I've been realizing lately how my passion for Jesus has been lacking from what it was at this time last year up until not very long ago. It is easy for us to be drawn away from our first love by other things when we aren't spending the time with Him that we so need to be.
Hosea 13:4-6 says, "Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me. I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me."
Ask yourself this question:
Am I so enthralled by something else or distracted or satisfied in other things so much that I have forgotten my Lord?
Charles Spurgeon "Are We Still Running?" Taken from THE DAILY SPURGEON:
Think, beloved, each one of you who are Christ’s, how much you may have backslidden of late. Have you not become lax in prayer? You maintain the habit of it, and you could not give that up, but you have not that power in prayer you once had. You still read the word, but mayhap the Scripture is not so sweet to you as it was aforetime. You come now to the communion table, you have not learned to forsake the assembling of yourselves together there; but oh, the face of the King, in his beauty, have you seen that as once you did?
Perhaps you still are doing a little for his cause, but are you doing what you once did or all you might do? Instead of going on unto perfection, is not your growth stunted? Must you not confess that you are not a runner towards heaven so much as a loiterer in the road thither? Do these accusations evoke no confessions? I fear the most of us, if we came to search, would have to say, “I do remember when the love of my espousals was upon me, and my heart was warm with love to Christ; but now, alas! how slow are my passions in moving towards him! O that I could feel once again the glow of my first love, and that my spirit did rejoice in him as on the day of my conversion.”
I want to encourage you all as well as myself to fight our fleshly desires to do anything BUT spend time with the Lord. For if we live according to the flesh we will DIE(Rom. 8:13).
Let's pray and ask God to help us to confess, turn our back on our sin, and for Him to renew our passion and desire for Him. We must pray and meditate on His Word!
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."
Joshua 1:8
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2
A book that I would recommend for you to read(& I plan on reading again soon) would be "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan about God's love for us and being wildly in love with Him.
Hosea 13:4-6 says, "Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me. I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me."
Ask yourself this question:
Am I so enthralled by something else or distracted or satisfied in other things so much that I have forgotten my Lord?
Charles Spurgeon "Are We Still Running?" Taken from THE DAILY SPURGEON:
Think, beloved, each one of you who are Christ’s, how much you may have backslidden of late. Have you not become lax in prayer? You maintain the habit of it, and you could not give that up, but you have not that power in prayer you once had. You still read the word, but mayhap the Scripture is not so sweet to you as it was aforetime. You come now to the communion table, you have not learned to forsake the assembling of yourselves together there; but oh, the face of the King, in his beauty, have you seen that as once you did?
Perhaps you still are doing a little for his cause, but are you doing what you once did or all you might do? Instead of going on unto perfection, is not your growth stunted? Must you not confess that you are not a runner towards heaven so much as a loiterer in the road thither? Do these accusations evoke no confessions? I fear the most of us, if we came to search, would have to say, “I do remember when the love of my espousals was upon me, and my heart was warm with love to Christ; but now, alas! how slow are my passions in moving towards him! O that I could feel once again the glow of my first love, and that my spirit did rejoice in him as on the day of my conversion.”
I want to encourage you all as well as myself to fight our fleshly desires to do anything BUT spend time with the Lord. For if we live according to the flesh we will DIE(Rom. 8:13).
Let's pray and ask God to help us to confess, turn our back on our sin, and for Him to renew our passion and desire for Him. We must pray and meditate on His Word!
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."
Joshua 1:8
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2
A book that I would recommend for you to read(& I plan on reading again soon) would be "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan about God's love for us and being wildly in love with Him.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The importance of preaching the Gospel to YOURSELF daily
Hi. I pretty much copied and pasted this from a blog post that I wrote back in September. I am being reminded of how much I need this in my own life, so I wanted to share it again on my blog to also remind you of something so incredible and so important in the Christian life. Please take the time to read this and meditate on the Gospel and what it means to you personally...
These truths that I am posting below are some that have really changed my life. Over these past YEAR I have especially been drawn closer to the Lord in realizing more fully all aspects of the Gospel and what it REALLY means. As I think about what Christ did for me, I can't help but want to pour out my life to Him. In remembering these things daily, I am filled more and more with a passion to love and obey God and resist temptations that come across my path.
