Just for Fun!

Using Songs & Hymn

 Titles to Express

My Faith!

Song links are in red, songs in blue.

HYMNS

I Know Whom I have Believed and It is Well with My Soul. 

Be Though My Vision, oh, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise! 

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place and I will forever sing O Worship the King. O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go is found in the O Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.

Mercy Me Songs

Dear Younger Me,

I have a New Lease on Life. Jesus has made me Flawless and Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. It is not Wishful Thinking to believe that God will Finish What He Started. I say Welcome to the New and I will Shake because God has done a great thing in me.

Different Artist

People Need the Lord and I need to tell them My Story. Through prayer and study of God's word, I am Learning to be the Light.  In John 8:12, Jesus tells me that He is the light of the world, therefore He is My Lighthouse.

King & Country

My prayer: Dear God, help me to Fix My Eyes on You. You sent Your son, Jesus, to be the Proof of Your Love. When I am down and I feel that I can't go on, I turn to Your Shoulders to gain the strength to continue. Amen!

God Makes All Things New!

I am not the same!

Revelation 21:5

Looking back to where I was a year ago thanks to my journal, I can honestly say that I am not the same person now. Last year, I was ready to forsake family but God was faithful and changed my heart. He used special people in my life to help me process things clearly and encourage me to love my sister. I could not have imagined then what rewards my obedience would bring. I now have a better relationship with my mom and my sister. The most awesome blessing came on August 10th last year. God blessed my sister with a beautiful and extra special baby girl. I so much want to be a part of her life as well as my sister's.

With God's help, I strive to communicate better with my mom and sister. I recently made an amends to my sister for having missed the baby shower. God enables me to love and care for my mom following her recent surgery even when I am not at my best. His grace truly is sufficient (Romans 12:9). Time and time again, God has shown me that He can supply all my need. Yet, I am the fickle one that can so easily forget that He is all that I need and thus fret or complain.

Yeah God! He keeps His promises.

Challenge: When has God shown you that His grace is sufficient?

There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is no rock like our God. 

1 Samuel 2:2 ESV 

God is My Fortress!

Worship Him for He is Our Fortress!

Psalm 18:2; 2 Samuel 22:2-3

As I read the scriptures listed, there are a number of songs that come to my mind that sing of God as our fortress and He is our deliverer. One of my treasured hymns comes to the forefront, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, written by Martin Luther. This hymn is one of the most recognized and loved hymns. 

The second definition of fortress is any place of exceptional security; stronghold. Therefore, God is our place of  exceptional security; our stronghold. In the hymn, God is our bulwark never failing. Bulwark is defined as any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement in time of need, danger, or doubt.  

In the second verse of this hymn, Jesus is called the Lord Sabaoth meaning He is the Lord of armies. Jesus is the power that will defeat our mortal enemy for his doom is sure. God's kingdom is forever. This is why I love to worship God through singing the fore mentioned hymn for He alone is my fortress and bulwark; no matter what the enemy throws at me, God is the winner and has defeated him through His Son, Jesus.

God has brought me through a lot of difficult times in my life and has brought about reconciliation in relationships with my family. To God be all praise and glory forevermore.

How has God been your fortress or bulwark? Give Him the glory!

He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. 

Psalm 62:2 

Worship Him A New!

With Hymns!

"We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God!"

Author, Stephen P. Starke

There is something majestic, beautiful, and worshipful about traditional hymns. In churches today, there seems to a push to leave hymns behind and move toward contemporary praise songs. I wish that this was not the case. I am blessed that where I chose to worship the Lord has a blend of both hymns and today's praise music. I have made the hymn above a link to video with music and lyrics to this wonderful hymn that I have been learning at my church. 

 

What is key in the songs we sing is the message. What are the words telling us? Are they pointing praises to God and of Jesus and Him crucified and raised again to life for our salvation? Do the words bring Him honor and glory? Or do they makes us happy with a catchy tune yet void of any true meaning? 

 

In the aforementioned hymn, it is in the last line of verses 1-3 that strike my heart. Verse 1, "O holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth; Your majesty and glory fill the heavens and the earth." 

Verse 2, "O all-majestic Father,Your True and only Son, and Holy Spirit, Comforter - forever Three in One." 

Verse 3, Then by Your resurrection You won for us reprieve -  You opened heaven's kingdom to all who would believe.

 

This hymn is a versification of the Te Deum laudamus done by Stephen P. Starke in 1999.  It was published in 2006. The tune is from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, specifically the movement “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.”  The tune is from a section in the middle of the movement.  Both text and tune combine to create a majestic hymn that confesses so much about our God and especially what He has done for us by sending Christ to redeem the world. (I found this information from another link discussing this hymn.)

