Originally from: Vine of Life News
A stirring song of worship to the Lord, the sax playing is just beautiful…you want to hear this!
IF THIS DOESN’T BRING YOU INTO THE ANOINTING, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL! PLEASE, WON’T YOU WORSHIP WITH ME FOR JUST A MOMENT?
ALSO INCLUDES THE SAXOPHONE! POWERFUL! BEAUTIFUL!
From: Kutless – Even If
Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are
Even if the healing doesn’t come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn’t come
Lord we know your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us
We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are
You’re still the Great and Mighty One
We trust You always
You’re working all things for our good
We’ll sing your praise
Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are
Even if the healing doesn’t come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn’t come
Lord we know your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us
We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are
You’re still the Great and Mighty One
We trust You always
You’re working all things for our good
We’ll sing your praise
Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are
Even if the healing doesn’t come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn’t come
Lord we know your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us
We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are
You’re still the Great and Mighty One
We trust You always
You’re working all things for our good
We’ll sing your praise
The other day I was having a conversation on my site Believing God Today with an atheist. There were actually a few of us involved. We were of course trying to convey God’s goodness and willingness to forgive. My atheist commenter was of course trying to convey that there is no God. Now do not get me wrong here, I am not trying to impugn his character at all, but this conversation set me to thinking.
This was all started by this post: THERE IS ABSOLUTE PROOF THAT YESHUA (JESUS THE CHRIST) ROSE FROM THE DEAD! This is a great post and I recommend it highly, one of the best I have read on this, and no I did not write it!
One of the things he said was, “And, sorry, but having somebody ‘die for me’ is disgusting and reprehensible.”
Ok, well on the face of it I can for a moment see how a person could feel that way especially an unbeliever.
Read my latest post on ChristianBlessings
http://ptl2010.com/2012/12/16/the-trouble-with-gods-sacrifice/
That at the name of Jesus, all will bow down and acknowledge Him as Lord.
Jesus saves, Jesus redeems and gives life to all who ask.
Jesus took upon Himself the ills of the world, the sins of men.
Our Lord and Savior, worthy is the Lamb…
In the light of His eyes
Worship begins
In the light of His eyes
Praise rises
The Love of One
Love that matters
The Love of One
Love that never fails
His love we live for
His love He gives freely
His love compares to no other
His love is true
Precious and great
For worship are we made
Worship is our great privilege
Worship of One
Worship of the One who holds life
On my knees to worship Him
To worship my Lord
To praise Him who made me
To lift up the Name
He reigns righteous and true
He resides high above
High in the heavens
Seated on a throne
A throne of glory
He sees all
Yet loves us still
He reigns on high
Yet softens His heart towards us
Riches I would give
Things would I leave
His love is worth more then these
Come to worship
Come to love
Come to Him
The pain in the world, it threatens to overwhelm me
The anguish contained within, it burns deeply at times
I look upon the world, and despair of what I see
A look will tell, a thought confirm, seeds of disquiet are mine
Suffering is part of a fallen world
There are no easy paths to walk
Horrors abound in the world of the prince of the air
He is not good, no not even fair
The evil one cares for you not
Satan is his name lies are his game
I see the injustice and wrongs
I feel the despair and pain
I see a world so lost; seemingly without a care
The world tramples it’s own
People destroy one another for gain
Money is king, possessions queen
Pain and suffering a commodity
Grief is only for the weak at heart
How I long for the end
The end of this life; that the real life may begin
That suffering will end, forever to be banished
Misery will be no more; injustice will be vanquished
If you live in this world, you will suffer
If you follow Christ, you will suffer
If you follow the world you will suffer with no hope
If you follow the world you will lose all in the end
If you follow Christ you will suffer, but the Hope of the world will keep His arms around you
If you follow Christ you will inherit all things
The world is fallen, sick and ugly, devoid of any hope
Hope is however with us yet
Accept not the disbelief of the masses
Accept the divine hope stored up for you
Hope is here, Hope is Jesus
Hold onto this Hope
Trust in this Hope
Hope will set us free from all
Hope will bring the victory
Hope has a name, Jesus
Trust in Jesus, the Hope of life eternal without suffering
Trust in Jesus to walk along side you
Jesus…always cares and never leaves
Casting Crowns: Wedding
There’s a stirring in the throne room
And all creation holds it’s breath
Waiting now to see the bride groom
Wondering how the bride will dress
And she wears white
And she knows that she’s undeserving
She bears the shame of history
With this worn and weary maiden
Is not the bride that he sees
And she wears white, head to toe
But only he could make it so
When someone dries your tears
When someone wins your heart
And says your beautiful
When you don’t know you are
And all you’ve longed to see
Is written on his face
When love has come and finally set you free
On that wedding day
On that wedding day
She has danced in golden castles
And she has crawled through beggar’s dust
But today she stands before him
And she wears his righteousness
And she will be who he adores
And this is what he made her for
When the hand that bears the only scars
In heaven touch her face
And the last tears she’ll ever cry
Are finally wiped away
And the clouds roll back as he takes her hand
And walks her through the gates
Forever we will reign
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Love is an awesome thing. We all desire love and to be loved.