So I have found that as is preached in the sermon which I have taken notes from and posted below, and also in the book that I am mentioning in this note how important it is for us as Christians to preach to ourselves daily the Gospel.
Please take the time to read through this and buy the book if you are able because it is such an awesome tool designed to get you "launched in preaching the Gospel to yourself and rehearsing its benefits."
NOTES TAKEN FROM A SERMON BY PASTOR JOHN PIPER
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ the righteous one died for our sins and rose again eternally triumphant over all of His enemies so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe but only everlasting joy.
That's the Gospel!
You never never NEVER outgrow your need for the Gospel!!!
Don't ever think of the Gospel as that's the way you get saved and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else.
No. We are strengthened by God every day through the Gospel till the day we drop.
You never outgrow your need to preach to yourself the Gospel.
1 Thessalonians 5:9,10
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him."
Don't try to be strong in your own strength. It WILL NOT be there when you need it. Only one strength will be there when you need it- the strength that God gives according to the Gospel.
Don't put it off.
--------------------------
Also I am HIGHLY recommending this book for all believers to have! It is so good!!!
The name of it is "A Gospel Primer for Christians." It's written by Milton Vincent. This book gives reasons why we should rehearse the Gospel daily and then gives and overview of the Gospel in several different forms including poetry and prose. Throughout the book it has noted the verses that go along with each statement in the book. It is loaded with Scripture!
If you have any questions or comments, let me know.
May God bless you and encourage and strengthen you as you capture the meaning of preaching to yourself daily the Gospel!
These truths that I am posting below are some that have really changed my life. Over these past YEAR I have especially been drawn closer to the Lord in realizing more fully all aspects of the Gospel and what it REALLY means. As I think about what Christ did for me, I can't help but want to pour out my life to Him. In remembering these things daily, I am filled more and more with a passion to love and obey God and resist temptations that come across my path.
So I have found that as is preached in the sermon which I have taken notes from and posted below, and also in the book that I am mentioning in this note how important it is for us as Christians to preach to ourselves daily the Gospel.
Please take the time to read through this and buy the book if you are able because it is such an awesome tool designed to get you "launched in preaching the Gospel to yourself and rehearsing its benefits."
NOTES TAKEN FROM A SERMON BY PASTOR JOHN PIPER
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ the righteous one died for our sins and rose again eternally triumphant over all of His enemies so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe but only everlasting joy.
That's the Gospel!
You never never NEVER outgrow your need for the Gospel!!!
Don't ever think of the Gospel as that's the way you get saved and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else.
No. We are strengthened by God every day through the Gospel till the day we drop.
You never outgrow your need to preach to yourself the Gospel.
1 Thessalonians 5:9,10
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him."
Don't try to be strong in your own strength. It WILL NOT be there when you need it. Only one strength will be there when you need it- the strength that God gives according to the Gospel.
Don't put it off.
--------------------------
Also I am HIGHLY recommending this book for all believers to have! It is so good!!!
The name of it is "A Gospel Primer for Christians." It's written by Milton Vincent. This book gives reasons why we should rehearse the Gospel daily and then gives and overview of the Gospel in several different forms including poetry and prose. Throughout the book it has noted the verses that go along with each statement in the book. It is loaded with Scripture!
If you have any questions or comments, let me know.
May God bless you and encourage and strengthen you as you capture the meaning of preaching to yourself daily the Gospel!
Monday, June 7, 2010
To Know Him
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26
I begin with these particular verses on a post about knowing God because how can we really truly pursue a knowledge of our Lord without a desire for Him? He puts this desire in our hearts and will fulfill that desire as we seek Him and draw near to Him finding our fulfillment and satisfaction in Him alone. Probably the most popular quoted John Piper line would be, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
I hope that as I share on my blog what the Lord has laid on my heart personally, that it will also bless those who read it and encourage you to really desire Him more and to really treasure Him and count everything as loss compared to knowing Him.
