What's my purpose? 


http://youtu.be/bjmpbl2OUMU - In a Blink of an Eye - MercyMe

Does God have a purpose for my life?  Does He really have a plan that includes me?  Am I living for today, for
this earthly life that is "like a vapor - here today and gone tomorrow"?  Am I focused on this world, or do I keep
my eyes on the Eternity?

It's so easy to get caught up in the things of this world.  Too many times I'm distracted to the point that I forget
what really matters.

Why am I here? 

I'm here bring glory to God.  I'm here to shine for Jesus!   It's a lot easier to "shine" when life is great, and I have no problems.  Pretty much anyone can be joyful when life is good.  But difficult circumstances that God allows in my life can be a platform for me to testify to God's faithfulness.  He has promised to give me everything I need to face any challenge.  I may not be able to do it on my own but I can do all things through the Strength that Christ gives me.  He is my Strength.  When I face trials and struggles with the confidence that Christ will not leave nor forsake me, others can see His Light
shining through me.  The light people see in me when I choose to make the most of every situation is far brighter than the light they see in me when everything is going my way.

Joseph faced incredibly difficult situations in his life.  Yet he chose to look to God.  Joseph chose to make the best of every circumstance, and people took notice.  God blessed him, and gave him favor with those around him.  Joseph chose to shine for God.

If you have the time, read Genesis 37, 39-41.  This is the story of Joseph's life.  He was betrayed by his brothers.  He was sold into slavery by them.  He was taken away from his parents when he was still a young man. He was accused unjustly for sexual assault of Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison, where Joseph was a model prisoner.  He was made assistant to the prison guard and was in charge of all the prisoners - while he was imprisoned for years.  He made the best of the situation.  He was forgotten by the cup bearer who had promised to tell Pharaoh of Joseph's plight.  Yet Joseph continued to make the most of his circumstances.  In the end, God used Joseph to save not only his family, but all of Egypt.

When his brothers came to him for help, they didn't know that the man they stood before begging for food, the man who was second in command over all Egypt, that same man was their little brother whom they had sold into slavery.

The brothers were afraid when Joseph revealed himself to them.  But Joseph had nothing by love and forgiveness.  He knew that God had used his circumstances to save so many people. 

When Jacob (Israel) died, the brothers were scared to death.  With their father no longer there to influence his beloved son to care for his family, they just knew that Joseph would have them put to death.  But Joseph didn't focus on the past.  He knew God had used every situation for a good purpose.

Genesis 50:19-21 NIV
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.


What circumstance in my life could God be using for His purpose and glory?  Will I fight and pout and fret about my hard luck, my sickness, my financial ruin, my broken relationships?  Or will I rise above, like Joseph, and make the most of the opportunity to shine for Jesus?

Here's another prayer from "A Treasury of Praise" by Ruth Myers with Warren Myers.

Thank you, my gracious and sovereign God, that You have been with me and carried me from the day of my birth until today...that You have known my whole life, from beginning to end, since before I was born...and that You wrote in Your book all the days that You ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Thank You that in Your gracious plan to bless and use me, You've allowed me to go through hard times, through trials that many people go through in this fallen world.  How glad I am that You're so good at reaching down and making something beautiful out of even the worst situations!  How encouraged I am when I think how You did this for Joseph...how his brothers hated and abused and betrayed him, and how You worked these things out for blessing, both for Joseph and his family and for countless other people.

I'm so grateful that all my past circumstances were permitted by You to make me see my need of You and prepare my heart for Your Word... to draw me to Yourself and to work out Your good purposes for my life.  I rejoice that You are the Blessed Controller of all things -- You are no, You will be throughout the future, and You always were.  All my days had Your touch of love and wisdom whether or not I can as yet fully see it.

And Lord, I choose to look beyond my past and present troubles in this life - this temporary life - and fix my eyes on the unseen things that will last forever.  I praise You for the eternal glory these things are piling up for me as I choose to trust You.

Isaiah 46:3, 9-10
“Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born.


Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me. 10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.


Psalm 139:16 NLT
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Hebrews 10:34 NLT
You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you,
you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.




1 Peter 5:9 NLT
Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and
sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.


Psalm 66:6-12 NLT
He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot.
There we rejoiced in him.
7 For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.



