Sunday, December 24, 2017

10 Favorite C.S. Lewis Quotes to Ponder This Christmas


MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017! 

     Christmas should be a time of personal reflection about the past year and your walk with God throughout it.  Count your blessings, remember God's faithfulness, repent of any unresolved sin separating you from God, and thank God for sending the greatest gift of all--Jesus--for each of us to receive as our personal Savior! 
     May you take the time to grasp the full meaning of my top 10 C.S. Lewis quotes below:









10 amazing Christmas quotes from C. S. Lewis |

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Jesus Paid It All, All To Him I Owe














"Jesus Paid It All" lyrics


  1. I hear the Savior say,
    “Thy strength indeed is small;
    Child of weakness, watch and pray,
    Find in Me thine all in all.”
    • Refrain:
      Jesus paid it all,
      All to Him I owe;
      Sin had left a crimson stain,
      He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.
  1. Lord, now indeed I find
    Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
    Can change the leper’s spots 
    And melt the heart of stone.
  2. When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Here’s a story about the song: [cyberhymnal.org]
On New Year’s night, 1886, some mis­sion­ar­ies were hold­ing open-air serv­ic­es in or­der to att­ract pass­ers­-by to a near-by miss­ion, where meet­ings were to be held later. “All to Christ I owe” was sung, and af­ter a gen­tle­man had giv­en a short ad­dress he hast­ened away to the miss­ion. He soon heard foot­steps close be­hind him and a young wo­man caught up with him and said:
“I heard you ad­dress­ing the open-air meet­ing just now; do you think, sir, that Je­sus could save a sin­ner like me?”
The gen­tle­man re­plied that there was no doubt about that, if she was anx­ious to be saved. She told him that she was a serv­ant girl, and had left her place that morn­ing after a dis­a­gree­ment with her mis­tress. As she had been wan­der­ing about the streets in the dark, won­der­ing where she was to spend the night, the sweet mel­o­dies of thi s hymn had at­tract­ed her, and she drew near and listened at­tent­ive­ly. As the dif­fer­ent vers­es were be­ing sung, she felt that the words sure­ly had some­thing to do with her. Through the whole serv­ice she seemed to hear what met her op­pressed soul’s need at that mo­ment. God’s Spir­it had showed her what a poor, sin­ful and wretch­ed crea­ture she was, and had led her to ask what she must do. On hear­ing her ex­per­i­ence, the gen­tle­man took her back to the mis­sion and left her with the la­dies in charge. The young, way­ward woman was brought to Christ that night. A si­tu­a­tion was se­cured for her in a min­is­ter’s fam­i­ly. There she be­came ill and had to be tak­en to a hos­pi­tal. She ra­pid­ly failed and it became ev­i­dent that she would not be long on earth. One day the gen­tle­man whom she had met on New Year’s night was vis­it­ing her in the ward. Af­ter quot­ing a few suit­a­ble vers­es of Script­ure, he re­peat­ed her fa­vo­rite hymn, “All to Christ I owe”…and she seemed over­whelmed with the thought of com­ing to glo­ry…Two hours af­ter­ward she passed away.

               As I write this blog and reflect on the words of this song,  I am reminded of my weakness in myself, but also of the strength I have in Christ as a believer.  Christ is my all in all because I am nothing but dust without Him.  I do watch and pray to see God working in my life for His will and purposes.  My sins have been paid for and one day will be ransomed and traded in for righteousness.  Glory will be revealed and praise to my Heavenly Father will be forever more.
              My prayer is for anyone who is feeling lost and alone in this broken world that they would come to seek and know that Jesus came into this world to save them from their sins and give them a relationship with Him that will last throughout eternity.  Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."   Ephesians 3:16-19 " I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. I pray acceptance of this gift from God will be your ultimate treasure, because we owe everything to Jesus for His sacrifice for us.
             My prayer for fellow believers is that Christ would be acknowledged, praised and submitted to in your every day life.  May your life be one of service that glorifies God in every way.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

God Listens and Speaks



Psalm 40:5  "Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare."




"Word Of God Speak"

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness 
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

[REPEAT CHORUS 2x]

