Thursday, 29 December 2011

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases


Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:19 - 26

Monday, 12 December 2011

Hid me now Under Your Wings



Hid me now
Under Your Wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunder roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunder roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Ephesians 3:16-21

  Ephesians 3:16-21, “pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:19 - 26

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Come to Me


I am the Lord your God, I go before you now
I stand beside you, I'm all around you
Though you feel I'm far away, I'm closer than your breath
I am with you, more than you know

I am the Lord your peace, no evil will conquer you
Steady now your heart and mind, come into My rest
Oh, let your faith arise, lift up your weary head
I am with you wherever you go

Come to Me, I'm all you need. Come to Me, I'm everything
Come to Me, I'm all you need. Come to Me, I'm your everything

I am your anchor, in the wind and the waves
I am your steadfast, so don't be afraid
Though your heart and flesh may fail you, I'm your faithful strength
I am with you wherever you go

Friday, 2 December 2011

I wait for the Lord


I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption." (Psalm 130:5-7)

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Reminded of Gods great love


Genesis 1:26-27

English Standard Version (ESV)

 26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
 27So God created man in his own image,
   in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.


Deuteronomy 7:6-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

 6"For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.


Jeremiah 31:3

English Standard Version (ESV)

 3the LORD appeared to him[a] from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
   therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Zephaniah 3:17

English Standard Version (ESV)

17 The LORD your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
   he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Psalm 136:1-26

English Standard Version (ESV)
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
2Give thanks to the God of gods,
   for his steadfast love endures forever.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
4to him who alone does great wonders,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
5to him who by understanding made the heavens,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
6to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
7to him who made the great lights,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
8the sun to rule over the day,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
9the moon and stars to rule over the night,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
 10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
11and brought Israel out from among them,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
12with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
13to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
15but overthrew[a] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
16to him who led his people through the wilderness,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
 17to him who struck down great kings,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
18and killed mighty kings,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
19Sihon, king of the Amorites,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
20and Og, king of Bashan,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
21and gave their land as a heritage,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
22a heritage to Israel his servant,
   for his steadfast love endures forever.
 23It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
24and rescued us from our foes,
   for his steadfast love endures forever;
25he who gives food to all flesh,
   for his steadfast love endures forever.
 26Give thanks to the God of heaven,
   for his steadfast love endures forever.

Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Dealing With Pain


A new week is here. Are you ready? Are you filled with enthusiasm and fresh courage? Don’t worry if you are not. If you’re dealing with pain or wandering in desert: It is all right. The main thing is to be authentic, to not deny your suffering. There are no quick fixes. But even when we are out of enthusiasm and fresh courage we are not out of mercy. Even when we are out of energy and clear guidance we are not out of hope.
I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, 
   the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— 
   the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember, 
   and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, 
   his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning. 
   How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). 
   He’s all I’ve got left.
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits

   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope
   quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young 
   to stick it out through the hard times.
(Lamentations 3:19-27, MSG, emphasis added)
When it’s our time to face some hard times we are to keep a firm grip on hope. I have experienced times in my life that everything else than God was taken away from me. But God was more than enough. God’s love does not run out. New mercy is created every morning. When storms race in our hearts and in our lives we are called to stick it out. We are called to wait passionately, seek diligently, and hope quietly. 
When life is heavy and hard to take, 
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: 
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. 
   The “worst” is never the worst.
(Lamentations 3: 28-3o, MSG, emphasis added)
God will never leave us or forsake us. We can count on his love, his mercy, his grace. We can count on God being with us no matter what is going on in our lives. When life is heavy and hard to take we are counseled to take time to sit with God, bow in prayer, and wait for hope to appear. We are advised to not to run from trouble but take it full-face. We need to stick through it.
When we embrace suffering we encounter Christ in a new level. When we give even our troubles, hurts, and difficulties to God we encounter God’s love and grace in a new way. When we surrender to God, day after day, in storms and in sunshine, we encounter the presence of the Holy Spirit in surprising ways.
Asking questions and fretting over not receiving answers does no good to our souls. Rainer Maria Rilke has expressed this so eloquently in his Letter to a Young Poet: “…I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
There is indeed time for everything. In due time we will find the answers. In due time a new dawn will appear. In due time even hardships will pass. Meanwhile, trust God, keep a firm grip on hope. It’s going to be all right.
“I called out your name, O God, 
   called from the bottom of the pit.
You listened when I called out, ‘Don’t shut your ears! 
   Get me out of here! Save me!’
You came close when I called out. 
   You said, ‘It’s going to be all right.’
(Lamentations 3: 55-57, MSG)

