Psalm 51:6

Against you only have I sinned...


So often we think of sin only in terms of how it touches someone else.  We believe that if we hurt someone else, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we have sinned.  If what we do doesn't hurt anybody than we haven't sinned.


But the real essence of sin is not how it touches someone else, but how it touches God.  We can sin by doing things that really don't have an effect on someone else, and yet is a sin against God.  Not keeping the sabbath day holy is just one example.  


The root of all sin is selfishness and a self-centered attitude.  Whenever we put ourselves before God, we have sinned.  When we make ourselves number one instead of God, we sin.  Each day we should ask God to show us in what ways we are putting ourselves before him, and then reflect on how we can change our attitude so that God is at the center of our life, which is where he belongs.


I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remain"
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remains"
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart
JARS OF CLAY- "Worlds Apart"

2 Samuel 7:22

Great are you, Lord God!  There is none like you and there is no God but you.

This prayer of David has often been my own prayer and has often been the prayer of other believers.

In my own life, the Lord has not been a powerful force or a thundering presence that makes himself explicitly known to me.  Instead he has been a quiet whisperer, a gentle wind, a hidden presence.  And it is in this way that he has shown himself to be a great and mighty God.


I don't need some intelligent scientist to tell me that there is a God.  I don't need facts and evidence to show me that he exists.  I know that he is, through my own experience.  I know that he is, by simply opening my eyes and seeing the wonders around me.  I know that he is by intuition.


God is and there is no other.


The splendor of a King
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice


He wraps himself in light
And darkness tries to hide
It trembles at his voice
Trembles at this voice


How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God


Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God


Name above all names
You are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God
CHRIS TOMLIN- "How Great is Our God"

2 Samuel 7:11

The Lord reveals to you that he will establish a house for you.


Like every good father, our Father in heaven provides a house for his family. A place where we can live, and find shelter, and rest.  In this house we learn what it means to be a family and what we believe in.  We call this house that he provides for us the Church.  


The Church is where we find a place to nourish our soul and shelter it from the temptations of life.  In the Church our soul can rest in the Truth.  It is where we find others who share the same path that we are called to walk on. The path of eternal life.


Unfortunately, many members of the family have mistaken their church for the Church.  Their church is where they go to gather with others who believe what they believe.  The Church is where we go to find the Truth.  The Church is the house that the Lord established for us.  


Welcome to the house of God my friend
All are welcome, all may enter in
Come experience the peace and hope within

We come here, for God and God alone
The house of God
All draw near, make Yourself at Home
The house of God
MERCY ME- "House of God"

Mark 3:35

Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.


When we are baptized, we become a member of God's family.  We become children of God.  By our action of being baptized we each say "Yes, I want to be your child".  


But being baptized is not the only thing that God asks of us.  He also asks that we do his will.  By doing his will, we are reaffirming on a regular basis the "Yes" that we first said at our baptism.  When we don't do God's will, we are rejecting the "Yes" of our baptism and are saying "No, I don't want to be your child at this particular moment".  


Our original "Yes" brings with it responsibility just like being born into a human family brings with it responsibility.  Sometimes our own will is in line with the will and wishes of our family, but sometimes it separates us from our family.  When we separate ourselves from our family, we immediately feel it.  So too when we separate ourselves from God by doing our own will over his.  If we want to be a member of God's family, we need to strive to do his will each day as best we can.  When we fall short or deliberately do our own will, we should turn back to him, trusting that through his great love for us, we will receive forgiveness and be made whole again.


Daddy, daddy do you miss me?
The way I crawled upon your knee?
Those childish games of hide and seek 
Seem a million miles away.


Am I lost in some illusion? 
Or am I what you thought I'd be?
Now it seems I've found myself in need to be forgiven. 
Is there still room upon that knee?


If I give my Life, if I lay it down
Can you turn this Life around?
Can I be made clean by this offering of my soul? 
Can I be made whole again? 
JENNIFER KNAPP- "Whole Again"

Acts 22:15

Before all people, you are to be his witness.


This is the call of each and every Christian.  We are to be witnesses to the love of God for  the world.  But in all honesty, we have to admit that we have done a pretty poor job of this at times.  The divisions that exist among Christians is a scandal.  The willingness on the part of so many of us to commit sin is a scandal.  Our fear to speak the name of Jesus to others because we are afraid that we might offend them is a scandal.  


