Lectio Divina - part 1

In small group we are studying the spiritual disciplines. We studied a exercise early Christians will practice called Lectio Divina: Divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to provide special spiritual insights.

I've been reflecting on two passages, and God really spoke to me personally.

1st reading - Mark 8: 34-38 - 34 - He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

This part really spoke to me - "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it."

There are things, hopes, memories, dreams, desires, disappointments, that I'm still holding on to that Christ challenges me to let go and follow His priorities and to spend my energy, thoughts and time on. I just had to confess them yesterday, and re-commit myself to His cause.

1st reading - Psalm 42 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God,with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Why are you downcast, O my soul?Why so disturbed within me?Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember youfrom the land of the Jordan,the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Words that spoke to me - "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God."
-"These things I remember as I pour out my soul"
-"By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life"

I just want to go deeper with God. He loves it when I pour out my soul to Him. Yesterday I poured out my emotions, burdens, and pain to God. And I
am reminded of His tenderness and faithfulness to me throughout my day.

This song is special to me....

Lead Me To The Cross - Brooke Fraser

Savior I come
quiet my soul remember
redemptions hill
where Your blood was spilled
for my ransom

PreChorus:
everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Chorus:
lead me to the cross
where Your love poured out
bring me to my knees
Lord i lay me down
rid me of myself
I belong to You
lead me
lead me to the cross

You were as I
tempted and trialed
Human
the word became flesh
bore my sin and death
now You're risen

to your heart
to your heart
lead me to your heart
lead me to your heart

The only thing I know to do....

I find myself focusing and thinking and it makes me anxious.

Lord keeps telling me to let it go, and stop holding on!

so the only thing I know to pray for and focus on is...

Lord this song is my prayer...

"Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity"

Hosanna

Hosanna - Brooke Fraser

I see the King of Glory
coming down the clouds with fire
the whole earth shakes
the whole earth shakes, yea...

I see His love and mercy
washing over all our sin
the people sing
the people sing

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation
rising up to take their place
with selfless faith
with selfless faith
I see a near revival
stirring as we pray and seek
we're on our knees
we're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7SMUf6QcyQ

To change my world...

I want to change my world! It's such a broken world. It's such a dark world. The light of Christ needs to shine everywhere.

I was thinking about my life again, and whether or not I am truly living for God, whether or not I'm making a difference.

I've been reflecting and I've to a conclusion, and I want to share my thoughts with you.
The question I ask myself...Can i really make an impact for you?
The Lord says "yes!!"

Knowing God

Psalms 37: 4-6 - Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Wow what a verse. It's saying as we get to know God, we will have desires that our in line with God's will and then He's going to give us those desires. wow! that's awesome. Let's keep dreaming for God!

I need to keep knowing the Lord and his heart. I really do want to know him deeper, wider and higher. I want to know the power of his resurrection, and to become like him in his death.

I wanna take up my cross and follow the Lord. I wanna know your heart. "Open up my eyes to see what is unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours. Everything I am for your kingdom's cause, as I walk from earth into eternity." - Brooke Fraser from her song "Hosanna"

Faithfulness

The importance of being faithfulness to produce fruit with everything that He has given us: position, talents, time, energy, mind,wealth, etc. Matt 24: 45-51 & Luke 12: 41-48

Character and good deeds

We're called to be the light of the world. It's so important to do good deeds and to have good godly character.

Matthew 5:16 - good works!

Philippians 2: 12 - 17 - We will shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life :)

Take up the cross

People realize that life is short. Some people live life to make lots of many or to do "wild" things, or to have as much fun.

Life is too short to make those things a priority. Live for Christ! Christ in me and selfish desires dead!


Yes I'm totally into changing my world for God.

Lord expand my terriority and my influence for you. Bless me so that I can be a blessing to others.

Let me be faithful to You! Break my heart for what breaks yours.

