After a long journey of waiting and trusting....
Psalm 98:1-3
Sing a new song to the Lord.
for He has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
His holy arm has shown his saving power!
The Lord has announced His victory
and has revealed His righteousness to everyone!
He has remembered His promise to love and be faithful,
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Psalm 18...excerpts
"To the faithful, You show Yourself faithful;
to those with integrity, You show integrity.
To the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the wicked, You show Yourself hostile.
You rescue the humble,
but you humiliate the proud.
You light a lamp for me.
The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
In Your strength, I can crush an army;
with my God, I can scale a wall.
God's way is perfect.
All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.
For who is God, except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?"
to those with integrity, You show integrity.
To the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the wicked, You show Yourself hostile.
You rescue the humble,
but you humiliate the proud.
You light a lamp for me.
The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
In Your strength, I can crush an army;
with my God, I can scale a wall.
God's way is perfect.
All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.
For who is God, except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?"
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Confident Hope
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
What is the order of things here? Trust in the source of hope > joy and peace > confident hope
Hope doesn't just happen, doesn't just appear. Hope comes from a source. Just as a stream doesn't just happen, there must be a source. It may by a spring or glacier, but it has a source. God, God alone, is the source of hope. When we trust (believe) God to be who He is, Hope, then we drink of that stream of hope. That stream of anticipation or expectancy. As the hope fills our inner being, we experience joy and peace. Joy and peace can be both emotions and a state of being. God's hope produces joy and peace in both. We feel joy and peace and we are characterized by joy and peace. Furthermore, He causes us to overflow with confident hope [toward others] courtesy the power of the Holy Spirit. As I have walked through the journey of my father entering into Jesus presence, I have a deeper appreciation for the joy and peace that have run deep and overflowed my being in a confident hope that, though physical death is accompanied by pain and sorrow, I can "take heart, because I (Jesus) have overcome the world." John 16:33 Yes, as we are in Christ Jesus, so we will overcome this world. I am declaring this to you, I have a confident hope, flanked by joy and peace, in this.
What is the order of things here? Trust in the source of hope > joy and peace > confident hope
Hope doesn't just happen, doesn't just appear. Hope comes from a source. Just as a stream doesn't just happen, there must be a source. It may by a spring or glacier, but it has a source. God, God alone, is the source of hope. When we trust (believe) God to be who He is, Hope, then we drink of that stream of hope. That stream of anticipation or expectancy. As the hope fills our inner being, we experience joy and peace. Joy and peace can be both emotions and a state of being. God's hope produces joy and peace in both. We feel joy and peace and we are characterized by joy and peace. Furthermore, He causes us to overflow with confident hope [toward others] courtesy the power of the Holy Spirit. As I have walked through the journey of my father entering into Jesus presence, I have a deeper appreciation for the joy and peace that have run deep and overflowed my being in a confident hope that, though physical death is accompanied by pain and sorrow, I can "take heart, because I (Jesus) have overcome the world." John 16:33 Yes, as we are in Christ Jesus, so we will overcome this world. I am declaring this to you, I have a confident hope, flanked by joy and peace, in this.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The Reality
"And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you live because you have been made right with God." Romans 8:10
As I sit with my father in the hospital I deeply feel the reality of the consequence of the fall. The body does fail and it is not a lovely thing. It is emotionally and physically painful. The ray of light that filters through it all is the Spirit given life. Yes, my dad has been made right with God through the saving power of Jesus blood. Because of that, as I watch his body give way, I am assured that he has life. That Spirit given life gives hope through this painful process. Thank you, Jesus, for giving Your life so that we might live...live beyond these frail bodies.
As I sit with my father in the hospital I deeply feel the reality of the consequence of the fall. The body does fail and it is not a lovely thing. It is emotionally and physically painful. The ray of light that filters through it all is the Spirit given life. Yes, my dad has been made right with God through the saving power of Jesus blood. Because of that, as I watch his body give way, I am assured that he has life. That Spirit given life gives hope through this painful process. Thank you, Jesus, for giving Your life so that we might live...live beyond these frail bodies.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Declaration
"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
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Who's in Charge
I use this phrase often when talking about parenting. Romans 8:6 asks the same idea in regards to our minds. "...letting your sinful nature control your minds leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace." The end results are pretty stark opposites. It is a choice...however, it is only made possible because "God sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins." (v. 3) Lord, may I live moment by moment in that freedom; my mind controlled by your Spirit, leading to life and peace.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)