Category: Love

Filling the Heart and Mind

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”.

Reblog – A Song of Consecration

John 15:15-17 New International Version

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. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

Jesus, tender lover of my soul,
Pardoner of my sins, and friend indeed,
Keeper of the garden of my heart,
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

Jesus, Thou art everything to me;
Jesus, Thou art everything to me;
All my lasting joys are found in Thee;
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

What to me are all the joys of earth?
What to me is every sight I see,
Save the sight of Thee, O Friend of mine?
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

Here I lay me at Thy bleeding feet;
Deepest homage now I give to Thee;
Hear Thy whispered love within my soul;
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

This lovely song of consecration was written by Edward Henry Joy – an early-day Salvationist born in Canterbury, England in 1871. Later, he was a bandsman at Folkestone Corps before becoming an officer in 1894. He had only one corps appointment – at Tunstall, where he was also responsible for Golden Hill outpost. After this, Joy served in local administrative appointments until 1917, when he was transferred to International Headquarters, as Under Secretary in the Foreign Office. After some international travels, he was appointed to Western Canada as Immigration Secretary, and then Editor-in-Chief. In 1932 he became editor of The War Cryin South Africa. Colonel Joy retired in 1938 and in the following year returned to England, where he died in 1949.

Redemption through Christ

Ephesians 1 New International Version

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,^[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:

²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he^[b] predestined us for adoption to son-ship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹he^[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Trust God

Was surfing you tube the other night when I came across this video, so I thought I would share it with you.

Light of the World

One of my favourite Salvation Army Band pieces is called ‘The Light of the World’ written and composed by Dean Goffin who I believe was Australian. I suppose one of the reasons I like this piece is the main hymn/theme going through it which is O Jesus, thou art standing. You will also hear the chorus Behold me standing at the door come in through the piece and if you listen carefully you will hear the bottom end of the band emphasise the knocking.

Holmun Hunt also painted a picture of Jesus sanding outside a door knocking and I believe this can be seen in St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Image result for jesus knocking at the door painting

O Jesus, thou art standing,
outside the fast closed door,
in lowly patience waiting
to pass the threshold o’er:
shame on us, Christian brothers,
his Name and sign who bear,
O shame, thrice shame upon us,
to keep him standing there!

O Jesus, thou art knocking;
and lo, that hand is scarred,
and thorns thy brow encircle,
and tears thy face have marred:
O love that passeth knowledge,
so patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal,
so fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus, thou art pleading
in accents meek and low,
“I died for you, my children,
and will you treat me so?”
O Lord, with shame and sorrow
we open now the door;
dear Saviour, enter, enter,
and leave us never more.

As you listen to this video I would invite you to pray for the people of Afghanistan and the troubles in that country

Discipleship

John 15:1-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. ²Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

¹²“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you.¹⁵No longer do I call you servants,^[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷These things I command you, so that you will love one another. Image result for discipleship

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

God’s wonderful Love

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

There are many bible verses in the bible that talk of God’s love, the above probably being the most common. Then of course we have the love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 often used at weddings. we are reminded of God’s love in many ways, shapes and forms.

We often testify to God’s love in our lives by singing or using the words below. You will find when listening to the video it is not the usual tune. I actually came across the video a long time ago and liked the tune so i thought i would share it with you and I hope like just as much as me. See the source image

1.
God’s love to me is wonderful,
That he should deign to hear
The faintest whisper of my heart,
Wipe from mine eyes the tear;
And though I cannot comprehend
Such love, so great, so deep,
In his strong hands my soul I trust,
He will not fail to keep.
Chorus
God’s love is wonderful,
God’s love is wonderful,
Wonderful that he should give his Son to die for me;
God’s love is wonderful!

2.
God’s love to me is wonderful!
My very steps are planned;
When mists of doubt encompass me,
I hold my Father’s hand.
His love has banished every fear,
In freedom I rejoice,
And with my quickened ears I hear
The music of his voice.

3.
God’s love to me is wonderful!
He lights the darkest way;
I now enjoy his fellowship,
‘Twill last through endless day.
My Father doth not ask that I
Great gifts on him bestow,
But only that I love him too,
And serve him here below.

A God of Compassion

Isaiah 54 New International Version

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
    you who were never in labour;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband,”
says the Lord.
²“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.
³For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.

⁴“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
⁵For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.
⁶The Lord will call you back
    as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
⁷“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
    but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
⁸In a surge of anger
    I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
    I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.

⁹“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
    never to rebuke you again.
¹⁰Though the mountains be shaken
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
    nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

¹¹“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,^[a]
    your foundations with lapis lazuli.
¹²I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
¹³All your children will be taught by the Lord,
    and great will be their peace.
¹⁴In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
    it will not come near you.
¹⁵If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
    whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

¹⁶“See, it is I who created the blacksmith
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;
¹⁷    no weapon forged against you will prevail,
    and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.

Whilst I was reading the above bible reading Admittedly I couldn’t think of a video to match the reading until I reached verse 12 when a very well known Sunday school hymn popped into my mind and although it’s not the original tune the words have not changed.

When he cometh, when he cometh
to make up his jewels
all his jewels, precious jewels
his loved and his own

Like the stars of the morning
his bright crown adorning
they shall shine in their beauty
bright gems for his crown

He will gather, he will gather
the gems for his kingdom
all the pure ones, all the bright ones
his loved and his own

Like the stars of the morning
his bright crown adorning
they shall shine in their beauty
bright gems for his crown

Little children, little children
who love their redeemer
are the jewels, precious jewels
his loved and his own
like the stars of the morning
his bright crown adorning
they shall shine in their beauty
bright gems for his crown

Jesus The Vine

John 15 New International Version

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 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. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

The Lord Provides

John 14 New International Version

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵“If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[c] in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

²²Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵“All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

²⁸“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. ³⁰I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, ³¹but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.