5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 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.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
1 Hope for the world’s despair: we feel the nations’ pain; can anything repair this broken earth again? For this we pray: in every place a spark of grace to light the way.
2 Wisdom for all who bear the future in their hand, entrusted with the care of this and every land. When comes the hour, O Lord, we pray, inspire the way we spend our power.
3 Honour for all who’ve paid war’s painful, bitter price, when duty called they made the greatest sacrifice. Their memory will never cease to cry for peace and harmony.
4 Ease for the troubled mind in endless conflict caught, each soul that cannot find the peace beyond all thought. May they be blessed with healing balm for inner calm and perfect rest.
5 Love for the human heart: when hate grows from our fears and inwardly we start to turn our ploughs to spears. Help us to sow love’s precious seed in word and deed, that peace may grow.
As the situation between Russia and the Ukraine worsens let us once again offer up our prayers for The Ukraine.
Bart Millard penned a megahit in 2001 when he wrote, “I Can Only Imagine.” The song pictures how amazing it will be to be in Christ’s presence. Millard’s lyrics offered comfort to our family that next year when our seventeen-year-old daughter, Melissa, died in a car accident and we imagined what it was like for her to be in God’s presence.
But imagine spoke to me in a different way in the days following Mell’s death. As fathers of Melissa’s friends approached me, full of concern and pain, they said, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
Their expressions were helpful, showing that they were grappling with our loss in an empathetic way—finding it unimaginable.
David pinpointed the depth of great loss when he described walking through “the darkest valley” (Psalm 23:4). The death of a loved one certainly is that, and we sometimes have no idea how we’re going to navigate the darkness. We can’t imagine ever being able to come out on the other side.
But as God promised to be with us in our darkest valley now, He also provides great hope for the future by assuring us that beyond the valley we’ll be in His presence. For the believer, to be “away from the body” means being present with Him (2 Corinthians 5:8). That can help us navigate the unimaginable as we imagine our future reunion with Him and others.
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction,[b] and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Be strong and take courage Do not fear or be dismayed For the Lord will go before you And His light will show the way
Be strong and take courage Do not fear or be dismayed For the one who lives within you Will be strong in you today
Why don’ you give him all of your fears Why don’t you let him wipe all of your tears He knows, He’s been through pain before And He knows all that you’ve been looking for
So, be strong and take courage Do not fear or be dismayed For the Lord will go before you And His light will show the way
Be Strong and take courage Do not fear or be dismayed For the one who lives within you Will be strong in you today
Nothing can take you out of his hand Nothing can face you that you can’t command I know that you will always be In His love, in His power you will be free!!
So, be strong and take courage Do not fear or be dismayed For the Lord will go before you And His light will show the way
Be Strong and take courage Do not fear or be dismayed For the one who lives within you Will be strong in you today
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today is the first Sunday in advent ‘The Candle of Hope’
Isn’t it strange how at the lead up to Christmas you start to see adverts for donations to several charities whilst at the other end of the spectrum you see a house decorated like the one above.
Though having said that there used to be a person who lived in a nearby village to me decorated his house at Christmas to raise money for a ward in the local hospital.
Christ so fills my heart and mind It’s where I want to be To leave the hardened world behind For Christ, His face to see!
So capture all my heart and soul With love that fills my eyes For when the Living Word I hold My faith in full does rise!
And help me when I drift away Through waves of toil and care To hold the anchor in the sway My hope in storm to bear!
Never let my heart grow cold Nor hardness subtlety creep But make my faith become more bold My heart and mind, please keep!
Christ abounds in love and grace, My shortfall it is lost! He overcomes my sin, no trace! Into deep sea, it’s tossed!
By Lisa Lawlor
Lisa is a member of my Facebook group “Christian music, devotions & poems. She has very kindly allowed me to put music to her lyric’s where or when I can. The song I found for the above lyric’s is called “O Disclose thy lovely face”.
Be Holy 13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Take time to be holy
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in him always, and feed on his word; Make friends of God’s children; help those who are weak; Forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone; By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, let him be thy guide, And run not before him whatever betide; In joy or in sorrow still follow thy Lord, And, looking to Jesus, still trust in his word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul; Each thought and each motive beneath his control; Thus led by his Spirit to fountains of love, Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
We all have to ‘Take time to be Holy’ and spend time with our Lord preferably when we get a quiet moment (which can rare for most of us these days).
We all have our own time and way of doing our devotions and personally I have found that when doing my blog is my time of devotion.
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.
1 We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. 3 And we also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience. 4 And patience produces character, and character produces hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. God gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. 6 Christ died for us while we were still weak. We were living against God, but at the right time, Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good man someone might possibly die. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners. In this way God shows his great love for us.
I first heard and sang ‘Joy because of you’ about 36 – 37 years ago at The Salvation Army Divisional music camp , unfortunately I am unable to provide the words to the song but I hope you can make them out as you listen. As the song and bible passage suggests they are not just a passage and song of joy but also of testimony and praise.