Glory

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

"What inspires you?'  I asked a friend this question in an email this morning as I sat wondering what to share today in this space.  I had just finished my devotional time in God's Word, but just wasn't feeling inspired to write anything about what I had just read.  (Another day, another bad king - remember, I'm in 1 Kings).  Afer I signed off on my email to her, I proceeded to get on with my day, popped in my new Selah CD "Bless the Broken Road" and became absorbed in the song "Glory" by Nichole Nordeman.   I was suddenly inspired by the beauty of the song and how it built up to a wonderful song of praise and hope for that one day when good wins over evil...finally.  Glory to His name.

Glory - by Nichole Nordeman

One day, eyes that are blind will see You clearly
One day all who deny will finally believe
One day hearts made of stone will break in pieces
One day chains, once unbroken, will fall down at Your feet.

So we wait
For that one day
Come quickly, we want to see Your...

Glory
Every knee falls down before Thee
Every tongue offers You praise, with every hand raised
Singing Glory
To You and unto You only
We'll sing Glory to Your name.

One day, voices that lie will all be silenced
One day all that's divided will be whole again
One day death will retreat, and wave its white flag
One day love will defeat the strongest enemy

So we wait
For that one day
Come quickly,we want to see Your...

Glory
Every knee falls down before Thee
Every tongue offers You praise, with every hand raised
Singing Glory
To You and unto You only
We'll sing Glory to Your name.

We know not the day or the hour, or the moments in between
But we know the end of the story...when we'll see Your...

Glory
Every knee falls down before Thee
Every tongue offers You praise, with every hand raised
Singing Glory
To You and unto You only
We'll sing Glory to Your name.

Silent Night

Who isn't familiar with the old hymn "Silent Night" by Joseph Mohr?  I would suppose that most everyone is.  I wonder though, how much the depth of this song as been lost in the familiarity of its tune.  I thought about this as I sat down at my piano and played and sang this Christmas song yesterday afternoon.

Silent night! Holy Night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

It was a night like any other to the rest of the world.  I wonder in what hour of the night Jesus was born.  I wonder if it was in the middle of the night where the night is calm.  Can you smell the smells of an animal stable?  Jesus, the Holy infant, was lying in a manger surrounded by those smells on this night. 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  (Luke 2:11-12)

While Baby Jesus slept, the angels in heaven were proclaiming His arrival.  While Jesus slept, the shepherds journeyed from far away places to see the newborn King. 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward all men.  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which the Lord hat made known unto us.  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  (Luke 2: 13-16)

Is it any wonder how amazed they were at the sight of their promised Messiah finally come into the world?  I still can't imagine how they must have felt looking upon a baby's face and realizing that He was God. 

Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born,
Christ, the Saviour is born.

Yes, Christ the Saviour was born and is still alive today.  What an event that was.  It is hard enough for me to wait for something for 10 minutes, let alone hundreds or thousands of years for something to come to pass.  The angels had waited for a long, long, time!  It is no wonder they were singing!

As I sang this song yesterday and reflect upon it now, my favorite verse is this last one. 

Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

At His birth, Jesus was Lord.  Simeon knew it fully, even better than Mary and Joseph, the proud parents.  Look what Simeon had to say to Mary and Joseph about their baby boy:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:30-32)

Yes, Jesus was Lord, even at his birth.  As the song says, His birth was the dawn of redeeming grace as we know it today.  It wasn't until approximately 33 1/2 years later that the redeeming grace became reality as Jesus was crucified but rose again from the dead.  He was Lord at His birth by destiny, but still lives today because of His power. 

May you, dear readers, take some time to sing today this song of God's redeeming grace as presented on a silent night in a tiny little baby.  As you hear it over the speakers in the mall or other shopping venue, may you smile as you think about Jesus, the real reason for this Christmas season.

Lord, thank you for your redeeming grace.  Thank you for timeless songs that so beautifully depict the reality of Your word so that we can sing praises back to You.  And thank You most of all, for giving us Your Son in that manger so many years ago.  Amen.

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Janna Rust is a Life Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.

How Can I Keep From Singing II

Hello everyone, I was going to post again from I Samuel, but saw a post I couldn't resist over at BooMama's.  She has posted a video of Chris Tomlin singing a new version of an old hymn "How Can I Keep From Singing".  This is probably my favorite praise song of late, and I posted my thoughts about the song here.  So please read my previous post again to put some scripture in your heart about the song, stop by and visit BooMama's video post and have a blessed day thanking God for who He is. 

