It’s almost Christmas–the time when we celebrate a Baby’s birth. But more than that, we celebrate the life that we have because He lived. He lived on this earth, died a painful death, and rose again–all for us. The punishment we deserved for our sins was born by Him on the cross. Because He lived a sinless life and took our punishment, we live. Undeserving, ungrateful, sinful man becomes a child of God. We’re adopted from the world into the family of God.
It’s amazing thought, isn’t it? We hear it so often, though, that it starts to sound cliche. This year, my family has gotten a better understanding of this truth.
Some very dear friends of ours are going to adopt a little girl. The birth mother knows she can’t raise her. She’s living a very sinful life right now, and a baby wouldn’t fit in the picture very well. So instead, she is putting the baby up for adoption. My friends (who are a strong Christian, homeschooling family) are going to pay the price for this little girl and give her a different life. She will be taken out of home plagued by sin and placed in a home centered around Christ.
The baby on her own is helpless. Her new parents are willing to pay the price to bring her into their family. Because Christ loved them and brought them into His family, they want to share His grace and love with another.
Galatians 4:4-6--But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
~~~~~~~~
Please be praying for this family. The mother is not due for several weeks still, and although she chose this family, a lot could change. Please also pray that the mother will get to know Christ’s love.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
True love
Have you noticed that when you’re memorizing a passage that you had learned before, you tend to skim over it more quickly? My family first memorized Romans 12 many years ago, so when I got to the verses from that chapter, I studied it really quickly. But then, a few days ago, I noticed something that I hadn’t read carefully before.
Let love be without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9)
Whoa.
Agape anypokritos.
Agape love is something that we’ve studied already; it’s God’s unconditional love toward us–the love that He commands us to exhibit toward each other in 1 Peter 4:8 described in 1 Corinthians 13. Anypokritos, though, is a word we have not studied for Bible Bee. It means "unfeigned, undesigned, sincere." Ouch–is it even possible to love completely sincerely? I can’t seem to do anything for other people without at least some amount of concern for myself! But God tells us–He commands us–to love one another fervently with a pure heart (1 Peter 1:22). Pure, sincere, undesigned, unfeigned, fervently...as Christians, we have no choice but to love one another!
1 John 4:7-13–Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
Let love be without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9)
Whoa.
Agape anypokritos.
Agape love is something that we’ve studied already; it’s God’s unconditional love toward us–the love that He commands us to exhibit toward each other in 1 Peter 4:8 described in 1 Corinthians 13. Anypokritos, though, is a word we have not studied for Bible Bee. It means "unfeigned, undesigned, sincere." Ouch–is it even possible to love completely sincerely? I can’t seem to do anything for other people without at least some amount of concern for myself! But God tells us–He commands us–to love one another fervently with a pure heart (1 Peter 1:22). Pure, sincere, undesigned, unfeigned, fervently...as Christians, we have no choice but to love one another!
1 John 4:7-13–Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
Monday, September 19, 2011
A Christian's praises
O God, my exceeding joy,
singing Thy praises uplifts my heart,
for Thou art a fountain of delight,
and dost bless the soul that joys in Thee.
But because of my heart’s rebellion
I cannot always praise Thee as I ought;
Yet I will at all times rest myself
in Thy excellencies, goodness, and loving-kindness.
Thou art in Jesus the object of inexpressible joy,
and I take exceeding pleasure in the thought of Thee.
But LORD, I am sometimes Thy enemy;
my nature revolts and wanders from Thee.
Though Thou hast renewed me,
yet evil corruptions urge me still to oppose Thee.
Help me to extol Thee with entire heart-submission,
to be diligent in self examination,
to ask myself
whether I am truly born again,
whether my spirit is of Thy children,
whether my griefs are those that tear repenting hearts,
whether my joys are the joys of faith,
whether my confidence in Christ works by love
and purifies the soul.
Give me the sweet results of faith,
in my secret character, and in my public life.
Cast cords of love around my heart,
then hold me and never let me go.
May the Savior’s wounds sway me more than the scepter of princes.
Let me love Thee in a love that covers and swallows up all,
that I may not violate my chaste union with the beloved;
There is so much unconquered territory in my nature,
scourge out the buyers and sellers of my soul’s temple,
and give me in return pure desires,
and longing after perfect holiness.
