It’s a Forever Kind of Thing

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   Romans 8:38-39

My thoughts:
“Give thanks to the Lord our God and King
His Love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things
His Love endures forever”   - Chris Tomlin, Forever, 2001 ©

Today is a good day, but there have certainly been bad ones along the way.  Each day the alarm goes off and my feet swing from under the covers to land on the cold floor.  I am reminded that the Lord is still in control and His love will never fade away.  Despite the pain, the fears and the uncertainty that lie ahead of me on this day, my faith is not shaken.  Because for the next 24 hours, the Lord has blessed me once again to rise from this bed and serve Him with my words and actions.

There will come a day when I will not be so blessed as I am today.  When I will not be able to swing my legs from the bed and stand.  When my mind will not be so clear, and my body not so capable.  There will come a day when fear so grips me, or the pain and sadness overwhelms me to such a degree that I just want to stay under these covers and avoid all human contact.  There will be days when I am so angered at those around me or my circumstances that the hatred can consume my thoughts.  You see, each and every day is unique in the challenges that will face us, but one thing is constant – God’s love doesn’t change.

His word promises that nothing can separate us – not physical ailments, not fear, not anger, not pain or sadness.  We may not immediately see His love, but we can trust that it’s there none the less.  He will not turn from us.  If we are feeling the loneliness of missing God the Father, it is we who have turned from Him.  This can only be reconciled by repenting and turning back to His love and grace.  So, whatever it is that keeps you from His loving arms today, turn from it; turn from the pain, the fear, the anger, the sadness, the depression, the pride and come back to the realization that this day belongs to Him, and your purpose is to share His love with those around you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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21st Century Psalms - Choose Freedom

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
Oh God, my Savior
has ransomed me
and like a flood
His mercy reigns
Amazing love, Amazing grace             - Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone – by Chris Tomlin – 2006 “See the Morning”

Chains hung heavy from their shackled wrists as they were moved slowly through the crowd.  People shouting, yelling obscenities and spitting upon them.  They hid their children from the men hobbling along the dirt streets, with chains between the heavy shackles around their ankles.  Their bodies were beaten and fresh blood oozed from the lacerations on their backs and chests, where the whip had dug into their flesh.  As the approached the wooden steps, some of them would fall which caused a cascade of falling as the chains connecting each of their bodies, one to another, would pull them off balance.  Once they had all ascended the few steps and were all lined up on the platform, they were stripped of any remaining clothing, lest the covering of their loins, and stood there helpless before the onlookers.  Then the bidding would begin.

Did you think I was referring to the disciples, the followers of Jesus Christ?  No, not at all.  I was referring to the slaves that were bought and sold as nothing more than animals less than 150 years ago.  The slave trade in England, Spain and the Americas was big business and took every ounce of humanity away from the men, women and children that were auctioned off like livestock.  The song Amazing Grace was written by John Newton, a slave trader from England in the late 1700’s. As I wrote in my book, Truly Amazing Grace, “..After coming to the revelation of the grace of Christ in his life, it became his life’s passion to abolish the trafficking of slaves because of the inhuman and unjustness.  The song lyrics represent the anguish that John Newton was going through as he struggled to find his own worth in God’s eyes, after partaking in slave trading for so long.” 

In the 1^st decade of the 21^st century many musical artists have adopted John Newton’s Amazing Grace with refined lyrics.  Chris Tomlin’s version calls out the chains that bind each of us in sin.  The chains of bondage keep us from fully experiencing the love and grace of God the Father as we remain addicted to our own desires in life.  We must understand that God’s mercy and grace will not bend and mold to our desires in life.  They are immutable since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We are to mold our desires to be in line with His grace and mercy you see.  The grace of the Father is available to all mankind if we chose to accept it.  What chains bind your heart to the world today?  What chains and shackles keep you from living all out for the Lord?  God and only God has the key to loose the chains that bind your heart and mind.  The owness is upon you to choose freedom though.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I lift all glory and honor to You for the freedoms You have given me in my life.  Forgive me, for I am blind to my sin, to the addictions in this life that keep me from serving You completely.  I am unworthy of Your love and mercy, but by Your grace I am accepted.  I cannot fathom the love You have for me, to allow me in all of my filth to enter into Your presence.  I choose freedom from the worlds bondage in my life and lift my eyes to You in awe and wonder.  In Your name we pray – Amen
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21st Century Psalms – His Love Endures

From the rising to the setting sun
His Love endures forever
and by the grace of God we will carry on
His Love endures forever
Sing Praise, Sing Praise
Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong

                           - Forever  by Chris Tomlin – 2002 “The Noise We Make”

Have you ever gotten a worship song stuck in your head for days?  For several years I was involved in the ministry at Fellowship of the Woodlands and had the responsibility of creating the graphic images for the praise and worship songs.  I would spend three to four days each week getting the graphics just right to match the lyrics of a song and hopefully relay God’s love and compassion through the visual aspect of the Sunday morning service.  There were a few songs just after the turn of the century that would get stuck in my head all week long : Forever, God of Wonder, Above All, Awesome God, Open the Eyes of My Heart – just to name a few.  I still find myself singing these songs to my kids at night when I put them to bed.

What is it about a praise and worship song that makes it speak so deeply?  With all of the music in the world today vying for our attention, these have staying power.  Perhaps it is because they draw us closer to the God of the Bible.  With deep roots in scripture most praise and worship songs bring the Psalms and scriptures to life and draw us to a closer understanding.  David found that music and singing to God gave him the opportunity to bare his heart and soul before the Lord.  I believe in each of us it is inherent to draw some emotional tie to music and in doing so open up our heart to hear God’s word.

In the gospel of Matthew and Mark we are reminded that even the Lord himself with the disciples sang songs of praise to the Father in heaven.  Singing praise and worship is another way of demonstrating our deep love and devotion to God the Father.  Paul references singing hymns in several places throughout his writings; most memorably while he and Silas were in prison.  God’s love is poured out upon us in many ways, and we need to take in all of it.  His grace is love, the beauty of the earth is His love and music represents His love.  The emotion you sometimes feel when you hear certain music draws us closer to His enduring love.  It reminds us that no matter how difficult life is, how steep our struggles, God is always there.

Prayer:
Loving Father,
Fill me with Your love oh Lord.  Help me to see the purity and the beauty of everything You have given me.  Be my strength when I am weak and the song in my heart to keep me focused on You.    In Your name we pray – Amen
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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011