L.O.V.E.

Love Listens to a friend;

Love tries tO make amends.

Love never giVes up;

But knows when to givE in.

Love Loves the broken;

And cheers the discOuraged;

LoVe heals the wounds of the soul;

And never forcefully takEs control.

Love is never arrogant nor proud;

Love is fOund at the roundabout.

Love is braVe enough to be humble;

Especially, whEn it means preventing a crumble.

Love is always ready to forgive;

And it hOlds nothing back when it wants to give.

LoVe does not keep score of those who have made of it scorn.

Love is the MastEr of second chances; and it does not take offenses.

Love is merciful, LOve is kind, LoVE is found in....

Jesus Christ! (Hallelujah! Amen!)

Scriptural food for thought: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful; [nor] proud [nor] rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

May the Lord bless you! 
Both now, and always! 

Amen!

All Glory, Honor, and Praise Be to God!

Forever & Always!

Amen!

A Psalm of Praise!

Shout to the Lord songs of praise!

Let our hearts rejoice in His goodness;

Let our spirits stir in joyful gladness as we seek His glorious face; (Hallelujah!)

Let us proclaim to the four corners of the earth, the greatness of the Lord our God; 

The One and Only God!

Let the angels of heaven sing. And let us join in!

Let the saints of God give thanks, for His everlasting grace!

For we were dead, and now we live;

And in Christ, we have victory! (Amen! Hallelujah!)

Let us pour our hearts out before the Lord our God!

Let us give Him all the praise!

For His everlasting grace!

What was old, is made new;

What was lost, has been found;

What was dark, is now light!

And all because of Jesus Christ!

So, let us praise the Lord in spirit and in truth,

For what has been freely given to me and to you!

Let us give Him all praise;

As we dwell in His woe embrace!

Let us shout in victory;

For what was done for you and me!

Let us answer the call, once and for all,

To live in the light of Jesus Christ!

Let us not turn way, from this wonderful gift of grace!

And let us give Him praise for His everlasting grace! (Hallelujah!)

His love is insurmountable;

His character Irrefutable!

His mercies are daily renewed!

Oh, Lord God! There's none like you!

Blessed be the Holy Lamb;

The One who calls us friends!

Blessed is Thee! The One who gives me victory! (Amen! Hallelujah!)

Though I may stumble, I will not fall;

When the tears fall, upon you I call.

And there you are, ready to take me in your arms!

So, to you I give all praise;

 Here in your woe embrace.

Nothing have I done, to deserve to be called a child of the Holy One!

But this I know: I will not forsake your eternal gift of grace;

I may not know why you won't let me go;

All I know, is that you are in control.

The gifts I offer, and the praise I bring,

Are nothing compared to what you've done for me!

Even if I tried; 

Even if necessary be for me to die for Thee;
For the sake of the One whom my heart loves;

And in Whom my soul rejoices,

Even then, it would not be enough to repay Thee, for your gift of Your everlasting grace.

In my insufficiency, I realize that nothing I could give would suffice;

But in the stubbornness of the heart, I keep searching and trying to find,

Something to offer the King of my heart.

An endless search I know;

But my heart cannot help itself. For it rejoices in You!

And its trust lies solely upon You!

The King is Majestic and Glorious!

His glory fills the Earth!

Even the heavens cannot contain Him;

Nor hell detain Him!

For He is the Most High God!

The One and Only God!

He's the God of Israel;

The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob!

He's the God of Jews and Gentiles!

He's the creator of Heaven and Earth;

He's the maker of Universe!

The One who took the fall;

To live and die for all.

Those who put their trust in Him shall not lack any good thing.

They shall not want.

They shall not be ashamed or defeated;

For victory is theirs!

Those who remain in the Vine, earnestly seeking His face, shall receive a great reward in Heaven.

Their work for the Kingdom, shall not be in vain;

Nor shall the sweat of their brow go unnoticed by the Righteous One!

So let us stand firm upon the Rock of our salvation;

Always ready to fight the good fight of faith. 

Let our strength be renewed;

As we fight the battles appointed to me and to you!

Let us stand firm in the Truth;

Never giving up faith, and always ready to start anew.

So, let us give the Lord all praise;

As we receive from His abundant grace.

And let rely on His strength, to fight the good fight of faith.

All glory and praise be given to His Holy Name!

From Everlasting to Everlasting!

Amen and Amen!

A Little Worship Session

Hey guys!