(This prayer was in my church bulletin; there is no name after it, but I think it is from the Valley of Vision or another Puritan prayer book)
singing Thy praises uplifts my heart,
for Thou art a fountain of delight,
and dost bless the soul that joys in Thee.
But because of my heart’s rebellion
I cannot always praise Thee as I ought;
Yet I will at all times rest myself
in Thy excellencies, goodness, and loving-kindness.
Thou art in Jesus the object of inexpressible joy,
and I take exceeding pleasure in the thought of Thee.
But LORD, I am sometimes Thy enemy;
my nature revolts and wanders from Thee.
Though Thou hast renewed me,
yet evil corruptions urge me still to oppose Thee.
Help me to extol Thee with entire heart-submission,
to be diligent in self examination,
to ask myself
whether I am truly born again,
whether my spirit is of Thy children,
whether my griefs are those that tear repenting hearts,
whether my joys are the joys of faith,
whether my confidence in Christ works by love
and purifies the soul.
Give me the sweet results of faith,
in my secret character, and in my public life.
Cast cords of love around my heart,
then hold me and never let me go.
May the Savior’s wounds sway me more than the scepter of princes.
Let me love Thee in a love that covers and swallows up all,
that I may not violate my chaste union with the beloved;
There is so much unconquered territory in my nature,
scourge out the buyers and sellers of my soul’s temple,
and give me in return pure desires,
and longing after perfect holiness.
(This prayer was in my church bulletin; there is no name after it, but I think it is from the Valley of Vision or another Puritan prayer book)
Monday, August 15, 2011
Earth into Heaven
Have your heart right with Christ,
and he will visit you often,
and so turn weekdays into Sundays,
meals into sacraments,
homes into temples,
and earth into heaven.
~Charles H. Spurgeon
Doesn’t that sound lovely? Having ever earthly thing turn into its heavenly counterpart? If your heart is right with Christ, it will happen–earth becomes heaven! When your heart is sanctified (1 Peter 3:15), your life will become sanctified. Jesus’ set-apartness will change the common into the holy.
Have you ever felt that Sundays are the best day of the week, and that Communion Sunday was filled with an even more special joy? Sometimes when we walk into a friend’s home, we sense a certain peace and joy that overflows onto us. That is the kind of home that is filled with Christ’s love. We can have all of that by keeping our hearts right with Christ!
and he will visit you often,
and so turn weekdays into Sundays,
meals into sacraments,
homes into temples,
and earth into heaven.
~Charles H. Spurgeon
Doesn’t that sound lovely? Having ever earthly thing turn into its heavenly counterpart? If your heart is right with Christ, it will happen–earth becomes heaven! When your heart is sanctified (1 Peter 3:15), your life will become sanctified. Jesus’ set-apartness will change the common into the holy.
Have you ever felt that Sundays are the best day of the week, and that Communion Sunday was filled with an even more special joy? Sometimes when we walk into a friend’s home, we sense a certain peace and joy that overflows onto us. That is the kind of home that is filled with Christ’s love. We can have all of that by keeping our hearts right with Christ!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Is the Word in you?
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8-9).
Does that passage excite you? We hear the second verse quite frequently, but what about the first verse–have you ever thought twice about it?
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That’s the reason we are doing Bible Bee! Why else bother memorizing hundreds of verses? If we simply wanted to exercise our brains over the summer, we could put together a challenging book list or take an extra course for school. The Bible would still be very accessible to us. All we have to do is enter a key word on http://biblegateway.com/ and come up with 273 answers, some of which are more relevant than others. As helpful as it is to have every verse reference of the word “love” come up with one click (there are 494 in the NKJV), I would rather have just one of those written in my heart.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Skimming over that verse and copying here didn’t change me. I want to have that verse near me; I want it in my heart! That verse is life-changing! God loves me, and He sent His Son to save me! Because of His love to me, I need to love others. I want to be able to answer yes to Paul–to say “Yes! The word is near me, it is in my mouth and in my heart!”