2 Corinthians 4:17-18  NLT
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.



 

http://youtu.be/J4xm2mtDj2c - This Life by MercyMe

How Great is our God?

http://youtu.be/t7F-B2DLvAQ - God of wonders - Chris Tomlin

What better way to start the day than by remembering how great is our God? 

from "A Treasury of Praise" by  Ruth Myers w/ Warren Myers

I magnify You, O Lord, I exalt Your name, for You are great and highly to be praised.  I praise You for the glorious splendor of Your majesty and the power of Your awe-inspiring acts.  Your power is unlimited ... absolute ... beyond imagining.  You are able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or dream of.  "There is nothing too hard for You."  Who is like You, "majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders"?

O Lord Most High, You rule over the heavens and the earth, for You made all things by Your great power, and You keep them existing and working by Your mighty Word.  You are exalted high above every star and galaxy in the entire cosmos ... yet You are also "the God of all mankind," the great, personally present, personally involved God who loves, rescues, and takes care of all who trust You.  You exercise Your gracious authority over all nations -- and over each individual in all the world. There is none like You, the true God, the living God, the everlasting King.

I praise You for Your sovereignty over the broad events of my life and over the details.  With You, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidental, and no experience is wasted.  You hold in Your own power my breath of life and all my destiny.  And every trial that You allow to happen is a platform on which You reveal Yourself, showing Your love and power, both to me and to others looking on.  Thank You that I can move into the future non defensively, with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead, for You hold the future and You will always be with me, even to my old age... and through all eternity.

-----------------------------------

Praise His Holy Name! 

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


I long to be able to praise God with powerful words of adoration and thanksgiving.  But so many times, my words just seem to fall flat.  They are so inadequate.  I love that God has provided us with a way to praise Him - using Spirit filled words right from the Bible.  The prayer above is Scripture prayer and praise.  The verses below were used to speak the powerful truths in this prayer.  The inspired Words of Scripture never fall short.   What better way to speak His praises?

Psalm 145:3-6 NKJV
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.


Ephesians 3:20 NKJV
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,


Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV
‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth
by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.


Exodus 15:11 NIV
Who among the gods is like you, LORD?
Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

Hebrews 1:3 NIV
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.



Jeremiah 32:27 NIV
“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?



Jeremiah 10:6-7 NIV
No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.

Daniel 5:23c NIV
You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone,
which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the
God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.



Hebrews 13:5 NIV
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”


Isaiah 46:4 NIV
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

I lift up my eyes to the hills...

http://youtu.be/qa1hABLMzDE - I will lift my eyes - Bebo Norman

Our ladies' Bible Class is studying Beth Moore's "Stepping Up" - a study of the Psalms of Ascents.  These are songs that were most likely song by the Israelites as they made their way to worship God in Jerusalem.  As they traveled many, sometimes grueling miles, they focused on the their destination.  To them, the Temple in Jerusalem was where God was present.  So no matter how tough the journey, they kept their eyes on the hills - or mountains where they could draw near to God.  That was where they would find strength and comfort.  

Psalm 121 is our memory verse for this study.  "I lift my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?


Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.


3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.


6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.


7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.


8 The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Too many times the Israelites took their eyes off the LORD and instead, they focused on their circumstances.  They forgot all the times HE had delivered them.  They failed to give thanks and praise for His Provision and Protection.  They didn't remember His unfailing love.  When the Israelites looked down instead of up, they were lost and the Enemy could easily defeat them.  When they looked up, the LORD protected them from all evil.

I read about the Israelites, God's chosen people, and frankly, I'm disgusted by how quick they turn from Him.  But when I  am honest with myself, I am just like the Israelites.  I, too,  have been chosen by God to be His special possession, and He has promised to work all things together for my good according to His purpose for me.  If I believe God's promise, why am  I so quick to  forget how faithful He has always been to save me?  I forget to look to the Hills from whence my help comes.  I'm so thankful that Jesus came to save me from myself. Without His righteousness covering me, I'd be without hope.   I'm so thankful for the Holy Spirit living in me.  He gently reminds me that God is worthy of all my trust, and even when I take my eyes off God for a time, the Holy Spirit draws me back.   I am so thankful for the LORD's patience and His amazing love.  Why He choose me?  I'm so unworthy of His love and grace.  But I'm His child, purchased and redeemed with the blood of His precious Son, and that makes all the difference.

Today, I'm looking up!  My help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth.


