Looking in the Mirror

Looking in the mirror of Your word
I see some things that make my heart disturbed
When traces of the darkness hide your unfeigned light
And choices I have made filter out your holy life

I call upon a God who's been made man
And tempted in all points as I am
You prune me like a tree to bear more fruit for You
In Your discipline I'm made to bear your truth

Thank you for Your word that sometimes points at me
And shows me how much better I can surely be
Thank You for the truth that tries my sullied soul
Letting in the light, making me whole

You love me as I am
But Your compassion runs much farther
You challenge me and spur me on
To be like my Heavenly Father

Love Incarnate

Centuries before the prophets foretold
Of the coming of the King
When the time arrived, on that blessed night
The angels began to sing

The shepherds were thrilled with the news that filled
The cold, crisp air that first Christmas
A Baby born to save the world
This suffering, Servant, witness

Behold the Lamb lying in a manger
Love incarnate
He comforts the lost stranger
Bethlehem's Savior

Ruler of every king
To Jew and Gentile freedom rings
He came to give us all we need
This Baby boy we worship

Emanuel, God with us
We live to honor You
You are the Life and the Way
And yes, You are the Truth

We worship You O God-Child
You soon will come again
In power and in glory
To judge the living and the dead

Help us to spread Your message far and wide
The true tale of Love personified
Teach us each to sincerely love
To view each one as God does

Let us worship the Lamb
Love incarnate
The Great I Am

God Uses a Humble Servant

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26-28

“I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38

“This is the one I (the Lord) esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 Parenthesis mine

“God opposes the proud but gives grace (favor) to the humble.” James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 Parenthesis mine

Our wonderful Messiah entered into this world through a humble servant. Mary received the word of the angel with meekness. Mary was not perfect, but her pure and lowly heart pleased God. Because she was humble, God found favor with her. He was able to use Mary in a most unusual and splendid way.

We too find favor with God, when we allow the Holy Spirit to work His humility within us. Humility is a fruit of the Spirit, and when we yield to the Lord in this way, He bestows on us His favor and His blessing. It is those that learn to be meek who bear the most fruit for the kingdom. We will never be perfect this side of heaven, but we can grow as servants of the King. As we do, God will entrust us with wonderful things.

Let's remember the little child who came to save us. He was meek and mild. Jesus, the Master, humbled himself even to the point of death, and then God exalted Him to the highest place. Yet in all his glory, Jesus still stoops down to pick us up when we fall and to wipe the tears from our eyes. The Sovereign Lord of the Universe is still meek and mild just as He was when He came as a baby.

This Christmas let's worship Jesus with a humble and pure heart. Let's remember the child who became King, and let's yield to Him and to His word. As we do, God will surely find favor with each of us.

Let me pray a Christmas prayer for you....

Dear Father God,

Thank you for my friends who read this blog. I know that the Christmas season can often be hectic and full of care. Dear Lord, I ask that you would bless my friends in a special way this season. Help them to pause to find your heart. Let them sense your peace. Enable them to reach out to others and carry the light of the Savior to them. Father, minister your grace to every heart. Bring healing to the sick and restoration to families that have seen difficulty. Thank you Lord for those that read this blog, may you find favor with each of them as they look to you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Let Me Not Forget

Lord, let me not forget
How much she means to me
The day our eyes met
We glimpsed eternity

By her side I'm walking
At Your door I'm knocking
Strengthen, Lord, our holy bond

Forgive me for a heart sometimes divided
When I hold my dreams higher
Then the one You guided, me to

She has helped me see so many things
Things I could not perceive on my own
She gives me council, the kind that heaven brings
This wisdom I would not find alone

Even when the tempest rages
And we don't see eye to eye
Even there Your mercy changes
This unchanging heart of mine

I am a better man because of her
Lord, let me not forget how much she means to me
You cause my heart to stir
In remembrance of all she is to me

Poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Matthew 5:3

In our walk with Christ, the way we begin is the way we are to continue on. We entered into the kingdom by humbly receiving the Lord's sacrifice for our sins. We began with humility. We saw ourselves as sinners needing the hand of a merciful God. We are to continue in our walk with the Lord through an attitude of humility.

We are to see ourselves as poor spiritually apart from Christ. Without Him we can do nothing of eternal significance. The word humility comes from the root word “humus”. Humus is fertile soil. Adam was created from the earth by the hand of God. We are to remember our origin. All of us are made in the image of God, but we were originally made from the earth. We are vessels of clay who carry within us the glory of God.

We also receive God's word in the soil of our hearts. It is through humility that we receive the Lord's wisdom from the Scriptures. It is through a spirit of meekness that we see God's promises fulfilled in our lives.

Humility also displays itself in our relationships. When we allow the Holy Spirit to give us an attitude of humility, it will cause us to consider others as better than ourselves.

Let's humble ourselves before the Lord and each other. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and teach us to continue down His road of blessing by being poor in spirit.

Lord of Heaven,

Deliver us from pride, arrogance, and self promotion. Help us to cultivate a heart of humility. Let the fruit of Your Holy Spirit abide within us and fill us with Your meekness. Open our eyes to see who we are in You as well as who we would be without You. Let us live to bring You glory. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Thank You

Two words that say so much
Thank You
For all He's done
For all He's yet to do
For the essence of His character

We are grateful to the One
Who first loved us
Who saved us from destruction
Who watches over each of us
With vigilance and care
Who forgives our every sin
And heals our diseases

We are grateful for
Loved ones and friends
Family near and far
All of God's blessings
Little and large
Seen and unseen

Lord we thank You
You are forever worthy of
Our praise and Thanksgiving

No Longer From a Distance

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. 2 Samuel 6:6-7

In the Old Testament, followers of Yahweh could not enter into the presence of God; they had to worship the Lord from a distance. When David was bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the priests placed it on a cart. The ark was the physical house of the Lord's presence, and the priests were instructed by the Lord to hold the ark of God with special poles. When the ark slipped, Uzzah lunged forward to catch it. The Lord then struck Uzzah down: he died instantly.

Christ's sacrifice on the cross forever changed the landscape of faith. When Jesus hung against the darkened sky and breathed his last, the veil of the temple tore in half. The temple veil provided a barrier between the worshipers and the holy of holies, where the ark was kept. No one was allowed to enter into the holy of holies except the the high priest, and he was only allowed to enter into this sacred place once a year. The priests even tied a rope to the high priest's ankle. If the high priest tried to approach the room where the ark lay without properly following the Old Testament laws pertaining to this annual encounter, he too would be killed in the presence of the Lord. But when the veil split in two, a new way was opened for those who put there faith in Christ.

Now we, who have been born again, can enter freely into God's presence by the blood of Christ. The ark of God no longer holds the presence of God here on earth. Instead, those of us who have entered into a relationship with the Father through Jesus have the Holy Spirit living in us. We are temples of the Holy Ghost. Now we can come boldly into the throne of grace to obtain favor and God's blessing. We no longer need to worship from afar. We can draw near to God. We can worship the Lord with passion and true intimacy.

Let's approach the Lord with reverence, awe, and full surrender. He is holy, but He is also loving. He is just, but He is also merciful. Let's bow before the One who made a way for us to come to Him. Let's kneel before the Father who sent His one and only Son to die in our place so that we could know Him intimately.