Showing posts with label Christ the Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ the Lord. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Pistikos Nardos - A Poem

Oh Jesus Christ, my Savior
bring Your fire, bring Your rain.
Burn away the dross of self-life,
'til Your life alone remains.

I want nothing more, oh Jesus
than to have a single eye.
Looking always for Your smile;
Your desire, my delight.

But how oft I am distracted;
pulled away by worthless things.
I grieve and spit upon the face
that bled and died for me!

So captivate me Jesus!
Make me ever, only Yours!
I am nothing on my own, Lord
come and take Your rightful throne.

I surrender all to Thee, O Christ;
my life is not my own.
My eyes, my mouth, my hands, my feet
are now, oh Jesus, Yours!

Burden me, Beloved King
to feel Your anguished heart.
Cleave my hand to the spiritual sword
for the voiceless one in dark.

Ever, onward, upward
soldier, will you now repine?
Your loving Savior grants you
grace sufficient for the fight.

May the cross be e'er before me,
leaving all to follow Thee.
For the Lamb alone is worthy!
May the world see Him in me.

~MJ

Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Fullness of Christ

Did any of you read yesterday's morning devotion from Charles Spurgeon? Oh, it was such a blessing to my soul! I hope it's an encouragement to you as well. It summarizes a lot of what I wrote about in my last post, so I guess this is somewhat of a Part 2. :)

"In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." 
Colossians 2:9

"All the attributes of Christ, as God and man, are at our disposal. All the fullness of the Godhead, whatever that marvelous term may comprehend, is ours to make us complete. His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability and infallibility, are all combined for our defense. 

Arise, believer, and behold the Lord Jesus yoking the whole of His divine Godhead to the chariot of salvation. The fathomless love of the Savior's heart is every drop of it ours; every sinew in the arm of might, every jewel in the crown of majesty, the immensity of divine knowledge, and the sternness of divine justice, all are ours, and shall be employed for us. His wisdom is our direction, His knowledge our surety, His love our comfort, His mercy our solace, and His immutability our trust. 

He makes no reserve, but opens the recesses of the Mount of God and bids us dig in its mines for the hidden treasures. 'All, all, all are yours,' saith He, 'be ye satisfied with favour and full of the goodness of the Lord.' Oh! how sweet thus to behold Jesus, and to call upon Him with the certain confidence that in seeking the interposition of His love or power, we are but asking for that which He has already faithfully promised."

Isn't that absolutely beautiful?! And yet, how many times do I live as if these truths were simply nice poetry? No, it is a promise! Do you see it?

Again, Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete." Paul states this inconceivable truth as a simple reality, not even a promise to be wished for. Oh, how I struggle with unbelief in this area. I look at myself: my sin, feelings, emotions and get discouraged at the lack of His life being lived in me. 

But, how has the Lord called us to accept His Word? With the faith of a child. Mark 10:15 says, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." 
Concepts,emotions,Photographs,text,trust

Like a child. How does a child receive something? With simplicity, gratefulness, and eagerness. How do they believe that which has only been promised them? With expectant confidence and complete assurance that what has been promised will be accomplished. They don't measure the probability or weigh the promise against their past experience. They simply trust and receive the promise with joy, knowing that it will be done.

Furthermore, what's the relationship of a child to his/her parents? It is one of utter trust and dependence; without their parents, the child will have nothing. It is only the goodness of the parents that provide the needs of the child. And yet, the child is not plagued with worry or anxiety, continually wringing their hands in questioning the parent's provision. No, there is complete peace and rest, because the child knows the love of their parents. Their parents have always provided for them in the past; why doubt them to do otherwise now?

Oh friends, may we not do our Father such a disservice as doubting His Word. Has He ever proved Himself unfaithful? What ground do you have to doubt Him then? Like I stated in the last post, your God has promised and He will fulfill His Word. 

So, do you believe that the Lord has made the fullness of the Godhead available to you in Christ? If so, is it simply head knowledge or have you reckoned it for yourself, taking that promise and making it your own? Do you believe, as the little child, that the Lord has made you complete in Himself? Have you presented and yielded your life over to Him, so that He might reign as Lord and come fill you, the empty vessel? He is worthy of it, friend.

 May you trust Him as a little child, looking into your Father's face with joy at who He is and what He is doing in you. Remember...don't look inward at your sin, your inabilities, and past failures. We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ; look unto Him, where there is all perfection and loveliness. Praise the Lord...we are being transformed into His precious likeness! Look unto Him and praise Him for the fullness that has been given us in Him! For when you walk in joyful trust and obedience, you will begin seeing His life being radiated through you more and more! How precious is His work of sanctification!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Singing through December~ Song #5

"He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, He the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute."
~Augustine

"It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the most profound unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. God became man; nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the incarnation."
~J.I. Packer

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Christ has come...hallelujah! May this day find each one of you rejoicing in the immeasurable goodness and grace of our Savior, who humbled Himself for us. 

Here is the last song of the Singing through December series. This is my absolute favorite Christmas song and is such a powerful reminder of the Gift we have been given in Christ!

Have a blessed day, celebrating Christ's birth!



Saturday, December 15, 2012

Singing through December~Song #3

Well, it's that time again. Time for another song...

This one is called "Adore Him" by Kari Jobe. I love how she turned an old Christmas favorite into a beautiful new worship song. Let us adore Him together...


Countless days on a journey that led so far,
Endless nights they traveled to follow the star,
They did not find a palace, just a humble village home 
And searching for a king but finding a child, no crown, no throne.

Still they bowed down,

Come let us Adore Him
O come let us Adore Him
O come let us Adore Him

Expectation turned to mystery
For nothing was like anything they dreamed
Anticipating the royal and those honored by this world
Instead they gazed in the awestruck eyes of a lowly peasant girl.

Holding her child,

Come let us Adore Him
O Come let us Adore Him
O Come let us Adore Him

The brilliant gold, the fragrant myrrh, the costly frankincense

Placed before Him,

Come let us Adore Him
O Come let us Adore Him
O Come let us Adore Him
Christ the Lord.