How Great is our GOD!

Before Jesus was born, even before creation, He was with God and He was God. 

In the beginning was the WORD.

http://youtu.be/u42Z4qIQO4Y - Faithful Love 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This message taken from the first chapter of the Gospel of John, the apostle whom Jesus loved,  is quite possibly the most poignant passage in all the Bible to me. 
 
The WORD was in the beginning. 

The WORD was with God.

The WORD was GOD.

Through the WORD all things were made that have been made.

In Him was LIFE and that Life was the LIGHT of all people.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

This is truly the best Gift ever - to be given the right to become a child of God - all because He loved us enough to become human, to live, die and be resurrected so that we, too, might die to sin and be resurrected to a new life with HIM forever and always!
Colossians 2:9-15
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.



8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.


9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your sinful nature was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Praise God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
Thank You for loving me.  Thank You for coming to earth to save me. Thank You for experiencing humanity by being born and living as fully human even to death on the cross. I know You understand what I suffer because You've experienced every struggle and pain that I will ever face, and You remained faithful to Your Father through it all. Thank You for teaching me by example to trust our Father who never fails us.  Father, thank You for Your grace and mercies that are new every morning.  Forgive me when I take Your amazing gift of love so lightly.  I cannot repay the debt You've paid on my behalf, but I can live my life to honor You. Help me to be a witness like John and boldly speak the truth of Your great love and plan of Salvation.  I pray all these things in the Name of my Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who was, who is and is to come!  Be praised and lifted high in my life, Lord.  Amen.

http://youtu.be/xi0yLRX4d2M - How great is our God - Chris Tomlin

The Word was GOD



Akiane Kramarik painted  Prince of Peace, her first portrait of Jesus
when she was only eight years old.

 http://youtu.be/xi0yLRX4d2M - How Great is our God - Chris Tomlin


The Painting to the right was done by Akiane Kramarik when she was only eight years old.  Her mother was an atheist and her father had left the Catholic Church.  But Akiane felt God drawing her to Himself.  This "Prince of Peace" is how Akiane envisioned Christ to look. 

In the book, Heaven is for Real, 4 year old Colton has had a near-death experience during surgery.  Little Colton calmly and randomly begins sharing stories with his parents about seeing Jesus and talking to him when he was with Jesus in heaven.  During the writing of the book, his family would ask him what Jesus looked like.  Every time they showed a photo to Colton, he'd say "no, Jesus doesn't look like that."  One day, his dad was showing him some more photos online when suddenly Colton pointed. "Dad, that one’s right,” he exclaims. It was the Akiane portrait of Jesus. 

 
 http://youtu.be/ZTRLf3N84tY - Above All - Michael W Smith
 

John 1:1-11 NLT

In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,  and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.


God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.


The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.


The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. 
He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him.

This passage is so powerful to me.  Imagine, Almighty God who reigns in Heaven, that very God came to earth, setting aside His rights as GOD, He lowered Himself and took on flesh.  Jesus became fully man.  Do we get that? Our great Creator became man so that He could be our Savior - the perfect lamb that would lay down His life for us.  What amazing love He has shown towards us.

Sometimes, I think we forget that Jesus has always existed, right along side God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Don't we sometimes relegate Jesus to a lesser position?  But God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are ONE God.  Although they have different roles, they are equal because they are all GOD. The Trinity is a relationship of Perfect Love and Perfect Unity. Our God is the original One for All and All for ONE.

God the Son existed in the beginning. Everything was created through Him.  There is not one single thing that was not created by Jesus, the God who became man on our behalf.  Imagine that for just a moment!  Think of every word we've ever used to describe our Great God.  Majestic, All Powerful, Holy One, Magnificent, All Knowing, Omnipresent, Eternal, Limitless, Light of the world, Mighty One, Life, Most Wise,  Indescribable, Uncontainable, Just, Everlasting, Alpha and Omega, Master, Faithful and True, King of kings,  Lord of lords ... and that's only just the beginning of words that inadequately describe the greatness of our Savior.  The sad part...

He came into the world that He created - HIS world - and His world, His own creation didn't even recognize Him.  He came to His own people, His very own brothers and even they rejected Him.

That breaks my heart.  How could this happen?  How could the world reject Jesus?  He was kind and good and compassionate.  He understood each person who ever came into contact with Him like no one else had every understood them. 

They knew the Savior was coming.  Jehovah God had promised that He would send the Savior who would take away the sins of the world.  HE even told them what to look for.  And as John the Baptist sat in that prison cell awaiting his beheading, even that great prophet began to question if Jesus was the Savior.

Matthew 11:4-6
Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”

Surely, John remembered the Scriptures -

Isaiah 35:4-6
Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.”
And when he comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!

Isaiah 42:1-7
“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen One, who pleases Me.
 I have put my Spirit upon Him.


He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise His voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed nor put out a flickering candle.  He will bring justice
to all who have been wronged.  He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails
throughout the earth.  Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His instruction.”


God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out.
He created the earth and everything in it.
He gives breath to everyone, Life to everyone who walks the earth.
And it is He who says, “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate My righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel,
a symbol of my covenant with them.


And you will be a light to guide the nations.
You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life,
and the Good News was preached to the poor.   I'm very sure that John the Baptist no longer
doubted that Jesus was the Messiah for whom he had been preparing the way.

I get so upset with all those people back in bible times who didn't believe, who didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah.  How could they not know?  How could they not follow Him?   But then I remember
how often I falter; how often I fail to give Him my full allegiance.  How many times do I refuse to obey if what He's asks of me is not what I want to do? How can I be disobedient to the One who died for me?  How can I refuse to obey the One who loves me enough to become human in order to save me? 

God came to earth as man to be my Savior and even though I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord, do I really comprehend what an incredible thing He did for me?  I don't think I truly understand how great His sacrifice was.  How great His love for me is. 


As a mom, I can't imagine the agony You experienced watching Your precious Son endure such
suffering and pain.  I can't bear to think how HE felt when we all rejected Him.  And we all have, at one time or another.  Please forgive me for being so focused on myself that I couldn't see what Jesus did for me.
Thank You, Holy God, for sending Your Son to save me.  Thank You for sending Your Spirit to live in me, providing everything I need to face this life.  Thank You for Your great love and compassion toward us, Your children. Blessed be Your great and glorious Name.  Holy God, You are too wonderful for words.  Please hear my heart's cry of praise and adoration as I put my face to the ground in humility and thankfulness. I pray this all in the sweet, sweet Name of my Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen. 
 
 
http://youtu.be/7-zJHgaoVa4 - Indescribable - Chris TomlinHoly Father, I'm on my knees bowing before You with love and gratitude for all You've done for me.  There is no greater love than when a man lays down his life for another.  Father, Jesus did just that for me.  He laid down His life - He took my place - He suffered my punishment - He died so that I might live.  Oh, Father, what great love You have demonstrated - not only in this most gracious gift of Salvation through the sacrifice of Your Son, but in that You sent Him to be man, to fully experience life as a human with all it's problems and struggles. He knows what exactly how I feel when I suffer or struggle because He experienced the same things.  He is compassionate and kind and my ever present help in time of need.