FOLLOW JESUS: April 2012

20120416

GREAT LOVE

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and
the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalms 18:2)"

GOD IS MY ROCK

All I have is faith,

Faith is all I have;

Faith that pleases God,

God is my solid Rock

My Rock is Jesus,
Jesus is God's very Son;

A love that never changes,
Love for all the ages.

My only hope is God,

God is my only hope;

Hope that lives in Christ,

The Savior of the world.

The world is a big place,

Too big for my tiny brain;

My faith is in its Maker,

The maker of heaven and earth.

All I need is faith,

Faith is all I need;

By faith I trust God knows my name,

And accepts me in His perfect grace.
__________________________________________________

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he

loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive

together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—and raised us

up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable
riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace
you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:4-9

GREAT LOVE

Alive together
Because of Jesus
We are one
At His cross

Rich in mercy
Because of Jesus
We have peace
In His shed blood

Alive forever
Because of Jesus

We are forgiven
In His great love

Rich in grace
Because of Jesus
We are saved through faith
In Him alone
__________________________________________________

HEBREWS 6:19

We have this confidence as a sure and strong anchor for our lives.
__________________________________________________

THE ANCHOR

The Anchor stays

The Rock won't move
When troubles rage

The Cross reproves

Hope is constant

The Word does not lie
The night will pass

The sun will shine again

JOY remains
His Blood was spilled
JESUS IS RISEN!

The Promise fulfilled!

The Spirit of God abides

The heart that sees
In God's grace through faith

The Truth has set us free

Whatever storms may come
Forcing us to stop and pray
God's love for you won't change

The Anchor stays!

J E P

2012

http://jeffree7.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/greatlove/

http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/reprove

20120415

THROUGH THE STORM

I PRESS ON

Through the storm
Through the rain
I press on
Through the pain

Through the valleys
Through the heights
Through the fight
I press on

Through the days
Through the changes
Through the ages
I press on

Through the darkness
Through the night
I press on
To reach the light

J. E. P.

Press On!

Read Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13-15 Day by Day with Chuck Swindoll

Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark left Cyprus and sailed to the southern coast of Turkey—a land then known as Pamphylia, whose rugged coastline ascended sharply into the towering heights of a mountain range steeper and fiercer than the eastern Tauras near Tarsus, and more terrible than any hills known to the Cypriot Barnabas or the Judean John Mark.

That sight alone may have initiated the storm surge of doubt that would eventually flood young John Mark's soul. In this region Paul became gravely ill with malaria or some other serious coastal fever. That may have been the last straw for the inexperienced traveler to endure. Without any explanation, Luke simply writes, "John left them and returned to Jerusalem." But going on from Perga, they pressed on. Without even as much as a hiccup, the journey continued. Paul and Barnabas were undeterred by John Mark's desertion.

Here's an important observation: all the way through ministry, people leave. In every church there will be individuals who, for whatever reason, move on to other things. This includes those in leadership. They leave, but the church presses on. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding their departure, the journey continued. For Paul and Barnabas there was neither time nor need for a long, drawn-out farewell. They pressed ahead, keeping their eyes focused on the goal.

It's hard to press on when you feel abandoned. It's easy to give in to discouragement and allow that to siphon your tank dry, but Paul and Barnabas had no such luxury. Emotions in check, they had a job to do. So they moved forward with an even stronger determination.

One of the marks of maturity is the ability to press ahead regardless of who walks off the scene. The alternative isn't an option. Once you've said goodbye, it's time for everyone to move on. That's exactly what Paul and Barnabas did. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (3:14).

Reprinted by permission. Day by Day, Charles Swindoll, July 2005, Thomas Nelson, inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

20120410

PERFECT FOREVER

By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:14).

PERFECT FOREVER

In the world you will not be perfect

In the world you will not be strong

In the world you will have to learn

The only real perfection is God

In this world you can't find omniscience

In this world you will fall down many times

In this world you won't enjoy perfect peace

The only firm foundation is Christ

Play Download Audio File

During the days of Moses, God established specific laws for sacrifices. God called for animal sacrifices to teach His people the seriousness of sin and to prepare the way for Jesus. God taught that when a sacrifice was offered, it was to be pure and without blemish: "If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord" (Leviticus 1:3).

