Journal for Christ

Saturday, January 21, 2017

BLAH.!?

February 12, 2016

Worship: Love Come to Life by Mercy Me

I've been restless on the inside
Wondering about this heart of mine
I've been desperately trying to find
A way to prove that I'm still alive

Has the love I speak so loudly of quietly grown cold

Has my life been an empty voice?
What I say needs to be seen
I need to step out and make the choice
To let go of everything
Would You reignite this heart spark here in the dark?

[Chorus]
Bring Your love to life inside of me
Why don't You break my heart 'til it moves my hands and feet
For the hopeless and the broken
For the ones that don't know that You love them
Bring Your love to life inside of me

A generation You're calling out
Living everything that we sing about
A revelation right here and now
Of love beyond a shadow of a doubt
Love that's greater than our own
Won't remain unknown, when You...

[Chorus]

Love come to life
Love come to life
Bring love to life inside of me
[X4]

[Chorus]

Love come to life
Love come to life
Bring love to life inside of me
[X4]

Songwriters
WEAVER, MICHAEL DAVID/REDMON, JEREMY KEITH/SCHERER, JIM

Published by
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Video: https://youtu.be/bB-PfP6VEUk

Witness:

BLAH! That’s how I feel right now. Blah! Ever have those days’ when Blah stands for Basically Lost and Hopeless. I had to get on my knees twice during this journal entry. I need the love of God and the love for God to be rekindled afresh in my heart. I asked Him in my prayers to restore the joy I had in spending time with Him. That this would not be a chore but a blessing personally as well as for others. That His love and joy would not only fill me - because then only I would benefit from my quiet time – but be a flood that fills and overflows into the lives of others. As I was writing this paragraph, the song Shoulders came on, and I paused for a moment to watch the video. I was overwhelmed and lifted my hands in praise to the one who guards my life. As the song says: “I don’t have to see to believe.” I also don’t always have to feel it, in order to believe it or do it. May all who may be struggling with the Blahs rest upon the shoulders of the one who says He will bear our burdens. Then the Blahs will turn into Blessed Living and Hopeful.

Shoulders, by King and Country

When confusion's my companion

And despair holds me for ransom

I will feel no fear

I know that You are near

When I'm caught deep in the valley

With chaos for my company

I'll find my comfort here

‘Cause I know that You are near

My help comes from You

You're right here, pulling me through

You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders

Your shoulders

My help comes from You

You are my rest, my rescue

I don't have to see to believe that You're lifting me up on Your shoulders

Your shoulders

You mend what once was shattered

And You turn my tears to laughter

Your forgiveness is my fortress

Oh Your mercy is relentless

My help comes from You

You're right here, pulling me through

You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders

Your shoulders

My help comes from You

You are my rest, my rescue

I don't have to see to believe that You're lifting me up on Your shoulders

Your shoulders

My help is from You

Don't have to see it to believe it

My help is from you

Don't have to see it, ‘cause I know, ‘cause I know it's true

My help comes from You

You're right here, pulling me through

You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders

Your shoulders

My help comes from You

You are my rest, my rescue

I don't have to see to believe that You're lifting me up on Your shoulders

Your shoulders

My help is from You

Don't have to see it to believe it

My help is from you

Don't have to see it, ‘cause I know, ‘cause I know it's true

Lyrics:https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tftaafqewkdyusd4ybdie5v4hae?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/40wYfjv6yt8

WORD:

Ps 24:7-10 NIV

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?

The LORD Almighty —

he is the King of glory.

Selah

Ps 24:7-10

7 Open up, ancient gates!

Open up, ancient doors,

and let the King of glory enter.

8 Who is the King of glory?

The LORD, strong and mighty;

the LORD, invincible in battle.

9 Open up, ancient gates!

Open up, ancient doors,

and let the King of glory enter.

10 Who is the King of glory?

The LORD of Heaven's Armies—

he is the King of glory.

