Tag Archive for Hymn

The I AM

2014-05-04 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Jesus Christ is the Word become flesh (John 1:14).
He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
He is all the fullness of the Deity in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).
He is the radiance of the Father’s glory and
       the exact representation of His very being (Hebrews 1:3).

Holy God is now human.
The Almighty shares our weakness.
Our Sovereign is a humble servant.
The Unapproachable One grants us unlimited access.
The Transcendent, the Incomprehensible, the Unimaginable
has come to us, and
we see Him face to face.

Mystery and intimacy,
power and dependence,
time and eternity
are seamlessly combined in Him.

The Unknowable is knowable
by childlike faith alone.
The glory of the Infinite God,
of whom the vast universe is only a passing glimpse and a faint whisper,
is fully revealed in this One.

He shares with us
His wisdom,
His heart,
His breath, and
His peace.
He welcomes us with open arms,
holds us gently in His hand,
lovingly speaks our name, and
calls Himself our Brother.

All that the Father has,
all that He is, and
all the gifts of His magnificent Being
are ours forever in this One:
Jesus Christ.

Holy Father,
in Jesus Christ
You have removed all the barriers
between You and me.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: We Can Know Our God Transcendent
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Father, Whatever Glorifies You

2014-04-29 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Not my will, but yours be done.
(Luke 22:42, NIV)

Pray this prayer when you are caught in a swirl of events beyond your control.
Pray it during frustrating times;
during uncertain times,
when things aren’t working out right.

Jesus considered His most difficult days as
His best chance to glorify His Father.
He knew that as He hung on the Cross,
the Father’s love would shine the brightest.

So it is with us.
Often our most difficult times are when
others see God’s love and power most clearly in our lives.

Are you willing to let Him use your suffering to glorify himself?

Father,
whatever glorifies You.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Glorify Your Name
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The Good Shepherd

2014-04-27 Devotional with Hymn No comments

John 10:1-18

Good Shepherd,
lead me through this day.
Call me by name,
and help me hear Your voice in my heart.
May I follow no voice but Yours.

Lead me out, Lord.
Always go with me and before me.
Lead me to Your provision for today:
Your bread,
Your work,
Your rest.

Good Shepherd,
You are the door.
Through You I enter into life.
You are always standing in front of me,
protecting me from the Evil One.

Good Shepherd,
You lay down Your life for me.
I am Your own.
The same knowing that binds You to Your Father
now binds me to You.

You are love.
Speak, Lord.
My heart is listening.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Good Shepherd
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Emmaus Road

2014-04-20 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Now that same day two…were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 

“Jesus of Nazareth…was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:13-17, 19-21, NIV)

Like these two disciples,
we are often distressed at God’s actions.
We don’t understand what He is doing…
or what He is not doing.

Why?
Because we don’t understand which problem He is addressing.
We think the problem is our circumstances
or “the Romans”
or some other person.
The problem God is addressing is
us.
The problem is our failure to seek and trust
only Him.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: I Walk the Dark Emmaus Road
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Jesus’ Relationship with His Father

2014-04-17 Congregational Song, Hymns No comments

This is the 12th in a series of Friday posts on congregational song.

We often think of the earthly Jesus as a superman, with power flowing from His fingertips. But that’s not how the Apostle Paul describes Him:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8, NASB)

Listen to how Jesus describes Himself:

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does…By myself I can do nothing. (John 5:19, 30, NIV)

“The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work…These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” (John 14:10, 24, NIV)

It wasn’t Jesus’ own power that made Him what He was. He had emptied Himself of all that. He made Himself dependent on His Father, constantly and completely, for every word and action. Jesus was what He was by faith. His strength lay not in unique abilities but in His relationship with the Father.

Jesus longs to share that relationship with us. He wants us to have the same fellowship with the Father that He enjoys. He longs for us to participate in the deep love that flows unhindered among the Father, Son, and Spirit:

“I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:20-21, 23, NIV)

Study the life of Jesus. As you see how He lived, all through faith, the hunger will grow in you to share His beautiful, simple relationship with the Father. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit all deeply desire to share that relationship with you.

To enjoy Jesus’ relationship with the Father, worship as He worshiped. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. Trust. Obey. Such a relationship is the reward and the fruit of worship—true worship that is not one hour a week but every hour; worship that is not just spoken or sung but lived.

The highest purpose of our hymns is to nurture such a relationship with the Living God. It is the key to our happiness and fruitfulness, now and forever.

