The Holy Heart

The Holy Heart

The Holy Heart was broken,

Sent from the Father’s side.

The Son of God forsaken,

the holy sacrifice.

Chorus:

For me He was forsaken, for me He died alone.

My sin forever taken, that I might be His own.

The Holy Heart was stricken,

Abandoned and alone.

He bore the world’s affliction;

He bore it as His own.

And when my heart is broken,

Torn by my sin and pride.

The Son of God now risen

Will draw me to His side.

~Barbour/Skidmore

 

 

Thank you Jesus for your love for me.

A limitless God!

Why do we limit God when He is capable of accomplishing more than we can ever think or imagine? This is a God who created the universe, everything we see, everything that is known and unknown to us in just 7 days! The God who is able to perfectly design the human body so that every organ serves a specific purpose and functions so perfectly in sync with the others that if you or I tried to do it ourselves, we would fail miserably. This is a God, who in a planet of over 7 billion people, did not create any two people exactly alike! Even identical twins have their own unique features! He took the time not only to create the big things about us, but also to design the intricate patterns on our retinas and the loops and swirls of our fingerprints... this is a God who has thought about YOU and cares deeply about you, a God who didn't just throw us all together like mass quantities of a product made in a factory, but carefully planned and thought about each one of us. It absolutely blows my mind that anyone could be capable of this, but when I think of who I am talking about, when I remind myself that this is GOD, I know that the things I am amazed by are only such a small glimpse of what such an awesome God is capable of.

Something that I've been tested with lately, though, is do I actually believe that this awesome and mighty God is able to meet my needs? After everything that I just said about him, I would hope so. How could the very God who created me not be able to supply me with everything I need? But time and time again, I doubt His promises and provision for my life.

The Bible says in Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Not only does this promise that my needs will be met, but it says according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus! The provider of my needs is God and God alone, and the creator of my needs is the best and only one that is able to satisfy them. When I read that Christ's riches are the ones that will satisfy me, I think of how Christ is eternal! I will be eternally satisfied if He is who I choose to be satisfied by. I will have eternal satisfaction in Christ. Not only will he just quench my needs for the time being, he will go above and beyond and supply my needs not with things of this world that will just satisfy temporarily or rot and rust, but with HIS glorious riches that can satisfy and will last for an eternity! How blessed I am to stand as a victor with my Lord who has conquered all things and who can supply all things!

When I doubt if God will provide for me, I need to look at the cross where God made the ultimate provision for my sins. If God would provide a means to redeem my sinful soul, how could He not provide all else? If God would put my penalty, the penalty of an unrighteous person on His own Son, how will He not also meet me for the small things? The answer to these questions is that He will and He has! We have been paid for by the blood of Christ and God has met us where we're at so that we can bask in the promise of an eternity with Him! When you're doubting God's goodness or provision, take comfort in Jesus Christ, God's ultimate provision to meet all of our needs.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20

"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

Holocene

        We are always told that God is actively pursuing us. Every second. Every hour. Every moment of every day and into eternity. But what does our pursuit of God look like? For some, it's a few seconds of prayer here and there, for others it's flipping through a Bible or devotional, and for some, we have no idea how to even begin to pursue God.

         As I was listening to some music a few moments ago, this crazy idea of us pursuing God finally clicked for me. In the particular music video I was watching (bear with me on this one), this little boy sees a bird and scrambles to climb to the top of a mountain just so he can be a little bit closer to this bird, who is so much higher than him. The boy dropping everything and hastily climbing excited me because I could see how, in that moment, nothing but the bird mattered. It didn't matter that the bird was completely out of his reach and it didn't matter that the mountain he had to climb was extremely tall. His sole ambition was to be close to it.

        What if this is how we pursued God? When, just catching a glimpse of His glory, we couldn't help but drop everything to chase after Him! What if our Christian walk was not just a slow aimless walk or the dragging of our feet, but instead was defined by chasing and pursuing! What if our sole ambition was to be close to Him?

        This idea of us chasing after God excites me because He is definitely someone to be chased after. When you experience God, when you experience just a small amount of His glory, it should be enough to make you go into an all out sprint to experience more. After encountering our God, how could you still be complacent with the same slow-paced walk you've been doing your whole life? And if you are, the issue could be that you really don't fully understand his breath-taking, life-changing, majesty, or that your eyes are fixed on something else (something other than God) that doesn't make you feel like changing your pace.

         As I examine my heart after seeing this incredible example of pursuit, I think of how many "mountains" have stopped me from actively pursuing something so glorious. When we are faced with obstacles, it is not for discouragement, but so that we would rely on the Lord for His strength! The Bible makes it so clear that our own strength will constantly fail us, but that the strength of the Lord is forever.