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay



          More than ever lately, I have been asking God to speak to me.  Lead me, Lord and guide me in which way to go.  Now when one asks such a request, you must be willing to open your eyes and ears to His voice.  Studying Scripture is the best way to learn how to apply it to your own life.  The Bible is full of testimonies that are directly related to whatever each of us is going through in some aspect.
           Some people don't want to hear what God has to say because it is convicting and they have yet to surrender themselves to become a part of God's family.  John 8:47  "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”  John 10:27-28  "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."  As a believer, these words comfort me and I know when I read verses like these that God is encouraging me at that very moment.
          "Most of us won’t hear Jesus speak in an audible voice. But He communicates with us through nudges. Thoughts that we know we’re not smart or wise enough to have on our own. Mental pictures or whispers, and stirring in our hearts that connects something we’re going through with the truth of His word. That’s God speaking."
         Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  As the C.S. Lewis caption above says, God is speaking to us in different tones and in different circumstances.  He will not ever quit speaking out of love to correct, encourage and comfort us.  
         "The love that exists between God and true believers is through Christ. He is the Mediator of our love: it is in and through him that God can love us and that we dare love God. This is the ground of the steadfastness of the love; therefore God rests in his love, because Jesus Christ, in whom he loves us, is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." [M.Henry]  
         "God has communicated in various ways throughout history (Heb. 1:1). One way God speaks today is through our conscience (Rom. 2:14–16). Our conscience is like a moral monitor. An important way we discern whether a spiritual communication has God as its source is to ask: Does the message agree with the Bible, God's written Word? If it does not align with God’s previously revealed truth, then we cannot put our stamp of approval on it." [odb.org]
          As for myself, I've been seeking and listening for God to direct my path.  Through Bible reading and devotionals, I have definitely heard the Word of God speak to my heart, mind and soul. I've been reassured of His presence with me always, His sufficient grace to carry me through all things, His mercy to watch out and work for my good and His love that is all powerful.
        May God's voice be louder than anything around you and that you will listen.

God speaks through His Word when we take time to listen. [odb.org]

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Let God Shine Through You




Matthew 5: 14-16 "“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Philippians 2: 14-16  " Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain."

Ephesians 5:8  "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."



        Christmas is now 3 weeks away.  It comes faster every year, I think, as an adult.  With the Christmas season, the manic shopping frenzy comes too.  The Bible encourages us to let God's light shine through us to glorify Him.  There is no exception clause to the time of year or the circumstances we are in.  We can never give grace and mercy in abundance like God supplies each of us, but we can try to give an ample measure of it.
         We've all seen examples of grace, like letting the last be first in a long grocery line or letting someone else have the coveted parking space at the mall.  'Who does that' or 'They must be a saint' might run across your mind as you grumble that it wasn't you getting the prize spot.  So who really is a 'saint'?  "When a translation of Scripture uses the word saint, it is actually referring to anyone who belongs to God through faith in Christ. In other words, saints are people like us who have the high calling of serving God while reflecting our relationship with Him wherever we are and in whatever we do. That is why the apostle Paul prayed that the eyes and understanding of his readers would be opened to think of themselves as the treasured inheritance of Christ and saints of God (Eph. 1:18)."  Christians are often called hypocrites, because we claim to be saints but act as anything but saintly.  Repentance and God's forgiveness are the answers to that fallen nature in us.
        The best part of all is that we don't have to be like the light bulb that said, "I have to find a way to shine!" The light bulb went to a self-help meeting to learn about its inner capacity for light. It read books about how to get brighter. Each morning the light bulb would get up and recite positive affirmations. "I am a light bulb. I believe in myself. I will shine!" But nothing happened.  Eventually the light bulb became weary and discouraged. It began to doubt who it was and what it could do. It almost burned out completely. Fortunately, one day the light bulb was carefully placed in a fixture. Light burst forth and filled the room. The light bulb finally understood. The key was not to try harder but to plug into the source.
        Trying to shine on our own can be exhausting. Instead, we're simply called to be closely connected to God and remain in Him. When we do, His light pours forth through us in powerful, brilliant ways that change the world. The ways we shine might not make the news, but they make even more of a difference than we can see.
        "If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you’re never truly alone, because the Light of the World is living inside you. He hasn’t singled you out for adversity; at some point, every human life is touched by hardship or sorrow. Your response is what matters. Instead of drawing inward, reach out for the Savior’s hand, and let His light shine in your heart. I pray that you experience the peace only He can provide this season and that you will be greatly blessed in the year to come." [intouch.org]
         May each of us, who have been saved by grace, exhibit the fruits of the Spirit and the Light that dwells in us to everyone around us all year round.  We are 'children of light.'



Letting God shine through us in our lives, we should consider three things: [intouch.org]
1. Glorifying God. We are commanded to let our light shine before men so we will bear spiritual fruit that glorifies the Lord. As our life increasingly follows the pattern of the Savior’s, our thoughts and responses will bring Jesus praise and point other people to Him.
2. Conforming to Christ’s likeness. In considering any decision, we should ask ourselves, Will this help me become more like Jesus or tempt me in my weaker areas and cause me to turn away from Him? If we submit our minds and emotions to the Lord, His Spirit will build Jesus’ character qualities into our life. As we rely on the Holy Spirit, He will help us make wise decisions and guide us safely past temptation.
3. Following the Lord’s will. When deciding how to proceed, it’s wise to ask, Is this in line with God’s known will? Throughout the Scriptures, the heavenly Father has revealed what pleases Him. His commands are clear regarding the way born-again believers should live. Our home, business, and community life are to function according to His will.

Lord, help us always put You first In everything we say and do So that Your light will shine through us And show the world their need of You. —Sper
As people of the Lord we’re called To follow in His way; And then all those who watch our lives Will see Him on display. —Sper