Interlude

I. Who is the King of glory? - v. 8

A. The LORD strong and mighty

B. The LORD mighty in Battle

II. Who is He, this King of glory? – v. 10

A. The LORD Almighty or Hosts

B. He is the King of Glory

The exhortation and command are given: “Lift up your Heads.” Some take it to mean “open wide” and others to mean “rejoice.” I don’t see why it can’t mean both. The answer follows swiftly in verse 8. It is Yahweh their covenant keeping God and the creator of all that is (vs. 1-2). He describes Himself (but in no way limits Himself) by two words that could be considered synonyms. Certainly, they complement and amplify each other. Every major translation translates the two words as “strong” and “mighty.” Let us look at each word given here. First the word “strong.”

According to Strong’s it means:

OT:5808

forcible; collectively and concretely, an army

BDB says:

‎adjective mighty, powerful; — of an army Isa 43:17; of þ‎y ‎Ps 24:8.

From this, we can glean that this word has connotations concerning armies. This is important in that it relates to verse 10. In this verse, however, it complements the next word “mighty” which is further clarified by the word “battle.” I like to think of God then as an “army of one.” Unlike the human soldier, however, He really does not need our help in defeating His enemies, and if He does use us, then it is an act done in such a way that we can only claim victory in or because of and not with or alongside God. The Sovereign Creator (vs. 1-2) is the Sovereign Conqueror (vs. 7-10).

We realize that:

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.

Ps 33:16-17 NIV

We understand that:

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.

Prov 21:31 NIV

We hear Him when He says:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. Isa 31:1 NIV

This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. Jer 17:5 NIV

Therefore…

We declare with Psalmist:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Ps 20:7 NIV

Again we recognize:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgOIG4FHqToGDwaOwBoYy0QZV8h8_nRcYuycr6QiXUGKDluO16a2b1zZX8

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfFT8_nFPluuNxR8oI_pMRRYc7lbWHy9VEehlQW76Ltbl1l_ayz_IpA51E

As I copied and pasted this to end today’s journal entry, a song began to play on my computer. The song? Because He Lives (AMEN) by Matt Maher

Amen
Amen
I'm alive
I'm alive
Because He lives
Amen
Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends

Because He lives
Because He lives

Read more: Matt Maher - Because He Lives (Amen) Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Recognize and surrender

From my Journal entry of:

February 9/11, 2016

Worship: Rooftops by Jesus Culture

Here I am before You, falling in love and seeking Your truth
Knowing that Your perfect grace has brought me to this place
Because of You I freely live, my life to You, oh God, I give
So I stand before You, God
I lift my voice cause You set me free

So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours

All the good You've done for me, I lift up my hands for all to see
You're the only one who brings me to my knees
To share this love across the earth, the beauty of Your holy worth
So I kneel before You, God
I lift my hands cause You set me free

So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours
All that I am, I place into Your loving hands
And I am Yours, I am Yours

Here I am, I stand, with arms wide open
To the One, the Son, the Everlasting God, the Everlasting God

So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours
All that I am, I place into Your loving hands
And I am Yours, I am Yours

Read more: Jesus Culture - Rooftops Lyrics | MetroLyrics

https://youtu.be/4-gLdIO5G-Q

Witness:

Heavenly Father You sit on Your throne

Yet came down and made me Your own

Through Jesus

Without You and deep in sin, I was lost

You sent Your Son who paid the cost

His name is Jesus

Father, You forgave me on account of Him

And by His cross and blood, I enter in

Justified in Jesus

And Father daily I am filled with Joy

When by Your Spirit His name I employ

My Savior Jesus

But then one day when time comes to an end

War and hate will cease and all that offends

The holy Jesus

Every knee will bow and tongue afford

And confess that name that He is LORD

The name of Jesus

Come now sinner while there is still time

Repent and believe and make Him thine

The Savior Jesus

(A poem I wrote on February 9^th when I woke up in the afternoon. The song, poem began as I went to put the dog outside and ended after I showered and sat down to write the poem out. As I wrote I wanted to make sure the Gospel was included in it. I hope that is apparent when you read it)

WORD:

Ps 24:7-10 NIV

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?