Thank You, Lord, for keeping us singing!

How Can I Keep From Singing

I bought the new Chris Tomlin CD, See the Morning, this past week and I can barely get past the first track on the CD because the song is so powerful to me.  (I am liking the whole CD, by the way).  I am stuck on the song "How Can I Keep From Singing", because it tells of a person so thrilled with the knowledge of being loved by God that they cannot keep from singing.  Do you feel that way?  Do you fully realize the cost and extent of God's love for you?  I feel like singing about God's love for me.  In the midst of the storms He is so faithful to give me a song in my heart and show me that He cares for me.  I have learned to hold on to Him as my "rock", as the first verse says.

There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

Psalm 62:5-6 says: My soul, wait only upon God; for my expectation is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. 

Are you clinging to the Rock?  If you are and have realized how truly indescribable God's gift of His son Jesus is to you, I bet you have a song in your heart too.  I just can't get the chorus of this song out of my mind:

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Cor 9:15)  My thoughts of Him really do make my heart want to sing.  However, sometimes my "singing" is hindered by the cares of this world - the drama of everyday living that takes our focus off of the eternal and on to the temporal.  Lord, help us all to stop and remember your sacrifice for us no matter what we are going through.  Show us how to unceasingly thank You for Your goodness.  Cause us to take the time to reflect, be still and just bask in Your presence.

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me thorugh
And sing the songs You give

Has God given you a song in your "night"?  He will you know (Ps 40:1-3).  Just as God did for our psalmist, David, when we cry out to God, He will hear our cries, pull us up out of our pits, and put a new song in our mouths.   What a promise! 

Finally, as I finish my thoughts on this song, I love the reasons listed here for singing God's praises.  Can you relate to any of these as I can?

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing ' cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to you in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne.

Quite a list, huh?  I can relate to all of those reasons.  And whether we have problems or not, blessings we can see or not, we all can sing just because He is there.   I am loved by King, and it makes my heart want to sing.

---

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

His Strength Is Perfect

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-10)

I love it when God brings a verse or song to my mind that really makes me reflect on things,  due to a situation either in my life or someone else's.  I sat here this morning, and last night, pondering what to share here today and couldn't settle on anything until now.  Now though, I know that someone "out there" needs to hear what God has to say.   

It is hard to understand sometimes, especially when we are in the middle of something bigger than ourselves, how God's strength can be all that we need.  However, sometimes it is all that we have.  When we wonder how we can take that next step, He is there to guide us. When we fall down and skin our knees, He offers His gentle hand to help us up, kisses our wounds and tries to make it all better.  When we purposefully fall down humbly on our knees in prayer with nothing else to give, that is when we finally see His power and strength as He lifts up our head, looks us in the eyes and tells us that we can make it.  His strength and love is perfect.

To close - because after all, I do have a golf game to play today in the 100 degree heat (yes, I think I may be crazy, but I'm playing with a good friend) - I'd like to share the song that God brought to my mind this morning.  If I could have each of you in my living room, I'd play it on my baby grand piano for you and sing it to you, but alas, we are in cyberspace after all.  Anyway, that is my wish.  Enjoy the lyrics and may God's strength lift you up today.

His Strength is Perfect - by Steven Curtis Chapman

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength,
but sometimes I wonder what He can do through me.

No great success to show, no glory on my own
yet in my weakness He is there to let me know:

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.
He'll carry us when we can't carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong.
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

We can only know the power that He holds
when we truly see how deep our weakness goes.

His strength in us begins where ours comes to an end.
He hears our humble cry and proves again.

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.
He'll carry us when we can't carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong.
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

Your Love is Deep

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did ignorantly in unbelief.  14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

As I sit here today thinking about my past and present failures, I am reminded of a song that moved me as I sang it in church today.  A song about the depth of God's love for me, and the rest of His children, entitled "Your Love is Deep", by Jami Smith.  It is a simple song really.  I didn't realize how simple until I put the lyrics down here.

