Prayer

This morning I asked the Lord to teach me how to pray, again. To reveal to me what was the deepest needs and how to pray specifically for those things.

I was so gently reminded, that the things I see as obstacles to serve my Jesus the way He is calling me to, can too be moved. I took a sigh of relief as He listened to the cries of my heart, and continues to pour out His gracious words as we conversed. 

He reminded me through Psalm 6 that the winter seasons of the soul are seasons still to be used for the glory of God. Even when we feel alone, He is still working and ever by our sides. Even when we are weary and our souls are troubled, He still receives our prayers. He will deliver us to the other side, just as He delivered the disciples to the other side when the waves tossed their boat around. We must trust Him through it, we must cling to Him through it. 

As I continued to pray and read through the Truth, the Lord continued to teach me and answer my prayer, right then and there. [Mark 11:22-24]

So, Jesus answered and said to them [the disciples], 'Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea', and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you may receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

Pray in faith, Jessie. Don't doubt that God is big enough. He is SO BIG! Much bigger than the things I find myself fearing will always be in the way of where He wants me to be. He sees and cares for us. It doesn't mean if I pray for a million dollars that if I pray without doubting, He will give it to me. He's telling me he cares for my soul, He will show me His power as I continue to believe in His ability.


Today I praise my God, who answers prayers. You deliver me by Your abundant mercies. You heal me when my bones are troubled. You give power to move mountains. You are bigger than the obstacles that I see in the way.

Dear Lord, I nurture my body with food. I nurture myself with rest. But often I fail to nurture my spirit with your presence. Help me to place my roots deep in you daily, and grow strong and be fruitful, no matter what season. In Jesus' name, Amen. -P31

A prayer I read in a devotion today, the prayer of my heart. I want to choose Jesus first, everyday.


How is He answering you today?


Love, Jess

Gospel of Mark

I've been reading the Gospel of Mark. So far, Jesus has preformed many, many, MANY miracles and I'm only half way through chapter 7!
Christ is the picture of compassion, of selflessness and true love. He brought healing to the sick, He made the lame walk and freed those who were under bondage. 
Groups of people followed Him wherever He went and He never sent them away. "And Jesus when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd." Mark 6:34 He is a God even the demons worship [Mark 5]. 
He is a God we can trust completely. "He commanded them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts - but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics." [Mark 6:9] The disciples were called out to preach the good news and the Lord wanted them to rely completely on Him alone. The Lord has a perfect plan for our lives too. Specific and one that requires our reliance upon Him alone. We may not all have to go out without bread or money, but wherever we are called it will be for the glory of God alone.   
As well as reading the word, I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. What a convicting, encouraging and compelling book that challenges my walk with Jesus to grow deeper, wider. 
Here is a small excerpt I read this afternoon:

"People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress"

I wrote this as I read that:

"I feel compelled to pray for a life like this. Lately I have been so consumed by fear of even just the dark I cannot even get out of bed in the early morning to sit with You. I pray that my greatest concern would be others knowing You. I pray that as I desire to live a life that pleases You, others would come to know you and love You."

I desire that my life would not only reflect Jesus, but that it might draw others into a love for Him as well. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 Christ has given power over fear to those who suffered even to death for His name. I feel pathetic saying I struggle with fear of the dark, but I know my God cares and wants to give me power over that small fear. I want to be used for His kingdom and for His glory. 


My point is, God is great, He is compassion, He is LOVE. He's powerful, mighty and so beautiful! He has a plan for each of us. He is hope. Let's be His hands and feet as we move into the Christmas season, but not only for the season, let's choose to continue to serve "the least of these" every chance we get, everyday, giving our time, our talents. We won't regret it. 


Gather in His greatness, guys, we won't leave parched. 


Love, Jess

Why He Came

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Mark 2:17

I haven't blogged all week because I have been meditating on this verse. I was chewing it over, really wanting to understand God's heart in the matter of why He came to earth from a comfortable, beautiful, majestic throne in Heaven. 

He came out of LOVE. He came to heal the broken hearted, the lowly, the wretched, the lost, the homeless, the lame. He came to heal the hearts of those who were in need spiritually, the ones who were always failing and falling and wanting to be made clean but weren't sure how to get there. He came to show them how to be clean and He made it so remarkably easy. He said to them:

"This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life..."