What would the world be like today if each of the many Christian denominations came together as one Church united in beliefs?  What would  it be like if each of us turned from sin and strove to do good?  What would it be like if we each made an effort to speak of Jesus to others, respecting their right to not believe, but also not being afraid to tell them about the one who loves us the most?  I believe that it would be a better world.


We Christians need to clean up our own lives and our own house before we can expect to have a real impact on the world.  It is a daunting task, but one that we must strive for, because it is our call from God.


From the mountains to the valleys
From the rivers to the sea
Every hand that reaches out
Every hand that reaches out to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy
Every step to kingdom come
All the Hope in every heart will,speak what love has done

For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
I'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
AVALON- "Testify to Love"

Nehemiah 8:10

Rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength.


It's so easy to get caught up in a perpetual pity party for ourselves in which we seem to constantly dwell on the negative things in our lives and on our problems.  Our prayer life can turn into a laundry list of things that we want God to do for us instead of counting the blessings that he has provided us with.  


Do we have a roof over our head?  Praise God.  Do we have something to eat each day?  Praise God.  Do we have any friends?  Praise God.  Do we have a bed to sleep in?  Praise God.  Do we have clothes to wear and shoes on our feet?  Praise God. 


If we would take just a few moments each day we would realize that God has provided us with many blessings and that we should rejoice in it.  In the book of Nehemiah, Ezra the prophet tells us not to be sad, but to rejoice in our Lord and to make that our strength.  Isn't that interesting?  He's telling us that the thing we should be best at doing is rejoicing in the Lord.  


During my life I've met a few people (not many) who seem to always be rejoicing in the Lord.  When I think about it, these also seem to be very happy people.  These are people who focus on their blessings rather than on their problems.  We can learn a lesson from them in that by rejoicing in the Lord, we find that our joy is the Lord.


Sing praises to our God, sing praises
Sing praises to our King, sing praises
Let all the nations sing
Let all the nations sing of His love
Oh, sing praises

So shout for joy all of His children
So shout for joy all of His children
Let all the people sing
Let all the people sing of His love
Oh, sing praises
THIRD DAY- "Sing Praises"

Psalm 80:3

Come to save us.


And that's exactly what he did.  He came to save us.  This plea by the Jewish people was a plea for God to come and save them from their enemies who were trying to destroy them and take their land.  But God knew that there was a far more dangerous enemy that they had, who was trying not simply to take their land, but to destroy their very souls.  This is the enemy that God came to save them and us from.  And he did.  By suffering and dying on the cross for the sins of all, Jesus defeated Satan and took away his power.  Yes, Satan continues to fight battles, but the war was lost when Jesus died and rose again.  Satan has no power over us.  Our sins are forgiven and we are saved so long as we accept Christ as our savior and strive to live according to his teachings.


I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands One who is my Savior
I take Him at his word and deed
Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my Savior
That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man, to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, my God He is
My God is always gonna be
AARON SHUST- "My Savior, My God"

Psalm 57:8

My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast.


Despite all the voices of the world that run contrary to the teachings of God, our hearts should be steadfast in faithfulness to the Lord.  Yes, there are times when we are weak and we give in to those voices by committing sin, but if we turn back to the Lord and ask forgiveness, we are being steadfast in our love for him.  Through prayer and vigilance we will turn away less often. Through prayer and vigilance we will turn to him in times of temptation and be made strong.  For the Lord is ever faithful and remembers his covenant with us forever.


From the rising to the setting sun
His love endures forever
And by the grace of God we will carry on
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise


Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever and ever 
Forever
MICHAEL W. SMITH- "Forever"

Psalm 56:13

I am bound, O God, by vows to you.


The vow's that bind me to God are not simply vows that I have taken, but also vows that God has made.  Actually, it is something much stronger than vows that God has made.  It is a covenant.  God's covenant with all humans is a sacred family bond.  He has said, "I will be your God and you will be my people".  He doesn't want us to be his servants.  He doesn't want us to be his slaves.  He wants us to be his children.  By our baptismal covenant, we are all sons and daughters of God.  That makes him our Father.  That's right- OUR FATHER.  God's covenant with us to be our God and make us his people, and our covenant with God at baptism to accept him as our God and Father are what binds us together.  


Take this world from me
I don't need it anymore.
I am finally free
My heart is spoken for.

Oh and I praise you
Oh and I worship you...