I just thought I'd stop by to share with you one of the many Scriptural truths about worship directed toward the Lord our God. The One and Only God. The only One who is truly worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. (Amen!) I promise I won't babble on for too long. In fact, I'll let the worship music do most of the talking for me. But before we jump into that, here's what the word of God says in regards to worship:

"Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues [endures] forever, and His faithfulness continues [endures] to each generation." (Psalm 100:1-5; New Living Translation of the Bible) 

Now, without further ado, here's Brooke Fraser; with a worship song called "Lord of Lords:" 

(I hope you enjoy worshipping the Lord with this song! May your heart and your soul be touched by God, as you minister to Him through worship.) 
 

May the Lord bless you!
Both now, and always! :)

All glory, honor, and praise be to God!

Forever & Always!

Amen! 

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkF3iVjOZ1I

Passover: A Celebration! (Part II)

So, here we are again! Ready to continue our discussion in regards to the true meaning and significance of the Lord's Passover. But today we will see how the Passover relates our deliverance from a different kind of slavery: Our slavery to sin. I realize it may be difficult for some to see; but there's a definite connection and relationship between the Lord's Passover celebrated by the Israelites in the Old testament, and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ-described in the New Testament. And that's what I want to talk about, and focus on today. But before we jump into the heart of the matter, let us review some of the elements of the Passover meal, shall we?

We have the lamb, the unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) and bitter herbs correct? Well, when Jesus walked the earth, He observed every Jewish custom, for He himself was of Jewish origin-that is, humanly speaking. (Although He was rejected by His own people) Therefore, He also celebrated the Passover along with His disciples. In fact, He did so, only hours prior to His imprisonment! This passover celebration, is also commonly known as the Last Supper. But the difference between the Passover celebrated in the Old Testament and the Passover celebrated in the New Testament, is that the Old Testament Passover celebrated freedom from slavery inflicted by man upon man. And the Passover celebrated with Jesus and His disciples was a celebration of freedom from the guilt and shame of sin, and the promise of the gift of eternal life to those who believe and receive the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ! Those who believe and receive Jesus in their lives, and in their hearts, shall have life and not perish. They shall be set free and washed clean from sin. And they shall be called children of God. They shall have life in Jesus Christ.     

The Sacrifice was made, the price was paid! Christ's blood was shed for you and for me. Now, all you have to do is believe, and receive freedom and salvation. He died for you and for me. He suffered the most painful and humiliating death in the history of mankind. And He did that, because He loves you and me. So much so, that He wants to spend eternity with us. So, He took upon Himself the guilt and shame of our sin, our sickness and disease, our emotional wounds, everything!

But it doesn't end there. He conquered death. He rose again on the third day! (Hallelujah!) And in Him we find provision for anything and everything we need; be that the forgiveness of our sins-provided true repentance accompanies confession-restored health to our physical bodies, healing for our emotional wounds and traumas, and strength and grace to live life one day at a time. Always confident in His loving care, and provision for every aspect of our lives, when we strive to live Christ-like lives; seeking His Kingdom first, and loving the Lord our God above all else.

In sum, the Passover, is a celebration not only of our liberation from sin through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, but also a celebration of His resurrection! He is risen! He's very much alive! Death could not overtake Him. And through Him, those who believe by faith in Him, have victory! THEY SHALL NOT PERISH! THEY SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE IN, AND WITH CHRIST! (HALLELUJAH! AMEN!)

Wouldn't you want that too?  It's available to you! All you have to do, is believe by faith in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, will you?


It is my heartfelt prayer to the Father, that His precious Holy Spirit would birth in your heart the faith to believe in these words of truth. May the Lord manifest Himself to you, and change your life forever!


It is in Jesus' name that I pray,


Amen & Amen!

Please let me leave you with some Scriptural food for thought, found in the book of Matthew 26:17-19, and Matthew 26:26-28 respectively-in regards to the Passover celebrated by Jesus and His disciples, in addition to, another Scriptural Truth concerning Jesus' resurrection, found in Matthew 28:1-6 (from the New Living Translation of the Bible):

"On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Where do You want us to prepare the passover meal for You?' "As you go into the city," He told them, "you will see a certain man. Tell him, 'The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.' "So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there."  

(Matthew 26:17-19)

"As they were eating, Jesus took some bread  and blessed it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is my body." And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many."  

(Matthew 26:26-28)

"Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. his face shone like lightening, and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He's not here! He's risen from the dead, just as He said would happen."   

(Matthew 28:1-6) 

All glory be to God!

Forever and Always!

Amen & Amen!

