Tag Archive for Hymn

True Bread

2014-07-20 Devotional with Hymn No comments

I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. (John 6:48-51, NIV)

Father, how often have You offered us life that is deep, rich, satisfying, and unending, and in our hearts and desires we looked right past You. We continued to crave physical comfort, human approval, and security we could hold in our hand.

You offer us Bread that satisfies our beings completely and forever. We spend ourselves reaching for bread that only satisfies the body, and only for a few hours.

Father, You offer us Jesus Christ. We can know Him and live in Him by simply trusting You.

Come, all you who are thirsty,
come…
you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live. (Isaiah 55:1-3a, NIV)

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: We Taste Your Life and Long for More
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The Pearl of Great Price

2014-07-13 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Jesus said: 

 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46, NIV)

Material riches bring only temporary comfort,
shallow stimulation, and
a false sense of security.
Material riches are simply a means to an end,
and often a poor means at that.

What do you really want?
Meaning?
Peace?
Security?
Maybe comfort…or satisfaction?
Are you longing for pleasure that truly lasts, or perhaps
life that never dies?

Go to the Source.
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
He is the hidden treasure.
He is the pearl of great price.

Release your grip on everything else, and
reach for Him.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Pearl of Great Price
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God’s Seeds Bear Fruit

2014-07-06 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Jesus said:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32, NASB)

Not long ago my wife and I received a note from a couple we knew years ago. When we met them, they were brand new Christians who had come to the church we attended. To get to know them better, we invited them to our home on a Sunday evening after church.

When their note arrived, we hadn’t seen or heard from them in decades. Their note told us how much that evening long ago had meant to them. It had helped to welcome them into the church and establish them in their faith. Now they were still serving the Lord, and their children, young adults, were off to Christian colleges.

We hadn’t thought of that evening in many years. Our lives had gone on to so many “bigger” things. But our hour or so together had been a seed that God had watered and nurtured. He was still harvesting fruit from that tiny seed, long after we had forgotten planting it.

When the Day of the Lord comes and we all gather around to celebrate His rich harvest, how much fruit will have grown from the few seeds we scattered during our brief time here on earth? The sower parable in Matthew 13 is so true! Though most of the seeds we sow never bear fruit, the few that fall on good soil will produce so abundantly that we are guaranteed a rich harvest.

That’s why it is vital that we faithfully sow the seed God places in our hands. Consider Ecclesiastes 11:6:

Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed. (NIV)

Don’t be discouraged. Just keep sowing. The seed is good, and God will make it grow.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: See the Seed of Faith
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From Every Nation

2014-07-01 Devotional with Hymn No comments

[Jesus said:] “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places…in the kingdom of God. (Luke 13:29, NIV)

At the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, I was struck by the many languages, nationalities, and religious traditions that filled the church. They were like children on their first day in heaven, rushing from place to place, bubbling with excitement. Most had traveled long distances at great expense to be there.

What a vivid reminder that people come to faith in Christ through many avenues. Those avenues are as varied as the cultures and personalities of all the people of all the ages.

With each of us, our understanding of God is so partial and so marred by ignorance. But God’s goodness comes in many flavors, and His incarnation has so many beautiful faces.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: God of All People
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Consider the Seed

2014-06-29 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Jesus said:

 “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds…fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (Matthew 13:3-4, 8, NASB) 

Consider the seed.
It’s so small…and hard…and dry…
very unspectacular in appearance.
We bury it in the earth.
We water it. We tend it.
We protect it. We watch it.
And do you know what happens?
Nothing.
Nothing happens… at least not immediately.

But hidden in that seed is a mysterious, powerful, irrepressible life.
And if we wait patiently,
one day a tiny, tender sprout begins to push up through the earth.
That sprout becomes a little stem,
and after much more watering and tending and protecting,
it produces flowers for us to see and smell.
It gives delicious fruit for us to eat and enjoy.

But do you know what else it produces?
More seeds!
Our one seed is now hundreds, even thousands of seeds.
And if those seeds fall to the ground and die,
some will bear flowers and fruit
and give more and more seeds.

The entire earth could become a beautiful, fruitful garden
from one seed.

Jesus Christ was one seed.
Each of us is just…one…seed.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Bless This Seed
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Praying for Fellow Workers

2014-06-26 Congregational Song, Devotional, Hymns No comments

This is the 22nd in a series of Friday posts on congregational song.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21, NIV)

I urge… that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for … all those in authority. (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NIV)

We all have to work with other people, whether on our jobs, at home, or in the church. Some are our co-workers. Some are our supervisors. In both cases, our work is interconnected with theirs. If the other person doesn’t do a good job, our work is damaged.

This is particularly true in music. Singers, instrumentalists, writers, directors–none of us is an island. The quality and effectiveness of our work is dependent on other people. That can be very stressful!

In dealing with such situations in my own life, the Lord has brought me back to what the Bible says about submitting to one another and praying for one another. I’m discovering that is great, practical advice.

