The Glory Revealed projects are two of my most favorite cds. Sung by a collaboration of Christian artists, each song is taken directly from Scripture. This particular song is from 1 John 3:1. This is probably my favorite style of music too -- a sort of folk, Americana feel. May this song lift your spirit and fill you with joy today!
How great is the love the Father has poured out on us
That we should be called the children of God
How great is the love the Father has poured out on us
That we should be called the children of God
How great how great
Is God's amazing grace
That we should be called the children of God
How great how great
That we believe our faith
And we can be called the children of God
How great is the love the Father that he sent his only Son
That we could be called the children of God
We will never perish if we believe in him
And we can be called the children of God
How great how great
Is God's amazing grace
That we should be called the children of God
How great how great
That we believe our faith
And we can be called the children of God
That is what we are
Sons and daughters of God
Oh by this we know love
That he laid down his life for us
How great is the love the Father has poured out on us
That we should be called the children of God
How great how great
Is God's amazing grace
That we should be called the children of God
How great how great
That we believe our faith
And we can be called the children of God
Yes we can be called the children of God
-----------------------------
Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song!
Showing posts with label GMG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GMG. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Faith and Deeds
It's always interesting to me when something I've been reading about in my own personal quiet time gets emphasized Sunday morning. It makes me stop and listen more closely, and roll things around in my head.
I've been part of an online Bible study the past month where we're going through the book of 1 John a verse or two each day. Two weeks ago we were in the beginning of chapter 2, and the verses that stuck out to me specifically were verses 3-6:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
I liked what my Life Application Study Bible had to say about v.6: "To 'walk as Jesus did' or living as Christ did doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified... To talk today as Christ did we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people."
Then in church we're going through the book of James, and yesterday's message was about chapter 2 verses 14-26:
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Some of these verses seem to walk a tricky line. Works (deeds) are not required for salvation -- belief in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins and his resurrection are all that is needed to spend eternity in heaven.
Yet James says faith without deeds is dead.
Maybe it has to do with the word "complete". It appears in both the 1 John passage: "If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him." and in James: "His [Abraham's] faith was made complete by what he did."
The life of a Christian is a process. When someone makes a decision to follow Christ, believing in His death and resurrection, that is the beginning of the process -- it doesn't end there. The actions and deeds and obeying God that follow are what show that our commitment to God is real. They help complete our faith -- they alone don't define it.
Thoughts?
I've been part of an online Bible study the past month where we're going through the book of 1 John a verse or two each day. Two weeks ago we were in the beginning of chapter 2, and the verses that stuck out to me specifically were verses 3-6:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
I liked what my Life Application Study Bible had to say about v.6: "To 'walk as Jesus did' or living as Christ did doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified... To talk today as Christ did we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people."
Then in church we're going through the book of James, and yesterday's message was about chapter 2 verses 14-26:
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Some of these verses seem to walk a tricky line. Works (deeds) are not required for salvation -- belief in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins and his resurrection are all that is needed to spend eternity in heaven.
Yet James says faith without deeds is dead.
 |
| image source |
The life of a Christian is a process. When someone makes a decision to follow Christ, believing in His death and resurrection, that is the beginning of the process -- it doesn't end there. The actions and deeds and obeying God that follow are what show that our commitment to God is real. They help complete our faith -- they alone don't define it.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
I want to know You more
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. Whoever says 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." --1 John 2:3-6
Whew! Quite a few if-then statements here, all basically saying the same thing.
If we obey his commands and walk as Jesus did, then we have truly come to know him and God's love is complete in us.
If we don't obey, then we are liars and hypocrites.
Yikes!
[It's not salvation at stake, just our everyday life of trying to know him more.]
Author Brennan Manning has said, "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." I wrote about this idea a little bit a few months ago. I can't change the way other people walk. But I can change myself.
My Life Application Study Bible has this note: "To 'walk as Jesus did' or living as Christ did doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We cannot merely copy Christ's life -- much of what Jesus did had to do with his identity as God's Son, the fulfillment of his special role in dying for sin, and the cultural context of the first-century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people."
Our GEMS theme song for this year is "I Want to Know You More." We're going to be teaching the girls how to "Get Wisdom" from the book of Proverbs. This should be the desire of ALL of our hearts. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. What will your walk look like today?