We are now officially past the 1/4 point in our Bible Bee studies. It’s about the time when that little voice in you head starts saying, “What?! Still 75% to go? Maybe next summer I’ll take a break from Bible memory and actually get my life back!” Please remember why we are studying! God’s Word has the power to change lives, but you must have it near you–in your heart–before it will change your life!
If you are getting discouraged and feel like you’re wasting time memorizing Bible verses, may I ask you a question? If Jesus died for you, don’t you think you ought to live every minute of your life to Him?
Does that passage excite you? We hear the second verse quite frequently, but what about the first verse–have you ever thought twice about it?
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That’s the reason we are doing Bible Bee! Why else bother memorizing hundreds of verses? If we simply wanted to exercise our brains over the summer, we could put together a challenging book list or take an extra course for school. The Bible would still be very accessible to us. All we have to do is enter a key word on http://biblegateway.com/ and come up with 273 answers, some of which are more relevant than others. As helpful as it is to have every verse reference of the word “love” come up with one click (there are 494 in the NKJV), I would rather have just one of those written in my heart.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Skimming over that verse and copying here didn’t change me. I want to have that verse near me; I want it in my heart! That verse is life-changing! God loves me, and He sent His Son to save me! Because of His love to me, I need to love others. I want to be able to answer yes to Paul–to say “Yes! The word is near me, it is in my mouth and in my heart!”
We are now officially past the 1/4 point in our Bible Bee studies. It’s about the time when that little voice in you head starts saying, “What?! Still 75% to go? Maybe next summer I’ll take a break from Bible memory and actually get my life back!” Please remember why we are studying! God’s Word has the power to change lives, but you must have it near you–in your heart–before it will change your life!
If you are getting discouraged and feel like you’re wasting time memorizing Bible verses, may I ask you a question? If Jesus died for you, don’t you think you ought to live every minute of your life to Him?
Monday, June 6, 2011
I am a...
“I am a vile, polluted lump of earth.” I often wonder what Mrs. Watts must have thought when her young son showed her an acrostic of his name beginning with that line. Have you ever felt like that–vile and polluted? When you open your Bible and start memorizing verses, have you felt horrified at how dirty you are compared to how holy God is? The past few days, I have been convicted about what a sinner I am. All those verses we’re learning about our holy and righteous God, a God who cannot abide wickedness–and then here am I: A vile, polluted lump of earth. How can I–a sinner–commune with Him? He cannot look on wickedness (Habakkuk 1:13).
Yet His grace is sufficient. I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater Saviour (John Newton). Christ’s blood washes away my dirty sin. Because of Him, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that we are forgiven! Knowing His forgiveness toward us changes our fear to love. Instead of fearing the God who destroys the wicked, I can love the Man who saved me.
As Ephesians 3:12 says, we have access with confidence through faith in Him. Having confidence in His love, we cannot help but seek Him. Aren’t you looking forward to a whole summer of intense study of the Bible?
Psalm 119:10–With my whole heart I have sought You...
For those who are interested...here is Isaac Watts' whole acrostic:
"I" - I am a vile, polluted lump of earth
"S" - So I've continued ever since my birth
"A" - Although Jehovah, grace doth daily give me
"A" - As sure this monster, Satan, will deceive me
"C" - Come therefore, Lord, from Satan's claws relieve me.
"W" - Wash me in Thy blood, O Christ
"A" - And grace divine impart
"T" - Then search and try the corners of my heart
"T" - That I in all things may be fit to do
"S" - Service to Thee, and Thy praise too.
Yet His grace is sufficient. I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater Saviour (John Newton). Christ’s blood washes away my dirty sin. Because of Him, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that we are forgiven! Knowing His forgiveness toward us changes our fear to love. Instead of fearing the God who destroys the wicked, I can love the Man who saved me.
As Ephesians 3:12 says, we have access with confidence through faith in Him. Having confidence in His love, we cannot help but seek Him. Aren’t you looking forward to a whole summer of intense study of the Bible?
Psalm 119:10–With my whole heart I have sought You...
For those who are interested...here is Isaac Watts' whole acrostic:
"I" - I am a vile, polluted lump of earth
"S" - So I've continued ever since my birth
"A" - Although Jehovah, grace doth daily give me
"A" - As sure this monster, Satan, will deceive me
"C" - Come therefore, Lord, from Satan's claws relieve me.