Covered by your love divine
Child of the risen Lord.
To hear you say "This one's mine"
My heart is spoken for.

Now I have a peace
I've never known before.
I find myself complete
My heart is spoken for.

Oh and I praise you
Oh and I worship you...

Covered by your love divine
Child of the risen Lord
To hear you say "This one's mine"
My heart is spoken for.

MERCY ME- "Spoken For"

Psalm 144:1

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.


I like this verse because it says so much in so few words.  In particular, those two words, "my rock".  


When things are going well, the Lord is my rock.  When everything is going my way, the Lord is my rock.  When the world seems good and all is right, the Lord is my rock.  When peace seems to reign, the Lord is my rock.  When I am the center of attention for something good that I've done, the Lord is my rock.  When all look to me for guidance, the Lord is my rock. 


When things are going bad, the Lord is my rock.  When I'm anxious about something, the Lord is my rock.  When I'm angry, the Lord is my rock.  When things are uncertain and the path isn't clear, the Lord is my rock.  When I'm tired and weak, the Lord is my rock.  When everyone wants to blame me, the Lord is my rock.


The Lord keeps me grounded and steady.  His hand guides me and keeps me on the path.  


Blessed be the Lord, my rock.


Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Oh Lord,Blessed be your name
I will bless your name Lord!
MATT & BETH REDMAN- "Blessed Be Your Name"

1 Samuel 16:7

Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.


So often we judge people by the way that they look or dress.  This is only natural as our first impressions are almost always based upon what we see with our eyes.  But we have to be careful that we don't allow those first impressions to be the determining factor in how we see people and interact with them.  As we all know, looks and first impressions can be deceiving.


Looks and appearances aren't very important to the Lord, if they are important to him at all.  The Lord judges people by what is in their hearts.  This is difficult for us to imitate, because what is in a person's heart is difficult to see.  It requires getting to know the person, talking to them, listening to them, being with them for a while.  It requires a relationship and relationships require time and effort and sacrifice.  But this is what God asks of us.  He wants us to imitate him and so we are asked by him to not judge people by superficial standards, but by what is in their hearts.  


She's a skin art junkie, all cute and petite
All her fat-cat schemes don't work out
Don't you even blame me
It's a real bad thing to spill your shades
For a blind man to find them
Who can feel the whole earth move and don't even mind it


I wanna know you
Better than I do
Relieve me from myself
Bring me into you
I wanna know you better than I do
Relieve me, lead me, bring me into


Your Holiness
Your Kingdom
Your Righteousness
My Freedom


She's an easy scare
She's a simple bluff
She's a timid girl
Shes in love
JENNIFER KNAPP- "Into You"

Psalm 50:23

"He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God".


Before Christ came into the world, followers of God had to offer continual sacrifices and holocausts in a vain attempt to please God.  Christ changed that.  He taught us  that what pleases God is our love and the expression of our love to him and to each other.  If we want to please God, let us praise him and love those around us.  That is what this verse means to me.  In it I see the two great commandments:  Love God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.  For if we love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, we will naturally want to praise him, and if we love our neighbor as ourself we most surely will be going the right way.

He raises a wrinkled hand
Through the dust and the flies
Wrapped in rags like we are
And with barely open eyes
He takes my finger
And he won't let go
And he won't let go
It's nothing like I knew before
And it's all I need to know

Come let us adore him
He has come down to the world we live in
And all I have to give Him
Is Adoration

God is with us here
Our Emmanuel
God is with us here
Our Emmanuel

NEWSBOYS- "Adoration"

1 Samuel 9:26

Get up, and I will start you on your journey.

Some say that life is a journey.  I think it is better to say that life is a series of journeys.  Each one changes us such that we become someone different than the person we were when we first started.  Some people plan and follow their own journeys.  Others follow the journeys laid out for them by God.  Those that follow the ones God has chosen for them have more peace in their lives.  They don't necessarily have it easier, but they are more peaceful.  They know that when things get tough, God is there with them.  They know that they haven't left him behind while they've wandered off along some self-created path. 

You are the God of tomorrow
Turning the darkness to dawn
Lifting the hopeless with hope to go on
You are the rock of all salvation

Lord, I don't know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt

Oh, Lord, you are the author
Redeeming what's been done
You hold us in the present
And all that is to come

NEWSBOYS-  "Lord (I Don't Know)"

Mark 2:7

Who can forgive sins except God alone?


