Tag: #AmazingGrace

Forgiven

Listen to Crowder sing ‘Forgiven’ – Powerful!

“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 NLT

I am not perfect. I am flawed, broken, and sinful…. and I am forgiven. Forgiven for every bad thing, every sinful thought, every flawed decision I’ve made. Being human, I have followed in the footsteps of the first couple, thinking I could run my life better than the Creator GOD. I almost had it right, but I left something out. You see, when you say ‘I can run my life just fine,’ you are putting an ‘i’ in the word, making ‘run’ become ‘ruin.’ But – how can GOD find the time to deal with my issues when there are millions upon mlllions of other people who have real problems that need help? Besides all of us, there is the entire universe for Him to deal with! What can I say? The Omnipotent, omnipresent LORD, King of all kings, cares about us. He cares about me. Listen to what JESUS said:

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only GOD, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” – Matthew 10:28‭-‬29‭, ‬31 NLT – In Luke 12, JESUS also says “…. the very hairs on your head are all numbered ….”

Even though I am forgiven; despite my brokenness, JESUS wants me to follow the Father’s Commandments. Does He want me to give up everything to follow Him; to be rigid in my following of the Ten Commandments given to Moses? After all, GOD gave the to us. I love how my Saviour simplified the Ten and all of the laws into Two Commandments.

“Loving GOD means keeping His Commandments, and His Commandments are not burdensome.” – 1 John 5:3 NLT

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the First and Greatest Commandment. A Second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37‭-‬40 NLT

Are you forgiven? Do you LOVE the LORD? Accept Him and Proclaim Him – Find your Freedom in CHRIST JESUS today! ☝️

Redeemed From Sin

“We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.” – 1 Corinthians 4:12‭-‬13 NLT

“Praise the LORD, the GOD of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. He has sent us a Mighty Savior from the royal line of His servant David, just as He promised through His Holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering His Sacred Covenant — the Covenant He swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve GOD without fear, in Holiness and Righteousness for as long as we live. Because of GOD’s tender Mercy, the Morning Light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give Light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the Path of Peace.” – Luke 1:68‭-‬75‭, ‬78‭-‬79 NLT

The GOD of Israel, the People who are His children, aren’t just of the physical line of Abraham. GOD includes both Jew and Gentile, all who have accepted His Son as Saviour – that includes me, and I pray it includes you, as well; ALL of His children. As a follower of CHRIST JESUS, we can anticipate many trials and temptation; we know we will be treated differently, even to the point of persecution. As Paul said to the church in Corinth, we who are known as Christians will be treated like the world’s garbage. Is it fair? I want to say no, it isn’t fair. Then I remember that while the world who mocks us and treats us badly will spend eternity in agony with Satan in hell, we will spend eternity with our LORD JESUS! How’s that for fair? A lifetime of hell on earth to trade for an ETERNITY of Love and Peace and JOY with my LORD….. I am Redeemed; are YOU?

Listen to Big Daddy Weave sing “Redeemed.”


Photo by Robert Nyman on Unsplash

The ROCK on Which I Stand

“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build My Church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the SON OF MAN will come with His angels in the Glory of His FATHER and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the SON OF MAN coming in His Kingdom.” – Matthew 16:18‭, ‬24‭-‬28 NLT

“If you openly declare that JESUS is LORD and believe in your heart that GOD raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 NLT

I have nothing to add to this. Read it and celebrate with me because you declare Him LORD, or read it and weep because you reject Him. “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” – Philippians 4:11 NLT

Betrayed

We’ve all been there. Friend, family member, spouse…. it’s a devastating thing to feel betrayed. You wonder how you can ever trust anyone, ever again. I have been betrayed many times over my life. My own body has betrayed me through a miscarriage. Consequently, I spent years subconsciously beating myself up mentally and physically. As we grow in our formative years, our bodies can betray us in disabling disease, and physical or mental limitations. We all know how badly betrayal hurts, yet we insist on doing to others – and to ourselves. Jesus tells us about betrayal:

“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.” – Matthew 10:21 NLT

Who knows how it feels to be betrayed more than Jesus? Among His 12 best friends, men with whom He has shared everything for over 3 years, one would betray JESUS to die. He knew both when and how He would be betrayed, and who would betray Him, and continued His ministry anyway.

“After they gathered again in Galilee, JESUS told them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of His enemies.” ….. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray JESUS….. Then He [JESUS]came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, My betrayer is here!” And even as JESUS said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people.” – Matthew17:22, 26:14‭-‬16‭, ‬45‭-‬47 NLT

Whatever is our betrayer, we have to acknowledge it as JESUS did, because it is only then that we can forgive…. just as JESUS did, and still does today. You see, it wasn’t just Judas who betrayed our LORD. We betray Him every day in our own lives, and we betray Him when we neglect Him. We betray Him in word and deed, and He forgives us and Loves us in spite of ourselves. Can we do any less – should we do any less for His other children?

