Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Life Song

I get my share of junk email. Spam, as they call it. (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that something so bothersome and distasteful shares its name with the barely distinguishable foodesque product that comes in a can.)

Anyway, I received an email with an invitation to the Navy, of all things. Actually it was directed at my son as he is registered with scholarships.com. But there was an interesting quote at the top of that email that caught my eye: “If your life had a soundtrack, would people listen?”




Huh. “Well I don’t know,” I thought. Then it got me to thinking, well, what is the soundtrack of my life? If my life had a theme song, what would it be? Then I had to laugh at the running joke I have with myself, that my life reminds me a lot of the Grateful Dead song, Truckin’ and the words of its refrain, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”

But seriously. What song would seem to most accurately represent my life now that it is in Christ? I mentally scrolled through worship and praise songs, so many of which I love and understand on a very deep, core level. I’m sure there are many I could choose, but as I prayed, one song came to my mind: I Will Lift My Eyes by Bebo Norman.

Every time we sing that song in church I can feel my heart catch in my throat as the words pass from my lips and all of my being understands the meaning of each line enough that I feel I could have written the song myself.

What is the song of your life?








Monday, June 23, 2008

Hope That Never Fails

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Psalm 27:10-14


A verse the Lord has brought to my attentionat least a couple of times in the last few weeks or so is verse 10 of Psalm 27: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”

If you don’t know my life, or even if you do, you may not know how little of my parents I saw while I was growing up. My dad was often not home, sometimes for days at a time. And though my mother was there physically, emotionally and mentally she was not. I was basically left to fend for myself most of the time. I still feel the loneliness of it to this day. And my God knows my heart and He is gently and compassionately reminding me that I am not alone. He is always with me and I take comfort in that.

In verse 10 where it says, “then Jehovah will take me up,” the words “take me up” mean to gather for any purpose. God gathers His children to Himself for His divine purposes. I need not fear that I am left to fend for myself ever again, for I have the Lord God Himself as my mother and my father. He will look after me and will take care of me. He has a divine purpose for my life and though I seem to lack the foresight of what those purposes are, I know He is weaving together something that will be beautiful in His perfect timing.

Perhaps you, too, need to be reminded that you are not alone. That if you are a child of God through His Son Jesus Christ, then God is your parent, your spouse, your caretaker, your brother, your friend. Everything we have need of is found in our Heavenly Father. And the events of your life are being skillfully woven together, as well, and God is making of them something beautiful to behold.

And He goes on to give us still more hope when He says, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, (this means to hold onto, as to the Lord) and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

No matter what the day may bring, we can hope in the Lord. We will see the goodness of the Lord as long as our eyes are focused on Him. Do not look around for hope elsewhere, for it will always fail. But God will never fail.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Lost Boy

Pastor Greg Laurie has written his own amazing life story in the autobiography Lost Boy. I'm trying to hold off reading it until I can finish the other three books I'm currently reading, but when it arrived in the mail I couldn't help cracking it open to peruse the Contents to see the titles of the chapters. Then I had to read the forward by Franklin Graham.

"And oh! There's a foreward by Chuck Smith! Well I have to read that....and a preface..hm..well, I'll just skim that and see what Pastor Greg says...well, these first couple of chapters don't seem very long.."

Okay, so I was able to finally force myself to put the book down after chapter three so that I could go back to the serial killer, Eve, who at this point seems to be running rampant in Ted Dekker's thriller, Adam.

But I'll be able to get another taste of Pastor Greg's story on Sunday, June 22, when the documentary, Lost Boy, will premiere at 6 pm Pacific Time on his website http://www.harvest.org/. If the documentary is half as powerful as his book is, it's sure to be a faith-builder.

Greg Laurie's story is one of just that, a boy who had lost his way, but then found himself right in the middle of God's love and grace and miracles. A place of hope.

So, I thought I'd post the link for you in case you'd like to watch the documentary and see Pastor Greg talk about the God who plucked him from an almost certain life of remaining lost in drugs and being swallowed up by the world to a life of purpose and joy. A life of redemption where he now has a father, his Heavenly Father.

Be sure to check your time zone.