Indeed.  Who?  Certainly we are all called upon to forgive sins as Christ told us to forgive seventy times seven times and taught us to pray the words- forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  But when we forgive, does it remove the stain that keeps the other from eternal life?  Perhaps our forgiving others doesn't remove their stain, yet removes our own?  


Scripture is pretty clear that Christ meant for people to confess their sins to one another and to forgive the sins of  each other.  In a special way, priests have been given the power to confer forgiveness and absolution to all who confess in earnest.  


Blind these eyes who never tried
To lose temptation
I'm so scared, where's the hesitation?
You so easily proved that You could save a man
I am that man

It's better off this way
To be deaf, dumb and lame
Than to be the way I am, I am 
It's better off this way
Than be groping for the flame
Than to be the way I am, I am 
JENNIFER KNAPP- "The Way I Am"

Psalam 44:25

Why do you hide your face?


That's a good question!  One that I've wondered about all my life.  Why doesn't God show himself to all of us right now?  Why does he remain hidden?  Why can't we just see him, so that like Thomas the apostle, we can see and believe?  Yes, I know.  We are more blessed than Thomas because we cannot see, but still believe.  But it would be so much easier if we could see the face of God. 


It is difficult to have a relationship with someone you can't see.  How is it that the one I love the most, I have never seen?  Can I really love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength when I have never even seen him?  By not being able to see him, don't I run the risk of creating a god in my own image and likeness rather than recognize that it was I who was created in the image and likeness of God? 


I suppose that some would respond to my questions by arguing that God did make himself visible in Jesus, but that few people recognized him as God.  Why would I be any different than those who saw him and yet still didn't believe?  


Why is it that when we die and finally see the face of God, we will want to gaze upon him for all eternity and remain with him forever, but when he walked upon this earth, few felt that way?  Truthfully, it's all a mystery to me.


Thomas needed
Proof that You had really risen
Undefeated
When he placed his fingers
Where the nails once broke Your skin
Did his faith finally begin?
I've lied if I've denied
The common ground I've shared with him

And I, I really want to know You
I want to make each day
A different way that I can show You how
I really want to love You
Be patient with my doubt
I'm just tryin' to figure out Your will
And I really want to know You still
NICHOLE NORDEMAN- "To Know You"

Psalm 40:2

I have waited, waited for the Lord, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.


One of my earliest memories goes back to when I was maybe 3 or so years old.  Not being in school and not having any other kids my age around, I would get very bored during the day.  When it came to the middle of the afternoon, I would begin waiting by the front window of our house, looking down the street to see if I could see my brother and sisters coming home from school.  A few hours later I would wait for my father to get home.  When he did, I would be there waiting for him by the door.  He would stoop down and pick me up and then we would hug and he would rub his cheek against my own.  By that time of the day he would have a 5 o'clock shadow and the stubble of his beard would tickle my face.  At that moment, all was right in the world.


That is what comes to mind when I read this verse from Psalm 40.  God my Father, stoops down, takes me in his arms, hugs me and everything is the way that it should be in life.  And yet, as I sit here on this morning, just a few hours after a major earthquake in Haiti, the strongest in 240 years, I have to wonder where my Father is for the people of Haiti.  For years and years they have suffered under dictators, dysfunctional governments, and devastating poverty.  And now this.  Why?  Where are you Lord in this?  Why must one people suffer so much?  How long will they have to wait until you stoop down and hear their cry?  


Me?  Am I to be your hands and help them?  Am I to be the arms that wrap around them and let them know that everything will be made right?  


An image flashed across my TV screen
Another broken heart comes in to view
I saw the pain and I turned my back
Why can't I do the things I want to?
I'm willing yet I'm so afraid
You give me strength
When I say

I want to be your hands
I want to be your feet
I'll go where you send me
I'll go where you send me
AUDIO ADRENALINE- "Hands and Feet"

1 Samual 2:6

The Lord puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world, he raises up again.


I think that this verse is less about the afterlife than it is about my life here and now.  My life has been a series of up and down periods and continues to be.  At various times I find myself sinking, wondering if my life can get any lower than it is. Sometimes it is problems beyond my control that bring me to the abyss, while at other times it is problems that I have brought on myself.  Eventually, I can feel the hand of God lift me up and wipe away the problems and stress.  At times he lifts me so high that I feel close to him, even at one with him.  