Fill My Thoughts

2014-04-15 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Search me, O God, and
know my heart;
test me and
know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Lord God, You honor me by being with me always.
I am unworthy of You,
but You love me.
You want to be with me.
You want us to be one in heart.

You are love, and You want me to be loving.
You are pure, and You want me to be pure in heart.
You are gentle and kind, and You want me to be as You are.

Patient, gentle, loving Jesus,
give me Your Spirit.
Give me Your mind.
Give me Your heart.

Lord, fill my thoughts
with what pleases You.

 Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Always in You
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Jesus, My Power and Wisdom

2014-04-13 Devotional with Hymn No comments

To those whom God has called…(we preach) Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:24-31, NIV)

Jesus, today
You are my power.
I rest in Your doing.
I move every moment
in Your enabling.

Jesus,
You are my wisdom.
I pray for Your mind.
I listen.

Jesus,
You are my holiness.
I rejoice in You in me.
I quiet my planning
and relax in Your Spirit.

Jesus, today
my work will be to trust You.
Glorify yourself through me today.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Lord Jesus, Living Presence
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The Light of the World

2013-12-29 Devotional with Hymn No comments

When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
(Luke 2:22, 25-32, NIV)

Jesus is not just the central figure of Christianity.
He is the central figure of all history,
of earth and heaven.
He is the Creator, the Sustainer of all that is,
seen and unseen,
the Sovereign Word of the Sovereign God.
He is not just the wisest person who ever lived.
In Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
He is not just the leader of one group, culture, or movement.
He is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords. 

“See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:2, NIV)
Jesus is the Light of the World, and
as He is lifted up,
all nations, all peoples will come to Him.

We know what the holy and wise of all ages
have longed to discover.
We see Jesus Christ.
How very blessed we are!

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Light of Every Nation
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God’s Promise to Moses

2013-12-22 Devotional, Devotional with Hymn No comments

[Moses said:] “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 

“The LORD said to me:…’I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.’” (Deuteronomy 18:15, 17-19, NIV)

In Moses’ day, the nations around Israel used all kinds of magic and superstitious practices to learn the will of the gods. God forbade such sorcery in Israel. He chose to make His will known through His prophets. And unlike the mysterious messages of pagan soothsayers and mediums, God’s words would be clear and understandable.

In the passage above, God is promising to raise up a succession of prophets who would faithfully speak His will to His people. We read the revelations of many of those prophets in our Old Testament. But when the prophets quit coming, the hopes aroused by Deuteronomy 18 began to focus on one Prophet, One who would come and fully reveal all God’s will for His people: Messiah Himself.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, many saw Him as this promised Prophet:

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45, NASB)

When the people saw the sign which [Jesus] had performed (the feeding of the five thousand), they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” (John 6:14, NASB)

Some of the people therefore, when they heard [Jesus’] words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” (John 7:40, NASB)

Peter, in speaking to the Jews about the One they had crucified, said:

“Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer…For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you…’ Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days.” (Acts 3:17-18, 22, 24, NIV)

Jesus told those questioning His authority,

“If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.” (John 5:46, NASB)

And on the evening after His resurrection, Jesus conversed with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27, NASB).

As the centuries progressed, God’s prophets were distilled into God’s Prophet, and God’s words became God’s Word, Jesus Christ.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:1-3, NIV)

Father,
Your power, Your wisdom, and Your love
have said all they have to say
in Jesus Christ.
Help me to listen.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: The Word of God Is Jesus Christ
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

A Life Framed with Love

2013-12-15 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, [the Magi] returned to their country by another route. 

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
(Matthew 2:12-18, NIV)

Jesus was born as He would die.
He would die as He was born.
The birth and death of the Light of the World
were shrouded in darkness.
His trusted companions were the lowly and powerless.
Jealous leaders pursued Him with murderous hearts
while humble women gently cared for His needs.
His helpless body was wrapped in cloth and laid in borrowed quarters.
Coming and going from this world,
He was immersed in suffering, shame, and desperate circumstances.

Jesus is a portrait of God our Father,
framed with tenderness, mercy, and sacrificial love.

Father, I look at the life of your Son, and
I see the full extent of Your love
etched on every page.
Throughout His birth, His life, and His death,
He drank our shame and suffering full strength.
Father, I bow in silence.
How can I respond to You?
How can I live my love for You?

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: One with Us
Recording
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