A line from another one of my favorite songs came to mind just now as I am wrapping up this post by adding all of this at the beginning:
"Knowing You Jesus, knowing You. There is no greater thing."
The Lord is really shaping my heart to make this statement true in my own life. I pray that He will do the same in yours because there is truly nothing better in life...absolutely nothing.
"We cannot know Him unless He speaks and tells us about Himself. But in fact He has spoken. He has spoken to and through His prophets and apostles, and He has spoken in the words and deeds of His Son. Through this revelation, which is made available to us in holy Scripture, we may form a true notion of God; without it we never can." J.I. Packer
This is our only source. We must study our Bibles and meditate upon Scripture.
"People who know their God are before anything else people who pray." J.I. Packer
"What were we made for? To know God.
What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God.
What is the "eternal life" that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God.("This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3)
What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God.
("Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23,24)" -Packer
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:3
Knowing God...really knowing God...It's more than knowing about Him.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good." Psalm 34:8a
You cannot know the real quality of something until you have tasted it!
And I have learned from experience that this world has nothing to offer.
Once you get even a small taste of the LORD, nothing else will ever satisfy. You will only want more of Him.
Philippians 3:7-10
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
OH THAT I WOULD KNOW HIM!
This is one of my favorite songs by casting crowns that fits this post just perfectly(scroll down to the bottom for a video of the song). Think about how true the words of this song are and ask God to make them true to your heart.
To know Him is to want to know Him more!!!
"To Know You"
By Casting Crowns
To know You is to never worry for my life
To know You is to never give into compromise and
To know You is to want to tell the world about You
‘Cause I can’t live without You
To know You is to hear Your voice when You are calling
To know You is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know You is to feel the pain of the brokenhearted
‘Cause they can’t live without You
More than my next breath
More than life or death
All I’m reaching for, I live my life to know You more
I leave it all behind, You’re all that satisfies
To know You is to want to know You more
To know You is to want to know You more
To know You is to ache for more than ordinary
To know You is to look beyond the temporary
To know You is believing that You’ll be enough
‘Cause there’s no life without You
All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You
All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You
I begin with these particular verses on a post about knowing God because how can we really truly pursue a knowledge of our Lord without a desire for Him? He puts this desire in our hearts and will fulfill that desire as we seek Him and draw near to Him finding our fulfillment and satisfaction in Him alone. Probably the most popular quoted John Piper line would be, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
I hope that as I share on my blog what the Lord has laid on my heart personally, that it will also bless those who read it and encourage you to really desire Him more and to really treasure Him and count everything as loss compared to knowing Him.
A line from another one of my favorite songs came to mind just now as I am wrapping up this post by adding all of this at the beginning:
"Knowing You Jesus, knowing You. There is no greater thing."
The Lord is really shaping my heart to make this statement true in my own life. I pray that He will do the same in yours because there is truly nothing better in life...absolutely nothing.
"We cannot know Him unless He speaks and tells us about Himself. But in fact He has spoken. He has spoken to and through His prophets and apostles, and He has spoken in the words and deeds of His Son. Through this revelation, which is made available to us in holy Scripture, we may form a true notion of God; without it we never can." J.I. Packer
This is our only source. We must study our Bibles and meditate upon Scripture.
"People who know their God are before anything else people who pray." J.I. Packer
"What were we made for? To know God.
What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God.
What is the "eternal life" that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God.("This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3)
What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God.
("Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23,24)" -Packer
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:3
Knowing God...really knowing God...It's more than knowing about Him.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good." Psalm 34:8a
You cannot know the real quality of something until you have tasted it!
And I have learned from experience that this world has nothing to offer.
Once you get even a small taste of the LORD, nothing else will ever satisfy. You will only want more of Him.
Philippians 3:7-10
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
OH THAT I WOULD KNOW HIM!
This is one of my favorite songs by casting crowns that fits this post just perfectly(scroll down to the bottom for a video of the song). Think about how true the words of this song are and ask God to make them true to your heart.
To know Him is to want to know Him more!!!