John 6:40

Believe in Him to have everlasting life! He came to call the sinners to see their sin and repent. It's easy with all we are blessed with to forget our need for God, but no thing we have on this earth will give us hope like Jesus will. He's calling sinners still, He's calling us to Himself so that we may have everlasting life. Believe Him and gain hope, peace, love. He is the Great Physician, He wants to heal your wounds today. Call upon His name and you will be satisfied. Christ is sufficient. His Word is sufficient. 

Be blessed today, readers, knowing that there is a God who loves you and is calling sinners to His table to repent and have salvation. We are ALL sinners, so we are all being called to Himself. What love! Give Him all you've got and be amazed today!

Love, Jess

Great is His Faithfulness

It is a good morning. When there is so much hustle and bustle in our days and even our nights, we can get so bogged down with complaints and fill our thoughts with only what is wrong, but, what is good? I am so compelled to share the GOOD news today, as I should everyday, but today especially. 

God is faithful, ALWAYS. I have been reading through the gospels. I am currently in Matthew, so I guess you can say I just started. As I read, I have been praying I would fall more in love with the Lord by seeing His character lived out in His word, and I can say joyfully today He is answering my prayer as I continue reading.
  

"Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" 

Matthew 26:52-54

When Jesus was betrayed, He already knew He had been betrayed. He knew what was coming and although He prayed the cup of the cross would pass from Him, He went with love for us to do the will of His Father so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled and in turn so would our joy. What a loving God! He has so much to offer us and it is all free. 

I pray for all of those who aren't sure about Jesus, that you will be convinced of who He is, that He died for you, so that you may have life and life abundantly; a future and a hope. 

As I shared in my post yesterday, He is a God full of mercy, compassion and grace. He loves you, is jealous for you and longs for you to come to him. Don't hesitate to call Him your God and to live for Him. It is a choice you will NEVER regret making.

For those of you who do believe in Jesus I have a few encouraging quotes that have blessed me:

"Let us rejoice in the Lord always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed people, and thus induce them to exclaim, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." C.H. Spurgeon

"Some blessings come early,

some come late, and some

don't come until heaven, but

for those who embrace the gospel

of Jesus Christ, they come"

Jeffrey R. Holland

Praise God! Love, Jess

‎

He is Calling Your Name

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite." Psalm 147:3-6


This is a call to all those whose hearts are broken. If God can count the number of stars and call them by name, how much more does He call Your name? You are important to Him. His word says that He created you for His good pleasure. What love! His understanding is infinite; He knows your every need, every sorrow, every thought, every weakness, every burden, stress and struggle. He understands your every worry, sweet reader. He is great and mighty in power, ready and waiting to call you His own. He is bigger than the things weighing on your heart tonight, He sees them and wants to help you carry that load. 


"if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9


Praise God for making the gift of salvation FREE! Believe He is who He says He is and that He was raised by God from the dead and you will be saved!


His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He is great in mercy and the fullness of joy. Peace awaits your hurting and weary heart, sweet reader. He is a well of unending mercy that you can dive right into, and you can be certain that you will NEVER come up dry. 


Praise the Lord!


Jess

Thirst

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works;

I muse on the work of Your hands.

I spread out my hands to You;

My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah"

Psalm 143:5-6

My soul longs for You like a thirsty land, My God of ever quenching waters. You are a never ending flow of rightness to my soul. You soak me in the fruits of Your Spirit, never failing me. I never come up dry when I meet with You. You remind me of the humble posture I am to take before You with my hands spread out towards You, and You so willingly and generously pour those living waters over me, Your parched child. 

I long to lift my soul to You and You alone. That You would cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, and cause me to know the way in which I should walk [Psalm 143:8]. 

Teach me to do Your will, Jesus. For You are my God and Your Spirit is good. Fill me with good. I long to be filled to the brim with Your good. 

You, my muse, You move me to praise. The works of Your hands overwhelm me. You created all things for me to enjoy, and I praise You for caring so much, just for me. 

Drench me today, and tomorrow and everyday. May I be satisfied in You, but always longing for You, never having enough of You, my God. 

