A Heart of Thanks

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting, 

And His truth endures to all generations.

~Psalm 100

God Is Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

"God is love."

~1 John 4:8b

Healing

It's a recurrent theme in my life. I can't get away from Jehovah Rapha - The Lord Who Heals. One of the best passages in Scripture to illustrate this is Isaiah 61. 

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor.

 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
   and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
   that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
   foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests of the LORD,
   you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
   and in their riches you will boast.

 Instead of your shame
   you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
   you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
   and everlasting joy will be yours.

 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
   I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
   and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations
   and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
   that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

 I delight greatly in the LORD;
   my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
   and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
   and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
   and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness
   and praise spring up before all nations.

If that's not healing, I don't know what is.

How Great is Your Faithfulness

Now unto the king who reigns over all,
and never changes or turns
Unfailing justice, unfading grace,
Whose promises remain,
Yes, Your promises remain.

The heavens ring, the saints all sing,
Great is your faithfulness
From age to age we will proclaim
Great is your faithfulness,
How great is your faithfulness.

Everything changes, but your stay the same;
your word and kingdom endure
we lean on the promise of all that you are,
and trust forevermore
we will trust forevermore.

From generation to generation
you never fail us oh God
Yesterday and today and tommorow
until the day you return.

~Matt Redmond

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness."

~Lamentations 3:22-23

Forever Reign

These lyrics are so encouraging to me.

You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, You are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
You're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life,
In You death has lost it's sting

Oh, I’m running to Your arms,
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go

My heart will sing
no other Name
Jesus, Jesus

~Hillsong

Lord, I just ask that as we meet for corporate worship our hearts will sing no other name but Jesus. Focus our hearts on You. We thank You for Your goodness, Your love, Your light, Your hope, Your peace, Your joy, Your truth, and Your life. We truly have everything we need in You - we are made whole/completely healed in You.

Trust God

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight."

~ Proverbs 3:5-6

There are so many things in life that come up from day to day and they just don't make sense. But trust God, because even the things you don't understand will become clear to you in His time and His way.

Do Not Be Afraid

 “Do not be afraid, Abram.
   I am your shield,
   your very great reward."

~ Genesis 15:1

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see

the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

The Egyptians you see today you will never see again."

~ Exodus 14:13

 "Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”

~ Deuteronomy 3:22

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me"

~ John 14:1

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 4:6-7

God gives His people peace of mind. That's not to say I always dwell in a peaceful state of mind, but it IS there for the taking. I don't need to be troubled, anxious, or afraid. God is taking care of me.

Worship Thought

If we died with him,
   we will also live with him;  

If we endure,
   we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
   he will also disown us;  

If we are faithless,
   he remains faithful,
   for he cannot disown himself. 

~ 2 Timothy 2:11-13

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:24

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 

~ Philippians 1:6

God is faithful, even when I am not. God is faithful in pursuing His purpose for my life. He will not rest until it is finished.

In the Beloved

In the Beloved accepted am I,
Risen, ascended, and seated on high;
Saved from all sin thro’ His infinite grace,
With the redeemed ones accorded a place.

In the Beloved, God’s marvelous grace
Calls me to dwell in this wonderful place;
God sees my Savior, and then He sees me,
In the Beloved, accepted and free.

“In the Beloved”— how safe my retreat,
In the Beloved accounted complete;
“Who can condemn me?” In Him I am free,
Savior and Keeper forever is He.

“In the Beloved” I went to the tree,
There, in His Person, by faith I may see
Infinite wrath rolling over His head,
Infinite grace, for He died in my stead.

~Civilla D. Martin

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

~Ephesians 1:3-6

Forgiving Yourself

"When we confess our sins,

God casts them into the deepest ocean,

gone forever.

And even though I cannot find a scripture for it,

I believe God then places a sign out there that says,

'No Fishing Allowed.'"

~Corrie ten Boom

"If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

~1 John 1:9

If the Holy God of the universe can forgive you then you can forgive yourself.

Don't dwell on past mistakes.

Make today a day about moving forward.

You Will Always Have God

"Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will recieve me."

~Psalm 27:10

 Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

 Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my strength, my victory wins.

 Jesus! What a help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.

~John Wilbur Chapman

I started this blog to post an encouraging thought every day. I have failed miserably in the past few weeks, but I'm going to try and get it going again.