Your Love is Deep
by Jami Smith

Your love is deep
Your love is high
Your love is long
Your love is wide

Deeper than my view of grace
Higher than this worldly place
Longer than this road I travel
Wider than the gap You filled

Who shall separate us
Who shall separate us from Your love
Nothing can separate us
Nothing can separate us from Your love

God's love and patience has no end.  No matter how many times I quit praying for something because I've gotten tired of waiting for His answer, God will still hear me when I resume praying again. No matter how many times I get frustrated and weary with my well-doing, God is there to to give me strength and remind me that the causes I fight for are worth the effort. No matter how many times I mess up in trying to do the right thing or mess up just plain doing the wrong thing, God still counts me faithful to do His work because of the depth of His compassion for me. Unbelievable.

I am so thankful that God's love is deeper than my view of grace and is more abundant than I can imagine.  When I examine the love I possess for my family and friends, I can only glimpse a speck of the love God has for me. Nothing can separate us from God's love.  Nothing.  Ever.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39)

Thank You, Lord, for the mercy, grace and love you give anew every day to Your children.  Thank You for the ultimate sacrifice You gave in Christ Jesus so that we could have fellowship with You.  I'm so glad that You wanted to love us and be with us that desperately.  Help us to appreciate all that You do for us, big things and small things.  Forgive us when we fail You as we often do, but please remind us that tomorrow is a new day with hope and new beginnings. Give us the desire to share Your deep, deep love with others. Amen.

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Janna Rust is a Life Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.

Let's Sing...

...forever to our forever faithful great God and King whose name is so Blessed!!  :)  How is that for a summary sentence of four of the five songs we will sing tomorrow at our first church service in our first ever church building?

Take some time to review the following links to my previous song reflection writings that I'm sure many of my newest readers have not seen because they are buried in my archives.

• Forever
• Sing to the King
• How Great Is Our God
• Blessed Be the Name

Have a wonderful day!

How Great Is Our God?

So just how great is our God anyway?  Can we really even fathom his majesty?  Try as I might, I know that I can't even come close, but it is fun trying nonetheless.  In my head of late I keep singing the song "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin.  It is a simple yet powerful song if we really delve into thinking about God's majesty.  So guess what?  I'm going to write about it today.

In heaven as described in the book of Revelation we find lots of creatures singing to God, among them the angels.  Taking a look in Revelation 5:3-4 we see the angels singing the song of Moses:

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

God is the same now and forever.  The same song that Moses sang about God's majesty is fitting for the angels in heaven in the future to come.  Now on to Chris Tomlin's version of the Moses song in "How Great is Our God":

The splendor of the King,
Clothed in majesty;
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice.

He wraps Himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide,
And trembles at his voice, and trembles at His voice.

Can darkness hide our dear Lord, our powerful Lion who is also as gentle as a Lamb?  I think not.  His judgments are true.  He is worthy to be praised, adored and feared.  His works are marvelous and beyond description.  And get this --- darkness cannot hide Him because He is light!

Revelation 22:5 And there shall be not night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 

Friends, the "they" is WE who are saved.  No wonder all the earth will be rejoicing in God's splendor and majesty.  With no more dying, no more crying - look out, I'm going to break into a rendition of "Soon and Very Soon" - He is definitely worthy of our praise.  Sing with me...

How great is our God!
Sing with me:
How great is our God!
And all will see
How great, how great is our God!

Are you having fun yet? I sure am with you and I can't even see your faces. :)  Now think about God's never changing nature.   God is good...all the time!   He has always been and He will always be.  After all, our God who cannot lie, says it Himself in Revelation 1:8: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

Age to age He stands,
And time is in His hands;
Beginning and the End, Beginning and the End.

The Godhead, three in one,
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb, the Lion and the Lamb

One day every one will see that Jesus is God and Lord over all (Ph 2:9-11).  I just love happy endings, don't you?  No more pain, no more suffering, and Jesus finally gets all of the worship He so richly deserves.

Philippans 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  10 That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Well, our singing is almost over as we have one last stanza.  As you read it or sing it with me, think about all you've just read.  Jesus is God and God is definitely great and worthy to be praised.  Let your heart sing.  How great is Your God?

Name above all names,
Worthy of all praise.
My heart will sing: How great is our God!

NOTE: If you feel like shouting to the Lord, click here.

We Fall Down

Have you ever thought of what you will do when you come face to face with Jesus someday?  I'm sure that anyone who has ever listened to the words of the popular Mercy Me song entitled "I Can Only Imagine" has played the scene out in their minds.  I know I have.

