Moment by Moment

2018-09-10 Devotional with Hymn No comments

John 5:19-20, 30; 14:10

Father, Jesus always only
said what You told Him to say and
did what You showed Him to do.
Thus He was
always in You,
always in the moment,
always focused on You,
always fully responding to You.

That is what I want, Father.
Give me His mind and
His Spirit.
I am too often
distracted from You and
distracted from the individuals, needs, and opportunities
right in front of me.

Father, may my heart and mind be
always here,
always now,
always trusting,
always listening,
always open to the gentle wisdom of Your love.

Keep me
like Christ,
in Christ,
moment by moment.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Like Christ, in Christ
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When Darkness Comes

2018-09-07 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 13:1-10,
the beast from the sea

When good comes to me,
I accept it as from Your gracious hand.
I look to You.
I thank You.
I rejoice in You.

But how do I respond when my days bring me
darkness and uncertainty,
mistreatment and injustice,
pain and sickness,
suffering and sorrow,
loss and the shadow of death?
Where do I look then?

I look to You.
You are still
Almighty God.
You are still
perfect wisdom and
unfailing love.
You are still good and right in all You do.
You are still
my Father.

I believe in You.
I believe in You
when I understand.
I believe in You
when I cannot understand.

I wait on You.
I hope in You.
I trust You.
I rejoice in You.
I follow You,
even into the darkness.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Glorify Your Name
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Joy in Christ

2018-09-05 Hymns No comments

Recording
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We chase so much we don’t possess
To quench a thirst we can’t express.
All is empty restlessness
Till life and joy are found in Christ.
Come, O my Lord, O my Lord, my Lord!
The joy we crave is all in Christ.

Our Lord is God. Our Lord is here.
His heart is kind. His Word is clear:
Faith will chase away all fear
Till joy is full in Jesus Christ.
I turn to You, O my Lord, my Lord!
Today is joy in Jesus Christ.

Though life is filled with weary pain
And nagging problems all remain,
He is every day the same.
Rejoice, rejoice in Jesus Christ!
I sing, my Lord, O my Lord, my Lord!
Rejoice, rejoice in Jesus Christ!

Our Lord, our God, we find in You
A light, a joy for all we do.
Glad in what is always we true,
We worship You, Lord Jesus Christ!
Forevermore, O my Lord, my Lord,
All praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!

Our Destiny

2018-09-03 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Hebrews 1 – 10

Our God is a Spirit being, unlimited by space and time. He is transcendent, high above us in every way. By our own effort and intelligence, we could never know Him.

But He speaks to us. He continually reaches out to communicate with us. He longs for us to know Him.

Since the birth of our race He has been speaking to us in many different ways. He speaks through the creation of which we are a part. He speaks through a variety of human messengers. He speaks through laws and stories and songs.

But in these last days He has spoken to us fully and finally through His own Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the all-powerful, all-creating Word of God. He is God’s will in action. He is the radiant light of God’s presence and the exact representation of God’s very being.

In Christ, God’s revelation of Himself is complete.
In Christ, our cleansing from all our wrongness is complete.
In Christ, our reconciliation with God is complete.
God has joyfully removed every barrier between Him and us.
In Christ, He has fully equipped us to live holy, godly lives.
In Christ, He has fully provided for our eternal future.
All that our all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving Father ever wanted for us
is complete in Jesus Christ.

Each of us, every believer, is on a journey into that future. Ours is a journey of faith. We don’t know the route the journey will take us, but we know where it is leading. Our destination – our destiny – is Jesus Christ. We are traveling from Him, through Him, and to Him.

Faced with such a beautiful destiny, don’t slip backward. Move forward by faith into all Your Father has for you.

Father, as I trust You,
my reality is as vast as You are.
I share in
Your character,
Your power,
Your goodness, and
Your unlimited future.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Complete in Jesus Christ
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Beyond All Imagining

2018-08-31 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 12:7-17,
war with the dragon

We are caught up in conflicts beyond our
perception and
control,
struggles that extend far beyond our
brief lifetimes and
limited experience.
Our shadow world is a tiny part of
greater realities
where we are opposed by powers we cannot
sense,
understand, or
address.

But Father, You are the
Creator and
Sovereign Ruler
over all powers,
all worlds,
all realities.
In ways and realms far beyond our meager imaginings,
You are
blessing us,
covering us,
mightily delivering us
in fierce, unrelenting love.
You are
raising us,
glorifying us, and
eternally enriching us
in Your holy and glorious Son,
Jesus Christ.

