Culmination through Christ
by Elizabeth Kaeton
Image of invisible,
the firstborn over us all;
by Him all things created,
came to be, as He did call.
Things in heaven and on earth,
those visible and unseen;
all created together,
His craftsmanship to esteem.
He is the head of the church,
body of we who believe;
Who is and was and will be,
our Rock to whom we may cleave.
Because He was fully God,
and still He was fully man;
our peace through His sacrifice,
accepted redemption plan.
We were once so far from God,
because of our evil ways;
now that we are reconciled,
by faith, we’re free all our days.
So continue in fierce faith,
established; and be not moved;
stay true to our Lord Jesus -
our firm foundation of truth.
(Responding to Colossians 1:15-23)
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that despite our inability to grasp all that You are, You love us and have made the way for us to be in a relationship with You, the Creator of all! Forgive us for being flippant about our faith, and teach us to be fully invested and firmly established in all that You are offering. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that have granted us access to our faith. Keep temptations far from us, and lead us to love like You. May many come to know the magnificence of You, our Maker, and let lives be changed. All praise to You, our Protector and Provider. Amen.
© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present
Love, Faith, Joy via Days of Praise
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Peter had seen the Lord, but he was writing to those who hadn’t, including us. Like them, we can have a personal relationship with the Lord, even though we haven’t physically seen Him. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Also like them, we can have terrible trials (1 Peter 1:7). Their responses to Christ while in the midst of trials, as given in our text, are likewise appropriate for us.
They loved Him: Love many times makes a trial bearable. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans8:35). He loves us too much to abandon us, and we love Him in return.
They believed: ”Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth |or believes| in thee” (Isaiah 26:3). “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Our faith is well founded.
They rejoiced: ”But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13). The proper response to trials brings inexpressible joy. The end of such faith as explained in our text is the complete and ultimate salvation of our souls, with many victories of faith along the way. JDM
The Institute for Creation Research
Hagia Sophia ; Empress Zoë mosaic : Christ Pantocrator; Istanbul, Turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sonogram Informed Consent Act
http://nationalprolifealliance.com/uicanmg_petition.aspx?pid=0611b&npla=HNBPAA13I
Take away & Purge Me O Lord
I woke up early this morning with this song on my heart and I could not help but sing within myself and be at the feet of the Lord. I could not even go back to sleep. Tears streamed as I fell into worship.
May you take a moment to close your eyes and meditate on what this song is about in hopes that you will allow the Lord to remove anything inside of you that keeps you from totally surrendering to him.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)
“Oh Father above who knows us greater that anyone, the Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent Master that reigns above and Who knows every grain of sand covered on land, Who knows every stand of hair on our heads, Who never slumbers nor sleeps but keeps watch over us day and night, Who loves us enough to see to our needs, our wants and desires. You O’ Lord is He Who will also break us from the very things that keep us from you when we know deep down inside that we need to step away and let you mold us into the vessels you created us to be. Break every chain that keeps us in bondage, break every yoke that is unclean, demolish every stronghold that says we cannot break free, help us to cast down every imagination that could make us reprobate.
Remove not thyself away from us Lord, please do not close your ears to our pleas, our cries when we fall into sin. Our heart says yes but our flesh is says no. Help us to die to the very things that hurt you, the very things that separate us from you my God. Lord, you tell us that if we love you that we would keep your commandments. Help us! Save us from ourselves. Take away every thing that is not pleasing to you. All fear and doubts we carry is not of you. You did not give a spirit of fear or timidity, but one of power and love and a sound mind.
Let not sickness, death, life uncertainties and challenges keep us from trusting You. No matter what the storms looks like, you can speak to it and it will cease upon Your command. Every thing on this earth must bow down to you, Father. Satan himself cannot do anything to us that you will not allow. Nothing goes unnoticed or comes as a surprise to You. Nothing done even in darkness can hide from you. Every temptation we have comes from a desire rising up like a fury furnace awaiting to smolder us like a fire’s smoke that we cannot see beyond our hand. Let it not choke us and kill us.
We need you Father, we need Your Holy Spirit, we need Jesus more and more each day. May we hasten to throne, let us fall to our knees with a contrite heart repenting of our sins known and unknown asking to be made over, to be clay in your hands that we will be shaped and refined. Let us worship You in spirit and in truth, dance before you as we share with those around us that OUR GOD has found favor in us. Thank you for being the Great I AM, the Lover of our souls, the mighty King that receives honor and glory at all times. You reign on high. Hallelujah! Praises be unto Thy Holy Name.
In Your Son’s name I pray, Amen.”
I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet.
And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.
For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip. I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet.
For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets. You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me. The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore. (Psalm 18:1-50 NKJV)
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Trent Monk
I had the pleasure of attending a concert at my church Saturday night given by Trent Monk. I wanted to share his beautiful voice with you.
This young man and his wife are truly called. They cross the U.S. giving concerts at churches and depend mightily on God to send them their way and provide. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
k
Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, You Lead Me
There are many who are broken-hearted today. Some who have lost loved ones and others who simply are hurting because they do not know what to do and who to turn to. There is only one who is there with hope and love. Only one who answers prayers and only one who takes our lost into His arms so that we may see them again when we join them on the other side. Thank God that we have the hope of His promise and that His promise is never broken.
Related articles
Mother Brings Baby Back to Life With Two Hours Of Loving Cuddles After Doctors Pronounce Him Dead. | Pakalert Press
This is an amazing story of the miracles of life that God gives us and the truly wonderful way that He works.
by TRUTHER
It was a final chance to say goodbye for grievingmother Kate Ogg after doctors gave up hope ofsaving her premature baby.
She tearfully told her lifeless son – born at 27 weeks weighing 2lb – how much she loved him and cuddled him tightly, not wanting to let him go.
Although little Jamie’s twin sister Emily had been delivered successfully, doctors had given Mrs Oggthe news all mothers dread – that after 20 minutes of battling to get her son to breathe, they had declared him dead.
Having given up on a miracle, Mrs Ogg unwrapped the baby from his blanket and held him against her skin. And then an extraordinary thing happened.
Awful moment: Kate and David clasp each other and their son Jamie, circled, after being told he did not survive the birth. They were given the child to say their goodbyes but then, miraculously, two hours later he began to show signs of life.
After two hours of being hugged, touched and spoken to by his mother, the little boy began showing signs of life.
At first, it was just a gasp for air that was dismissed by doctors as a reflex action.
But then the startled mother fed him a little breast milk on her finger and he started breathing normally.
‘I thought, “Oh my God, what’s going on”,’ said Mrs Ogg.
‘A short time later he opened his eyes. It was a miracle. Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger.
‘He opened his eyes and moved his head from side to side. The doctor kept shaking his head saying, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it”.’ Read the rest of this wonderful story at Mother Brings Baby Back to Life With Two Hours Of Loving Cuddles After Doctors Pronounce Him Dead. | Pakalert Press.
A Thousand Years
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelations 20:6-7
UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger | KurzweilAI
While I admit that I am a bit of a coward when it comes to trying different foods, I am always amazed at evidence of God’s consideration in everything that exists on the earth. God provides in amazing ways and knowing that there are options like this for the hungry of the world just reinforces the word of God and His promise to provide for us. King James Version
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-8
UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger | KurzweilAI.
The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organizationsays that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution, BBC News reports.
It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects.
Wasps, beetles and other insects are currently “underutilized” as food for people and livestock, the report says.
The authors point out that insects are nutritious, with high protein, fat and mineral content. Read the rest at UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger | KurzweilAI.
