"Come, Ye Souls by Sin Afflicted"

“Take His easy yoke and wear it;

Love will make obedience sweet;

Christ will give you strength to bear it,

While his wisdom guides your feet Safe to glory,

Where his ransomed captives meet.”

Love makes many things possible. Things you didn’t think you could do. When love interrupts negative thinking, it’s amazing what can happen.

Being obedient doesn’t always make us feel good. There are many things we don’t want to do for many different reasons. We don’t have the time. We don’t have the money. We don’t want to go out. We don’t want to stay in. They’re not our favorite person.

When our heart is filled with love, though, all the reasons we can’t do something changes. There is a reason to do it. Love is the great conqueror. Christ’s love is the great motivator.

2 John 1:6

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.”

Godsbless.ing: “This verse is a powerful reminder of how we should live our lives as believers. It encourages us to not only love one another but also to walk in obedience to God’s commands. Love and obedience go hand in hand in our relationship with God. When we truly love God and others, obedience to His commands naturally follows as a demonstration of that love . . . Walking in love means putting others before ourselves, showing compassion, forgiveness, and kindness. It means treating others as we would want to be treated, following the example of Jesus Christ. And when we obey God’s commands, we align our lives with His will, demonstrating our love and devotion to Him . . . This verse serves as a powerful reminder to prioritize love and obedience in today’s fast-paced world, where individualism often overshadows community."

“Love will make obedience sweet.” We don’t do this alone. We have strength through Christ and His wisdom. “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

By His Grace . . . 

Wonderful Grace of Jesus

 

Refrain:

“Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;

Higher than the mountain, Sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me;

Broader than the scope of my transgressions, Greater far than all my sin and shame;

O Magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His name!”

Unfortunately, as Christians, we continue to sin. Sin looks differently now. Before we were saved, sin didn’t bother us. We did what we wanted too, when we wanted too, and never blinked an eye.

But now, when we sin, we know it. We have no doubt that we’ve sinned. And it’s hard to let it pass.

We can’t live in our sin anymore. Our body doesn’t belong to us. It houses something greater. God lives there. As soon as we sin, it fills our mind and doesn’t go away.

It doesn’t matter how bad our sin is or how often we commit it. It won’t let us be. It will haunt our insides until we confess, because we know we are wrong.

We have to tell God we are sorry. We must trust that He will forgive us. And because of His matchless grace, we will be forgiven.

God’s grace. There is nothing like it in this world. It gives us what we need so we can move forward and not be inhibited by wrongdoing.

Yes, it is matchless grace. God freely gives it. It is greater than anything we could ever get. Because we are a child of God, He presents us with this gift, this remarkable and unimaginable gift, that is sufficient to cleanse us from our sin, and He says: “You are my child; you have been washed as white as snow and are acceptable to Me.”

It’s something we never get used to. To be freely forgiven. Forever. It is matchless grace, far greater than anything we've ever experienced. Hallelujah!

By His Grace . . . 

"Shout to the Lord"

 

"My Jesus, my Savior, there is none like You.

All of my days, I want to praise, The wonders of Your mighty love.

"My comfort, my shelter, Tower of refuge and strength.

Let every breath, all that I am, Never cease to worship You.

"Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing, Power and majesty, praise to the King.

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, At the sound of Your name.

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands, Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand.

Nothing compares to the promise I have in You."

I love the personal beginning of this song: "My." My Jesus. My Savior. the writer, Darlene Zschech, had these words to share:

"When I was age 15, I attended a youth group called Royal Rangers. I attended for a few weeks, met the giver of Life, Jesus Christ.

"My memories of a particular evening meeting are so clear - the irresistible invitation to receive Jesus into my life. My longing to be made whole overtook my limited understanding, and I got out of my seat and, with a couple of other young people, walked toward the leader. He led us in the most beautiful prayer I have ever prayed.

“At home, I slipped onto the bench of an old piano my parents had given me when I was 5 years old. My hands fell on the keys, and I began to improvise, not really playing anything particular. Suddenly, I found myself singing a song, which flowed from my heart. I continued to sing it, again and again. I realized that the message of my song was true. It begins, ‘My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You.’

“I said to myself, ‘I think the Lord has given me a worship song.’ However, I was very timid about singing my song for others. I asked the church music director and his visiting friend to turn their faces to the wall while I played and sang my new song. My hands were so sweaty I feared my fingers would slip off of the keys. As I finished singing, the men turned and assured me they thought my song was wonderful.”

Lovely words and lovely tune to express our worship to the Lord. We can all relate to the words of this song. I especially like the words: "My comfort, my shelter, Tower or refuge and strength."

2 Corinthians 1:3

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort."

Scripturesavvy.com: "The phrase 'God of all comfort' reflects the idea that God is not just a source of comfort among many but the ultimate source of comfort for every situation we face. It speaks to His nature as one who deeply cares for His children, is compassionate, and understands our pain. God's comfort is not limited; it is available to everyone. No matter how low we may feel or how severe our hardships may be, God is there to lift us up, reminding us that we are loved and cared for deeply."

All to my Jesus, my Savior.

By His Grace . . . 

"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"

Picture from "Peaceful Moments for Women" Facebook page.

“Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,

Feed me till I want no more.”

Have you had your fill of Jesus?  The Bible?  I don’t think it’s possible to get to the point where you don’t want to read or hear anymore. R. G. Huff, author of “Hymn Lines” agrees:

“Is it possible for Christ to feed us to the point of wanting no more of His nourishment? Can we gorge ourselves on the truth of who Christ is until we say, ‘that’s all I can take?’ Somehow, I don’t think so.”

From the very beginning, when we were saved and became a child of God, reading, learning and hearing about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will never get to a point where we’ve had enough. Never. Not if Jesus is our Savior and God our Father. It’s silly even to consider that.