Whew! Quite a few if-then statements here, all basically saying the same thing.
If we obey his commands and walk as Jesus did, then we have truly come to know him and God's love is complete in us.
If we don't obey, then we are liars and hypocrites.
Yikes!
[It's not salvation at stake, just our everyday life of trying to know him more.]
Author Brennan Manning has said, "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." I wrote about this idea a little bit a few months ago. I can't change the way other people walk. But I can change myself.
My Life Application Study Bible has this note: "To 'walk as Jesus did' or living as Christ did doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We cannot merely copy Christ's life -- much of what Jesus did had to do with his identity as God's Son, the fulfillment of his special role in dying for sin, and the cultural context of the first-century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people."
Our GEMS theme song for this year is "I Want to Know You More." We're going to be teaching the girls how to "Get Wisdom" from the book of Proverbs. This should be the desire of ALL of our hearts. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. What will your walk look like today?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Musical Mondays (belated): The Light in Me
I'm part of an online Bible study where we're going through the book of 1 John verse by verse. Yesterday and today we have looked at chapter 1 verses 5-7: "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
We have a Facebook group where we talk about the things we're learning in this study, and yesterday a gal posted this song. I've heard it on the radio a lot but have never really stopped to listen to the words.
Watch the video all the way to the end. It's pretty neat.
My life before You
I was a flame burning down
I was burning out
But You knew me better
For You there was never a doubt
God, since You gave me life
Something was different, I knew it the instant
You put the light in me
The spark, the shot to the heart
You are the hope that leads me out of the dark
You let Your love shine down
So that the world could see
You put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
You are the Maker, you tell the sun when to rise
I'm just a house on a hill
But You make me brighter than all the stars in the sky
Keep me from growing down
Cause in Your perfection, I'm just a reflection
So pull me closer to You
I catch like a fire and I'll hold You higher
Cause You put the light in me
The spark, the shot to the heart
You are the hope that leads me out of the dark
You let Your love shine down
So that the world could see
You put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
I'll raise it high, I'll let it show
From the rooftops down to the streets below
In day and night, You will be known
And all will see
You put the light in me
----------------------------------------------
God shines his light on me, so I can walk in the light instead of in the darkness. And his light is IN me, so I can shine it to others. "'Cause in your perfection, I'm just a reflection..." The moon has no light of it's own. It just reflects the light of the sun...
----------------------------------------------
Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song!
We have a Facebook group where we talk about the things we're learning in this study, and yesterday a gal posted this song. I've heard it on the radio a lot but have never really stopped to listen to the words.
Watch the video all the way to the end. It's pretty neat.
My life before You
I was a flame burning down
I was burning out
But You knew me better
For You there was never a doubt
God, since You gave me life
Something was different, I knew it the instant
You put the light in me
The spark, the shot to the heart
You are the hope that leads me out of the dark
You let Your love shine down
So that the world could see
You put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
You are the Maker, you tell the sun when to rise
I'm just a house on a hill
But You make me brighter than all the stars in the sky
Keep me from growing down
Cause in Your perfection, I'm just a reflection
So pull me closer to You
I catch like a fire and I'll hold You higher
Cause You put the light in me
The spark, the shot to the heart
You are the hope that leads me out of the dark
You let Your love shine down
So that the world could see
You put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
The light, you put the light in me
I'll raise it high, I'll let it show
From the rooftops down to the streets below
In day and night, You will be known
And all will see
You put the light in me
----------------------------------------------
God shines his light on me, so I can walk in the light instead of in the darkness. And his light is IN me, so I can shine it to others. "'Cause in your perfection, I'm just a reflection..." The moon has no light of it's own. It just reflects the light of the sun...
----------------------------------------------
Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Women in the Word Wednesdays: June 2-8
Thursday 6/2: Romans 2:4
Do I tend to accept and relish in God's kindness, tolerance, and patience, or do I brush them aside? Maybe not in contempt, but taking them for granted?
Friday 6/3: John 14:1
This verse comes right after Jesus predicts his betrayal and Peter's denial. Don't worry about what the future holds!
