14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
I hope this blog will be a light on your spiritual path through life, and that God will speak through these posts to comfort you, encourage you, guide you.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas; 6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might; 7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples, 8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
I’d been working on this post for a while, and then last week my cousin passed away after a brief battle with leukemia. This song has a more special meaning to me now when I think of him and his family. We are all taking comfort knowing he had a strong faith in Jesus and that he is in a better place now. I’d like to dedicate it to him.
Chris Tomlin performing “I Will Rise” live in concert.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful song!
Some lyrics from the song:
There’s a peace I’ve come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There’s an anchor for my soul
I can say, it is well
Jesus has overcome
…
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
…
There’s a day that’s drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
…for we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27 (ESV)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 (ESV)
Today I pray that you will rest in God’s peace, the peace that passes understanding, and that remembering “I will rise” gives you comfort.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
I haven’t posted in awhile! I’ve actually been busy, which is good, mostly. It’s a blessing to be busy, to have things you want to do and be able to do them.
Today I want to share the song “There Will Be A Day” by Jeremy Camp. This is an answer to my previous post about tears. It describes the hope we have, even during times of suffering, perhaps especially important when we’re suffering, of the life to come through Jesus.
This is actually a devotional video of Jeremy Camp speaking about his song.
One of the verses he mentions in the video is Romans 8:18. I recommend reading the passage Romans 8:15-23 for context.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
Dear Lord, Please fill us with the hope you give us for the future. Please help us to trust you, during good times and bad, and to keep in sight the life to come. Give us your peace.
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8 (NLT)
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Today I wanted to share the song “Remind Me Who I Am” by Jason Gray.
He sings,
Tell me once again who I am to You, who I am to You
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You, that I belong to You
…I’m the one You love
That will be enough
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)
I really needed to hear this song recently. I had been reminded of some past sin, of some things that were a part of my life before I became a Christian. And it seems like not everyone, including many other Christians, can relate. So I was feeling alone, and like I used to be a bad person. And you know what, part of me was a bad person before I became a Christian, because we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. But I have been forgiven, transformed, by Jesus’ blood on the cross. Nothing can change that. I am a new person in Christ and the former things have passed away.
And I am definitely not alone. God was reminding me of these things, perhaps to remind me to be humble, perhaps to remind me what’s really important on my Christian walk, maybe something else entirely, but most importantly…who I am to Him. I belong to Him now.
I love this song and this video. Don’t miss how the signs in pictures change to ‘beloved’.
Have you been transformed by the blood of Jesus? Then don’t forget who you are to Him.
Today I wanted to share the song “Walk By Faith” by Jeremy Camp.
He sings
Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Have you ever felt that way, that you’re walking along a rocky path, but you can’t see one foot ahead of you? I’ll admit, actually, I’m feeling like that at times right now. I’m trying to figure out what steps to take next, and honestly I don’t know what to do sometimes. The path that I think I want doesn’t seem to be the path God’s leading me on. But I have to remember that God knows me better than I know myself, and unlike me, He can see in the dark. Most of all, since Jesus loves me enough to die on the cross for me, I need to trust Him.
God, thank-you for your guidance along this sometimes dark and scary path. Please protect me from harm and guide my steps. Thank-you for the gift of faith.
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I decided to revisit Monday’s post and put the quote from MLK Jr. in context. It comes from the passage below from the book Strength to Love, which is a compilation of many of Dr. King’s famous sermons. Besides, Dr. King says it much better than I could anyway.
Let us move now from the practical how to the theoretical why: Why should we love our enemies? The first reason is fairly obvious. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says, “Love your enemies,” he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1963. pp. 52-53.