"To Know You"
By Casting Crowns
To know You is to never worry for my life
To know You is to never give into compromise and
To know You is to want to tell the world about You
‘Cause I can’t live without You
To know You is to hear Your voice when You are calling
To know You is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know You is to feel the pain of the brokenhearted
‘Cause they can’t live without You
More than my next breath
More than life or death
All I’m reaching for, I live my life to know You more
I leave it all behind, You’re all that satisfies
To know You is to want to know You more
To know You is to want to know You more
To know You is to ache for more than ordinary
To know You is to look beyond the temporary
To know You is believing that You’ll be enough
‘Cause there’s no life without You
All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You
All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thy way, not mine, O Lord
The previous entry that I posted was a song by Kutless called "I'm Still Yours".
If you have opportunity, take the time now to read the lyrics. It's a pretty powerful song that I was introduced to on a trip to TN a few weekends ago to see my little sister graduate. At the time when I first heard the song, the Lord was really molding this piece of clay for His use by way of a rough situation in my life. I was realizing at the time that even if I knew that God was taking my very life from me, that I would still be lifting my hands and praising Him because He's the one who gave me my very life and all of the things in it. My faith was truly being strengthened, and I have found that God uses the most difficult times in our lives to draw us even nearer to Himself. Because of this, I have (believe it or not) found myself asking Him for suffering and for trials if that is what it will take for me to stay near to Him and grow stronger in my faith.
God has not hesitated to answer my prayers for difficult times. And now amidst another difficult moment, I am reminded that I ASKED GOD FOR THIS. I did. So I praise you Lord for being a God who gives and takes away.
And I am reminded of Psalm 23 where David says,
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
He is with me! And there is no place else that I would rather be than near to my Heavenly Father.
And so, I am reminded of a favorite song that I enjoy listening to when I find myself really wanting something and not quite giving it to the Lord. I think of Jesus in the Garden when He prayed, "Not my will but Yours." May we make this our prayer as well because His will is so much greater than ours and He knows us so much better than we know ourselves and has only good planned no matter what we are going through even when it seems dark.
We need only to give ourselves to Him...our desires, our hopes, our dreams, our plans, our decisions, our futures, our everything. And He will bless.
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." -Romans 12:1
Thy way, not mine, O Lord
However dark it be
Lead me by Thine own hand
Choose out the path for me, for me
Smooth let it be or rough
It will still be the best
Winding or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy rest
I dare not choose my lot
I would not, if I might
Choose Thou for me, my God
So I can walk aright
Take Thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill
As best to Thee may seem
Choose Thou my good and ill
Not mine, not mine the choice
In all things great or small
Be Thou my guide, my strength
My wisdom and my all, my wisdom and my all
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Worship
If you have opportunity, take the time now to read the lyrics. It's a pretty powerful song that I was introduced to on a trip to TN a few weekends ago to see my little sister graduate. At the time when I first heard the song, the Lord was really molding this piece of clay for His use by way of a rough situation in my life. I was realizing at the time that even if I knew that God was taking my very life from me, that I would still be lifting my hands and praising Him because He's the one who gave me my very life and all of the things in it. My faith was truly being strengthened, and I have found that God uses the most difficult times in our lives to draw us even nearer to Himself. Because of this, I have (believe it or not) found myself asking Him for suffering and for trials if that is what it will take for me to stay near to Him and grow stronger in my faith.
God has not hesitated to answer my prayers for difficult times. And now amidst another difficult moment, I am reminded that I ASKED GOD FOR THIS. I did. So I praise you Lord for being a God who gives and takes away.
And I am reminded of Psalm 23 where David says,
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
He is with me! And there is no place else that I would rather be than near to my Heavenly Father.
And so, I am reminded of a favorite song that I enjoy listening to when I find myself really wanting something and not quite giving it to the Lord. I think of Jesus in the Garden when He prayed, "Not my will but Yours." May we make this our prayer as well because His will is so much greater than ours and He knows us so much better than we know ourselves and has only good planned no matter what we are going through even when it seems dark.