Set Apart From the World

“You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for Himself. The LORD will answer when I call to Him.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the LORD. Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”

Let Your Face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater Joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

In Peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.” – Psalms 4:3‭-‬8 NLT

I know, and have known, many angry, bitter people. It controls them, and it eats away at them inside. I know this, because I was one of those people. Being angry and bitter put me on medications to stop my stomach from hurting, and heavy doses of pain killers for my migraines. Who did I hurt with my anger? Me! It kept me from being content, and caused upheaval in relationships and in work environments. I have a friend who is very angry and bitter. Trouble and discontent follow him. He claims to be a Christian, but he has no peace. He is unhappy, and ‘hate’ is one of his most used words. That was me, too, until I finally – FINALLY – figured out how much I was hurting myself, and that JESUS was patiently waiting for me to let Him have all that mess. It’s absolutely amazing how much better I am when I’m not carrying all that junk inside. Do I still get upset? Of course; I’m human, and I am very flawed and broken. I have found that when I let other’s attitudes flow around me i stead of into me, life is so much more pleasant. Your anger and your bitterness may hurt me or disappoint me, but I don’t have to take it on myself and react to it in a negative or hateful way. Sometimes I struggle, but I know that with the help and support of the Holy Spirit, I can move past it. The ‘crazy’ driver who cuts me off, the person who is rude to me, the one who calls me a ‘b**’ or other unflattering names…. It’s their problem, not mine. I can react, or I can take a breath and respond. It’s my choice, and as long as I let the LORD take the issue, it’s an easy choice. No one can make me angry without permission. Satan no longer has that hold over me! I give thanks daily to my Saviour for releasing me from my bondage of hate and bitterness, and all the ugly that goes with it.

As Christians, we are supposed to be set apart from the world. The greed and possession-hungry ‘ME’ attitude, the anger and hatred that seems to permeate the world…. it’s not for us. I admit that I enjoy my home, and having the kinds of food I like to eat; I am happy to have a vehicle that I picked out. I have done with much less, and I could again, although I would like to stay where I am. I acknowledge that I am blessed beyond measure. My prayer is to be thankful for having enough and not to be greedy, and that I not be like a stranger, a foreigner in my LORD’S eyes. I am His child, the daughter of the Most High. Don’t be like the lepers who were healed by JESUS. When He heals us of our brokenness, give Him ALL the GLORY. When I come face-to-face with my LORD, I surely don’t want Him to deny me because I refused to recognise His Power and Mercy in my life.

“Has no one returned to give Glory to GOD except this foreigner?” – Luke 17:18 NLT

Listen to Chris Tomlin sing Amazing Grace. My chains are gone; it’s right where I love to be, in the Amazing Grace of my LORD. I know I am Forever His! AMEN.

So Good To Me

“…. [For] “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me,” declares the LORD.” – Isaiah 54:17 NIV

It is such a joy to get up in the morning to contemporary Christian music! Growing up, we listened to records (yep, real vinyl LP’s, with the occassional 45rpm), of mostly classical music. It gave me a love for the rich, complex sounds of an orchestra, and I find that fullness and beauty in many of the bands today. Combine that with the words of scripture, add in the real life struggles we all face, then put the reality of CHRIST in it – it gives me a constant reminder of how good my LORD is to me; to how much He LOVES me. The struggles of our lives are real, and the songs don’t negate that. They enhance the Power of GOD, and provide respite from pain and worry. I could refer you to so many artists and their songs! I am reminded of His Love, His Power, His Omnipotence. How GOOD is God to me? Let me count the ways! He has rescued me from countless (really; I’ve lost track) life-threatening situations. He has always provided ‘enough.’ He has opened His Arms to receive me back home through all of my rebellion. He has carried me through sickness and heartache and sorrow. He knows me better than any person, and He Loves me enough that in spite of me, He sent JESUS to be my personal Redeemer and Saviour. Amazing!

He is so GOOD to me!

Listen to No One Like Our God by Lincoln Brewster.

Protection From Danger

If I write about the responsibility we have to protect our children and elderly and those unable to help themselves in light of recent tragedies, I could make this a highly charged political rant…. and in fact, at some future point I probably will. Today, though, is about God; my GOD, The GOD. He is the only realistic and lasting protection we could ask for, and yet, millions deny Him every day. I want to be like David and Solomon, calling on the Name of LORD for protection and relief from oppression, and for wisdom in my decision making.