"W" - Wash me in Thy blood, O Christ
"A" - And grace divine impart
"T" - Then search and try the corners of my heart
"T" - That I in all things may be fit to do
"S" - Service to Thee, and Thy praise too.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Giving back to God
On Saturday, my sister and I competed in our biggest piano competition of the year–as did several thousand other kids. The fine arts building and nearby theater building were both crowded with people rushing back and forth, hurrying to get to the next practice or event before the doors closed. Stress levels were high.
That morning, I prayed that I could play to the best of my ability and that I could glorify God. This last year, my heart has changed so much–instead of separating my music from God and being driven by success, I am trying to give God the glory through my music. Although I have been a Christian for well over a decade, it wasn’t until recently that I began to understand what it really means to give my life entirely to God. In giving my life to God, I have found fulfilment and purpose. For every disappointment I have in life, He shows me a higher and better way. Piano has been no exception. It was one of the last things I could give over to Him, one of the things that meant the most to me. Yet now that I have given it to Him, He has given it back to me tenfold. I never had so much fun playing piano in my life! When I gave my music to God, He showed me how to use it to glorify Him. How much more fulfilling is life when its purpose is to glorify God!
Matthew 25:20-22 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Has God given you a talent that you gave back to Him? What happened?
That morning, I prayed that I could play to the best of my ability and that I could glorify God. This last year, my heart has changed so much–instead of separating my music from God and being driven by success, I am trying to give God the glory through my music. Although I have been a Christian for well over a decade, it wasn’t until recently that I began to understand what it really means to give my life entirely to God. In giving my life to God, I have found fulfilment and purpose. For every disappointment I have in life, He shows me a higher and better way. Piano has been no exception. It was one of the last things I could give over to Him, one of the things that meant the most to me. Yet now that I have given it to Him, He has given it back to me tenfold. I never had so much fun playing piano in my life! When I gave my music to God, He showed me how to use it to glorify Him. How much more fulfilling is life when its purpose is to glorify God!
Matthew 25:20-22 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Has God given you a talent that you gave back to Him? What happened?
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The royal wedding
Did any of you watch the royal wedding on Friday? I must confess–I woke up early to watch it (other than family movie nights, I think I’ve watched TV only one or two other times this year...). I really enjoyed it. Even though Prince William and Kate may not necessarily be strong Christians, the ceremony was full of some of the most beautiful, God-glorifying hymns they could have chosen, and they actually had Kate’s brother recite Romans 12! It was definitely worth waking up early to watch!
I imagined what it must have been like to receive an invitation to the wedding. That would be so exciting! To be able to meet real princes and princesses, to see Westminster Abbey, to hear those hymns live–I would never forget it. Wouldn’t it be fun to meet the queen? I have a friend who met her when he was younger (and I was just a bit jealous when I heard!). Then, I remembered what I had written just last week: Jesus is the King of kings, and we will get to meet Him! What is Queen Elizabeth compared to Him? As I was thinking about meeting the King of all kings, I remembered another exciting promise. We are invited to His wedding feast! Revelation 19:6-9 tells us about the wedding of the Lamb. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Wow! We are not the "lucky" few invited to the British royal wedding, we are the blessed believers who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! How infinitely more wonderful is that!
After watching Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, it’s hard to imagine a bigger wedding. Perhaps we won’t see a bigger wedding on earth. But the wedding supper of the Lamb is guaranteed to be far more glorious than any earthly wedding; and, the best part about it for us is that we’ve been invited!
I imagined what it must have been like to receive an invitation to the wedding. That would be so exciting! To be able to meet real princes and princesses, to see Westminster Abbey, to hear those hymns live–I would never forget it. Wouldn’t it be fun to meet the queen? I have a friend who met her when he was younger (and I was just a bit jealous when I heard!). Then, I remembered what I had written just last week: Jesus is the King of kings, and we will get to meet Him! What is Queen Elizabeth compared to Him? As I was thinking about meeting the King of all kings, I remembered another exciting promise. We are invited to His wedding feast! Revelation 19:6-9 tells us about the wedding of the Lamb. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Wow! We are not the "lucky" few invited to the British royal wedding, we are the blessed believers who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! How infinitely more wonderful is that!