Today's song reflection is on "We Fall Down" by Chris Tomlin.  It is such a simple song, but the words and music almost always bring a tear to my eye.  I pray that my humble thoughts presented here can give anyone who reads this a richer worship experience.  May God bless you!

---

We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus;
The greatness of mercy and love, at the feet of Jesus.

And we cry holy, holy, holy,
And we cry holy, holy, holy,
And we cry holy, holy, holy is the Lamb.

---

We Fall Down...

The bible says at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord (Phil 2:10-11).  We will all give an account of ourselves to God (Ro 14:11).  Talking about everyone else is one thing, but what about me?  What will I do when I finally see Jesus face to face?  Being a Christian, I'm not fearing that day, but I am still awestruck.  Somehow, I don't see myself falling down at His feet, but I bet I lower myself down pretty fast!  I doubt I could stand in front of my Lord and Savior looking into His tender eyes knowing how selfishly I've lived my life at times.   I doubt I could stand in front of Jesus dry-eyed, seeing for myself the scars in His hands while realizing once again that those scars were my fault.  Could you? Yes, I think I would be probably be face down until I was told to look up.

We Lay Our Crowns...

Oh, the crowns.  The heavenly rewards we receive for service to God.  I won't go into all of the different kinds mentioned in the bible.  Suffice it to say, that they represent the only thing we have to give to God - our lives of service to and adoration of Him.  What a picture in this song of laying our lives at Jesus' feet, giving back to Him everything that we have been given.  Am I giving enough of my life now so that I will have something to give back to Him then?

At the Feet of Jesus...

Face down on the ground, at Jesus' feet.  That is where I will be on that day.  Jesus' disciples, upon seeing Him as resurrected for the first time "held him by the feet, and worshipped him." (Mt 28:9).  Perhaps the most memorable picture of someone at Jesus' feet was when the woman sinner, wiped Jesus' feet with her tears.  Let's take a look.

And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. (Luke 7:37-38)

I won't have the ointment, but I bet I'll have the tears.   Does your love for Jesus compare with hers?

The Greatness of Mercy and Love...

To me, the gifts that I can bring to Jesus from my life and service to Him came only from his great mercy and love for me.  Only through Him, using His gifts with love to others, will I have a "crown" to lay at His feet.

And We Cry Holy, Holy, Holy...

Speechless, facedown and tearful, that is probably what I will be when I finally meet my Lord.  I doubt I will be saying "Holy, holy, holy" to anyone.  I think I might just leave that up to the other "creatures" spoken of in John's vision shown in Revelation 4.   I will be letting my words be few!   What about you?

Revelation 4:8-11

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him: and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for they pleasure they are and were created.

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Janna Rust is a Life Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.

Let My Words Be Few

"God's holiness silences human boasting." - Max Lucado, "Its Not About Me"

---

"Sometimes I just have to remember that God is God and I am not". I had lunch with a couple of friends Friday and this comment came up from one of them regarding some things that had been happening in her life. How true, huh? So when I saw that we were going to be singing Matt Redman's "Let My Words Be Few" this coming Sunday, I just had to smile. Before I go any further, let's take a look at the words to the song:

---

LET MY WORDS BE FEW
by Matt and Beth Redman

You are God in heaven
And here am I on earth
So I'll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You

And I'll stand in awe of You, Jesus
Yes, I'll stand in awe of You
And I'll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You

The simplest of all love songs
I want to bring to You
So I'll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You

---

God is God and we are not, therefore, we shouldn't really have anything to say, right?  Why is it that we always feel the need to make ourselves look important?  I wish I knew the answer to that!

Ecc 5:2 says "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few."  What a reminder of our place in this world.  Do we really think we can figure every thing out on our own?  Should we even waste our time trying?  We should be so in love with Jesus that we just sit in silence before Him, hanging on His every word.

How much in awe are you of God?

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (Ro 12:33-34)

I believe that Matthew Henry's commentary compares man counselling God to lighting a match next to the sun.  We don't really have anything to offer.  Just as the sun doesn't need the match, God doesn't need our advice.  We just need to accept that He has everything under control and give Him the gift of our love in reverent silence.

God is in heaven and I am a little speck on earth.  I get it.