“(1) The LORD is my Light and my Salvation — so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my Fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? (4) The one thing I ask of the LORD — the thing I seek most— is to live in the House of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s Perfections and meditating in His Temple.” – Psalms 27:1‭, ‬4 NLT

When I focus on the LORD, rather than on the troubles I face, there is a peace that comes over me. When I acknowledge that the LORD has my future in His Hands, I remember that worry pulls my future from HIS hands and into my grasp. Not good. FACT #1: When we let go of our lives, and we relinguish control to the LORD, we will have Peace in our hearts. It may be chaos on the outside, but it is total relief on the inside. FACT #2: When we don’t let go, and we try to keep control of our lives, we are actually handing it over to the enemy. Remember the adage “You cannot serve two masters?” It’s true! Something is going to be at the top.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and be enslaved to money.” – Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13 NL

When you look for protection from life’s ugliness, who do you call on? Are you depending on the One, the Almighty, or on yourself? In the coming battle, I pray that you will be on the right side, between the arms of JESUS and under His protection. FACT #3: Without His protection, your future and your ETERNITY will be unbearable…. and yet you will have no choice but to bear it. FACT #4: JESUS, LORD, Savior, is waiting beside you, ready to put you under His Protection in the space of a heartbeat. Call on Him, today. Once He’s got you, He will never let you go!

Listen to ‘Point to You’ by We Are Messengers

Broken People, Broken Prayers

“For we are GOD’s Masterpiece. He has Created us anew in CHRIST JESUS, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:10 NLT

We are so unworthy of GOD’s Love! As we come into Spring, reminders of our GOD are popping up all over the place. Green shoots pushing up through the debris of Winter, bird songs filling the air and the skies full of geese and other migrating birds – my first daffodil of the year just opened. How can anyone not believe in a greater Being than us, especially when surrounded by the new life coming through what appeared to be all dead? Our LORD personifies the renewing of life. From the moment He stepped down from His Throne in heaven to come down to our human level and be born to live as a man, to the end of His life and ministry, Jesus was like a beautiful plant.

“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” – Luke 2:52 NLT

To everyone alive at that time, as they saw JESUS die a human death on the cross and buried as a man in a tomb, it was the end of Him. Like the flowers and grasses that die and are swept away in the winter, our LORD, Jesus Christ, was resurrected from from death. He blossomed as He spoke to His followers and to the crowds that surrounded Him. Nature shows us the Resurrection story every Spring with trees and grasses, and babies of every kind being born. It is a wonderful time of new life. We are broken people. We have hardened our hearts to the point that even when we want to open them, all we can do is offer up broken prayers. I know how difficult it can be to open up that hard kernal we call a heart; to let the nourishing Light and Love of our JESUS in to cover us and allow us to grow.

It is through JESUS that we are healed. It is through His Mercy and Grace that we are forgiven. Never assume that being a “good” person will do any good when we all stand at the Great White Throne on Judgement Day! Read Revelations of John 20:11-15. Let the Light of Jesus, and His cleansing Blood, wash over your hurting heart and broken prayers today.

Listen to Broken Prayers by Riley Clemmons. (Here’s an excerpt)

You want my tears, every messy word
Every scar and every fear
You want all I have
With no holding back
When I’m hurt, at my worst
You meet me there
‘Cause you see the beauty
In my broken prayers
In my broken prayers

Life Is Messy

“No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave.” – Psalms 89:48 NLT

We all sometimes wish we could live forever, but really? Not me. As messy and chaotic as my life as been, it could end tomorrow and I wouldn’t be upset; although I do love my friends and family and my animals. I’m pretty sure they would miss me ….. and that makes death a messy situation. Of course, I am very sure of what happens next, and I look forward to absolute JOY of being with my Jesus and with everyone who has gone on to heaven before me. Our bodies and our brains have expiration dates. In fact, all of creation has an expiration date. Just take a look around you. Does anything last forever? We all know that death is inevitable for all living creatures. From the time of Adam and Eve, that bite of the fruit forbidden to them, mankind and nature have been in a messy downward spiral. The earth is in constant upheaval, and even the stars in space are deteriorating and dying. No amount of research, not cryogenics or robotic bodies, will do more that prolong the inevitable. We can stabilize and preserve, and we can build ….. and it will all come to an end.

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything GOD made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His Eternal Power and Divine Nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing GOD.” – Romans 1:20 NLT

I don’t understand how ANYONE can state categorically that there is no GOD; no Creator. Creation v. Evolution – but that’s another blog! For the moment, let’s focus on life and death, and what happens next. I love this first-hand account by the physician Luke, where Jesus tells us what will happen after we die, if we will just ask Him.

“One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear GOD even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” ” – Luke 23:39‭-‬43 NLT

Do you know what will happen to you; where your soul will go, when you die?

Blessed Assurance, JESUS is mine! (Written by Fanny Crosby)

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.