O Jesus Christ, Grow Thou in me. (Hymn)

O Jesus Christ, grow thou in me,
And all things else recede;
My heart be daily nearer thee,
From sin be daily freed.

Each day let thy supporting might
My weakness still embrace;
My darkness vanish in thy light,
Thy life my death efface.

In they bright beams which on me fall
Fade every evil thought;
That I am nothing, thou art all,
I would be daily taught.

More of thy glory let me see,
Thou holy, wise, and true;
I would thy living image be
In joy and sorrow too.

Fill me with gladness from above,
Hold me by strength divine:
Lord, let the glow of thy great love
Through my whole being shine.

Make this poor self grow less and less,
Be thou my life and aim;
O make me daily, through thy grace,
More meet to bear thy name.

True Repentance

In the Old Testament, there are stories of how the God’s people would turn away from Him and choose to live fulfilling their flesh desires and sin against Him. In 2 Chronicles 6:38-39 Solomon is making a prayer to God and it says,
“.. if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.”

Then in 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,
“..if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

“..for there is no one who does not sin..” (2 Chronicles 6:36a)
We are in need of forgiveness. We all need a Savior.
Christ alone is our Savior.

With the Holy Spirit dwelling in me because I am a child of God.
The Spirit convicts me of my sin.
Sometimes I choose to ignore it. Rationalize my actions.
But I can no longer live with it.
Sin is sin.
No matter if it is “big”‘ or “small”.
No matter is others know about it or if it is just the wrong attitude in my heart.
I need to confess it and repent.

Repent. Not just say I’m sorry and move on with my day. Not thinking twice about it.
But I need to truly repent.
To heed God’s word.
To take these actions:
1) Humble myself
2) Pray
3) Seek His face
4) Turn from my wicked ways.

I often take God’s grace and gift of grace and forgiveness for granted.
But if I truly remember and am thankful for what He did on the cross for my sins,
when I am tempted to sin or stay in my rut of wicked ways, I will cry out to Him for help.
“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
– Hebrews 2:17 -

Redeemed

I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit;
you heard my plea,
‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’
You came near when I called on you,
you said, ‘Do not fear!’
You have taken up my cause, O LORD;You have redeemed my life.
– Lamentations 3:55-58

‘Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives not all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
– Psalm 103:2-5 -

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son,
born of woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
– Galatians 4:5 -

Jesus Christ came to do the His Father’s will,
He gave His life. To pay the price for my sin.
He is my Redeemer.
Because of His grace, through faith I am saved.

I don’t want to continue living this life in fear, guilt, shame, or enslaved to anything in this world.
“For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
– Galatians 5:1 -

I want to live victoriously.
“for God gave us a spirit no of fear
but of power and love and self-control.”
– 2 Timothy 1:7 –

I don’t want to continue just “making it through the day”
Days are hard, life is full of trouble and trials.
In Scripture we have been told of this and we see how others went through
the trials and felt the pain, grief, overwhelming loss, depression, etc.
But then we also see how Christ was their,
Comforter, Counselor, Friend, Redeemer, Refuge, Rock, Hope, and Savior.
He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
He is always there. His Spirit lives within me and is my Helper.
I don’t have to make it through this day on my own.
I don’t have to continue struggling, failing, or living in the pit of sin.
I can call out to Him. Confess my sins to Him.
He is faithful and just.
Will wash my sins away, ‘as far as the east is from the west’
Oh how great is His love and grace.

In Hebrews 4:15-16 it says,
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

So I run to Him. Seek Him.
“And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.”

the anxiety antidote.

so many days are filled with anxious thoughts.
how many minutes, even hours are wasted by worry.
It accomplishes nothing.
it only keeps my mind in constant motion.
it only adds burdens and stress to my life.
that God doesn’t call for me to bear.

just a quick glimpse in His Word and I know that He gives peace.
It says:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
-(Philippians 4:6-7)-

Oh these verses are known by many and quoted often.
so why do you i continue to let my mind be filled with anxious thoughts?
because I may be able to quote the verse…. but don’t let it sink down to my heart or truly believe its for me.

So I pray now, that I may trust you Lord.
Believe that you care for me.
That I may have faith and cast these anxious thoughts and concerns upon You.
Lord, I pray that I may be filled with your peace, “which surpasses all understanding”.
To be able to rest in Your presence.
To experience your “fullness of joy”
Knowing ‘You hold my lot”
And “in you book were written, every one one them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16b)

I am so easily distracted by the worries of this world.
May I take these thoughts captive.
Turn my temptations into prayers -
and think about things above.
to walk today – in a manner worthy of the gospel – to please You.
And to bring You Glory and Honor.

she gave it all.

The widow dropped in two coins.
Only two coins.
And yet, Jesus said she gave the greater gift.
Why?
Because she gave all she had.
think of that.
ALL she had.
Every last cent.
she gave to Him. Lord of All.

So I say I trust God to provide.
Know in my head that He owns it all.
That He entrusts me with things now- so I can be a good steward.
Yet, I had to stop and think.

Would I give it all??
Really. Honestly.
Would I give it ALL?

All – my time, my money, my reputation, my comfortable “American” lifestyle?
To follow Him? to take up my cross daily?
putting aside my selfish desires, to live for Christ?

Because if I did…. It might change my life.
I would stop and lend a hand to someone in need.
Take a break from rushing down my “to do” list – to call a friend and pray with them.
My checkbook statement or credit card balance would reflect a change.
Share the gospel with those I know, instead of being afraid of what they may think.
Be willing to live with less today…. to give for the glory of God.

Could you tell by looking, where my heart is?
Am I striving endlessly for the success and things of the world.
Or am I striving to glorify God in all that i do?

She dropped them in.
Two coins.
But they reveal so much about her heart.

She trusted God to provide. To meet her every need.
She knew the eternal reward was far better than any material item here on earth.
She loved Him with her whole heart, soul and mind.
Because she was willing to give all she had.