Worldliness

"Worldliness is so serious

because

Christ

is so glorious."

~from a thought-provoking recent-read Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World, edited by C.J. Mahaney

I am His, and He is Mine

This evening on the way home from work, I was listening to the new Soundforth CD, Beyond All Praising. It was the song "Be Not Afraid," based on Isaiah 43. What a blessing these words were to meditate on as I drove home!

"But now, thus says the LORD...

'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And through the rivers,

they shall not overflow you.

When  you walk through the fire,

you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel,

your Savior.

Since you were precious in My sight,

You have been honored,

And I have loved you.'

Thus says the LORD,

who makes a way in the sea,

And a path through the mighty waters...

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

This people I have

formed for Myself;

They shall

declare My praise."

~various verses from Isaiah 43~

Specifically spoken to Israel, yet definitely applicable to God's children today!

Day of Victory

He is not here,

but is risen!

~ ~ ~

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!

photo courtesy ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe

Scripture: Luke 24:6

with One Day (O Glorious Day)

Day of Confusion

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

~ ~ ~

Mary wept because she did not understand.

None of the disciples did, until after Jesus resurrected.

What was that Sabbath day like for Jesus' followers? Luke describes how confused they were, even as they began hearing reports of the empty tomb, and how they didn't fully believe until they saw Jesus themselves. We can rejoice, knowing now what they did not fully know!

~ ~ ~

Dying for me, dying for me,
There on the cross He was dying for me;
Now in His death my redemption I see,
All because Jesus was dying for me.

Risen for me, risen for me,
Up from the grave He has risen for me;
Now evermore from death’s sting I am free,
All because Jesus has risen for me.

photo courtesy christian-graphics.net

Scripture: John 20:11-15

with Wounded for Me

Day of Sorrow

 Who has believed our report?
      And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
       For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
      And as a root out of dry ground.
      He has no form or comeliness;
      And when we see Him,
      There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
       He is despised and rejected by men,
      A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 

~ ~ ~

O sacred Head, now wounded,

with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns,

Thine only crown...

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee,

Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee

and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish,

with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish

that once was bright as morn!
~ ~ ~
      And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
      He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
       Surely He has borne our griefs
      And carried our sorrows;
      Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
      Smitten by God, and afflicted.
       But He was wounded for our transgressions,
      He was bruised for our iniquities;
      The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
      And by His stripes we are healed. 

~ ~ ~

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,

was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,

but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!

’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,

vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

~ ~ ~

     All we like sheep have gone astray;
      We have turned, every one, to his own way;
      And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
       He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
      Yet He opened not His mouth;
      He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
      And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
      So He opened not His mouth.
       He was taken from prison and from judgment,
      And who will declare His generation?
      For He was cut off from the land of the living;
      For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 

~ ~ ~

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

~ ~ ~ 
And they made His grave with the wicked—
      But with the rich at His death,
      Because He had done no violence,
      Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
       Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
      He has put Him to grief.
      When You make His soul an offering for sin,
      He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
      And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
       He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
      By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
      For He shall bear their iniquities. 

~ ~ ~

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.

~ ~ ~      
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
      And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
      Because He poured out His soul unto death,
      And He was numbered with the transgressors,
      And He bore the sin of many,
      And made intercession for the transgressors.

photo courtesy christian-graphics.net

Scripture: Isaiah 53, NKJ

with O Sacred Head Now Wounded

and Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross

My Prayer

All I ever want to be is what You want of me, Lord;

I give my life to You.

And all my hopes and dreams and plans

I place within Your hands, Lord, and give my life to You.

by Nate Carter; sung by the Taylors on Everlasting Praise

Whatever You give today, I will accept.

Whenever You withhold, I will praise You.

Plans

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

~Proverbs 19:21~

We can make plans...but if God didn't make the same plans, then our plans are the ones that go.

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

~Proverbs 16:9~

Our hearts are not completely reliable, but God and His ways are!

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

~Proverbs 16:3~

We pray and make biblical choices--but even then God is God and we are not!