Made silent by the love of God

It is a sad thing; a christian who rises and lies down each day without acknowledging the God that gives him life, breath, existance. A condemnation that is all too often a reflection of my life, thoughts, and daily perspectives. How often do we the creation of God stop to acknowledge his existence, his patience with us, his endless mercy that waits patiently for our return to his presence as we eventually become aware and despise the frequency of our earthly pursuits of vanity?

If there is one thing (in my opinion) that plagues the church, American Christianity, and my life it is the lack of silence and solitude before the Lord. Why do we as children of the Living God so seldomly stop to thank him, speak to him, worship him with hearts captivated by his love for us? Why do we go through our daily tasks only stopping to ask for help when it seems hope is lost and we are unable to ascend the mountains in our distance? Oh for a faith that depends on God for every breath, for every moment stopping to speak his name and ever looking toward pleasing him alone. Oh for a faith that wraps itself in the promises of God spoken through scripture memorization, meditation, and daily reflection! I want to be made silent by the love of my God! To be mesmerized by his attributes and speechless before his majesty. To look to HIM for help, protection, and fulfillment.

This world is passing away and all its pleasures are but for a moment....but our GOD will remain for all of eternity! Will we choose to chase after HIM every day of our lives? Help me oh Lord, and help your church to always take time each day to simply be speechless. To stand in silence and awe as we ponder who you are and who you have made us to be. Our God will never leave us, never forsake us, and will always remain the same. His GLORY will be from everlasting to everlasting. May this meditation in our silent hearts be pleasing before you our God and King. Amen

From the Inside Out

As my life goes forth day to day there is an overpowering truth that resonates to the depths of my soul and fills this man with a sense of awe that leaves me speechless and amazed.

The Glory of the Lord lasts FOREVER.

One day my life will be drawn to a close. This heart will cease to beat, and my journey will be complete. I will take a stand among the men and women that have traveled before me. There in that place I will witness the presence and majesty of the God that I have yearned to behold all the days of my life. I will finally stand in the midst of the creator; in the courtyard of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. In that place I will join in the chorus singing "Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty. "

I cannot begin to understand why the Lord chooses to love us; to continually bestow mercy and love upon the most foolish and stubborn of beings. Oh the treacherous thought of the frequency that this heart has wandered from the truth and commandments of the King of Kings. How foolishly wicked our hearts are apart from the consuming holiness of the great Yahweh. Desperately, and with absolute hopelessness in my own consistency and strength, I hold fast to the promises of God's faithfulness. I know my failures, they are EVER and ALWAYS before me. I have failed innumerable times in living according to the calling which I have recieved; to follow hard after Christ all the days of this life...

One prayer gives me hope. That the faithful and everlasting Lord would consume this man with holiness by the delight of being in the midst of the Almighty. That this man would be consumed from the INSIDE - OUT by the powerful hand of the God who is seated in the heavens. For before I was concieved and after I am gone the Lord has and will always recieve the praise and worship that his Holy name DEMANDS! The Everlasting King and the Light of the Earth will shine when ALL else fades; His Glory and fame will continue throughout eternity.

Let the words of this song be the meditation of our hearts Oh Lord. For YOU are our merciful and loving king, work in our hearts to love you from the inside --> out with every breath that we take until you call us home to behold your awesome and everlasting GLORY.

------
A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

-"From the Inside Out" - Jeff Johnson

He Rose!

A prophesy foretold,
A king born to men,
A love the world had never known
But he was crucified

On the third day he rose again
That’s when the meaning of my life began
Because he rose
Jesus he rose
My life’s been forgiven this world holds no power
He rose
Jesus he rose
My lifes been redeemed this prisoner set free
Death where’s your sting? Cause he rose

Death made into life
Now I have been made new
I’m no longer bound by sin or shame
Cause it was crucified with you

On the third day he rose again
That’s when the meaning of my life began
Because he rose
Jesus he rose
My life’s been forgiven this world holds no power
He rose
Jesus he rose
My life’s been redeemed this prisoner set free
Death where’s your sting? Cause he rose

Scorn and broken he was nailed to a tree
He was crushed to bring God glory and set the sinner free
Death was beaten, Satan seized of all his power
Hallelujah Jesus won the victory

He rose
Jesus he rose
My life’s been forgiven this world holds no power
He rose

Jesus he rose
My life’s been redeemed, this prisoner set free
Death where’s your sting? HE ROSE!