Monday 6/6: John 14:27
He will never leave me. Even though he physically left the disciples (this past Sunday was Ascension Sunday), he sent the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.
Tuesday 6/7: John 16:27
This verse was tough to understand taken out of context. I think it's again confirming and comforting the disciples before he leaves.
Wednesday 6/8: James 3:10
I haven't read this week's chapters in The Ministry of Motherhood, but I have a feeling they're about using your words to show grace and compassion. This verse reminds me of a verse in Ephesians about using our words to build each other up, instead of tearing others down. As Abby learns to understand my words, I need to be careful what I say to her.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Women in the Word Wednesdays: May 26-June 1
Thursday 5/26: Proverbs 14:1
The CEV says it this way: "A woman's family is held together by her wisdom, but it can be destroyed by her foolishness." I need to be conscious of the decisions I make - am I being wise or foolish? The results will affect my family.
Friday 5/27: Proverbs 31:26-28
This is a difficult chapter for me, with so many things this "perfect" woman does and accomplishes. But just looking at these 3 verses, it seems very doable. 1) Speak with wisdom and faithful instruction, 2) watch over my house, 3) don't be lazy or idle.
Monday 5/30: 1 Peter 4:8
"Above all..." comes in the midst of talking about living a holy life, being clear-minded and self-controlled, offering hospitality, using your gifts. So loving each other is the most important thing we can do.
Tuesday 5/31: John 21:4-14
(Pick out the verse(s) that spoke to you the most) = "As soon as Simon Peter heard him say "it is the Lord!" he wrapped his outer garment around him and jumped in the water." Peter had been so reluctant to walk on water earlier, and now he jumped right in when he saw Jesus! Do I have that kind of devotion as a disciple? How will I teach my kids to have that kind of devotion?
Wednesday 6/1: Matthew 22:37-40
"All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" - by following these two commands, all the others are fulfilled too. Loving God has to be my top priority, and loving other second.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Women in the Word Wednesdays: May 19-25
Thursday 5/19: 2 Timothy 1:5
I can't make my parents be "Eunice's" and "Lois's", but I can become one for my own kids and grandkids.
Friday 5/20: Proverbs 6:20-22
Eventually Abby will make decisions for herself, and my words will be in her head, so how and what have I taught her? Both directly and indirectly?
Monday 5/23 (Abby's first birthday!): Psalm 127:3
Read the verse in the Message translation
heritage = "something reserved for one" "something that is reserved for a particular person or group or the outcome of an action, way of life, etc."
reward = "something given or received in return or recompense for service, merit, hardship, etc."
Abby is a gift to me from God. She was reserved specifically for me!
Tuesday 5/24: Matthew 28:19-20
Go-->make disciples-->baptize-->teach. I usually think of this verse in terms of witnessing to the world. But I can make disciples right in my own home! It's also comforting to realize I won't be doing it alone.
Wednesday 5/25: Luke 6:40
Sometimes I'm scared to think Abby could be just like me. But I can continue to learn myself, and then I can teach and train her. The Message translation puts an interesting twist on this verse: "An apprentice doesn't lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher." So I need to be the kind of teacher she would want to follow...
Started reading the Introduction to The Ministry of Motherhood. Thoughts on that tomorrow (hopefully!)...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Women in the Word Wednesdays
Monday 5/16: Psalm 127:1
God needs to be the builder of my home -- involved in the laying of every piece, not just the foundation, but all the other little bricks in our live too.
Tuesday 5/17: John 15:4-5
No branch can bear fruit on it's own. It has to be connected to a source. I can't serve and fully bear God's fruit for others to enjoy by myself.
Wednesday 5/18: Matthew 6:33
From my Life Application Bible notes: "...turn to God first for help, fill your thoughts with his desires, take his character for your pattern... What is really important to you? ["these things" = v. 31: what shall we eat? drink? wear?] ...Any of these can quickly become most important to you if you don't actively choose to give God first place in every area of your life." (italics and brackets mine)
Starting next week we will also be doing a book study on Sally Clarkson's The Ministry of Motherhood
. (the book picture on Amazon doesn't match the actual cover of the book...) Be on the lookout for this book to be featured in the next few weeks in my Book Talk Tuesday/Thursday! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