Sweet Like Honey

Praising the Lord this morning for a sweet, chilly and quick run that I was able to enjoy today. For a warm shower and a bowl of cereal to fill my grumbling stomach. Praising Him for my home and my family who always take care of me. For my job, for my husband's job and for the Lord's constant provision. 

When I have so much how could I ever have a heart of complaint, gossip and slander? On that, I have a few verse to share, and praise the Lord for continuing to meet me right where I am.

"Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;

Who plan evil things in their hearts;

They continually gather together for war.

They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;

The poison of asps is under their lips.

Selah"

Psalm 140:1-3

Our tongues are powerful weapons. I certainly have struggled with this over a long period of time and, sadly, have fallen into this description. I did a study of The Book of James a while back when the Lord made it absolutely clear that this was something in my life that was so displeasing to Him, and something He took very seriously. All the verses spoke to me, but there is one verse in James the Lord reminds me of when I desire to slander or gossip about someone. 

"With it [the tongue] we bless our God and Father,

and with it we curse men, who have been made

in the similitude of God."

James 3:9

If we love our Father, we are called to love every single person that was made in His image. We are called to have the fruits of the Holy Spirit in every circumstance and conversation that comes our way. Of course, we are human, we do fail, continually. His mercies are new every morning. He is strong, and He gives us freely the power to overcome these temptations.  

As I read on in the Psalms this morning, the Lord gave me a simple verse to pray daily, and when, "my desires for pleasure that war in my members" [James 4:1] rise up in frustration or anger towards someone and I am tempted to gossip to someone else about it. Again, I praise Him for always meeting me where I am, in my struggles and in my joy. His word is alive and gives us everything we need to live the life He desires of us. 

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,

to practice wicked works

with men who work iniquity;

and do not let me eat of their delicacies."

Psalm 141:3-4

I pray today that this is written on my heart and that the Lord would call it to remembrance every time my flesh rises up. As that last part says, "delicacies", sometimes gossip looks appetizing. When everyone around you, in school, at work, is gathering together to talk about the latest "he said, she said", and maybe you want to snack on what their serving, let me remind you of what the psalms say about His words,

"How sweet are Your words to my taste, 

sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Psalm 119:103

His words are sweet to our lips. They bring life and not death. His words are better, His ways are better. Let His name be on our lips today, of the One who brings life and life abundantly. 

I'd love to hear about how the Lord has spoken to You in your times of struggle. What promises has He given to You? What verses has He given to You to help you in your times of temptation?

Let's rejoice together in how great our God is!

May His love today cover You like waves, 

Jess

The Cry of My Heart

This is a short post that was intended for yesterday, November 2nd, 2011.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

and see if there is any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

Praise You, Lord who leads me in a way everlasting. Psalm 139 is such a precious and descriptive Psalm of how much you care for me. How much time You desire to spend with me and on my life. I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Jesus, even before I come to You, You know all my anxieties, every little and big thing that burdens my heart. You see all the wicked ways of me and You desire to take them and replace them with all the fruits You give. 

You are the one who searches hearts, search mine today. Lead me in the way everlasting.

He is My Hope

"The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands." 

Psalm 138:8

I had to repeat that over and again this morning, "You will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever."

Praising a God who is patient with me as I struggle to overcome my flesh. Praising Him for giving me strength to overcome. My God who is mighty to save. You fill me Holy Spirit, reminding me I do not wage war against this flesh alone. I have all the power of God. 

It as been a daily struggle to get out of my warm bed to spend time with Jesus. I've been praying my desire would be stronger to be in His Word that it would be to sleep. He so gently promises me the treasure that awaits me there is so much more rich and full and warm and rewarding than an extra 30 minutes of sleep. And every time I make the choice to get up, His promise is kept, He ALWAYS speaks a word to my feeble heart, my wicked, deceitful heart. 

I take hope in Your promise Lord that You will prefect that which concerns me. As I choose each morning to come to Your table and sup with You, You will make me full. You will cover me in mercy, forgiveness, and love. You will never fail me even though I continually fail you. You will endure and I give You thanks today. 