The LORD Almighty —

he is the King of glory.

Selah

Ps 24:7-10

7 Open up, ancient gates!

Open up, ancient doors,

and let the King of glory enter.

8 Who is the King of glory?

The LORD, strong and mighty;

the LORD, invincible in battle.

9 Open up, ancient gates!

Open up, ancient doors,

and let the King of glory enter.

10 Who is the King of glory?

The LORD of Heaven's Armies—

he is the King of glory.

Interlude

As you can see, I skipped a day. Yesterday, even as today, my body cried out for rest. I was dealing with an issue with my wife and sought to calm her thoughts and redirect them to a more positive outlook on things. Today I went back and visited a journal entry for August 30^th and read of “surrender”. Funny, but the song “I Surrender” by Hillsong is playing.

Here I am
Down on my knees again
Surrendering all
Surrendering all

Find me here
Lord as You draw me near
Desperate for You
Desperate for You

I surrender

Drench my soul
As mercy and grace unfold
I hunger and thirst
I hunger and thirst

With arms stretched wide
I know You hear my cry
Speak to me now
Speak to me now

I surrender
I surrender

I want to know You more
I want to know You more
I surrender
I surrender

I want to know You more
I want to know You more

Like a rushing wind
Jesus breathe within
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Like a mighty storm
Stir within my soul
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

I surrender
I surrender

Songwriters
MATT CROCKER

Lord, help me to daily surrender but give me rest so I don’t have to fight so much with surrendering. Even now my body cries out for a little rest, but how can I feed on Your word and find strength to surrender if all I do is want to sleep?

When I left off last time I said I might share more on the phrase “King of Glory”. I am not sure now where I was going with this. As I noted that same day, the phrase occurs only here. The phrase “Lord of Glory” appears in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 2:8 which says:

None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor 2:8 NIV

The early church saw this as a psalm referring to Christ’s triumphal entry into heaven at His ascension. Because the phrase is singular to this passage, we could say the question “who is the King of Glory” was a legitimate question since they never heard this title before.

Justin, an early Christian apologist, in his work titled DIALOGUE says that it was because of our Lord’s humble estate in human form that this question was asked:

Chapter 36 - He Proves that Christ is Called Lord of Hosts

Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.' Accordingly, it is shown that Solomon is not the Lord of hosts; but when our Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the rulers in heaven, under appointment of God, are commanded to open the gates of heaven, that He who is King of glory may enter in, and having ascended, may sit on the right hand of the Father until He make the enemies His footstool, as has been made manifest by another Psalm. For when the rulers of heaven saw Him of uncomely and dishonoured appearance, and inglorious, not recognizing Him, they inquired, 'Who is this King of glory? 'And the Holy Spirit, either from the person of His Father, or from His own person, answers them, 'The Lord of hosts, He is this King of glory.' For every one will confess that not one of those who presided over the gates of the temple at Jerusalem would venture to say concerning Solomon, though he was so glorious a king, or concerning the ark of testimony, 'Who is this King of glory? '

Kittel commenting on this passage says:

Justin shows a similar concern to that of 1 Clement in his use of Isa 53 in Apology 50.1 ff.; Dialogue 100.2, etc. Outward appearance is not the issue, but the renunciation of divine glory. This does lead, however, to human dishonoring, so that the heavenly powers, at Christ's ascension, have to ask: "Who is this king of glory?" (Dialogue 36.6). The theme of nonrecognition finds a basis in 1 Cor 2:8.

I must end for it’s time to prepare to go to work. I feel like I have left off in the middle of something. Let me close with this thought. The theme of “surrender’ and “recognition”. Perhaps your view of Christ, coming from a marred view of Him through his servants, keeps you from surrendering. I would encourage you to look to the King and Lord of glory and not those who may not reflect that glory very well in their lives. Then in surrender open wide the door of your heart and mind and let Him enter in!

Saturday, January 21, 2017

BLAH.!?

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Recognize and surrender

About Me