Whether it be the low moments or the high ones, God is with me.  It is he that has control over all things.  Nothing can separate me from his love.


Face to the ground
To hide the fatal cut
I fight the weight
Feel you lift me up
Can't deny it burns me up inside
I fan the flames to melt away my pride
Only had a second to spare
But all the time in the world
To know you're there
You are the shelter from the rain
And the rain to wash me away


I need you, I need you, I need you
I need you, I need you, I need you
You're all I'm living for
I need you, I need you, I need you
You're all I'm living for
All I'm living for
You're all I'm living for
JARS OF CLAY- "I Need You"

Psalm 116:13

I will call upon the name of the Lord.


In the Bible, a person's name signified who they were.  That is why when someone became a believer in God, God very often changed their name.  They had become a new person, so their old name no longer signified who they were (Abram-Abraham, Sarai-Sarah, Jacob-Israel, Simon-Peter, Saul-Paul).  In Exodus God tells Moses what his name is- "I AM".  This meant to the Israelites that God was with them ("I AM with you").  He was not a distant God, ruling from on high, indifferent to their suffering, but a God who was with them and understood their suffering, because he walked alongside them and heard their cry.  


The angel Gabriel also verifies this when he tells Mary that she will bear a son and he will be called "Emmanuel" which means "God is with us".  The world's whole notion of gods was turned upside down when the one, true God revealed himself to the world.  False gods ruled over people and demanded never ending sacrifices in order to be placated.  The one, true God is with us and loves us and doesn't demand sacrifices, but instead sacrificed himself for our sake, once and for all, so that all might have eternal life.  He is the one,  true God- our Father, Abba, Emmanuel, God is with us.


Call Him in the morning, in the afternoon time,
Late in the evening He'll be there.
When your heart is broken,
And you feel discouraged,
You can just remember that He said,
He'll be there.

When I call on Jesus,
All things are possible.
I can mount on wings like eagles' and soar.
When I call on Jesus,
Mountains are gonna fall.
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call.
NICOLE C. MULLEN- "Call on Jesus"

Isaiah 42:6-7

I formed you and set you as a light for the nations, to bring out prisoners from confinement and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.


Have you ever found yourself in a really dark place where there is no light at all?  Perhaps in a haunted house maze or out in the wilderness on a moonless night?  Taking even one step can be frightening.  You put your hands out in front of you to protect your face, and shuffle your feet to prevent yourself from stumbling.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night once as a small child and getting twisted around in my bedroom.  Instead of finding the door, I ran into my dresser which was in the opposite direction as the door.  Panic immediately set in as I tried to orient myself, but the darkness left me in complete confusion.  The banging into the dresser and my panicked cries must have awakened my father, because the light to my room was quickly turned on and I was able to see both the mistake I had made and my way out of the room.


Often in life we find ourselves in darkness.  There are many reasons that this can occur.  Sometimes it is self-inflicted and at other times it is forced upon us by some outside force.  Whatever is the cause of our darkness we can find comfort in knowing that God has sent us help, his own son Jesus, to be a light for us in the darkness.  With him we will find our way and realize any mistakes we have made that may have brought the darkness upon us.


When you're down and you're discouraged,
When the darkness clouds your view,
You've got to gather up your courage.
You know the Lord is gonna see you through.
Let me tell you now, tell you now...

When you're walking in the dead of night,
When your soul is churning,
When your hope seems out of sight,
Keep the candle burning.
All it takes is one steady heart,
In a world that's turning.
Shine a light and pierce the dark,
Keep the candle burning.
Keep the candle burning.


One ray of light always breaks through.
Follow wherever He takes you.
Wherever He takes you.
POINT OF GRACE- "Keep the Candle Burning"

Psalm 149:4

For the Lord loves his people.


It's amazing to think that the only all-powerful, omnipotent, and transcendent being to ever exist is a being of love.  It's amazing to think that the self-centered and self-absorbed beings that he created are loved by the all-powerful, omnipotent, and transcendent one.  But that love that he has for them brings the self-centered and self-absorbed beings out of their self-centeredness and self-absorbtion and moves them to respond to his love with their own love- for him and for each other.  


Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.
CHRIS TOMLIN- "Amazing Love"

1 John 5:11-12

God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  Whoever possesses the Son possesses life.  Whoever does not possess the Son of God does not possess life.