After watching Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, it’s hard to imagine a bigger wedding. Perhaps we won’t see a bigger wedding on earth. But the wedding supper of the Lamb is guaranteed to be far more glorious than any earthly wedding; and, the best part about it for us is that we’ve been invited!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Love of God
The Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell!
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell!
The guilty pair bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win!
His erring child, HE RECONCILED, and pardoned from his sin!
The love of God...How rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song!
When years and time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men on earth refuse to pray, on rocks and hills, and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure! All measureless and strong!
Redeeming grace to Adam's race, the saints' and angels' song!
The love of God...HOW RICH AND PURE! How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song!
Could we with ink the ocean fill, or were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky!
THE LOVE OF GOD!
How rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song!
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell!
The guilty pair bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win!
His erring child, HE RECONCILED, and pardoned from his sin!
The love of God...How rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song!
When years and time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men on earth refuse to pray, on rocks and hills, and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure! All measureless and strong!
Redeeming grace to Adam's race, the saints' and angels' song!
The love of God...HOW RICH AND PURE! How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song!
Could we with ink the ocean fill, or were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky!
THE LOVE OF GOD!
How rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song!
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Having a heart for people
I've been reading through the book of 1 Corinthians in my devotions this past week. I've been learning so much - I could share a lot ;). One of the many things that has stuck out to me is Paul's heart for people. He heart's desire was that the Gospel would be proclaimed and that people would be saved. He wanted to edify, strengthen, and build up Christians. This theme was very clearly portrayed in chapters 9 and 10. In chapter 9 verses 1-23, Paul shares how he put others and their need for salvation and spiritual growth before his own personal needs. He willingly gave up his "rights" so that the Gospel could go forth more effectively. He humbled himself and had no regard for his own standing but was always reaching out to every type of person so that he might win them for the Gospel. In chapter 10 and verses 23-33, Paul tells that, in order that people would grow spiritually and be built up, he did not participate in some activities; even though they were lawful activities. Paul's heart's desire was for people. He didn't seek his own profit, but the profit of others (10:33).
Wow! I mean, Paul really had it all together in this area! So, what does this mean for me? The application is found in chapter eleven verse one: "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." Here are some things that I found that I need to apply to my own life:
- I need to be seeking the benefit, growth, edification, and salvation of others. Do I truly look for ways that I can bless and build up those around me? Do I genuinely search for ways that I share the Gospel with unbelievers? Do I intentionally seek to strengthen believers in their walk with the Lord?
- Even if a certain activity isn't wrong for me to do, I need to consider how it will edify and be helpful. "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being" (chapter 10:24). Do I do what I do just because I want to? Just because I can? or Do I sincerely seek other people's well-being and how I can edify and strengthen them?
- My heart's desire needs to be "How can I edify and build up others?" not "How can I serve and make myself more happy?"
- In witnessing, I need to humble myself and not worry about what how funny or foolish I might appear. I need to "lay down my guard" and give up my "rights" so that I can effectively share the Gospel. For me, I know that I struggle with worrying about what other people will think about me. "Will they think that I'm not 'cool'? "Will they think that I'm foolish?" I need to love people more and fear people less. I need to cultivate true compassion for the lost. I need to care more about their souls than what they think about me. What really matters; their souls? or my status?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
I Am Your Shield
When her family was going through some difficult times, Rachel Wissmann wrote this song to encourage them. The words are a beautiful reminder of God's loving care for His children. This song has encouraged my family a lot--I hope it is a blessing to you all!
I AM YOUR SHIELD
My child, are you discouraged by the sorrows of the day?
Does it seem that life is crumbling? The skies have turned to gray.
Don't forget I gave you promises to guide you every hour
In the moments of you heart break, let me show you My great Pow'r!
And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.
And I will be your Light when the way ahead is dark.
I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,
just place your life completely in My hands.
I know it won't be easy. I never said it would;
but My grace will always be there; My plans for you are good.
Remember that your weaknesses are perfect in My sight.
Only when you yield them to Me can I turn them into Might!
And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.
And I will be your Light when the way ahead is dark.
I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,
just place your life completely in My hands.