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6).

       I pray that we would be child-like in our pursuit of the Lord, not fearing the unknown but instead trusting, and I mean really trusting, the promises that we DO know.


Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcyIpul8OE

All I have is Christ

"I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life
Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You."

-All I have is Christ

         These lyrics have never proven more true in my life. The Lord knows my heart all too well and the fact that He had to seek me first because I would never seek His presence on my own completely humbles and shatters any confidence I have in myself. I openly rejected the power that saves me. Who am I to boast in myself or any of my own strength? I am so weak! But how incredible that the Lord provides me with the strength that I lack.

         Even as someone who calls themself a Christian, I rely entirely too much on the world and not on my Savior. I've noticed myself being consumed with worries and anxieties lately and when a friend asked me where they stemmed from, I paused and then replied, "I don't have enough faith." I knew that I was worried, but I had never even taken the time to realize why I felt that way. Once I finally admitted to my lack of faith and reliance of God, these fears of mine that I couldn't understand seemed to make a lot more sense to me. I've fallen into this trap of being satisfied with the world. But theres one huge problem here: the world does not and cannot ever satisfy people who weren't created for the world. We were made for eternity.

         As I reflected on the doubt in my life, I realized that the only things I doubted were things of this world: having enough money, good enough friends, a nice place to live, my grades, etc. But as I thought deeper, when I lifted my head long enough to focus on eternity, I realized none of this mattered. None of it. You see, when faced with the fact that God will provide everything we need and more for eternity with Him, it seems frivolous to worry about our temporary stay here on earth. This example seems kind of silly and might not be the best comparison, but it helps me gain some perspective on my situation. Imagine your mindset when you go out to get the mail. Do you put on the best outfit you own, or do your makeup and hair, or spend hours preparing for that short trip? I don't! I know that the mailbox is only a few feet from my house and I just go! How silly would it be for me to get myself so worked up for a trip that will last literally seconds! I like to relate this to our stay here on earth because how useless would it be to get so comfortable for a journey that lasts only moments in comparison to eternity. Really, our stay here on earth is so brief! James says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."(v 4:14)

       We are also told in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that, "He has put eternity into man's heart!" So let us rejoice in that!

        While we wait for eternity with Christ let us wait, not anxiously, but with a joyful endurance! Let us allow him to use our ransomed lives, bought and purchased with HIS blood, as He chooses... let us be joyful in the fact that any strength we have to run this race comes from Him and Him ALONE! And let us glorify Him continually by choosing faith over doubt and trusting that He WILL fulfill every single one of His promises.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Speaking with Boldness

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Acts 20:22-27

These words that Paul spoke to the Ephesians as he was leaving convict me so much because I know that I don't live this way at all. Paul declares to them that he has no regrets and that he is innocent of their blood because he has spoken to them boldly of the will of God. This is a guy that is crazy about God. A man that was willing to give up his whole life for Him, to leave everything behind, including his sin, so that he can take the Gospel to the ends of the earth because thats what God asked of him! Thats incredible to me that he heard God's calling and was so obedient and bold.

When I look at how Paul preached with such an urgency, it makes hell so real to me. You can tell that he just wanted people to believe. He wanted them to know the truth and to be satisfied. He preached with such a boldness and confidence because he believed what he was saying. But then I think about myself and I'm forced to think, do I really fear hell the way Paul did? If I did, the Gospel would be shared a lot more, not out of obligation but out of need!

In verses 25-27, it makes me think of all of the conversations I have with people on campus and all of the times I ignore the Holy Spirit's guidance. I know that the majority of these people I'll never see again, but I refuse to even bring up the topic of God out of fear and I hate to say it but shame. What will this person think of me? How will they react? Will they judge me? My lack of trust in God's sovereignty in my conversations is disgusting to Him and proves how I place my trust in myself and not in Him. I fear losing my reputation and being rejected by others but in turn, it results in disapproval from the only one that matters. I fear this rejection but did it ever occur to me that the very word rejected pretty much summed up Jesus' life spent on earth.

"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Isaiah 53:3

If we are going to take the path Jesus took, we need to be reminded of what Jesus endured while he traveled it. We oftentimes get sucked into this trap that the world sets that makes us think that different is bad, but he didn't come to be accepted and neither did we. We are here to speak boldly, correct gently, and live courageously.

Then, Come Follow Me!

         I was talking to a friend today about Christmas-time and presents today and the frustration in me just came out... why do we put so much worth in the things that don't matter?! The things that I'm referring to are that name brand shirt, or that 57th pair of shoes, or that newest version of a video game because the first 3 editions are outdated. I sound psychotic but when I think of this mad world around me and everyone around me constantly "needing" more, I can't help but wonder am I mad or are they?