We need only to give ourselves to Him...our desires, our hopes, our dreams, our plans, our decisions, our futures, our everything. And He will bless.
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." -Romans 12:1
Thy way, not mine, O Lord
However dark it be
Lead me by Thine own hand
Choose out the path for me, for me
Smooth let it be or rough
It will still be the best
Winding or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy rest
I dare not choose my lot
I would not, if I might
Choose Thou for me, my God
So I can walk aright
Take Thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill
As best to Thee may seem
Choose Thou my good and ill
Not mine, not mine the choice
In all things great or small
Be Thou my guide, my strength
My wisdom and my all, my wisdom and my all
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Worship
Friday, May 21, 2010
If I Lost it All
I'm Still Yours
by Kutless
If You washed away my vanity
If You took away my words
If all my world was swept away
Would You be enough for me?
Would my beating heart still sing?
If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives and takes away
If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart will sing to You
When my life is not what I expected
The plans I made have failed
When there's nothing left to steal me away
Will You be enough for me?
Will my broken heart still sing?
If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives
And takes away
If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart
Will sing to You
Even if You take it all away
You’ll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know
That I'm Yours
I'm still Yours
by Kutless
If You washed away my vanity
If You took away my words
If all my world was swept away
Would You be enough for me?
Would my beating heart still sing?
If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives and takes away
If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart will sing to You
When my life is not what I expected
The plans I made have failed
When there's nothing left to steal me away
Will You be enough for me?
Will my broken heart still sing?
If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives
And takes away
If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart
Will sing to You
Even if You take it all away
You’ll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know
That I'm Yours
I'm still Yours
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I am Nothing
I Am Nothing
by Jeremy Camp
Seems I'm always in this place,
Where the things I seem to take,
Are the things I wish would fade
I always purpose in my heart,
To do things the right way,
Then I realize I'm still clay
And this piece that's being shaped,
Will be a beauty You create
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much
So I thank You,
I thank You
I wouldn't even face,
All the troubles of the day,
If it wasn't for Your grace
Sometimes I even wait,
To see if I'm awake,
Seems so good I can't relate
And Your every word I crave,
And I'm grateful for every breath I take
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much
So I thank You,
I thank You
When feeling all my shame,
You won't let it stay,
I sail away into Your love
I'm taking every day,
To give my life away,
It's the only way I know
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much
I am nothing without Your love
You are everything
So I thank You,
I thank You
Lord, I thank You
Thank You
by Jeremy Camp
Seems I'm always in this place,
Where the things I seem to take,
Are the things I wish would fade
I always purpose in my heart,
To do things the right way,
Then I realize I'm still clay
And this piece that's being shaped,
Will be a beauty You create
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much
So I thank You,
I thank You
I wouldn't even face,
All the troubles of the day,
If it wasn't for Your grace
Sometimes I even wait,
To see if I'm awake,
Seems so good I can't relate
And Your every word I crave,
And I'm grateful for every breath I take
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much
So I thank You,
I thank You
When feeling all my shame,
You won't let it stay,
I sail away into Your love
I'm taking every day,
To give my life away,
It's the only way I know
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much
I am nothing without Your love
You are everything
So I thank You,
I thank You
Lord, I thank You
Thank You
Saturday, May 1, 2010
PSALM 42
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Looking back and reaching forward
Today I have had some time to read back in many of my old journals. If you aren't a journaler, I would highly encourage it. I have found that journaling is a beautiful way to write out my thoughts and prayers to the Lord. I like to keep track of the things that He is teaching me each day and what He is doing in my life.
I have kept a journal since before high school, so I have quite a few. It has been interesting to see how much I have grown over the years and see what God was doing at particular times in my life.
I want to share a poem that I found in an entry at the end of 2003. I believe that my knowledge of God at the time was mainly head knowledge. I understood a lot of the Bible having been raised in a Christian home, as well as having attended 2 years of Bible college, but my heart wasn't yet completely His.
journal entry 12/28/03:
I can write on these pages so easily and freely. I can't talk to anyone this way. I don't know if I ever will.
I feel as if I'm just existing.