And someday you will understand why I sent this trial.
And someday you will see the end and know it's all worthwhile.
And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.
And I will be your Light when the way ahead is dark.
I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,
just place your life completely in My hands.
( check out the Wissmann's website at http://wissmannfamily.com/ for more songs )
I AM YOUR SHIELD
My child, are you discouraged by the sorrows of the day?
Does it seem that life is crumbling? The skies have turned to gray.
Don't forget I gave you promises to guide you every hour
In the moments of you heart break, let me show you My great Pow'r!
And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.
And I will be your Light when the way ahead is dark.
I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,
just place your life completely in My hands.
I know it won't be easy. I never said it would;
but My grace will always be there; My plans for you are good.
Remember that your weaknesses are perfect in My sight.
Only when you yield them to Me can I turn them into Might!
And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.
And I will be your Light when the way ahead is dark.
I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,
just place your life completely in My hands.
And someday you will understand why I sent this trial.
And someday you will see the end and know it's all worthwhile.
And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.
And I will be your Light when the way ahead is dark.
I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,
just place your life completely in My hands.
( check out the Wissmann's website at http://wissmannfamily.com/ for more songs )
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Nothing can separate
The Voice of the Martyrs put out a calendar, to pray for persecuted Christians aroung the globe. For the next ten days, I will be praying for China. Today, I pray specifically for Chinese Christians as the government "attempts to slow the spread of Christianity by controlling the media". But we know that the world can never stop the spread of the gospel!! The Word of God stands FOREVER! And yet, although they cannot blot It out, they still hinder others who NEED God's Word-- and who know NOTHING of it-- from getting it! And they persecute our fellow believers just because they trust in Jesus Christ! Why does the Lord allow that? Well, He says in 2 Tim. 3:12 "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." And yet Rom. 8:35-39 says "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
You see? The world can persecute us all they want, but the can never EVER seperate us from the Love of God! That's what it's all about! God loves us, He sent His Son to die for us, He made us His children, and no communists or anybody else can take that away from us! We are GOD'S CHILDREN. He said that nobody is able to take us out of His hand! Now I kinda went off on a rabbit trail with that, but it does tie in, really! So, we suffer, but they can't really harm us. I mean, they can, but it's only a physical harm. They can't take away our eternal life, and as Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The only thing the world can do to us is to speed up our moving date! We get to move in to our home that Jesus Christ himself made for us! yippee! I'm not saying we'll enjoy persecution. It IS persecution, after all! But we know that we are safe in the arms of our Heavenly Father, and that's such a comfort! We just have to make sure we don't reject Him when we suffer, like the parable of the sower: "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles." Dig your roots deep! Do not be swayed! KNOW YOUR STUFF! And not only know, but BELIEVE! And the Lord will bless you! "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
So now I ask that you pray with me for the persecuted Christians around the world. That the Lord would give them strength, courage, and that they would not give in. Also pray for our own country, that there would be a great revival and that our once Christian-based homeland would not persecute believers here. Stand strong!
You see? The world can persecute us all they want, but the can never EVER seperate us from the Love of God! That's what it's all about! God loves us, He sent His Son to die for us, He made us His children, and no communists or anybody else can take that away from us! We are GOD'S CHILDREN. He said that nobody is able to take us out of His hand! Now I kinda went off on a rabbit trail with that, but it does tie in, really! So, we suffer, but they can't really harm us. I mean, they can, but it's only a physical harm. They can't take away our eternal life, and as Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The only thing the world can do to us is to speed up our moving date! We get to move in to our home that Jesus Christ himself made for us! yippee! I'm not saying we'll enjoy persecution. It IS persecution, after all! But we know that we are safe in the arms of our Heavenly Father, and that's such a comfort! We just have to make sure we don't reject Him when we suffer, like the parable of the sower: "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles." Dig your roots deep! Do not be swayed! KNOW YOUR STUFF! And not only know, but BELIEVE! And the Lord will bless you! "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
So now I ask that you pray with me for the persecuted Christians around the world. That the Lord would give them strength, courage, and that they would not give in. Also pray for our own country, that there would be a great revival and that our once Christian-based homeland would not persecute believers here. Stand strong!
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