What does it mean "to possess" the Son?  Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word "possess" as "to take into ones possession" or "to have and hold as property" or "to enter into and control firmly".  None of these definitions quite fits the meaning in this verse, but they do give us an indication of what is meant.  When we enter into a close relationship with Jesus and hold him in our hearts, we will have entered into a life without end.  For Jesus is eternal.  He always was, always is, and always will be.  He is the "I am" incarnate.  With him, there is no death- only life.  For he conquered death once and for all when he rose on Easter Sunday.  We who believe in him and love him, share in his resurrection.


He lives to take away my shame
And He lives forever, I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive and
There's an empty grave

And I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer lives
NICOLE C. MULLEN- "Redeemer"

Luke 4:22

Is this not Joseph's son?


The people who encountered Jesus two centuries ago had a difficult time believing that he could be God or even the son of God.  Our struggle today is really just the opposite.  We believe that Jesus is God, but we struggle with the image of him being a man.  Our image of Jesus is usually of the glorified Jesus- Jesus as God.  But he is also human.  He had cried, has had his feelings hurt, has gotten sick, has laughed, has felt depressed, has gone hungry- all the different things that we experience in our lives, Jesus also encountered and experienced when he walked on this earth.  He truly knows what it is like to "live".  He understands our struggles and problems.  In him we find an empathetic ear.  In him we find someone who cares.


One man came to reveal a mystery
Changing the course of history
Made the claim he was God
Ageless, born of a virgin Mary
Spoke with a voice that carried through the years
It's persevered

Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold
DC TALK- "Red Letters"

1 John 4:18

Love has no room for fear.  Rather, perfect love casts out all fear.


We spend so much of our lives worrying about things.  We Americans say  that we are free, but we are certainly not free of fear.  True, when presented with a big and important challenge we rise to the occasion, muster our courage and confront the situation.  But in the little things of life, we have so much fear.  Whether it is crime, lawsuits, public embarrassment, or any of hundreds of different unlikely things, we are afraid.


This is a problem too in our relationship with God.  No matter how good that we are, we fear that come the judgment day we will be found wanting and be sentenced to hell.  No matter how much we love God, there is that little voice within us that tells us that he is looking over our shoulder waiting for us to mess up so that he can condemn us.  Why do we think like this?  God is just the opposite of what that little voice is telling us.  He's not standing over us waiting to condemn us.  He's walking alongside us, actually, he's within us doing everything possible- even to the point of dying on a cross for us, to see to it that we will remain with him forever in heaven.  Now, that is love.  Why are we afraid?


So long, long is the road that we walk on
On every journey we stay strong
If we are believers in love and the power of His hand now
We can endure anything now
We know in our hearts He is here now
Lovingly, mercifully, watching over us all
When we're falling only He can save us
If we follow, He will surely lead us on 
In God we trust
For He is faithful
We put our hope in Him alone
Through any valley
God will sustain us
Until the day He brings us home
VOICES OF HOPE- "In God We Trust"

Mark 6:34

He pitied them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them at great length.


Sheep are not among the most intelligent animals to say the least.  Unless they have a shepherd to guide them, they wander around aimlessly, lost, searching.


We too can be like that.  We spend our lives wandering, searching, moving from event to event, experience to experience never really satisfied.  Always looking for something more, but settling for something less.


Our whole lives will be wasted unless we come to the realization that we have a shepherd.  His name is Jesus.   He's a good shepherd.  He teaches us that we are loved and that our worth is not found in life experiences or what we accomplish.  Our worth is found in who we are- children of God.


Follow Jesus and let him lead you to greener pastures.


It's well past midnight
And I'm awake with questions that won't
Wait for daylight
Separating fact from my imaginary fiction
On this shelf of my conviction
I need to find a place
Where You and I come face to face
NICHOLE NORDEMAN- "To Know You"

Matthew 4:16

A people living in darkness have seen a great light.


The darkness is that of sin.  Our own sin.  In it we are lost and can't find our way.  It encompasses us all about.  


But there is a great light that overtakes the darkness.  The light of Christ.  


Put Christ first.  Put others next.  Put yourself last.  


In this way you will become one with Christ and find your true self.


I wanna be in the Light
as You are in the Light
I wanna shine like the stars
in the Heavens
Oh, Lord be my light
and be my Salvation
'cause all I want is to be in the Light
DC TALK- "In the Light"