Approximately 900 years after the sacrificial law was given to Moses, God used the prophet Malachi to call the people back to a true heart of worship. Since the time of Moses, the people of Israel had gone through many highs and lows in their worship and were currently on another downward spiral. The priests had become very casual with the sacrifices – they had lost all sense of reverence and had ceased to offer God their absolute best.

Malachi 1:7-8
"You place defiled food on My altar. But you ask, `How have we defiled You?' By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong?"

With the perfect and acceptable sacrifice of Jesus, the need for animal sacrifice has ended; "He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood" (Hebrews 9:12). Through faith in Jesus, our sins are completely forgiven; "By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:14). Faith in the sacrifice of Jesus has become our final sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin – we have been perfected by His blood.

However, each of us who have experienced God's mercy and grace are now urged "to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1a). We are to offer this sacrifice not to earn or even maintain our Salvation, but because "this is our spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1b). A true understanding of God's grace in granting us eternal life ought to compel us to a life of thanksgiving and sacrificial worship.

But when we leave His presence for the pleasures of this world, we create blemishes on our heart; and when we practice or give approval to sin, we become spiritually crippled and diseased. We must present ourselves to God and allow Him to use us for His glory. He deserves our very best! We should offer ourselves with a pure heart, without selfish ambition or pride, and free of worldly compromise.

God has given us all we have, made us all we are, and is leading us to all we will become. Let's worship and serve Him with the best we have to offer; let's present our lives to Him as an unblemished sacrifice.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel

http://gdwm.org/index.php/2012/04/an-unblemished-sacrifice-2/

20120404

AT HIS FEET

^{2 Timothy 1:9-10}

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

AT HIS FEET

We're in this together,
This gift of hope called life;
When we live for one another,
God replaces peace for strife.

We're in this together,
This gift of freedom called truth;
When His Son Jesus directs our lives,
God's perfect purpose shines through.

We're in this together,
This gift of peace called love;

When we surrender at the Cross,
God the Holy Spirit fills us.

We're all in this together,
This gift of life called humanity;

When we believe our place is at His feet,
God exchanges selfish pride with humility.

J E P
2012

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
  and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ---Hebrews 12:2

CROSS YOUR HEART

Does joy cross your mind When sin leaves you blind; Does Jesus help you see How the truth sets you free?

Does joy cross your soul, When despair takes its toll; Does Jesus help you out, When you fall into doubt?  Does joy cross your heart, When pain won't depart; Does Jesus help you cope, When steel bars imprison hope?  Do you rejoice in the Cross, When you pause to think of God; Do you cling with all your strength, To the Savior whom Our Father sent?  Jeff Pollock May 27, 2008  Our Creator loves us so much He crucified His One and Only Son, so that all who are touched by Him will know the peace of Heaven. see John 3:16

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HolyLandVideoBlog/~3/294561244/day-7-of-the-to.html

FAITHFUL FRIENDS

FAITHFUL FRIENDS

For all my faithful friends,

Who trust true life never ends;

This prayer is for you:

Wherever you are,

Hold on to hope in Jesus.

To all my faithful friends,

Who stand up against the world;

This prayer is for you:

Whatever you do,

Do it with love for Jesus.

For all my faithful friends,

Who believe all things new in Christ;

This prayer is for you:

Whoever you are,

You are born again in Jesus.

To all my faithful friends,

Who long to be with Father in Heaven;

This prayer is for you:

Whenever you do,

Remember the Cross of Jesus.

JEFFREE

MAY2009

"Labourers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- Oswald Chambers

Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; here is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker. We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1co+3:9&sr=1

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/my_utmost/utm.cgi

LOST AND FOUND (FOREVER FOUND)

Forever searching for light I'll never find

I lay here in the darkness wishing God was mine

Lost forever outside the presence of Almighty God

I've fallen in the emptiness of my own living hell

Forever outside the gates of Heaven

Heaven never even enters your mind

Your mind is a slave to manmade religion

A slave in search of treasure you won't find

Forever worshiping the Light sent to save