The following is from "A Treasury of Praise" by Ruth Myers with Warren Myers:

LORD, I extol You for Your great power toward us who believe -- Your tremendous, invincible power that works in us and for us... the same almighty strength You used when You raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him far above all other powers, visible and invisible.  You are able to do infinitely beyond all our highest prayers or thoughts.  Nothing is impossible with You!

Thank You that when I praise You and bring my requests to You in simple faith, I plug into Your almighty power...that when I offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, I open a door for You to rescue me and bless my life, and I prepare the way for You to rescus and bless other people, near and far.

Ephesians 3:12 NIV 1984
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.



Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV 1984
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.



Hebrews 4:16 NIV 1984
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.



Romans 5:17 NIV 1984
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.



Philippians 4:6 NIV1984
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God.



Psalm 62:8 NIV 1984
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

1 John 1:8-10 NIV 1984
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.


Proverbs 28:13 NIV 1984
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.


http://youtu.be/7fwI4qbLpxE - Just another mountain - Jamie Slocum

Because He first loved me...


When I look at this photo from The Passion of the Christ, I have to turn my head.  It's too hard to imagine.  His death was not pretty.  So many renditions of the scene don't show the true horror of death by cruxificion.  I think it's important to remember what He suffered.  I have to look at this photo and see the true physical suffering Jesus endured for me. 

My sins put Jesus on the cross.  And probably the worst part for Him was enduring my shame and my guilt.  The physical torture He suffered must have been nothing compared to carrying the weight of all of our shame and guilt for every sin humanity has ever done.  He took our place.  We deserved that death and torture.  But by His wounds, we are healed.  

Thank You, Lord Jesus. 

http://youtu.be/xODpgyqGCYM - Living He loved me, Dying He saved me by Casting Crowms




He took my place.

God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.   2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

http://youtu.be/Gt0WluTpFTg - My Savior My God -Aaron Shust

When I think about how much Christ did for me, I can't help but worship Him.  Acknowledging my specific sins and failures helps me to realize how much He has forgiven me.  If I simply say to God, "forgive me of my sins", without feeling the weight of those sins and experiencing the brokenness of realizing that I, like David, have sinned against the LORD,  then I don't think I can appreciate the full weight of what Christ did for me.  He took my punishment and shame and nailed it to the cross on my behalf.  He took my place. 

When I think about my past sins especially, it's very hard because I realize how much I hurt the people I love with my careless actions.  The pain of that realization is great.  That pain that I feel for my sins, that's what Jesus took on Himself.  He had to experience my guilt and my regrets. I put that on my Savior!  And He willingly took it away from me and gave me in its place, His righteousness.  He took my guilt and shame on Himself and wrapped me in His robe of goodness and mercy so that I can now stand before our Holy God, spotless, without blemish. 

I'm forgiven because of what Jesus did.  He is worthy of all my adoration, praise and devotion.


1 Peter 2:21-24 NASB
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²² WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

1 John 4:10 NLT
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Philippians 2:6-9
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
 
Isaiah 53:3-12
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!

5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him
the sins of us all.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.

8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.

9 He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief. 
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.

12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.


The following is from "A Treasury of Praise  - Enjoying God Anew" by Ruth Myers with Warren Myers

I love You, Father, because You first loved me and sent Your Son to atone for my sins.  And I stand amazed that Jesus, who by nature had always been God, did not cling to His rights as Your equal...that He laid aside all His privileges to be born as a human being...that He totally humbled Himself, submitting to the death of a common criminal, enduring infinite humiliation and pain...that on the cross You laid on Him the compressed weight of all my sin and guilt and shame, all my griefs and sorrows, and He became sin for me, dying the death I deserve.

And how much I praise You that it was impossible for death to hold Him in its power...that You raised Him from the dead to be my Savior, to make me righteous in Your sight...that You highly exalted Him, giving Him a position infinitely superior to any conceivable command, authority, power, or control, both natural and supernatural.  Thank You that He is the Great High Priest...that He is able to save me completely, for He lives forever and prays for me and for all of us who have come to You through Him.  I glorify You, my Father, with gratefulness and joy.

And I bow at the feet of Him who was dead and is now alive forever and ever.  I exalt Him, I yield myself to Him, for He is worthy of the total response of my entire being: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

Revelation 1:18
I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

Revelation 5:12
And they sang in a mighty chorus:



“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”