Category: God

Perfectly Trusting

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Psalm 13 New International Version 

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.

O for a deeper, O for a greater

O for a perfect trust in the Lord!

O for a deeper, O for a greater

O for a perfect trust in the Lord!

Give Thanks

Psalm 9 New International Version – UK

Psalm 9[a][b]

For the director of music. To the tune of ‘The Death of the Son’. A psalm of David.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
For you have upheld my right and my cause,
    sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;
    even the memory of them has perished.

The Lord reigns for ever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
    proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12 For he who avenges blood remembers;
    he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
    Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may declare your praises
    in the gates of Daughter Zion,
    and there rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.[c]
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
    all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
    let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror, Lord;
    let the nations know they are only mortal.

Submitting to God

James 4 New International Version 

Submit Yourselves to God

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proudImage result for Come near to god
    but shows favour to the humble.”[c]

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgement on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbour?

I seen this video and i know it’s a repeat of the above reading but because of the music and pictures I had to use it again

Worry

Luke 12 New International Version

 

Photo by Eternal Happiness on Pexels.com

Do Not Worry

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

God’s Love through the Holy Spirit

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Romans 5 New International Version 

Peace and Hope

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b]boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

This has got to be one of my favourites of the ‘more up to date’ hymns. A hymn that tells us of the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for us by dying on the Cross.

Easter Monday

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The Bible makes no mention of Easter or Easter Monday. There is no requirement as a church to celebrate it, but there is prohibition either.

Easter Monday as we know is the day after Christ’s resurrection where he said for 40 days appearing to believers and giving ministry. He also healed the sick and proved to doubter’s he was the son of God.

Easter Monday, also called Bright Monday or Renewal Monday, is the beginning of Bright Week. It is common to douse people in water, representing the new life of baptism, and play games with Easter eggs. Such as Easter egg hunt or rolling your a hard boiled egg down a hill (which represents the stone being rolled away).

Jesus, our Forever Friend

John 15:12-15

12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

The first time I heard this song I got to admit I liked it, the laughable thing about it was it took me a few times to listen to it for the words to register with me.

Why I didn’t catch on the first time Heaven only knows. This is a brilliant testimony and invitation to get to know Christ

 

Everybody needs a little help sometime
No one stands alone
Makes no difference if you’re just a child like me
Or a king upon a throne
For there are no exceptionsSee the source image
We all stand in the line
Everybody needs a friend
Let me tell you of mine
——-
Chorus:
He’s my forever friend
My leave-me-never friend
From darkest night to rainbow’s end
He’s my forever friend
——-
Even when I turn away He cares for me
His love no one can shake
Even as I walk away He’s by my side
With every breath I take
And sometimes I forget Him
My halo fails to shine
Sometimes I’m not His friend
But He is always mine
——-
Repeat chorus:
If you still don’t know the one I’m talking of
I think it’s time you knew
Long ago and far away upon a cross
My friend died for you
So if you’d like to meet Him
And don’t know what to do
Ask my friend into you heart
And He’ll be your friend too

 

Prosperity and Pleasure

Job 36 New International Version – UK

36 Elihu continued:

‘Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
    that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.
I get my knowledge from afar;
    I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
Be assured that my words are not false;
    one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

‘God is mighty, but despises no one;
    he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
He does not keep the wicked alive
    but gives the afflicted their rights.
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
    he enthrones them with kings
    and exalts them for ever.
But if people are bound in chains,
    held fast by cords of affliction,
he tells them what they have done –
    that they have sinned arrogantly.
10 He makes them listen to correction
    and commands them to repent of their evil.
11 If they obey and serve him,
    they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
    and their years in contentment.

12 But if they do not listen,
    they will perish by the sword[a]
    and die without knowledge.

“Jehovah is our strength”

The phrase “Jehovah is our strength” is a deeply significant expression that resonates with those of the Judeo-Christian faith. It highlights the idea that God (referred to as Jehovah in some biblical translations) is the ultimate source of strength, support, and perseverance in life’s challenges.

This phrase is rooted in several passages of the Bible. For example, in Exodus 15:2, after the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sing, “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” Similarly, Psalm 28:7 declares, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.”

The context behind these sentiments often reflects moments of divine intervention or deliverance, where individuals or groups acknowledge their reliance on a higher power to overcome adversity. It serves as a reminder to believers that faith in Jehovah provides spiritual and emotional fortitude.