Give thanks to the Lord, to You who alone does great wonders, to You who by wisdom made the heavens, to You who laid out the earth above the waters, to You who made great lights, the sun to rule by day and the moon and stars by night, to You who remembers us in our lowly state, to You who rescues us from our enemies, to You who gives food to all flesh, to You who parted the Red Sea, to You who lead Your people through the wilderness, YOUR MERCY ENDURES FOREVER. 

"I will praise You with my whole heart;

before the gods I will sing praises to You.

I will worship toward Your holy temple,

and praise Your name.

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your 

word above all Your name.

In the day when I cried out, You

answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul."

Psalm 138:1-3

I love you Jesus and all Your ways. Thank you for Your promises that I can gather in everyday. Make me more like You as I seek You and find my hope in You. 

This morning is gorgeous. Cold, but so beautiful! Another blessing from a gracious God. A God, where with Him, is forgiveness. With Him there is mercy. With Him there is abundant redemption. 

You are a God who forgives even the ones who we as humans think can never be forgiven. You teach us how to forgive in the face of hard things. You cover us in mercy that is undeserved and sometimes taken for granted. I love Your mercy, Jesus, that washes me clean with each new sunrise. You are not just redemption, but abundant redemption, and redemption that covers a multitude of sins. A love that changes our wayward hearts to delight in Your ways! Your ways are not like ours, they are forever the same. What a hope we find in You Jesus! A hope that never fails. You are a God who has spoken and Your words stand forever. Thank You Jesus for the way You made for me, that I can be changed, day by day. I thank You for loving me first, so that I can worship You every minute. You are my delight, Jesus <3 May Your name be on my lips today! 

"Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; 

Lord, hear my voice! 

Let Your ears be attentive

 to the voice of my supplications. 

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,

 O Lord, who could stand?

 But there is forgiveness with You. 

That You may be feared. 

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, 

and in His word I do hope. 

My soul waits for the Lord

 more than those who watch for the morning-- 

Yes, more than those who watch 

for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord; 

for with the Lord there is mercy 

and with Him is abundant 

redemption. 

And He shall redeem Israel 

from all his iniquities." 

Psalm 130

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." Psalm 127:1


Have you ever meditated in these words? Labor in vain. This was one of my greatest fears, that I would live my life laboring in vain. 
My prayer today is that we would all wait upon the Lord to build our houses, the paths. I don't want to labor in vain trying to make things happen that I think would be best for my life, I want the Lord to make His will clear to me. I want to trust Him that His plan is better than ANY plan I could ever think up myself. 
I prayed this morning that the Lord would again teach me to trust Him, that He would draw me close to Himself, revive me, and satisfy me. 


I am satisfied this morning to let the Lord build the house. To let Him lead, and to worship Him while I wait for Him to tear down the walls in our lives that do not please Him, to pave a path that leads us in the direction He desires us to go, and for Him to build up a life that is no longer laboring in vain, but a life that trusts Him alone. 


I want Jesus to be the song in my heart and the joy of my life.

I'm satisfied in You, My God.

And I will abide, in You, in the Vine.

I want to live, to live for Your pleasure.

I want to run, to run for Your fame.

I want to dwell in Your house forever.

To seek Your face, as You call my name,

to hear You say, well done.

For I am not my own.

You bought me with Your blood.

For I am not my own.

You bought me with Your blood.

 

Choosing Adoration

Good Early Morning!
I pray this early, when my warm, under-the-blankets flesh is fighting my Spirit that longs to be refreshed by God's Word, that the Lord would sweetly remind me of the reward, the satisfaction that is awaiting me in the next room. When I roll out of bed there is treasure between pages. 
I read another blog that is always encouraging and I am linking this to hers today as I choose to adore My Jesus. I hope you enjoy her blog as well, and that you will be moved to adore the Lord on a daily, minute-by-minute basis. 


"Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth and it abides." Psalm 119:80 & 90


I love Your words, Lord. They are poetry to me. They are promises to me. I am encouraged again today that Your word is settled in heaven. There is no doubt in Your mind that I belong to You. I am Yours, Your child, Your daughter, Your delight. 
It overwhelms me that Your promise to me is also a promise to all those who believe. You know every hair on every head of every person living, dead and even those who will be. How great a God You truly are. You know every muscle you created, every difference in each person. YOU KNOW EVERYTHING! Praise You our knowing God. 
I praise You I can even come to You, that I can sit at Your feet. You established the earth and it abides! You hold all things together. At any moment Lord, You could say the word and all things would cease to be, but You wait, because You have a plan. You desire that none, not even one would perish. We can trust You that Your time will be the perfect time to return for Your beloved. "I have seen the consummation of all perfection" (Ps.119:96) You are perfection. You are everything to me. I praise You God that I am able to come to You daily, all day. That I can see how perfect You are in judgement, grace, mercy. How good Your way is Lord. That I can drink in word by word Lord, more of Your character, Your heart, Your will, Your understanding, Your knowledge, Your peace, Your patience, Your goodness, Your kindness, Your righteousness, and SO SO SO many more!


"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103


How sweet You are, My Jesus! How faithful, awesome and praiseworthy. As I struggle to get up each morning please continue to remind me of the treasures that await me in Your word. I long to be overflowing with all that You desire to give me. Even that Lord, blows my mind! It is YOUR DESIRE to spend time with ME! To give me good things in abundance! Give me an even stronger desire to seek Your face this morning. Give me a hunger and thirst for Your word and the things of You. I will choose today to adore You in every circumstance. Let gathering in  Your promises and Your words be my favorite part of the day.


I learned a while back that "Hallel" means "Praise" in Hebrew. I will end this with that. 


Hallel Jesus,
Jess

Kaph

Psalm 119:81-88

My morning devotion reminds me that You, God, are mighty. Our lives here are sometimes hard, really hard. We are brought low, but it is our gain. 
I love that in this Psalm the Psalmist never lets any worldly ailment keep Him from seeking You. He is always praising You and calling out to you, even in his affliction. 


I want to live my life this way. That every moment of every second of my life would belong to You. Even the days when "my soul faints for Your salvation" (vs81) I want to cling to You and to Your promises that You will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. Even when things are so hard that my flesh says the days before You were so much sweeter, I want to cling to Your truth. Because even when "I may not feel it. I may not even believe it. But it is true regardless and that is what I cling to…"

Nothing compares to  the sweetness of You, My Jesus. Your word on my lips, reviving my life daily, minute by minute. NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU JESUS! 


I cling to the promises in Your word when times are hard and I rejoice and rejoice again in them when the days flow with milk and honey. You are my creator, my friend, and nothing is better than a friend who knows you even better than yourself. 


I praise You for creating me with such joy, such detail, and such care. Praise You for creating me with a heart that was made to contain You, or rather burst at the seams and overflow with You. 


I pray I would not forget Your statutes, because all of Your commandments are faithful (vs86). Even if they almost make an end of me on this earth (vs87) I pray You would revive me according to Your lovingkindness.


I praise you that trials are for my growth, for knowledge and wisdom of You. I want more of You Jesus today! I want all that You will give to me and Your word says You will give me all things according to Your will, in abundance! Praise You! 


To all of you who are struggling, cling Jesus, His word is truth, and it brings life. Gather in His promises. He is always faithful. Rejoice in Him today!

"For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance."

Romans 8:22-25 

In Christ, 

Jess

His promises are my Hope

"Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life." Psalm 119:49 & 50 ♥


Lord, You are my portion. The portion I need daily to fill me, sustain me, strengthen me, encourage me. You are the portion I need daily to lead me. 


Praise you, O Lord that you have commanded Your covenant with me FOREVER.[Psalm 111:9] A promise that will never be broken. Even in my affliction You revive me, comfort me, lift me up. You pour out Your mercy on me by Your word. 


You cause me daily to worship you in word and deed. You cause me to speak of Your testimonies and not be ashamed.[Psalm 119:46] You've taken my guilt and shame and blotted them out. You replaced them with jewels like, tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with others, forgiveness as you have forgiven me, but most of all LOVE, I worship you because You rule in my heart, You cause me to be thankful. Your words dwell richly in me with all Your wisdom causing me to admonish with Psalms an hymns, spiritual songs and grace in my heart to You, My Jesus. Thanking you that all I do can be done in Your precious name, Lord Jesus, and I can continually give thanks to my God the Father through You. [Colossians 3:12-16] Because You died for me and tore the veil of separation. 