Forgiven


I am fully forgiven and free from all shame and condemnation (Romans 8:1-2, Ephesians 1:7-8, 1 John 1:9).
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:1-2
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:7-8
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Monday, 21 November 2011

Led By The Spirit





Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation— but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,  because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  Romans 8:12-17

The Good Shepherd



The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.  John 10:2-5

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.  John 10:27-28
Isn't it good to know we have a good Shepherd who laid His life down for us, to rescue and redeem us.  who knows us by name and calls us and cares for us. Isn't it good to know that the bible says we WILL hear His voice and recognize Him, that He is a God that speaks and draws near to us!

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed


Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lam 3:22-26

Thursday, 17 November 2011

Unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit





"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful" (1 Peter 3:3–5).

Thursday, 27 October 2011

When I Say "I Am A Christian"



When I Say "I Am A Christian"
bar


When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way."

When I say..."I am a Christian"
don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I'm loved.

Monday, 24 October 2011

The heavens declare the glory of God



Psalm 19

    For the director of music. A psalm of David.


1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
 5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
   like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
   and makes its circuit to the other;
   nothing is deprived of its warmth.

 7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
   making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
   giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
   and all of them are righteous.

 10 They are more precious than gold,
   than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
   than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
   in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
   Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
   may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
   innocent of great transgression.

 14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
   be pleasing in your sight,
   LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Monday, 17 October 2011

Praise the LORD


Psalm 104

 1 Praise the LORD, my soul.   LORD my God, you are very great;
   you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

 2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;
   he stretches out the heavens like a tent
 3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
   and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,[a]
   flames of fire his servants.

 5 He set the earth on its foundations;
   it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
   the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
   at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
   they went down into the valleys,
   to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
   never again will they cover the earth.

 10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
   it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
   the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
   they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
   the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
   and plants for people to cultivate—
   bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
   oil to make their faces shine,
   and bread that sustains their hearts.
16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
   the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
   the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
   the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

 19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,
   and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
   and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
   and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
   they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then people go out to their work,
   to their labor until evening.

 24 How many are your works, LORD!
   In wisdom you made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
   teeming with creatures beyond number—
   living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
   and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

 27 All creatures look to you
   to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
   they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
   they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
   they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
   they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
   they are created,
   and you renew the face of the ground.

 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
   may the LORD rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
   who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
   I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
   as I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
   and the wicked be no more.

   Praise the LORD, my soul.
   Praise the LORD.[b]

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38, 39 

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

He died for you!




At the age of 33,
Jesus was condemned to death .

At the time
Crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst
Criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was
Even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike
Other criminals condemned to death by
Crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the
Cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail
Was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails
Were driven into His wrist. Not
Into His palms as is commonly
Portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that
Extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew
That when the nails were being hammered into the
Wrist that tendon would tear and
Break, forcing Jesus to use His back
Muscles to support himself so that He could
Breath.

Both of His feet
Were nailed together. Thus He was forced to
Support Himself on the single nail that
Impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could
Not support himself with His legs because of the pain
So He was forced to alternate between arching His
Back then using his legs just to continue to
Breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the
Suffering, the courage.

Jesus endured this
Reality for over 3 hours.

Yes,
Over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of
Suffering? A few minutes before He died,
Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water
From his wounds.

From common images
We see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound
To His side... But do we realize His wounds
Were actually made in his body. A hammer
Driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped
And an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a
Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But
Before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and
Beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the
Flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His
Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The
Crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men
Would not have survived this torture.

"

He had no more blood
To bleed out, only water poured from His
Wounds.
The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters
(just less than a gallon) of blood.

Jesus poured all 3.5
Liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His
Members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond
That, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His
Chest..

All these without
Mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own
Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his
Face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight,
Only for its higher part, where His hands were
Nailed).

Jesus had
To endure this experience, to open the
Gates of Heaven,
So that you can have free
Access to God.

So that your sins
Could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!
Don't ignore this situation.

JESUS
CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

He died for you!