EXISTING AM I
Existing am I
Here on this earth
Knowing how little
My life has been worth
Not much was accomplished
As years have flown by
And that's just it
Existing am I
Only God can prove to me
Why I'm on earth
Only God can truly show
How much I am worth
He did in fact already
By sending His Son
That I could exist
May His will be done
At the time of writing this I can remember just being "stuck" in habitual sinful patterns and feeling depressed.
We are here on earth more than just to exist. It has taken me years to understand what this really means...and I am still learning every day. I thank God that there is more to life than merely "existing" or just surviving from one day to the next. I also thank Him for saving me and giving me eternal life. To think that Jesus Christ came to die that I might be saved truly does show me how much I am worth to God! Now, by His grace and with His strength, I am able (among many other things) to love Him, live for Him, serve Him, praise His name, and give Him glory!
The old has gone, the new has come.(2 Cor. 5:17)
"One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead."(Phil. 3:13b)
If you don't yet know Him,
come to Jesus Christ. He is everything and all you will ever need.
Today is the day of salvation!(2 Cor. 6:2)
"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
I have kept a journal since before high school, so I have quite a few. It has been interesting to see how much I have grown over the years and see what God was doing at particular times in my life.
I want to share a poem that I found in an entry at the end of 2003. I believe that my knowledge of God at the time was mainly head knowledge. I understood a lot of the Bible having been raised in a Christian home, as well as having attended 2 years of Bible college, but my heart wasn't yet completely His.
journal entry 12/28/03:
I can write on these pages so easily and freely. I can't talk to anyone this way. I don't know if I ever will.
I feel as if I'm just existing.
EXISTING AM I
Existing am I
Here on this earth
Knowing how little
My life has been worth
Not much was accomplished
As years have flown by
And that's just it
Existing am I
Only God can prove to me
Why I'm on earth
Only God can truly show
How much I am worth
He did in fact already
By sending His Son
That I could exist
May His will be done
At the time of writing this I can remember just being "stuck" in habitual sinful patterns and feeling depressed.
We are here on earth more than just to exist. It has taken me years to understand what this really means...and I am still learning every day. I thank God that there is more to life than merely "existing" or just surviving from one day to the next. I also thank Him for saving me and giving me eternal life. To think that Jesus Christ came to die that I might be saved truly does show me how much I am worth to God! Now, by His grace and with His strength, I am able (among many other things) to love Him, live for Him, serve Him, praise His name, and give Him glory!
The old has gone, the new has come.(2 Cor. 5:17)
"One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead."(Phil. 3:13b)
If you don't yet know Him,
come to Jesus Christ. He is everything and all you will ever need.
Today is the day of salvation!(2 Cor. 6:2)
"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
Friday, April 23, 2010
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
The Lord used this Psalm to encourage my heart this morning. As you read it, think about what it means to you personally as you are reminded of what the Lord has done for you.
PSALM 103
A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The LORD performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the LORD, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Verse 2 says to “forget none of His benefits.” The following verse begins with the “benefit” of His forgiveness of sins. I love how David starts out with this because forgiveness of sins is of greatest importance. If we had everything but God’s forgiveness, we would have nothing worthwhile. But if we DO have God’s forgiveness then everything else is promised (as we also find in Romans 8:32). All of these undeserved gifts are from the Lord and we see His character in verse 8 which we also find in Exodus 34, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin…” It is especially beautiful to me to think of the Lord’s forgiveness. I love verse 10 which talks about how He hasn’t dealt with us according to our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquity. He doesn’t give us what we actually deserve! As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (vs 12). Thank you Father!
How sweet to think about God as our Father having compassion on His children (vs 13). He knows our frame, He knows we are but dust and that our days are like grass (vs 14,15). But His lovingkindness is from everlasting to everlasting (vs 17)! So for those of us who FEAR HIM it says that God’s lovingkindness is forever. He is sovereignly ruling from His throne on high(vs 19) and is faithful to all of His promises.
Oh Lord that I may fear You and tell of Your wondrous works. Thank You for such promises in Your Word. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
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