 

I truly hope that hymns do not become a thing of the past. There are a number of songs on Christian radio that inspire me yet there is something about hymns that call my heart to worship God in spirit and in truth.

I would like to encourage you to explore your hymn book and find one that moves you to worship God in spirit and in truth.

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Revelation 5:13b

Following Christ's Example

All By The Grace of God!

 Romans 15:5-6; Colossians 3:13

With God's amazing grace and the power of His Holy Spirit, I can make every effort to walk in His example. I must die to self and allow Jesus to increase in me in order to follow in His footsteps. The rewards are great not only here but also in heaven. The more I follow in His steps the more I become accustomed to doing so. I am happy with myself and my spirit is light. All is for His glory. He makes it all possible and often I am stupefied as to how God does it. His word tells me that He has the means to transform me and that I live for Christ and because of Him. This is the mystery found in Christ. 

 

How it is that people would choose to live without Him is beyond me. Studying Revelation this year has shown me that God has it all figured out. He is waiting, oh so, patiently so that all may come to the saving knowledge of His son, Jesus. Yet, there will come a time when the waiting is over and God will bring about His judgement and remove sin. It is my responsibility to speak for Him and to testify to the Word of God. Following Christ's example, to do the Father's will. To live for Christ is gain. With the help of God, I can bear with my fellow Christians and forgive as He has forgiven me.

 

Challenge: Whose example are you following?

 

 

My Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, forgive me, my Lord, for I am weak and I often chose the easy way. You alone have the power to bring about true change in me and to give me the desire to follow Your example. Give me a boldness to testify to Your glory. Amen.

The Mind of Christ?

It Is at Cross Purpose to 

That of the World.

Philippians 2:5; Proverbs 22:4

First and foremost is humility. Humility is being neither arrogant nor self-righteous. Romans 12:3 states that one is not to think too highly of one's self but to think soberly. I have to admit that I struggle with being humble. It is in my selfish nature to want to promote myself. Yet, when I have chosen to think less of myself and put other interests before my own, I have been blessed and God has rewarded me. One the other hand when I try to promote myself, I take a fall and my pride is dealt a blow. This is an ongoing battle within myself. 

Proverbs 22:4  tells me that the reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. This is contradictory to what the world promotes. The world calls me to promote myself and my interests before that of others. This only leads to loneliness and pride. 

The key to living a life with the mind of Christ is to look to Christ as my example and prayer. In Ephesians 3:19-21, I find that God is more than able to do all that I ask according to the power at work within me for His glory. It is when I forget this that I fall short and become self focused. God is after all able to supply all my needs but I must come to Him in complete trust, God confidence, and ask knowing that He will hear and answer my prayers. This is an ongoing relationship between me and my Lord Jesus. 

My Challenge to you is where is your mind focused?

My Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, forgive me for putting my focus on myself and not on You. Grant me the desire to seek to follow your example and think less of myself and more on You and the interests of others. You alone are able to do this and ore than I can possible ask. Amen.

Newsflash! Joy is Found in Serving Others!

This is No Lie!

Yet it is my struggle to keep

 The right frame of mind,

That of Christ.

Philippians 2:1-8 MSG

My mother recently had surgery and is in a neck brace for 8 weeks. She is in need of my time and assistance. I have given of my time and abilities willing amid my busy schedule and when I have not been at my best, yet, God has come through and given me strength. With His help, I will continue to do so. I have also given of my time to my sister who is a mother for the first time. She needed me to come and assist with my niece while she did some baby-proofing. I do not say this to brag but to give examples of how God has called me to serve my family.

Giving of myself, when it would be so easy to find an excuse not to, has been a joy. In doing so, I have been Jesus with skin on to my extended family. I have been tired and some of my own family needs have had to be set aside but God reminds me that I am to put myself aside, not be obsessed with getting my advantage, and I am to forget myself long enough to lend a helping hand. This is what Jesus did for me and for all of us. He had equal status with God but did not cling to the advantages of that status. He became human and stayed human living a selfless life even unto death on the cross.

I like how 2 Philippians 2:1-4 in the Message reads,

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

The struggle comes when I am tired or I find myself wanting time for myself. Yet, it is Christ in me that leads me to give of my time and by doing so I show that I love my family. Without Him, I know that I would be greedy with my time and be resentful of what I do give. God's grace is sufficient to meet all my needs. 

My Prayer: Father God in heaven, You make all things possible. Thank You for giving me strength to serve my family. Forgive me when I am self serving. Give me a willing heart and help me to meet all my needs as well as those of others. By Your grace, Amen.