Instead of fretting about whether another person will do a good job or whether a supervisor will make the right decision, I’m learning to pray for them. I pray that God will guide them and work through them to accomplish His will.

Then, having prayed for them and trusted the Lord to work through them, I can more easily rely on them and be submissive to them. And when I still feel I must disagree, I can do so in a non-defensive, non-territorial manner, remembering it is God’s work, not mine, and He will accomplish it.

Sometimes we feel that if everyone would just leave us alone, if we weren’t so dependent on others, everything would be terrific. The Bible declares that that simply isn’t so. Each of us has a particular role to play. By ourselves, we are so limited. We were designed to work most efficiently and productively in relationship to others. We are each like one part of the body that must work with other parts if the whole body is to function successfully. God created us to be dependent not only on himself but on each other.

Prayer is the best way to make such relationships work. Through prayer, we lift up those on whom we are dependent. Through prayer, we maintain the right attitude toward them. Prayer for fellow workers fosters the unity and interdependence essential for all of us to be and do our best together.

And through prayer, we keep our faith focused on God’s will and on His ability to accomplish that will through us, not just through me.

Freedom

2014-06-24 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV)

When I fail to trust God, I fail.
And I have failed so often.

Sometimes it’s been a troublesome, recurrent sin.
Sometimes pride,
worry,
selfishness, or
unkindness.

But in all these years, I have never used up His mercies.
We draw on them over and over, and
they are never diminished.
They are “new every morning.”

I feel ashamed and presumptuous to come to Him again for forgiveness.
But He asks me to come, and
I come in obedience.

Lord, in obedience,
I trust Your mercy once again.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Daily Confession
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Freedom in Christ

2014-06-22 Devotional with Hymn No comments

 “Come to Me…Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NASB)

The Apostle Paul wrote:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  .  .  .  Do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NIV)

Lord Jesus, in what ways am I still in bondage?
In what ways am I not enjoying all the freedom I have in You?

Give me the freedom from self that
only Your Spirit,
only Your love brings.

Give me freedom from binding lifestyle patterns and habits
that limit me from walking constantly in You.

Give me freedom from the anxiety
that is unnecessary for me now as a child of God.

I come to You, Lord Jesus.
Help me to walk more completely and freely in You.
I am Yours.
I am listening.
I will obey.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: We Come and Rest
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Forgiveness Is Always Available

2014-06-17 Devotional with Hymn No comments

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you…
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
(Psalm 32:3, 5, NIV)

Are you unsure of your relationship with God?

You don’t need to let uncertainty put a cloud between you.
You don’t have to wonder.
You don’t have to wait.

If you think you’ve failed Him, talk to Him right now.
Forgiveness is always available.
He makes it available to you every moment.

 

Jesus, I accept
today’s forgiveness for
today’s failures.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Song of Confession
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Living Without Guilt

2014-06-15 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Jesus said,

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28, NASB) 

1 John 1:9 promises this:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)

I know about guilt. I know about the shadow deep inside, the heaviness, the darkness. I know about being deeply, unforgettably aware of the wrong I’ve done.

I’ve tried to deal with that guilt in a variety of ways.

I’ve tried to deny it: “It’s just a state of mind…an emotion…it’ll pass.”

I’ve tried to rationalize it: “Everybody does wrong once in a while…I’m no worse than most people.”

I’ve tried to blame it on others and escape it: “It’s just the way my parents raised me…society’s false standards…If I ignore their rules, I’ll eventually get past this feeling.”

I’ve tried to make up for it somehow: “I will be nice to people…do good deeds…give money…That will make up for the wrong I’ve done…My good deeds will outweigh the bad.”

But none of that lifts the blackness. None of it makes me clean. None of it changes the person I know I am. My wrongness is not a feeling, or a fiction, or a passing phenomenon. It’s a fact.

But thank the Lord, I also know what forgiveness feels like. Years ago friends told me about Jesus. At first, hearing about Him only made the guilt worse. I felt painted in a corner. My wrongness, my sin, was bigger than ever. It loomed over me. It stared me in the face.

Finally, in desperation, and in feeble hope, I turned to Jesus. I just opened myself to Him. I admitted how wrong I was, and I asked Him to help me.

And you know what happened? He didn’t scold me. He didn’t punish me. He just forgave me. Forgave me! Freely, completely, unconditionally forgave me! I was a brand-new person! I felt bathed in His love inside and out.

I can’t describe the freedom. I can’t describe the cleanness, the joy, the rightness of life.

I’m not talking about a feeling. It was a fact. I was a different person, and everyone who knew me knew I was different.

No, I wasn’t perfect. I’m still not perfect–not by a long shot. But I’m learning to trust Him, and He’s helping me to live a clean life, a loving life, above the wrong that once dragged me down.

And when I fail, I just ask Him to forgive me, and He does, as freely and completely as ever.

If you’re living with guilt, let me tell you: you don’t have to. You don’t need to deny it. You don’t need to rationalize it. You don’t have to make up for it. Jesus forgives sin. Jesus takes away guilt completely. Jesus makes new people. Jesus can make you a new person.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Come, My Friends!
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