Tag: God

Summer Days

Weymouth Beach on a hot summer day by Brian is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Summer days and sunsets yellow,

drops of Love fall down to man,

yet still we cower from our Maker,

in every corner that we can.

Plates abound with tables’ riches,

His Provision goes unseen,

mistaking money for his presence

on other posts we seem to lean.

Still our minds make up their stories,

hatred spits from lofty views,

of a life without a Saviour,

from opinions still eschewed.

Yet a gentle power swaying,

lights our hearts at every turn,

underpinning daily living,

as we turn to trust His warmth.

Like gentle swans upon the river,

tilted by the stream’s dear spait,

at every point being lifted higher

Upon his words we trust and wait.

Hated by all because of ‘My name’.

Yes, we more than overcome

In every trial and strain

For in the strife is when we run

To Him who knows our pain

I push into my God at night

I hide in Him all day

No matter what entails the fight

He is my hope and stay

Even though the wolves may prowl

To seek their prey fair game

Even though such hate does growl

Because we wear His Name

No matter if I’m cast away

And find myself alone

No matter what they all may say

To Christ I’m running home

For I can hide beneath His throne

At any time of need

And there He’ll take me as His own

My hand in His to lead

And so the fire and trials below

They push me higher still

Increasing though the battle grows

It is His perfect will

So my heart of trust it sees

My God amidst the pain

And overcome on wings so free

The weight of glory gains

By Lisa Lawlor

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2; 1-4

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

Image result for pentecost

Today we celebrate Pentecost (the start of the Christian Church) and the above passage of scripture has to be one of my favourites I must admit. The way the Holy Spirit fills the house and what happened to each of them must of been awesome.

1.
Spirit divine, come as of old
With healing in thy train;
Come, as thou did’st, to sanctify;
Let naught of sin remain.

Chorus
Come, great Spirit, come,
Make each heart thy home;
Enter every longing soul;
Come, great Spirit, come.

2.
Spirit divine, purge thou our hearts
Make us to understand
Thy blessed will concerning us,
And teach us love’s command.

3.
Spirit divine, cleanse thou our souls
With Pentecostal flood;
Breathe into us the life that shows
The Father-love of God.

Yield not to Temptation

James 1 New International Version

Trials and Temptations

¹³When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
- Refrain:
  Ask the Saviour to help you,
  Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
  He is willing to aid you,
  He will carry you through.
Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,
Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;
He who is our Savior, our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

For or Against

Related image

Luke 6:27-30

Love for Enemies

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

VERSE 1: You were the Word at the beginning

One with God the Lord Most High

Your hidden glory in creation

Now revealed in You our Christ

CHORUS 1: What a beautiful Name it is

What a beautiful Name it is

The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a beautiful Name it is

Nothing compares to this

What a beautiful Name it is

The Name of Jesus

VERSE 2: You didn’t want heaven without us

So Jesus You brought heaven down

My sin was great Your love was greater

What could separate us now

CHORUS 2: What a wonderful Name it is

What a wonderful Name it is

The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a wonderful Name it is

Nothing compares to this

What a wonderful Name it is

The Name of Jesus

What a wonderful Name it is

The Name of Jesus

BRIDGE:

Death could not hold You

The veil tore before You

You silence the boast of sin and grave

The heavens are roaring

The praise of Your glory

For You are raised to life again

You have no rival

You have no equal

Now and forever God

You reign Yours is the kingdom

Yours is the glory

Yours is the Name above all names

CHORUS 3:

What a powerful Name it is

The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a powerful Name it is

Nothing can stand against

What a powerful Name it is

The Name of Jesus

A medal on his chest

Christ walked to Calvary alone,

Each bone-jarring, bruise bumping yard,

Every pain-plodded inch.

And wicked faces carved from stone

Made even Jesus flinch

And search for company to cheer

The garden-hammered promise, sealed

With blood soaked, bleeding tears.

Though gutsy – God – still longed to hear

The gratitude of those he’d healed

A drug to numb his fears.

Is my blood pumping heart a fool

To keenly fill my veins, and beat

The body on it’s way?

Perhaps the glands that coward cool

And chicken sweat away spare heat

Should early close today.

The body needs each tiny cell

Each worn out ear, each limping limb,

Each thinning greying hair.

And when I find myself in hell

And I need Christ and you are him,

I hope that you’ll be there.

I’m not afraid. Though service scares

The Christian in the garden

Who cries just like his Christ;

Who, though he doubts, the threat still dares

His God-lost heart to harden.

Thus, all is sacrificed!

Call him gutless? No! let him wear

His need for Christian prayers and friends

A medal on his chest;

And pray we learn like God to care

For those whom Satan gladly sends

Gethsemane to test.

(AB)

What kind of a world?

God, what kind of a world is this that the adult people are going to leave for us children?

There is fighting everywhere, and they tell us we live in a time of peace.

You are the only one who can help us.

Lord, give us a new world in which we can be happy, in which we can have friends and work together for a good future.

A world in which there will not be any cruel people who seek to destroy us and our world in so many ways.

Amen.

You Love Me? |

Malachi 1:1-5 New International Version – UK (NIVUK)
1 A prophecy: the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.^[^a^]
Israel doubts God’s love
²‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.
‘But you ask, “How have you loved us?”
‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, ³but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’
⁴Edom may say, ‘Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.’
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. ⁵You will see it with your own eyes and say, “Great is the Lord – even beyond the borders of Israel!”
We all go through difficult seasons in life. We may be tempted to question God’s love for us during those times. Let’s recall the many ways He’s shown us His unfailing love. When we stop to consider His goodness, we find that He is indeed a loving Father. Let us all remember that in times of darkness there is a light telling us God loves you

Christian morality

People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, ‘If you keep a lot of rules I’ll reward you, and if you don’t I’ll do the other thing. ‘ I do not think that this is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life you are slowly turning this central thing into either a heavenly creature or or into a hellish creature.

Saved to do Good

Titus 3 New International Version – UK

Saved in order to do good

3 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, ²to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle towards everyone.

³At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ⁸This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

⁹But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. ¹¹You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.