Love has a not so good side to it as well. Why do we love, what is the reason behind it?
Many things are done in the name of love, things that are not loving and should have nothing to do with love. Killing has been done in the name of love, so has hating a person for what that person did to someone that (we) loved. These things are not love.
When we love is it truly selfless, or are we looking for something in return? I do not think we love selflessly if we are honest about it. When I love someone, I’m looking for something in return, even if that something is simply being loved in return because I love that person. However there is often more to it then that.
We expect things; we expect that the person we love will do certain things for us. Like what you ask?
Well how about these, do you see yourself in any of these?
We expect someone we love to:
Overlook our faults
Deal with our bad behavior
Forgive us all things
Look the other way in things we would not overlook in others
Put up with our individual idiosyncrasies
Agree with our way of thinking
There are many more that could be added to that list I’m sure, and I’m guilty of all of the above. Some of this is of course taking for granted the one that loves me; it is also an entitlement mentality. Both of these are wrong of course.
This is not how God loves…a very good thing for us. The only truly perfect non-self-serving love is God’s love. God loves us with no expectation of anything in return. “But wait”, you say, “God expects us to do things and love Him, the Word says so”. While it is true the Word commands us to love God, the distinction here is that whether or not we do all that He says, and love Him in return…God will still love us.
God has no burning need within Himself that needs fulfilling; therefore God is free to love selflessly. We on the other hand have needs that have to be met. These needs that are basic to all humans and are not necessarily bad things are at the same time what prevents us from truly selfless love. We as humans are capable of selfless acts of love, but not selfless love as a whole. If we could truly love selflessly as Christ loves us…we would have no need for Jesus. We shall be like this someday when we meet Him and He finishes His work in us.
Think of God as a self-contained unit. No needs of any kind that have to come from without Himself. Everything that makes God who He is is contained within Himself. God does not seek approval from others, He grants it. God is not out looking for love, He is love. God is not busy sinning and looking for a way to stop doing it, He paid for sin in His own body to abolish it from ours.
God is free to love because God is truly free, free of any expectations. Expectations is a word that has no meaning to God. Think about it if God is omniscient, and He is without a doubt, then why would He have any expectations? God already knows all that has happened, and is going to happen. To have an expectation is to think something is going to occur. God knows what is going to occur. When we have an expectation we think, or expect that something is going to happen, but we do not know that thing is going to happen…God does know.
Think on this as the perfect example of God’s perfect and selfless love.
Jesus who was both God and man came to save us from ourselves. He paid a debt He did not owe, and we could not pay. But wait, it gets even better. God’s own people, the Jews did not even recognize Him. They (most of them) would have nothing to do with Him and still do not today. This people that God selected for Himself, these people who did not even recognize Him, who spurned Him…who wanted to kill Him. God died to save these people. Not because the Jews or anyone else could do anything to Jesus without His permission, because they could not.
God died for His chosen people the Jews and also the Gentiles because He wanted to save us…that my friends is love.
Do you know this love?
Heavenly Father, I pray you would grant me the strength to make it through each day. Lord I cannot live this life on my own…I so desperately need you. Strengthen my arms…and guide my steps. Show me the path I am to walk…and give me the courage to set foot upon it.
By your Holy Spirit am I guided, strengthened, and encouraged. I pray Lord that you would not turn your face away from me. I pray that You would always walk with me. Lord forgive my unbelief…and strengthen my belief. Help me to see…that you Lord are all I need. Help me Lord to walk by faith…even when I cannot see.
My faith has helped me through so much. Even when I was no where near you Lord…You were waiting patiently for me. Thank you so much Lord for calling me…out of the darkness of this world. I left you behind Lord…but You were there following me every step of the way. Until I was willing to come home.
My faith is all the more comforting to me because of this.
Your love is amazing…all that You have done for me. Despite my sins…you love me. I turned away…You opened your arms to me. I didn’t believe in You…You died for me. I prayed…and You heard me. I asked for forgiveness…and You gave it to me.
I prayed to you my Lord…and you gave me eternal life. Thank you for this gift…You have given me so much. Lord you are so good to me. I praise your name…I give You my love… I will worship You always.
