Wisdom from Above

As I journal through James this month, I meditate on these verses. They are were both conflicting and inspiring. 

James 3:16-18

Pure. 

Peaceable. 

Gentle. 

Willing to yield. 

Mercy-full. 

Bearing goodness. 

Zero partiality. 

Zero hypocrisy. 

I don’t know about you, but as for me this doesn’t come easy. In and of myself I can be destructive, manipulative, self-seeking, angry, bitter, and just plain human. 

But God, through the power of His Holy Spirit can infuse wisdom to every area of my life. 

How? By simply asking Him for it. Thank you Lord! May your wisdom be a mark of your likeness in my life. 

Are you in need of wisdom? Ask Him for it and act on what He speaks to you. 

Would you join me is prayer, asking Him to infuse us with His wisdom for every trial ahead of us this week? 

Lyrical Friday - Weight of Glory

photo credit

Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones! 

1 Chronicles 16:11-13

I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. Daniel 4:2-3

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Psalm 3:3

You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You. Psalm 31:20-22 

Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; His glory towers over the earth and heaven! Psalm 148:13

So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Joel 2:13 

Lyrical Friday - Made Alive

Happiest of Fridays to You! 

There is one portion of scripture that can prepare our hearts for today's lyrical post. 
Ephesians 2:1-10:

 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

I don't have much to say in light of God's word. Only, "Thank You my Lord!" Thank You! Thank You!

Made Alive, Citizens


I once was dead in sin alone and hopeless
A child of wrath I walked condemned in darkness
But Your mercy brought new life and in Your love and kindness
Raised me up with Christ and made me righteous

Chorus:
You have bought me back with the riches of
Your amazing grace and relentless love
I'm made alive forever with You, life forever
By Your grace I'm saved, by Your grace I'm saved

Lord, You are the light that broke the darkness
You satisfy my soul when I am heartless
If ever I forget my true identity
Show me who I am and help me to believe

Bridge:
My sin has been erased, I'll never be the same
My sin has been erased, I'll never be the same

Sentence Tuesday

If we are growing holier,

We are growing kinder. 

— Andrew Bonar

Lyrical Friday - Wonderful

sunrise worship with friends / South Beach, Florida

oh happy day!
Yesterday I cried. Out of frustration, sadness, and an overwhelming sense of failure. In that vulnerable hour I had to make a phone call that devastated me. A good friend answered the phone and at the end of our conversation she prayed for me. Its crazy how immediately after sorrow was removed, and replaced with peace and laughter. That's when I burst out singing, " Creator... Sustainer... Abba... our Father.." but I couldn't think of the words in between.

We live in the time of the googles, and I found the song. Sure in enough, its a song I have played on shuffle many times from my phone. Brenton Brown is a present day Psalmist with a great ability to mix words and music to the tune of our hearts. The lyrics of Wonderful lifted my spirit and connected with the prayer I had just received. God had seen the need of my heart and faithfully met me there. He is Wonderful!

My prayer for you is that your strength would be renewed through the Psalm that inspired the lyrics, and the lyrics itself. May you long for the Lord and His courts, His presence, and His voice. With loving-kindness the Lord is drawing you to Him, respond with shouts of praise.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, 
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring; 

The rain also covers it with pools. 

They go from strength to strength; 

Each one appears before God in Zion.  

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your anointed. 

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. 

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God 

Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; 

The Lord will give grace and glory; 

No good thing will He withhold 

From those who walk uprightly.  

O Lord of hosts, 

Blessed is the man who trusts in You! 

Psalm 84:5-12

Wonderful, Brenton Brown


Creator, sustainer
Our hearts were made for You
Our Abba, our Father
The home we're running to 

Drawn by Your kindness
Held by Your grace
Your generous mercy inspires songs of praise

Wonderful, wonderful
You're the one thing that we need
How we long for Your house
For the healing that it brings

Protector, provider
The God who calls us friend
Our shepherd, our shelter
We turn to You again

Drawn by Your kindness
Held by Your grace
Your generous mercy inspires songs of praise

Wonderful, wonderful
You're the one thing that we need
How we long for Your house
For the healing that it brings

Beautiful, beautiful
More than any other thing 
We were born for Your courts
For the presence of the king

You're all we need Lord
Jesus, our hearts were made for You
You're all we need Lord
Jesus, no other God will do
You're all we need Lord
Jesus, our hearts were made for You
You're all we need Lord
Jesus, Jesus

tassels

 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.” Numbers 15:37-41

When you see someone wearing a specific item you know a little bit of who they are or what they do:
Superheroes wear tights and capes.
Cops wear badges.
Buddist Monks wear robes.
Scottish Men wear kilts.
Chefs wear aprons.
Muslim Women wear hijabs.
Athletes wear uniforms.
Soccer Moms wear khaki capris, polo shirts and keds.
and in this case: God's chosen people wore tassels.

These tassels not only served as a reminder to the Jews of all that God had done for them but also to distinguish them from the Gentiles. As a Christian today, what sets you apart as God's beloved? As I read this passage tonight, I stopped and wondered, is it noticable that I am a Christian or do I blend in with this world? Do my actions set me apart? Does my speech? How about my spending? Or in the way I relate to food, drinking and bodily intake? Do the clothes I wear bring honor to God?... Does my life shout to the world that I am set apart for God? Does my life reflect holiness?

As I reflected deeper, two scriptures came to mind:

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

If I am abiding with Christ, obeying God's word and truly submitting myself to God's perfect will, soon enough the fruits of the Spirit begin to flow in and through my life. Without a doubt in my mind when we, God's people, live the kind of life that is saturared with the fruits of the Spirit (of pure joy, of peace, longsuffering, goodness to all, faithfulness in all that we do, with self control) the world will know that we are different; a chosen generation, God's special people, a holy nation.

I encourage you to live in such a way that the fruits of the Spirit would grow on us as tassels. My prayer is that others would see these "tassels" flowing in and through our lives and know for sure that we are set apart and that we belong to God. May everything about our being reflect Jesus.

*Click here for Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 15.