Have a blessed day.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Who Is God? Part 3

Here Comes the Judge

Okay, onward in our quest to know the true God.

The second attribute that God tells us about Himself in Jeremiah, chapter 9, is that He is a God of judgment. Because we live in a time of grace through the blood of Christ, many forget that there will still come a time when God will judge the works of believers in Christ. In the end, the unsaved will be judged to eternal damnation, and the works of the saved will be judged and either burned or rewarded.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Cor. 3:11-15)

We, who are in Christ, have been given a foundation for our lives, which is Jesus Christ Himself. And it is on the basis of His lordship, and the extent to which we acknowledge it as such, that we choose the materials with which we build upon the foundation of faith the service of good works. Will we build with the beauty of God’s will and strength which will be proved by the fire of judgment, or will we build according to our own will, our own desires and in our own strength, which in the end, will be burned?

So how do we know what constitutes a good work and a bad one?

For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)

Let us not be lulled by the commonplace occurrence of owning one, two, three or even more bibles and so forget that the bible is not just another book. It is the very word of God. He spoke it into existence and by His words we will be judged. (Not for salvation if we have received Christ, but the works that we do as Christians.) He has shown us His will in His word and it is up to us whether we are going to build with that perfect will, or if we are going to live apart from it. It is our choice: either the works that will last that are compared to gold, silver and costly stones, or the works that will be burned like wood, hay and straw.

Yes, by God’s grace and mercy we have received salvation through Christ. But we are not done! Now each day we must choose how we will build on the sure foundation of Christ. What does your spiritual structure look like? Will it stand in the fire? How much of it will be burned away? Praise God that He gives us all we need to build, through our service to Him, a legacy of glory to God that will last for eternity.

I find it interesting that the description given in Revelation of the new and eternal city of Jerusalem coming out of heaven is made of all costly stones, pearls and streets of gold.

Could it be?

Could it just be that those works which we build on the foundation of Christ, those godly works that are described as being as gold, silver and costly stones..could it be that those works we do in Christ which bring Him all glory and eternal praise are what make up the gates, the walls and the streets of the eternal city in which we will soon live?

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God. And its light was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And it had a great and high wall, with twelve gates. And on the gates were twelve angels, and having names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel:

From the east three gates, from the north three gates, from the south three gates, and from the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And he who talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall. And the city lies four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

And the foundation of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city had been adorned with every precious stone. The first foundation, jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, hyacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent glass.

And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb.”

Rev. 21:10-22

Thursday, June 5, 2008

From Strength to Strength

My son tells me this video is "old," but I've just seen it for the first time. And while I'm not a sports fan, (my family will quickly attest to that) this story is about much more than two girls' softball teams.

It is a perfect picture of how the Lord carries us in our weaknesses. Just when we think we have been defeated, He picks us up and tenderly, lovingly, carries us to the end.

He takes us from strength to strength even when we have no strength. He sees us to the end so that we can know the joy of finishing and glorying in His mercy.

And the Body of Christ should emulate the same grace for one another that the Lord examples. If we could just remember that we are all on the same team and rush to the aid of our brothers and sisters when they have fallen, how would that impact not only the Body, but the world around us for Christ?

How much glory could we bring to our King and how much joy could we share with others if we would only look around and tenderly, lovingly, carry one another's burdens with God's strength?

"Blessed are they who dwell in Your house; they will still praise You. Selah.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; Your ways are in their hearts. Passing through the valley of weeping, they will make it a fountain; the early rain also covers it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength, appearing in Zion before God."

Psalm 84:4-7

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

By His Blood

By His Blood
Full price was paid for my sin,
A debt no longer
For my sin is forgiven;

By His Blood
He’s redeemed my soul
In Him I am made
Perfect and whole;

By His Blood
His Spirit indwells me
And gives me the Power
To live victoriously;

By His Blood

I’ll live for eternity,
Singing “Glory to the Lamb
Who was slain for me!”

By Jesus’ Blood
And His alone
I am free
To go home;

Will you meet me there
In the presence of Love:
The One Who paid for you
By His Blood?



by Dorci Harris