Tag: God

The Glorious Remaking

Posted on by admin

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” – Psalm 51:17

I gave to You a heart burdened with my own sin,
But I gave it to You;
And You made it a clean heart, free of guilt and shame.

I gave to You a mind shackled by fear,
But I gave it to you;
and You made it a strong mind, focused on truth.

I gave to You hands prone to selfishness and greed,
But I gave them to You;
And You made them hands extended, inclined to reach out.

I gave to You a will fixed on my own plans,
But I gave it to You;
And You made it a will to love You, unshaken by changing circumstance.

I gave to You the moments of my life, not seeming to amount to much as the second hand ticks to relentlessly,
But I gave them to you;
And You made them moments of eternal weight, reaching infinitely far into the future.

I gave to You my dreams, so elusive and unreal,
But I gave them to You;
And You made them dreams aligned with Your plan, bursting into glorious reality.

I gave to You my future, which is – without You – nothing,
But I gave it to you;
And You made it a future never-ending, always glorious.

I gave to You me, though I cannot add one bit to Your greatness;
But I gave me to You;
And You made me who I always wanted to be – the person You want me to be.

Never

Posted on by admin

I have been let down
In, oh, so many ways.
Family, friend, and foe
Have slain my heart.

The reasons are quite clear,
Though the pain is just as great;
One cause is that same curse
I see in the mirror.

As I wrestle with myself
In the continued struggle with my flesh,
Disappointment does abound,
Crushing you and crushing me.

And even when we try
To stop hurting those around,
The nature of our being
prevents ultimate attainment.

We want to cure,
But we can’t heal.
We want to be there, but are prevented
By obligations and constraints.

We want to listen,
But we can only hear one person at a time.
We want to follow through,
But we grow ill and weary.

We want to promise,
But we have no control.
We want to stay,
But we all die.

Thank you, great God!
Sinless, you are;
And truly unlimited.

You can heal.
You can be there.
You can listen,
And follow through.
You can promise,
And you can stay.

You are the One –
The only One –
Who keeps His Word.

Yes, I have been let down
In, oh, so many ways.
And I have let down others
Times beyond number.

But never
Will my God let me down.

What Is This World Coming To?

Posted on by admin

“What is this world coming to?” someone might ask in disgust. When we see evidence of the culture’s rebellion against God, when we become frustrated with the circumstances of our own lives, and when we are shocked by bad news; we may ask that infamous question ourselves, “What is this world coming to?”

The world is coming to something. Here it is: God will be all in all! He will have the final word, fulfill the final plan, and give to us who love and serve Him all for which our hearts could possibly long.

One of my favorite chapters in the Word of God is I Corinthians 15. Written by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, the chapter emphasizes the resurrection of the dead. Not only does Paul discuss the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but he assures us that we, too, will rise from the dead because of Jesus!

In I Corinthians 15, God explains that Jesus will conquer every enemy at the close of earthly history. In other words, He will blow away all the nasty plans of the devil and all the ways Satan has tried to destroy us and our faith in God. He will forever rid the universe of heartache, disease, and natural devastation. The last enemy Jesus will obliterate for us is death. After Jesus conquers death, He will undoubtedly hand everything over to God the Father so that God may be all in all (verse 28).

Here is a thoughtful and crucial question: if the final goal is that God be all in all, what should be the goal of every moment? If God Almighty is pushing all circumstances toward His ultimate will, why are we not doing our best to do the same?

The end of the world as we know it is not confusion and chaos; it is the culmination of all things for the glory of God Himself. This will happen no matter how much rebellious humans resist.

But, we – as God’s people – should not only avoid resistance against God’s plan, we should actively work toward God’s goal.

If we could just whittle down every tiny moment to its real purpose – to glorify God – what would happen? How great would we feel as we fall in line with the ultimate, grand plan of God?

If I could think as I walk down the hall, “What kind of smile would glorify God?” or as I work at my job, “What kind of effort would glorify God?” or as I choose my entertainment, “What kind of movie would glorify God?” or as I interact with my colleagues, “What kind of behavior would glorify God?” or as I talk on my cell phone, “What kind of conversation would glorify God?” then what kind of life would I be living? One that aligns with the ultimate reality of what the world is coming to!