Now Is the Time

2018-10-26 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 16,
the pouring out of the bowls of wrath

As the Lord delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the Lord will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you…You shall find no rest…the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. (Deuteronomy 28:63-65, NASB)

We live in a day of grace.
The Father is patient,
tirelessly reaching out,
eager to draw everyone back to Himself.
Believers and unbelievers alike live in a world where,
even in its corrupt state,
we are bathed in God’s
power,
wisdom, and
ever-present goodness.

But this day of grace will not last forever.
Soon all these gifts and graces that we
ungratefully, arrogantly take for granted
will be gone.
When that day arrives,
the unrepentant will be stubbornly blocking God’s path to the
the pure and beautiful world He has promised.
They will be standing between
the God of fierce love and
the eternal welfare of His children.
They will have sealed their own fate.
By ignoring God, they will have sided with His enemy,
the one who hates God and
all who are His,
the one God has sworn to destroy.

The day of mercy will have passed.
The day of judgment will have come.
God will do what He must do:
He will show Himself holy.
He will show Himself just.
He will keep His promise to purify His world.
Those who have clung to their sin,
who have distanced themselves from Him,
will be given what they have freely chosen.
They will be left outside,
away from the only Source of all
light and
love and
goodness.
All that will be left for them is
pain,
darkness,
gnawing hatred, and
deep, complete, unrelenting need.

Now is the time for repentance.
Now is the day of salvation.
Now is the time to
choose Him. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Mighty Day
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Present Lord

2018-10-24 Hymns No comments

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Almighty, High Exalted God,
Holy, untouched, unseen;
Yet in Your love You draw me near –
No one can come between.

Creator, Father, Present Lord,
Loving Companion, Friend,
When You reveal how real You are,
Fear and its struggles end.

Worship and working, joy and rest,
Speaking and listening flow;
Freed by the truth that You are here,
Love in its beauty grows.

Nourish a full, wholehearted trust
That I might gladly trace
How far beyond all thought You are,
Yet see You face to face.

You Are His Child

2018-10-22 Devotional with Hymn No comments

You are a child of
Almighty God,
the Sovereign Creator,
the Maker and Master of all reality.
He dearly, deeply loves you!
You are His treasure!

He joyfully shares with you
all He is and
all He has.
He eagerly pours out on you
His own Spirit,
His time,
His attention,
His exuberant affection,
His wisdom, and
His glorious purity.
Blessing you is His constant delight!

He is tenderly nurturing you
moment by moment
until you fully share
His character,
His mind, and
His loving heart.

Rejoice!
You are a child of the King! 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Children of the Lord
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Your Wrath Against Sin

2018-10-19 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 15:5-8,
a prelude to God pouring out His wrath

Father, Your wrath against sin is
deep,
total, and
irreconcilable.
You are eternally, unalterably opposed to
anything that
harms Your dearly-loved children or
separates them from You.

Your wrath against sin is not
a temper tantrum or
a passing mood.
It is a fierce,
holy,
burning,
almighty love
that refuses to accept anything but
our very best in You, our
fullness and
completeness and
unbounded joy.

Our freedom from sin is precious to You.
You bought it
with Your Son
and paid for it
with His life.

Thank You, loving Father,
for Your uncompromising wrath against sin.
You deliver us completely from its awful curse.
Praise to You! 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Your Ceaseless, Unexhausted Love
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Perfect Peace

2018-10-17 Hymns No comments

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Perfect peace,
God’s own peace,
Vast beyond all knowing;
Rich in Him,
Full in Him,
Deep and ever growing.

Death is gone,
Fears all fading,
Blessings like a river.
God in us,
Loving, giving,
Flowing through forever.

Perfect peace,
God’s own peace;
Simple faith can free us.
Rich in Him,
Full in Him;
Find your peace in Jesus.

God’s Persecuted People

2018-10-15 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Jesus, You are our Savior,
our Sacrifice,
the Faithful and True Witness,
the Lamb slain for our salvation.
We are Your followers,
Your servants,
Your friends,
Your bride.
Loving Savior, we are Your own Body.

We share Your glory, and
we share Your shame.
We share Your honor, and
we share Your suffering.
We share Your strength
and Your weakness,
Your joy
and Your sorrow.
We share Your death and
Your everlasting life.

Our desire
and our destiny
is to share in all You are.
As You depended on the Father
and were complete and sufficient in Him,
we depend on You
and are complete and sufficient in You.

Lead on,
omnipotent,
conquering Savior!
We love You! We trust You!
We take up our cross and
follow wherever You lead! 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Hymn for the Persecuted Church (JEFFERSON 2)
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Tell Your Story

2018-10-12 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 15:1-4,
a vision of victorious believers in heaven

Like all of God’s children,
we each have our own stories to tell,
amazing stories about
God’s deliverance,
God’s grace,
God’s faithfulness.
Though all our stories express the same truth,
each is unique.
Our backgrounds,
our life situations,
our sins and struggles
are highly varied.
Yet together,
they form a vast and stunning mosaic of the one
glorious,
gracious,
unchanging God.

Only together,
as we each tell our own story,
can we truly and fully proclaim the God who is
always Almighty,
always loving,
always wise,
always faithful,
always merciful,
always forgiving,
always sufficient for every need,
always true,
always just, and
always,
always,
always good.

Join the symphony!
We are incomplete without you!
Praise our God as only you can!
Tell your story! 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: We Look Behind at All You’ve Done
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Peace in the Storm

2018-10-10 Hymns No comments

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The storm engulfs my soul.
O God, You claim You’re here,
But all I see is wind and waves,
And all I feel is fear.

The troubles flooding in
Defy my frantic prayer.
O Savior, are You sound asleep?
O Jesus, do You care?

I long for quick relief.
You long for all my best.
I call You to my anxious fear.
You call me to Your rest.

Almighty, present God,
Each moment fill my view.
My peace is not a circumstance
But always, only You.

Walk with Me

2018-10-08 Devotional with Hymn No comments

“Come, follow me.” (Mark 1:17, NIV) 

I get overwhelmed with the world’s needs. Billions are dying of physical and spiritual hunger. Desperate problems surround me every day.

I ask God, “What should I do?” He answers: Walk with Me.

When I start over-organizing my life, He says: Walk with Me.

When I get too preoccupied with my work and ministry, He whispers: Walk with Me.

That was Jesus’ call to His first disciples. They learned to live and serve by being with Him, listening to Him, and obeying Him situation by situation.

Nothing has changed. Effective living and effective service still flow from walking with Him step-by-step. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Day by Day in You, Our Lord
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Energetic Waiting

2018-10-05 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 14:6-20,
visions of the last days

Father, You call us to
wait on You.
But the waiting You want is not
passive.
Waiting on You is
active and
energetic.
You call us to wait
focused on You,
trusting You,
obeying You,
glorifying You,
serving You wholeheartedly,
eagerly anticipating
our full joining with You.

Father, we believe that You are
all You say You are.
We believe You will do
all You say You will do.
You say You will judge the world
in perfect righteousness.
You say Your judgment
could come at any moment.
You say Your judgment
will determine our eternal destiny:
deep and endless life or
deep and endless death,
unending joy in You or
unspeakable separation from You.

So, today and every day
we will await Your coming
actively and
energetically.
Our hearts will be standing at the door,
waiting,
listening, and
longing for You. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Come, Our Lord!
Recording
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