We are secure
in Him.
We are conquerors
in Him.
We are fully and forever one with You
in Him.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Our Destiny Is Jesus Christ
Recording
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Jesus

2018-08-29 Hymns No comments

Recording
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Jesus, Jesus, High and Holy,
You whom worlds cannot contain,
Boundless life no mind can fathom,
Boundless love no word can name;
Yet You share Your life and glory,
Make Your love a simple story,
Glad to share our time and space,
Glad to bathe our sin in grace.

Holy Lord and humble servant,
Mighty God and helpless Child.
Shepherd, lamb, and timeless sovereign
Sin and death could not defile.
Lord, I reach to see and know You,
Lifting love I long to show You,
But You fill my needy heart
As I rest in all You are.

Great Creator, God and Savior,
Light of that eternal day,
All creation stands to worship,
Fills the sky with endless praise.
We Your people bow, confessing,
Lifting honor, praise, and blessing;
This the goal of all we do:
Now, forever only You.

Do What Pleases You

2018-08-27 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Father,
sovereign Creator,
Source,
Sustainer, and
Ruler of all that is,
Your power is unlimited.
You are in command of all reality.
You do whatever pleases You.

And since You are
perfect wisdom and
perfect love,
all You do is
perfect,
right, and
good.

O Father, what a comfort!
In all my weakness and
all my ignorance,
with all my wavering motives,
I dare not trust myself.
But I know that You will always act in
perfect wisdom and
perfect love.

Father, I praise You!
I trust You!
Be Lord of All in every aspect of my life!
Do whatever pleases You!

Listen and sing:
Hymn: My Father, Do What Pleases You
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Whose Child Are You?

2018-08-24 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 12:1-6

Notice how God’s people are envisioned
in Revelation 12:1 (NASB):
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet and
a crown of twelve stars on her head.

To human eyes,
we all appear to be some similar mixture of
good and bad,
wisdom and ignorance,
love and selfishness,
beauty and ugliness.

But God sees much more.
The Eternal One is not locked into
the narrow now, and
He sees beneath our carefully crafted shell.
He already sees who we believers are becoming in
His holy Son,
Jesus.
He sees us in
the holiness,
the glory, and
the authority of the Living Christ.
He sees us through the eyes of a
proud and loving Father.
He sees Himself growing within us.

He also sees within unbelievers.
The Jews of Jesus’ day were considered
the holiest people of their day.
But Jesus called them children of Satan.
He said their hearts and lives already reflected
the lying, murderous ways of
their father, the Devil.

Our identities are rooted in worlds
high above our knowing,
in beings
more holy or
more wicked than we can imagine.
To eternal, all-seeing eyes,
we are who we are following.
We are who we are trusting.
We are already more than
simple physical creatures of this earth.
We are in Jesus Christ, or
we are children of the Devil.
We are more glorious than we could ever dream,
or more evil.
There is no middle ground.

Choose your daily relationship with Jesus Christ
very thoughtfully,
very carefully and intentionally.
You are choosing your eternal character.
You are choosing your eternal destiny.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: All in Christ
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In the Father, Son, and Spirit

2018-08-22 Hymns No comments

Recording
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See how small His life began.
The need was so vast,
And Christ was a man.
See the Spirit flowing
Through flesh and bone.
He lived and moved in His Father alone.

See our lives so weak and small.
How little we know!
How easy we fall!
See the Spirit flowing
Through flesh and bone.
Come live and love in our Father alone.

In our weakness we can know
The fullness of life
In life here below.
See the Spirit flowing
Through flesh and bone.
Come live in Christ for the Father alone.

Reciting What I Know

2018-08-20 Devotional with Hymn No comments

I need reassurance today, my Lord God,
so I recite what I know.

I know You are with me, Father.
I know You love me.
I know You are working all things for my good.

More importantly, I know You are working Your will through my life and
through all that is happening to me.
I know You love my loved ones and
are working for the best of each and every one of them.
Thank You, Father!

I know You are never surprised,
never caught off guard,
never threatened,
never defeated.

I know that very soon I will see You face-to-face.
I will see You as You are, and
I will be like You.
I will be with You forever.

In You, Lord God, the truth, the reality of my life is wonderful.
I choose to live in that reality today.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Blind Faith
Recording
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