God so loved the world
He gave His only Son
God so loved the world
He let His only Son Die
God so loved the world
He allowed His Son to experience all temptations
Jesus so loved the world
He obeyed all that the Father asked of Him
Jesus so loved the world
He suffered tremendous pain
Jesus so loved the world
He became a man
Oh that my love would compare to His
Nothing compares to the love of God
I wandered away, lost in the world
My Lord pursued me
He never left my side
I refused Him
He followed and watched
I said I do not believe
He said I believe in you
I said I cannot do this anymore
He said take my hand, I will help you
I said the pain is too much to bear
He said I will give you peace and comfort
I gave the Father above my worst
He gave me His best
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Seat asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
A friend of mine recently posted about how Christ was scourged before being crucified. This got me to thinking today about that, and all of what happened at Calvary.
Jesus before all this was taunted and ridiculed mercilessly. A crown of thorns was placed on His head; that would have been painful. He was scourged…an extremely painful thing to endure. Suffice it to say, when someone was scourged, they were essentially whipped. Only the whip was many in one. Imagine many pieces of leather tied to the end of a pole; now imagine articles being tied into these pieces of leather that would rip open the flesh…deeply. These tools of torture were capable of ripping apart the skin, and tearing into the muscles as well. This would then be extremely painful. Then there was the cross; the sheer physical agony was horrendous. The weight of all the people’s sins had to be even worse. For more information on Scourging, see this post on Christian Blessings,
What I really want to focus on is why Jesus did this. I think about this frequently, during communion I often think on this and it brings tears to my eyes.
Why would Jesus do this, why would He suffer so much for me? What would be the first reason Jesus would endure the cross?
Some, or dare I say many are going to say because He and the Father loved us that much.
That is a good reason, but it is not the first reason. There is another reason Jesus did this, and it is even more important then His love for us.
God must remain true to Himself or He would cease to be God! Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Now if Jesus is and always has been the same, then so has the Father. John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
God is love (1 John 4:8). God also tells us to love our enemies, (Luke 6:27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,) if God says that we are to do things, He is not going to tell us to do them and not do them Himself.
God must remain true to Himself first, before anything else. Do you see? God said, “love your enemies”…before we were granted forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, we were God’s enemies! What did God do about this situation? He loved us…and died for us.
God made the law, knowing full well we could not keep it perfectly. God made the penalty for breaking the law death. So since we all sin, our penalty is physical death, followed by spiritual death. In order that we would not have to suffer the second death, a sacrifice needed to be made that was acceptable to God. This sacrifice needed to be perfect, and not an animal…a perfect man. So God sent Himself down to earth…as a man…and made good on the penalty of sin, for all of us. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life, and then willingly suffered terrible pain and agony beyond imagining, and then death. God, knew that He would have to pay the cost of His own rule…that His created creatures (us) could not pay the penalty, only a perfect, flawless man could do that…enter in Jesus.
Yes God also did this out of His great love for us, but God must be true to Himself first.
God said, “love your enemies”, so God did likewise…He died to save us (God’s enemies before conversion) from ourselves! Jesus said that if we love Him, we would obey Him (John 14:15). So also did Jesus obey the Father at all times, even at the end facing cruel torture and crucifixion. Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
So Jesus obeyed His Father and suffered the cross, and willingly died for us. Knowing that Jesus died for us is important, but what is even more important is, knowing that He did it willingly. There is not, never was, nor will there ever be any force powerful enough to kill Jesus Christ. Nothing, and no one could do this…ever; Satan could not so much as put a scratch on Christ. This all-powerful being, incapable of being defeated and killed…lay down His life willingly to pay for our sins.
Think about these things as we approach Easter. We have been given a gift, more so then we normally even think about.
I praise your Name Jesus, thank you for giving your life, that mine could be restored. Thank you Lord for loving me so much. Thank you Father that through this miracle of love in action, I am given the gift of eternal life, and am forgiven my sins. Amen.
gth 3/23/12
Love has a face, a real face that someday we will be able to see. Do you believe this?
1 John 4:8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Note in the text of the above verse that it says “God is love”, it does not say God represents love, or gives love, (though He does do that) it says God is love. Being that God is in Himself the embodiment of love…then love has a face.
Just as God is the author of our faith, so He also is the creator of our love.
In 1 John 4:7 we read; Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. True love comes only from God. The bible speaks a lot about love, about loving God first, and then each other next.
Love has a face, that face left the throne room of heaven and entered this world as a baby.
That baby grew up and taught the people. In the end, the face of love died on a cross alone…Jesus our Savior. Love itself, God in the flesh, suffered and died to pay our penalty for sinning. This is love on a scale that we cannot comprehend.
Someday, each one of us will gaze into the face of love. What will we see? That will depend on the state we left this life in…one who accepted Jesus, or one who denied Jesus. To each will be given their place according to their belief in life. One will be judged for their sins and receive the penalty of such…an eternity of suffering. One will escape that judgement and instead be judged on what he/she did with the new life he/she was given, and the appropriate reward will be given.