(-Lyrics by Jeff Johnson "He Rose" 2007)

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God." - Luke 24: 45-47, 50-53

Of Godly Fear

Of godly fear delightful unto thee,
That fear that God himself delights to see

Bear sway in them that love him? then he will
Thy godly mind in this request fulfil.

By giving thee a fear that tremble shall,
At every trip thou takest, lest thou fall,

And him offend, or hurt thyself by sin,
Or cause poor souls that always blind have been

To stumble at thy falls, and harder be
Against their own salvation and thee.

That fear that of itself would rather choose
The rod, than to offend or to abuse

In anything that blessed worthy name,
That hath thee saved from that death and shame;

That sin would soon have brought thee to, if he
Had not imputed righteousness to thee.

I will love them, saith God, and not depart
From them, but put my fear within their heart,

That I to them may always lovely be,
And that they never may depart from me.


-John Bunyan (1628-1688) "Of Godly Fear"

Ruin me... until its You Alone I live for

Hello friends, I heard this song on the way home from work and I love the heart of the lyrics and the desire that the Lord would tear down any structure of sin or selfish gain in our lives and ruin our kingdom to establish the Lord's Kingdom ALONE in our lives! ~Destroy the idols and sin in our lives oh Lord until our lives and love are completely and forevermore wrapped in the beauty of your presence~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ruin Me” by Jeff Johnson (Isaiah 6)http://www.jeffjohnsonband.org/

Woe to me I am unclean
A sinner found in Your presence
I see you seated on Your throne
Exalted, Your Glory surrounds You

pre-chorus

Now the plans that I have made
Fail to compare when I see your glory

chorus
Ruin my life the plans I have made
Ruin desires for my own selfish gain

Destroy the idols that have taken Your place
‘Till its You alone I live for, You alone I live for.
(repeat)

Bridge

Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty
Holy is the Lord! Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty
Holy is the Lord!

Walking In The Garden

"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." - Genesis 3:8

This morning when I awoke it seemed that my life and so many things around me are in a state of confusion; a state of disarray. So I spent the next 3 hours reading in the bible, with a following time of prayer and quiet private worship with my guitar before the Lord. Questions of the Lord's will for my life and his ways unfolding before me were in the forefront of my mind. How greatly I plead before the Lord that he would unfold a path before me of joy and restoration rather than a renewed pain and uncertainty. The more I read the Word of God the more I longed to be in his presence and away from this crumbling and perishing world and its painful endeavors.

As I was reading this morning, this verse in Genesis came to my mind. In the beginning Adam walked in the garden with the Lord on a daily basis. He walked along side with the Lord! I can barely begin to fathom the deep and beautiful intimacy that Adam shared with the Lord. He walked and talked and dwelt with the LORD! Man was fulfilling his purpose; delighting in the presence of our creator, walking in the love and joy of being with our beloved.

How far this world has fallen from that very beginning. How wretched our hearts have become since that time! Even when sin entered the world Adam and Eve hid from the Lord as they heard him approaching. As I look at this world around me with the death, idolatry, perversion, brokenness, and sin accursed existence I cannot help but long for the presence of my Lord. I yearn for the restored fellowship with my creator. I yearn for an existence that is not tainted by unrighteousness and the foolishness of my own heart and ways. I plead for the continued presence of the Lord through his Holy Spirit to delight in making us holy; to delight in changing our ways and changing our hearts to prepare us to share in the everlasting and future glory of our Lord in heaven.

If there is one thing I could wish for during this life on earth; it is to walk with the Lord in the garden. To walk with my eyes, my heart, and my life captivated on the presence of my Lord. Only then will this heart finally be fulfilled. Only then will this man be drawn into the paths of certainty; the paths of security I seek. How wearied I am from continued heartache and uncertainty and how difficult to love with selfless abandon. Only by dwelling alone in the peaceful garden of prayer and fellowship with the Lord on a daily basis will I become the man God made me to be... a man after God's own heart.

Give Me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise,
give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone,
give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die,
give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

- "Give Me Jesus" lyrics by Fernando Ortega

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?" - Matthew 16:26

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God." - Psalm 84:1-2

People NEED The LORD!