“Feed me till I want no more” will never reach that point in a child of God. There are so many resources for us to learn from with the Bible being the first. The hymn book of songs that tell the Gospel story. Sunday School quarterlies that continue to teach. Books from saints of old that fill you with all God does for His children. Study videos from saints still living that continue to teach you more.

Our thirst for heaven’s food is never satisfied. Because it’s our life. John 6:33 says: “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: “Christ shows that He is the true Bread; He is to the soul what bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life. He is the Bread of God. Bread which the Father gives, which He has made to be the food of our souls. Bread nourishes only by the powers of a living body; but Christ is Himself living Bread and nourishes by His own power . . . He is the Bread which came down from heaven.”

Enduringword.com: “We might paraphrase the reply of Jesus like this: ‘What other work will I do? This is the work: to give you the Word of God and eternal life in and through Me. This is the spiritual bread you must feast on to have life.’”

How thankful we are to continually be fed and nourished by Jesus. He’s right in front of us. He’s everywhere. All we have to do is apply ourselves and we will be fed. And His food is eternal!

By His Grace . . . 

"I'd Rather Have Jesus"

 

Refrain:

“Than to be the king of a vast domain Or be held in sin’s dread sway.

I’d rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today.”

There really isn’t anything in this world that compares to our Mighty God. There’s many distractions. There’s many glimpses of riches and happiness. There’s many possibilities that might turn out good. But there isn’t anything better than God.

We turned to anything and everything before we became children of God. Some things seemed to work in our favor, at least for awhile. Good job . . .  good friends . . . good marriage . . . happy life; until it wasn’t.

Then one day we heard about a loving God who wanted our life. As bad as it was. He wanted us to come to Him. And, thankfully we did.

It’s not perfect. Afterall, we do live in the world. But we now had something the world didn’t. Hope. And hope makes all the difference.

With hope we can continue through each day knowing that no matter what happens we are covered by the blood of Jesus and loved by the God who created us. We have Someone who always works for our good and helps us through anything and everything that happens in our life.

We may have lost relationships with family members or close friends when we became children of God, and they caused pain and hurt in our life, may still do. With God’s help we learn to live through that pain and trust Him to work good out of those situations. They may never be restored. Even so, what we have gained in being God’s child is far richer and better than any relationship we lost. And God continues to hear our prayers for those individuals.

Yes, I’d rather have Jesus and the hope He provides. Trusting in His control of my life and looking forward to the eternity to come. 

"I’d rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today."

By His Grace . . . 

"Open the Eyes of My Heart"

 

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord,

Open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see you.

I want to see you.”

One thing new Christians can tell almost immediately is that their eyes have been opened in a way they’ve never seen before. Nature is one area that I noticed in a new and different way when I became a Christian.

Another thing I realized is the joy I felt each time I went into the house of God. Something so strong and bold happened to me that I rejoiced in the house of God. God opened my eyes.

This praise and worship song was inspired by Ephesians 1:18: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

I like the words: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” That’s what happens when you become a Christian. A new world captures your attention. It’s a thrilling thing to experience.

The writer, Paul Baloche, describes the spiritual intent of his song: “The essence of the song is our petition, asking God to open the eyes of our hearts. . . I began to realize that it is not more teaching we need, but a revelation of God and a crying out to Him, saying, ‘God, open the eyes of my heart. Reveal to me how I might taste and see who you really are so that I might be changed from the inside out. Help me to have a response of gratitude and admiration, and a sense of awe and worship toward Jesus.’” (Terry, 2008)

The next verse phrase follows:

“To see you high and lifted up,

Shinin' in the light of Your glory.

Pour out your power and love,

As we sing holy, holy, holy.”

Isaiah 33:10

“Now will I arise,” says the Lord. “Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up.”

Godsbless.ing: “'Now will I be exalted’ and ‘Now will I be lifted up’ both highlight God’s supremacy, power, and sovereignty, demanding recognition and reverence.”

We are given something very special when we become Christians. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, to see all things new!

By His Grace . . . 

"Our God Has Made Us One"

 

“Our God has made us one,

His glory is displayed.

For as we build each other up,

Our love becomes His praise.”

We are to build each other up. What does that mean? Helping each other grow in knowledge of God. We need each other as we walk through life serving God. We need encouragement to stand tall in the faith we believe. Christian brothers and sisters and friends need to support each other and help one another to live lives worthy of our God.

Love is the result. Love for each other. Love for God. A strong fellowship of believers bring praise and honor to God when we live lives to bring Him glory.

Romans 15:2

“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.”

Scripturesavvy.com: “Paul encourages us to ‘build them up.’ Building up someone means nurturing their potential and helping them feel strong and empowered. It involves providing support, encouragement, and perhaps even correction when necessary. Each of us possesses unique gifts, and when we help others identify and develop those gifts, they can flourish in ways they may never have imagined.”

When you recognize a gift in someone tell them. One, it encourages them. Two, it confirms what God has given them to do. Three, it helps them accept the work God has given them with the abilities God has given them.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Bibleoutlined.com: “Encouragement is a vital element of our faith journey. It serves not only to uplift individuals but also strengthens the collective body of Christ. The call to build each other up is not merely about offering compliments but is a deeper, spiritual endeavor that fosters resilience, hope, and unity among believers.”

Godsbless.ing: “We become a beacon of light in each other’s lives, offering hope and inspiration in times of darkness . . . Let’s be beacons of encouragement, shining brightly for all to see . . .  We can be a source of strength and support for one another, creating a community that is grounded in faith, love, and unity.”

I like the words “beacon of light.” It’s like being a lighthouse for other believers so they grow in their faith.

“For as we build each other up Our love becomes His praise.” We need each other. Let’s praise God in unity.

By His Grace . . .