The judgement that leads to hell seems harsh, but a few things need to be remembered here.
1. God Himself came here to this earth and died to pay for each person’s sin in this world.
2. It is each person’s choice to accept or deny forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ; that leads to the gift of eternal life.
3. Eternal life is freely given to everyone…if you do not accept it; that is not God’s fault.
Accept Jesus as Lord today, and be welcomed into the family of God today! You need not be good enough to be “accepted” by God…no one is good enough no matter how good they are. You can be forgiven any sin you have committed, just ask with a sincere heart, and you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to God; admit you are sinner. Believe in your heart, and confess with your mouth that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins, and that Jesus lives today. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, meaning you will commit to living the way He wants you too. Pray this to the Lord with a sincere heart, and you will be saved.
If you believe, if you trust, if you pursue Truth…someday you will gaze into the actual Face of Love.
Can I get an Amen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ODDtLMiGnY
gth 2/25/12
I was thinking about qualities and or things we all should have as Christians lately. There are so many things I wish I did better, or qualities I wish I had in abundance. I’m not a bad guy, but I sure could use improvement. That I think is key to our walk as Christians, understanding that we all need improvement. No one has a lock on the Christian life, and most of us if we are honest wish there was a “do over” button for our lives. I would change so much of the past if I could, but then again God allowed these things I would change for a reason. Maybe the reason is to better serve others. I believe we are better off focusing on the present and what we can do to improve our walk with Christ today…right now. Yesterday’s regrets are a pathway for Satan to get a foothold in your life today. There is no condemnation for those in Christ. Move on…let the past failures remain in the past. We are all a work in progress, to be finished on the final day of the Lord. In order to become a finished work in Christ…we need to let Him start, and once started…allow Him to continue.
Lord Grant Me
Lord give me your eyes, so that I can see others the way You see me.
Lord give me your love, so that I can love others the way that You love me.
Lord grant me forgiveness, so that I may forgive others as You have forgiven me.
Lord grant me mercy, so that I can be merciful to others as You are to me.
Lord reveal to me your truth, that I may reveal it to others.
Lord grant me joy, that I may share my joy with others.
Lord grant me wisdom, that I may learn your ways.
Lord grant me discernment, that I may choose wisely.
Lord grant me a servants heart, that I may serve others.
Lord grant me a heart of flesh, and take away my heart of stone.
Lord grant me compassion, so that I may be compassionate to others as You are to me.
Lord grant me grace, that I may give grace to others.
Lord multiply my mustard seed of faith.
Lord grant me repentance, that I may truly be forgiven my sins.
Lord be my shepherd that I may walk in the spirit and not the flesh.
Lord be my Savior that I may be forever with You.
gth 8/25/11
God’s Love For Us
We were created in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Do you notice in this verse that it says not once but twice that we were created in His image? God created everything…and in all of creation nothing else was created in God’s image. Man was even allowed to name the creatures God created! (Genesis 2:19-20) God gave us dominion over all things, all creatures great and small…even all the Earth itself. (Genesis 1:26)
We are special to our Heavenly Father. Just think about all the things that God created. We have all seen pictures of indescribable beauty…a beautiful sunset over the ocean, or a majestic mountain wearing a white cap of snow. A stunningly colorful coral reef or a field of colorful flowers and grasses with a backdrop of trees. How about some of the views we see courtesy of astronomers? God created all these things, yet values us far and above all of them. Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Even the angels are not above us, for we will judge the angels! 1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
Not only did God create us in His image and give us dominion over the world…He died for us. What parent no matter how much they love their child…can compare to how much God loves us? When Jesus died upon that tree, He did so willingly. That is key here, no one made Him do it…not even the Father. Jesus chose to give up His life for us. John 10:18 makes this clear…No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
God cannot lie, and must be true to Himself at all times, or He would not be God. God set the rules in the OT and enforced them. There were penalties to be paid for wrong doing. God stated very clearly that no sin would go unpunished. (Exodus 34:7) The penalty for sin is of course death. (Romans 6:23) Since we all sin, we would all die and then suffer the second death…permanent separation from God. So what was God to do about this? The Father sent the Son…Jesus Christ. Christ was the only one good enough to pay our debt of sin. He came here and lived a perfect life, free of all sin as a man, and at the same time He was God. Then Jesus gave His life as a ransom for us. The price for our sins was paid in full by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God…His own Son Jesus.
Do not doubt that God loves you, even if you don’t feel He is near at times. God answers prayer, but it is not always the answer we want. He does what is best for us. God does care, and He does love you. God the very creator of all things died for you, for me. Jesus values us so much He was willing to experience great pain and suffering, that we may be forgiven and have eternal life with Him.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
gth 6/15/11