You made a way for me to build my life upon the Rock. You give me life and life abundantly to live.


Praise the Lord today for how richly He gives to the ones He loves of Himself!


In Christ. Gather In.
Jess






[Prayer Requests]


-Our dear friends, Tiffany and Steve, that the Lord would comfort them in their sorrow of a hard year, but also bless them abundantly with this new baby that our Lord is weaving together with all love and joy, with a purpose and a beautiful plan for his/her life as we speak. 


Thank you for your prayers.

Serving a Living God

Daily I am reminded that the Word of God is LIVING. Just like it says. My faith is renewed every time God answers me, encourages me, and reminds me of just how great He is. I started this blog so that I could share the well spring that God's word brings to my heart. I overflow with the life giving waters He drenches me in by His goodness, faithfulness, His grace, mercy, beauty, majesty and I could go on and on, because that is how AWESOME MY GOD IS! 


I just want to write tonight and stand in awe of my God. I'm so thankful that I can even call Him, MINE. Sweet Jesus, Savior, Friend, Great Counselor, Deliverer, Redeemer, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, True Love, Father, Dad, Abba, Lord, God of Grace, God of Compassion. My God who lived by example, the example of true love. 


I am humbled that He died for me. ME! I did nothing to deserve such grace. I deserved to die for my own sins. He loved me enough to walk this earth, knowing what He would have to do to blot out my sins for eternity, and He did it with ALL JOY. What an amazing God. 

"What shall I render to the Lord

for all His benefits toward me?

I will take up the cup of salvation,

and call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord

now in the presence of all His people."

Psalm 116:12-14

My MacArthur Study Bible says this about that first line:

"116:12 What shall I render. God needs nothing and puts no price on His free mercy and grace. The psalmist renders the only acceptable gift -- obedience and thanksgiving."

Wow. I want to live my life this way. Taking up daily the cup of salvation He so freely gives, taking up my cross, and calling on the name of MY Lord. That all people might know whom I serve. 

I want my life to radiate Jesus in all things. I want my life to be lived in obedience and thanksgiving. 

His mercy and grace are free to all. Jesus died for all that we might follow Him. Don't waste another day. Take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. No matter where you are, what you have done. Come to Him now. He can bring beauty from ashes. He wants you to call Him savior. He loves YOU!

Here is my prayer tonight, Psalm 115:14-15:

"May the Lord give you increase

more and more,

You and your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord,

who made heaven and earth."

In Christ, Gather In.

Jess 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

Philippians 4:4 

Hallel

After one week of not seeking God's face, I woke up this morning overwhelmed, all the trials from the week had built up and were weighing me down.

I struggled this week with making time to be in God's word. I was so busy picking up shifts at work, running errands, checking lists, that I started to run out of steam and I realized, I was trying to do all these things through my own strength. I managed on my own, but realized quickly I was struggling in areas where the Lord had daily given me power and strength to overcome. So, He gently reminded me to sit at His feet. Praise God.

I'm so thankful that He is just waiting patiently for us to get it. I'm thankful that He never leaves us because this morning I ran to Him, and again He was faithful to answer me. 

I started reading in Psalm 114 and God answered me, then I went back and read Psalm 113. My MacArthur Study Bible says Psalms 113-118 are called the "Egyptian Hallel". Hallel meaning "Praise" in Hebrew. 

(Not sure if you know, but I love Hebrew meanings of words! They always bless me because they are so deep, like the Love of Christ)

These 6 Psalms are praise to God. I encourage you to read them yourself and as I move on through 115-118 in my own time I will hopefully have a lot to share with you. This was what God said to me this morning:

"Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

Who turned the rock into a pool of water,

the flint into a fountain of waters."

Psalm 114:7-8

In the last week there have a been a lot of things the Lord has laid on my heart to pray for, and this was His reminder to me that He is MORE THAN ABLE to move the mountains that stand in the way of what He wants to accomplish in our lives. I was overwhelmed, but this time with praise to my Jesus! He can turn those rocks, those hard things into a pool of water. He can remove those mountains that seem so daunting to my human mind, and pave the way. 