Passover: A Celebration! (Part I)

It's that time of year again: Passover. (Although, some may also know this time of year, as Easter.) And for those of you wondering what the Passover really is, and what it represents, please allow me to share with you its meaning and implications from a fresh perspective; from a biblical standpoint. Now, I realize that some may acquaint this time of year with Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, and Easter egg hunts-especially children. And a little over a decade ago, I was one too. So, I understand the excitement, and the anticipation that revolves around it.

But the truth is, we've been getting excited about the wrong thing. Unfortunately, we've exchanged the truth, for lies and meaningless legends that try to cover up the true meaning of the Passover. You see, this time of year has absolutely nothing to do with Easter bunnies or Easter eggs, and everything to do with a celebration. A celebration of Freedom and Redemption; both freedom from slavery inflicted by man upon man-as we'll see in a moment-as well as, freedom from the slavery of sin, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We'll discuss each of these topics individually in a two-part series entitled: Passover: A Celebration" (Parts I & II).  

But in doing so, don't just take my word for it. Go to the Word of God with me, and see for yourself what the true meaning of the Passover is. So, let us begin shall we?

First, let's talk about from freedom from the slavery inflicted by man upon man. In the Old testament- in the book of Exodus you will find the story of the people of Israel; that is God's chosen people among the nations. The first 12 chapters describe a number of events. Among these are: the oppression and slavery suffered by the people of Israel for 400 years, in the hands of a cruel, and hardhearted Egyptian Pharaoh, God's promise of deliverance, God's provision of deliverance through His servant Moses, and lastly, God's passover; which celebrates God's deliverance of the Israelite people from the slavery and oppression of Egypt. God does so, by displaying His mighty power, and performing a number of signs and wonders through His servant Moses; including turning Moses' shaft into a serpent, turning the water of the Nile river into blood, and casting several plagues upon the land of Egypt. But even so, Pharaoh refuses to let God's people go. 

Finally, when God strikes the land of Egypt one last time by killing all of the first-born males in it-from the least to the greatest, including Pharaoh's son-Pharaoh let's them go. In fact, he orders them to leave. And they do. But soon after that, Pharaoh changes his mind and begins chasing after the people of Israel, and bring them back to Egypt. However, He and his charioteers die in such attempt.  

I realize that's a lot of information to digest, but I wanted to give you a little synopsis of how the deliverance of God's people came about. But now I want to focus on one particular aspect of that story. Yes, you've guessed it: The Passover. 

You see, before striking Egypt for the last time, (by killing all the first males in Egypt), and setting His people free once and for all, God spoke to Moses regarding  the Lord's Passover. It was to be their last meal in the land of Egypt. Each Family was instructed to prepare the passover meal two weeks prior to the Passover night. (The night of their departure). This meal consisted of a one-year old male lamb or goat with no defects, to be sacrificed on the 14th day,-at sunset-drained of its blood, and roasted in the fire. None of its bones were to be broken. And whatever was left over the next day, was to be burned in the fire. This meal was to be accompanied by bitter herbs and bread without yeast. The blood drained from the lamb, was to be used as a sign on the doorposts of God's people, to distinguish them from the people of Egypt, and spare them from the tragedy of losing their first-born sons when the Lord came along to carry out His will.

Please, let me leave you with the Scriptural version of the true story behind the Passover of the Lord, which can be seen in chapter 12 of the book of Exodus (New Living Translation of the Bible):

"While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice,  one animal for each household. If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. The animal you select must be a one-year old male, either sheep or goat, with no defects."  

(Exodus 12:1-5)

"Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb at twilight. They are to take some of its blood and smear it on the sides and the top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens [herbs] and bread made without yeast. Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal-including its internal organs-must be roasted over the fire. Do no leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning."  

(Exodus 12: 6-10)

"This are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord's Passover. On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12: 11-13)

"This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord...." (Exodus 12: 14a)

"...Then your children will ask, 'What does this ceremony mean?' And you will reply, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though He struck the Egyptians, He spared our families." 

 (Exodus 12: 24-27a)

So you see, the Passover of the Lord is a celebration of God's mighty power to set His people free from the slavery and oppression of Egypt! (Hallelujah! Glory to God! Both now and Forever! Amen!) But there's more to it... And next time, we will be talking about how the Passover of the Lord relates to our delivery from another kind of slavery-that is, our slavery to sin. 

But until then, I urge you to ponder on the content of this blog post, and ask the Lord to help you understand the true meaning and significance of the Lord's Passover. This is my heart's prayer for you, to the Lord our God. It is in Jesus' name that I pray,

Amen & Amen!

May the Lord bless you!

Both now and always!

Amen!

All glory be to God!

From Everlasting to Everlasting!

Amen!