Seek

"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you." Psalm 9:10 (NLT) 

We are all seeking for something.  For some it is happiness.  For some, peace.  For some, fortune or fame, recognition for who we are, someone special, someone unique.  We all want to be important.  We all want our lives to mean something.  Many don't even care what it means as long as they don't fade into oblivion.  They act out, show off, cave in, or give up.  Some strike out and do horrible things.  For their five seconds of fame...

This world is a mixed up self centered place for most people.  They have no purpose or direction, no reason for their existence, no peace.  There is a saying that most of you have heard or seen on a bumper sticker.  "No Jesus, No Peace.  Know Jesus, Know Peace."

Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  That is all of us.  Without Him, we don't know what to do when something tragic occurs.  Without Him, we struggle and grasp and try to cope with all of the cruelty, injustice, violence, and sadness in the world. Without Him, we become depressed, confused, hopeless, useless.

Through Jesus, we have everything!  Without Him, nothing.  No matter how little or much you have, you have nothing without Him.  No matter how little or much you do, you have nothing without Him.  We won't find real happiness, true peace, new hope, or our life's meaning without Him.   We need to stop looking in all the wrong places for the answers to the questions that we have.  We need to seek answers from the only source of truth, and love, and peace, and hope that really exists in the world.

"Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out."  John 1:3 (The Message)

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.  When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."  Jeremiah 29:11-13 (The Message)

"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. You're deeply rooted in Him. You're well constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in Him, so you can see and hear Him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without Him. When you come to Him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything."  Colossians 2:7-9 (The Message)

"Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long;  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:34-39 (NIV)

Dear Lord,  Thank you for what You have done for us.  Thank you that nothing shall ever separate us from Your love.

Image courtesy of Photobucket.com. 

This Love is so Deep

Please listen to Kari Jobe's song "The More I Seek You" also posted today.  This is such a beautiful song!  I pray that it will take you to the heart of worship...

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

"I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me."  Proverbs 8:17 (NASB)

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."  Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

"I'm thanking you, God, out in the streets, singing your praises in town and country. The deeper your love, the higher it goes; every cloud's a flag to your faithfulness. Soar high in the skies, O God! Cover the whole earth with your glory! And for the sake of the one you love so much, reach down and help me—answer me!"  Psalm108:3  (The Message)

"'Master, come and see,' they said. Now Jesus wept.  The Jews said, 'Look how deeply he loved him.'"John 11:34-36 (The Message)

The More I Seek You by Kari Jobe

The more i seek you,
the more i find you.

The more i find you,
the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet
drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breath,
hear your heart beat

This love is so deep,
it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming

The more i seek you,
the more i find you.

The more i find you,
the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet
drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breath,
hear your heart beat

This love is so deep,
it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming

I wanna sit at your feet
drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breath,
hear your heart beat

This love is so deep,
it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming

I wanna sit at your feet
drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breath,
hear your heart beat

This love is so deep,
it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace...

Dear Lord, Thank you for Your deep, deep love.  Help me to seek You and You alone for it is there in Your arms that I will find true peace.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Artwork courtesy of Photobucket.com.

9/11

Notice the cross in the stars....

My nephew's birthday is tomorrow.  I'm sad that his birthday will forever stand for tragedy and loss,  something he is now acquainted with himself at the ripe old age of 10.  You see, his father passed away from breast cancer in July and this is his first birthday without him.

It is amazing how a date can be so full of meaning.  Thousands of people lost their lives that day 9 years ago and thousands more lost their way of life.  We all felt the loss and the shock of the tragedy of it all, but none so acutely as those who lost loved ones.

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. “ - President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

And so, even more time has passed.  I hope we are wiser, stronger, kinder because of it.  I pray we have turned more toward God.  But I see that the human heart is still desperately in need of a Savior.  We are still lost.  We are still living our own way as though what we do is the only thing that matters.  "When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him."  Proverbs 16:7 (NIV)

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord."  Romans 12:17-19 (NIV)  If we would, as individuals, truly live at peace with each other, with everyone, this world may be a very different, less terrifying place.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."  Isaiah 26:3  (KJV)

What can we, as individuals, do?  We can live lives that are pleasing to the Lord.  We can live at peace with everyone as much as it depends on us.  We can turn to God in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.  We can keep our minds stayed on the Prince of Peace.

Dear Lord,  Please be with those families who have lost loved ones on September the 11th 9 years ago.  Please be with a little boy on his birthday who lost his father just a few months ago.  Make us live lives that are pleasing to You, Oh Lord, so that even our enemies would live at peace with us...

Have a peaceful weekend!

Photo courtesy of Photobucket.com

Be Near

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."  James 4:8a (NIV)

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail,  but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds."  Psalm 73:23-28 (NIV)

"God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.  Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.  You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.  Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life."  Psalm 23 (The Message)

God is as close as a whisper, as near as your own beating heart.  He sits and He waits and He loves.  He wants nothing more than to spend time with you, to laugh with you, to cry with you, to give you courage and strength and hope.  So why do you leave Him waiting?  Why do you rush past Him without a thought?  Think of Him as the most wonderful Father who wants you to climb up into His lap and lay your head upon His chest.  He is wisdom and truth and grace and peace.  He offers you what the world cannot.  Everlasting love, enduring peace.  All you have to do is climb up, draw near, and listen to His whispers...

Dear Lord,  Thank you for Your everlasting love and Your enduring peace.  Let us listen to your whispers and feel Your loving embrace, Your protective arms about us.  Let us lean into Your love and open our hearts to You.