This verse speaks about Moses and in Numbers 20:8-11 when God tells Moses to SPEAK to the rock and He would make it yield water for the people to drink. God is able to do these things when we obey Him at His word. 

I pray today that we will wait upon the Lord, obey and trust His word when He speaks to us and praise Him for all that He does do and promises to do in our lives. 

Today I will trust God that He will turn the rocks in our life into water, that He will remove the mountains that stand before us, so that we can continue to live by the Holy Spirit's leading each day. 

I encourage you to leave a comment on how God is working in your life today, let's rejoice together over these things as the body of Christ. Let's also pray for one another. God says His house is a house of prayer, and our bodies are His house. Pray for each other today, for our struggles and our victories! Praise God. 

In Christ, Gather In.

Jessie 

Psalm 111

Ok, I know I said yesterday I would post more on Matthew 5 & 6, but that is coming later. Hopefully tomorrow! But for a short post tonight I just wanted to share a little worship! 


To read all of Psalm 111, please click on the the link.


As I read today while I ate my lunch, these few verses stirred my heart in worship:

"The works of His hands

are verity and justice;

All His precepts are sure.

They stand fast forever and ever,

And are done in truth and uprightness.

He has sent redemption to His people;

He has commanded His covenant forever:

Holy and awesome is His name."

Psalm 111:7-9

How amazing! Beautiful nuggets of truth, sweet promises from our God to us! These are things we should gather in, everyday.

"The works of His hands are verity & justice", I looked up the definition of verity, it is "the state or quality of being true; accordance with fact or reality." [from dictionary.com] How awesome is that! It is a FACT that God is TRUE & JUST! 

We can praise God that ALL of His precepts are sure, they stand fast forever, and are always done in truth and uprightness. 

I love that He gives us a reminder that He has sent us redemption to His people, and that as He has sent it, He has commanded His covenant to us FOREVER!  

Rejoice! These are truly treasures to gather in with joy!

In Christ,

Jess

Command and Instruct

I have been reading through Matthew as a part of my daily routine. I have just finished reading chapters 5 & 6. I noticed that the Lord used a repetition through out these chapters of "Command and Instruct" according to the Law in that day. 

God says before all these instructions,

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law

or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy

but to fulfill."

Matthew 5:17

My MacArthur Study Bible in the NKJV explains this verse like this:

"Jesus was neither giving a new law nor modifying the old, but rather explaining the true significance of the moral content of Moses' law and the rest of the OT [old testament]. 'The Law of the Prophets' speaks of the entirety of the OT Scriptures, not the rabbinical interpretations of them. fulfill. This speaks of the fulfillment in the same sense that the prophecy is fulfilled. Christ was indicating that He is the fulfillment of the law in all its aspects. He fulfilled the moral law by keeping it perfectly, He fulfilled the ceremonial law by being the embodiment of everything the law's types and symbols pointed to. And He fulfilled the judicial law by personifying God's perfect justice (cf. 12:18,20)"

He was our example of living a righteous life. When Christ died, we were no longer held under the bondage of the Law, but covered by grace. That doesn't mean we are free to live lives of sin. The standard of a life of Holiness is Christ. He was perfect, but still tempted. Tempted in all ways we are, but was still without sin. His death covered our sin, so that we may life free in His grace, and that we could come to Him to give us all we need to live holy lives. 


Throughout chapters 5 He talks about Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation, but ends the chapter with Love! And goes on in chapter 6 to talk about Charitable Deeds, Prayer, Fasting, Wealth. All things we as people will deal with in our daily lives. 


For the next few days I will be posting each one so that my posts are shorter and so we can take each one in at a time and praise the Lord for His goodness and grace in our lives. 


Lets start with the passages in Chapter 5, starting in verse 21-22 for the first command I saw:

Command

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgement.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." 

Instruct

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come offer your gift."

I love that when the Lord shows us our sin, and commands us to turn, He does not leave us in the dark wondering where the door is. He shows us the way to leave our sin behind and move forward. 

Our God is always fair, always just and always gracious! Let us rejoice as we gather in His promises, His instruction and the treasure we are storing up in Heaven as we seek God's word to live lives that glorify Him. 


In Christ, Gather In.


Jess