-Amen-

Celebrity Look-Alike

God of redemption

I was just reflecting this morning on how God wants to redeem our disappointments, failures, loss opportunities, and pain.

I think everyone goes through those things. He just reminded me this morning that He wants to bring about the opposite of those things by bringing life again to my heart.

You want to renew my heart....renew the garden within my heart..

....I will daily open my heart to the living God...

Hold Nothing Back...

I don't want anything to hold me back from my full potential in Christ. I want to live the abundant life, full of purpose and new challenges as He leads me forward.

As I examine myself, I ask God, is there anything that is holding me back? I realized that there are a few things that I need to deal with. I need to trust Him, and let go of my anxieties and fears, and commit my career to Him.

I also need to commit the strong desire for marriage that I have. Though I am currently single and nothing is in the horizon, the Lord always reminds me to learn to wait for His timing to bring a great and wonderful girl into my life.

So Lord, I hold nothing back. I take my cross and follow you. Use me for your glory. Bless me, so that I may be a blessing to others, and increase my territority.

Do I know Him?

I was challenged this easter weekend. Sunday's sermon was about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pastor Steve shared a clip of a sermon preached by S.M. Lockridge called "My King"

The Bible says my King is a seven-way king....He's the King of the Jews; that's a racial king....He's the King of Israel; that's a national King....He's the King of Righteousness....He's the King of the Ages.....He's the King of Heaven....He's the King of Glory....He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King. Well....I wonder, do you know Him?.... David said, "The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He's enduringly strong....He's entirely sincere....He's eternally steadfast....He's immortally graceful....He's imperially powerful....He's impartially merciful.......

Do you know Him?

He's the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world. He's God's Son....He's a sinner's Saviour....He's the centerpiece of civilization....He stands in the solitude of Himself....He's august....He's unique....He's unparalleled....He's unprecedented....He's the loftiest idea in literature....He's the highest personality in philosophy....He's the supreme problem in higher criticism....He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology....He's the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion....He's the miracle of the age.... He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him....He's the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour......

I wonder if you know Him today?

He supplies strength for the weak....He's available for the tempted and the tried....He sympathizes and He saves....He strengthens and sustains....He guards and He guides....He heals the sick....He cleanses lepers....He forgives sinners....He discharges debtors....He delivers captives....He defends the feeble....He blesses the young....He serves the unfortunate....He regards the aged....He rewards the diligent....and He beautifies the meek.......

I wonder if you know Him?

Well, my King....is the King....He's the key to knowledge....He's the wellspring to wisdom....He's the doorway of deliverance....He's the pathway of peace....He's the roadway of righteousness ....He's the highway of holiness....He's the gateway of glory.......

Do you know Him?

Well....His office is manifold....His promise is sure....His light is matchless....His goodness is limitless....His mercy is everlasting....His love never changes....His word is enough....His grace is sufficient....His reign is righteous....and His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He's indescribable....He's incomprehensible....He's invincible....He's irresistible.
Well, you can't get Him out of your mind....You can't get Him off of your hand....You can't out live Him, and you can't live without Him....The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him....Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him....The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree....Herod couldn't kill Him....Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him. Yea!!!, that's my King, that's my King.

Father..."Thine is the Kingdom....and the Power....and the Glory....Forever"....and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that? And ever...and ever...and when you get through with all the forevers, then.... AMEN!....AMEN!


He challenged by asking us "Do we know Him?" I can honestly say that I don't. My knowledge of the Lord is a like a tiny drop in the bucket. I know that this realisation may sound so obvious, but it isn't really when you think about it.

The purpose of the resurrection is Christ saving us from hell, but also allowing us to live out the abundant life and being in relationship with Christ.

Do I know this great saviour? Do I know him personally? Do I love Him with my all? Do I know his great power? Do I know all of the qualities of the saviour? Do I know his victory? Do I know His power? Do I know His hope given to us? Do I know His freedom?

No...so little..

Phil 3: 12

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Ephes 1: 15

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.