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." - Matthew 9:36

Tonight at work the Lord used an opportunity to bring me to a silence of heart and an overwhelming sense of guilt and inadaquacy before the Lord...

As I was working tonight an older gentleman who also works at Home Depot approached me and we started talking about morality issues. After a bit of a discussion he made known to me that he believed in a "higher power" and that we possess a "conscience" but he believed we are free to follow our "pleasures" in this life... And everyone is entitled to pursue their own "purpose." Upon asking him if he believed that at the end of our lives we will bear consequences to the lives we lead, he fully agreed. The part that broke my heart was his concluding statement... He said that nothing in this life is known, and we have no way to find it out until we die; so he has decided to wait until then to see what the "truth" is. { Does that hit you as hard as it hit me?}

This man has decided to wait upon death to discover truth! But friends by then it is too late! The scales of judgement and the eternal wrath of an angry God will have been established. There is no going back once death has consumed our souls. And after death....judgement.

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ... will appear a second time... to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." - Hebrews 9:27-28

Immediately after talking to him, my heart was in pieces. How could I being a professing follower of Christ live my life on daily basis without thinking of the men and women like this all around me? How have Christians fallen so far away from our original purpose? How many times in a day does my heart scream to tell the gospel to the dying world around me? How often do I BEG and BEG and BEG the LORD to open the eyes and hearts of the world to recieve his love and turn from their wicked way and attain SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST! I DON'T! Oh Father forgive me... and forgive your church. By our silence Father, we disobey you and we allow the people of this world to enter into your eternal wrath and judgement where there is great and endless weeping and nashing of teeth, a place of eternal fire...

I pray that the Lord will change our hearts... Change our hearts and lives Lord, to be for one purpose and one purpose only. TO KNOW THE LORD, AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN AMONG THE EARTH!!!!

On my way home from work the words of this song played over and over in my mind...

Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eyes.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize, people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What could be too great a cost
For sharing Life with one who's lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize that we must give our lives,
For people need the Lord.

More Than a Friend

In the quiet of my soul
In the stillness
I hear Your voice call
And I am overwhelmed
And I am lost for words
To describe You


Jesus You're more than a friend
Jesus You're more than my heart could ever express
Your love and Your grace never fail me
Your merciful touch always heals me
You bring joy to my soul

My heart longs to worship You my King
And I long to bring You a pleasing offering
And I am overwhelmed
And I am lost for words
To describe You

Jesus You're more than a friend
Jesus You're more than my heart could ever express
Your love and Your grace never fail me
Your merciful touch always heals me
You bring joy to my soul

-Lyrics by Jeremy Riddle ( Full Attention )

"Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,because I have hoped in your word. I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight." - Psalm 119: 73-77

Moment of Truth

Friends, I heard this song this evening and the lyrics are very powerful! When we look at this life and Satan wants our hearts to fall into dispair; cast your eyes on Jesus and remember the moment of truth that he died for your sins and now sits at the right hand of GOD in heaven above. At that moment, the moment of truth, eternity shook with the worship of God. Go back to the moment of truth....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You got your hand on the door
And you're ready to walk out
Well, the fight that you had filled your mind up with all this doubt
And you're losing your mind and losing your faith
And you can't remember why you fell in love in the first place

Go back, go back to the moment of truth
When she walked down the aisle and you first said, "I do"
When this life makes you wonder what have you got to lose
Go back, go back to the moment of truth

You got your hand on a habit
And you can't seem to let it go
It used to be your escape now it's out of control
And now it's you in the mirror
But you don't recognize your face
And you're looking for a reason not to throw it all away

Just go back, go back
To the moment of truth
With three words, "It's a girl"
And she looks just like you
When this life makes you wonder what have you got to lose
Go back, just go back to the moment of truth

You got your hand on the Bible
But your heart feels like stone
'Cause you think that you've made too many mistakes to come home
And you're losing your will and you're losing your faith
And now you wonder if you even believed in the first place

Just go back to the moment of truth
When you first talked to Jesus
And He reached out for you
He's still reaching, He's still reaching out for you
So when this life makes you wonder what have you got to lose
Just go back, just go back
To the moment of truth

-"Moment of Truth" lyrics by Matthew West (2008)