Archive for July 2013

I Want to Know You

2013-07-07 Devotional with Hymn No comments

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8, NIV)

My life is crowded with so many desires, so many goals, so many questions. But, Jesus, I’m realizing that I truly want only one thing:
          I want to know You.

All my ambitions and drives, my goals and dreams of glory, my preoccupation with my own comfort, I give them to You, Lord. I release them to You and cut the cord. Nothing else is worth holding onto. Nothing else is worth craving.
          I want to know You.

My eyes go to the future, my Lord, and I know that more storms are coming. What troubles await me in life? What does it matter? Whatever troubles come, they will bring new discoveries about You. They will bring a deeper, more personal knowledge of You, and a stronger faith that sees You more constantly and clearly.
          I want to know You.

My heart begins to leap at the possibility of being found always and entirely in You, with the baggage of self-interest forever buried and gone. Praise to You, my God! What a wonderful redemption that will be! My faith comes alive, knowing it will be. It is coming. You are doing it, and You always finish what You start. I know You now, Jesus, by Your goodness, and then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV).

Thank You, my Lord! Fill my heart now with the desire that will delight me throughout eternity:
       I want to know You. I want to know You, my Lord.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Lord, Life Becomes More Simple
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Think Beyond Yourself

2013-07-04 Devotional No comments

In Christ we who are many form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
(Romans 12:5, NIV)

Our past, present, and future
is bound up with the communities to which we belong.
None of us got where we are alone.
We aren’t here alone.
We won’t get where we’re going alone.
And when we get there, we won’t be alone.

Look at what you value most.
Love,
respect,
purpose,
even money—
all grow out of community.
They are nonexistent outside of interaction with other people.

Self-centeredness is foolish.
It ignores the reality of community.
It overlooks our smallness and incompleteness as individuals.
It is shriveling, binding, and fearful.
Self-centeredness is a lie from the Evil One.

Love is the bond of unity.
It is beautiful, natural, and reasonable—
a wonderful blessing of God.

Pursue love.
(1 Corinthians 14:1, NASB)

Community

2013-07-02 Devotional No comments

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
(Romans 12:10, NIV)

Each of us is part of a group of people—
a community.
In fact, we are members of multiple communities:
family,
church,
city,
nation,
and more.
We have received so much from these groups.
We owe them a tremendous debt.

In their immaturity, our children are often unaware of such debts.
They feel obligated only to their own desires.
They think only of themselves.

It’s easy for us to make the same mistake.
We’ve inherited so many of the blessings we enjoy:
roads,
schools,
a stable government;
knowledge,
moral values,
our Christian faith.
We didn’t earn any of these.
They were left to us by others.

What communities do you belong to?
To whom do you owe a debt?

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