"We Love You Jesus" Shane and Shane

May we ever praise the Lord whether it is the popular thing to do (in season), the unpopular thing to do (out of season), when we have a spiritual victory and feel near to the Lord (on top of mountains), and even, when we are as low as we can get and the Lord seems far away (in valleys).  

Let us "greatly rejoice in the Lord and [let our] heart[s] be joyful in our God" ~Is. 61:10

The Cross

"I would not have preached the honor and glory of the cross, if I feared the death of the cross."  These were the words of the Apostle Andrew when the proconsul threatened him with death on the cross if he did not stop preaching the gospel.  Andrew could not stop proclaiming that which he loved most and therefore was taken out to be crucified.  As he went he proclaimed: "O cross, most welcome and long looked for! With a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to thee, being the scholar of Him which did hang on thee: because I have always been thy lover, and have coveted to embrace thee." (Deny Yourself by: Steve Gallagher, pg 2)

Am I afraid to speak about the honor and glory of the cross because I fear death on the cross itself?  Do I not realize that it was for me that He died and He did so on the accursed tree?  Do I say that I love Christ and then shrink back from the very thing that has allowed me access to Himself? 

Oh, that I might have the same attitude that the Apostle Andrew had!  That I might have the reality of the cross and yet be so overwhelmed by the peace and love of the Lord as to have no fear of it.  That I would look ever to it, longing to embrace it as my Savior embraced it before me and for me!

I do not mean merely the physical death on the cross but the day to day death that proclaiming the Lord brings about, death to the world, to sin, and the death to self! 

May I speak and act in such a way that it is evident that I have already died the death of the cross and that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me! 

Follow Me

"When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" "
~John 21:21-22 (English Standard Version)
How often I am like Peter looking towards others as to how my life shall be lived out rather than living the life that God has given me in the way He has shown me to live.  Sometimes it is hard to see friends moving forward in their lives while I'm seemingly standing still; or to see others living carefree while I feel as though I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.  Yet, in these times I should not be looking to them for how my life should be but to be walking in the way that He has shown me.  I do not know what is to come for other believers and I do not know what is to come in the future for myself but I know that I must obey Christ and He says, "You follow me!" 

Jesu, High and Holy

Jesu, High and holy,
Make my heart like Thine,
Humble, meek and lowly,
Full of love divine,
Keep me in Thy dwelling,
Pure and undefiled,
Every fear dispelling,
Let me be Thy child.

Thine alone for ever,
Saviour would I be;
Let not Satan sever
My young heart from Thee.
In Thine admonition
Daily may I grow
To Thy full fruition
While I live below.

Saviour, go beside me,
Never let me stray;
By Thy counsel guide me
All my pilgrim way.
Be my joy and treasure,
Grant me, Lord, to see
Truest peace and pleasure
Are in serving Thee.

~W. Robinson

Jesus! why dost Thou love me so?

Jesus! why dost Thou love me so?
What hast Thou seen in me
To make my happiness so great,
So dear a joy to Thee?

Wert Thou not God, I then might think
Thou hadst no eye to read
The badness of that selfish heart,
For which Thine own did bleed.

But Thou art God, and knowest all;
Dear Lord! Thou knowest me;
And yet Thy knowledge hinders not
Thy love’s sweet liberty.

Ah, how Thy grace hath wooed my soul
With persevering wiles!
Now give me tears to weep; for tears
Are deeper joy than smiles.
Each proof renewed of Thy great love
Humbles me more and more,
And brings to light forgotten sins,
And lays them at my door.
The more I love Thee, Lord! the more
I hate my own cold heart;
The more Thou woundest me with love,
The more I feel the smart.

What shall I do, then, dearest Lord!
Say, shall I fly from Thee,
And hide my poor unloving self
Where Thou canst never see?
Or shall I pray that Thy dear love
To me might not be given?
Ah, no! love must be pain on earth,
If it be bliss in heaven.
_______________________________________________

Written by Frederick William Faber, 1814-1863
As presented in The Christian Book of Mystical Verse, compiled by A. W. Tozer

Loving Christ Without Limits

"As my relationship with God has deepened and grown more intimate over the past two decades since the accident.  I've come to realize I'll never be satisfied with the kind of Christianity that far too many people settle for.  I don't want to be a half-baked, half-hearted  follower who submits to the Lord only when it's easy or when there's something in it for me.  I want to love Jesus without limits.  I want to be a woman who sees herself as the beloved bride of Christ, His chosen helpmate who joyfully pursues His presence and seeks to carry out His will with dogged determination, regardless of what it may cost me personally.  I don't want to stop short of any goal God may have for me.  When my body is buried in the ground, I want all the angels to say, "She shouldered her burdens with great strength, maximized her opportunites to bring glory to God and squeezed every blessing out of life that her Creator intended her to have."  ~Shannon Ethridge from "Completely His" pg 9

The Sin of Impatience

Over and over again the Israelites became impatient.  They grumbled and complained against God and dishonored and quarreled those God had put over them.  They constantly were looking back toward Egypt when their eye did not see the end.

O soul, how often do you lack faith and become impatient for what lies ahead.  You, oh so quickly, look back to the "good old' days" forgetting the bondage your dear Father has freed you from.  You forget how He has so often heard your cries and grumblings and supplied you with food and water in the wilderness.  O feeble one, how quick you are to rely on your own eyes rather than on your God.

How often have your eyes deceived you; causing you to believe that a situation is impossible, that the end will never come, or even that God no longer cares and you are forsaken? 

Now, dear soul, consider this, how often has your Father deceived you? Can you think of any time? Of course not! He will never leave you, deceive you, or not provide for you.

O Child of God, trust in your Father and look with eyes of faith towards the ultimate goal, for He will never disappoint!