       As I sat in the car at the mall today 3 days before Christmas and watched the chaos around me, people yelling, horns being honked, cars cutting each other off for parking spots, I couldn't help but feel a deep saddness. As gifts were being bought, the greatest gift of all was being forgotten. It was as if God's gift was not sufficient enough. How could these people be happy? How could they sing of it being the most wonderful time of the year when they were leaving out the best part! They're searching high and low for that "perfect" gift, that great deal, the best bargain, but the most PERFECT gift of all is right in front of them and costs NOTHING and they're just passing it up!!!

        No matter how hard we try to please everyone and fulfill all of these Christmas wishlists, someone always walks away sad or unfulfilled because the world doesn't satisfy! This world cannot, does not, and will not EVER satisfy. Have you ever been unhappy and thought that if you just get the one thing, it will solve the problem? Have you ever realized that time and time again you were wrong? I fall victim to this trap that the world offers way too often. I think that if I just get that t-shirt or that sweater that it will somehow feel this void that I have deep inside of me. But once I get it, I walk away feeling unchanged. My problem is that I'm putting my hope in a t-shirt to solve my problems instead of my savior!!! There is a very clear difference between the two. When I think of all that Jesus has to offer and all that He has gone through for my sin, how could I not choose him? Lord, help me overcome these worldy desires!

       This break, the verse that has continously stuck with me is “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) Jesus constantly warns of how hard it is to enter the kingdom of heaven if you are rich, and lately this is beginning to make more and more sense to me. I used to always think, times aren't the same as they were back then. I'm sure that passage doesn't apply as much but it couldn't be more true. When I think of the meek that Jesus was talking about, I think of how much they have to rely on God to provide and how much of a presence He is in their life. Those who have a little in todays society end up having so much more spiritually and those who are "physically" rich are so spiritually poor and lacking heavenly riches. I think of the verse in Matthew 6:24 when Jesus says “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Money is something that man created, it is of the world. God is not created. He always was and always will be! He existed before creation! He existed before time! He is infinite! When I think of this verse I think of how you can't have a divided heart between the two... either your heart is surrendered to man and the world, or your heart is wholly surrendered to God and His infinince. There is no way to have them both because they are both such opposites and like the verse says they are impossible to balance.

“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort." Luke 6:24

        I'd rather be poor in this life and rich in the next life any day! This life is gone in the blink of an eye so why waste it storing up all of these riches when all they do is waste away and waste your time? Instead, I'll fix my eyes on eternity and what is to come and the promises we have in Christ!

         When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22
AMEN!

12-19

      Knowing you don't know anything... the reason I picked that title is because this year I have truly come to the point where I've realized that I know nothing. After encountering God and all of his holiness, after having just the smallest taste of all of his power and knowledge and majesty, how could I even claim to know anything? Being before a God so big makes me realize how truly small I am. Every time I learn something new, whether its in church or at a Bible study and I think that I finally get it, that I finally understand God, I find myself quickly brought back to reality by my sin and by the sheer fact that God is God, and I am just human. In the words of my high school math teacher, you can't add apples and oranges, and its so true because how can we even try to compare our sinful selves with a holy God?? But thats the thing that completely blows my mind, that this righteous God would want to hang out with a sinner like me, that His thoughts about me, a sinner, are too numerous to even count! A love like that I will never even be able to begin to understand other than to look at the love his son had for us when he freely (asking for NOTHING in return) gave his life, so that we might gain life.

      So how does someone respond to this beautiful exchange... to Jesus taking the penalty I deserved and paying it all for me so that I can one day have eternal life, to him choosing to die for me even though I have rejected him more times than I can count! When I think of how I should react, I picture myself giving him eternal praise and gratitude but in reality how do I actually react? In my relations with others and just my attitude alone reflects that I act in way thinking that I deserve all of the praise. How often do I get frustrated when I do something and I don't receive credit for it, or how mad does it make me when I'm "underappreciated". These attitudes of mine reflect a state of my heart that is prideful and entitled.

      Its so easy to lose focus, or even to place our focus in a place where it doesn't belong (ourselves). God, I pray that you would become my focus again. This life doesn't and isn't supposed to make sense unless youre in the center of it. I lift up this sinful heart to you and ask that you would refine it not to worship myself, but instead worship you who is so worthy of praise! God, Im frustrated, frustrated that I'm corrupt and that my heart has this tendency to make things about myself when I so badly want them to be about you. Please strip me of this ego and pride and replace these things that are of me with things that are of you! I pray that my response to your sons sacrifice would be a response of humbleness and eagerness to serve, that I would respond in a way fit for the one who gave it ALL! God, you are so gracious to someone who is so undeserving and I pray that my love for you would grow in response to your great love for me!