Now Is An Age

One night, as I sat reading
    Before the fire, and casting
        Calm shadows on the door behind my chair,
    I saw the everlasting,
And all the world receding
         Here, and lodged this prayer:

“O God, all joy exceeding,
    O Christ, forever living,
        I praise you for this moment, this pure sight,
    And ask, all sin forgiving,
By your all-precious bleeding
        Flesh, feed this delight.

And, if my hunger heeding,
     And my desire allowing,
         You fill my soul, and feasting, I ascend,
I ask, all in me bowing,
     That, by my lowly pleading
          This might never end.”

And thus, my hunger feeding,
     And by these flames refining,
         You rose and stood forth from this treasured page.
     Now all the room is shining,
And time has ceased it's speeding
          Pace. Now is an age.

Imaginations breeding,
    Behind me death proceeding,
          I whispered, “Peace. Do not be proud, dear one,
    There will be no impeding,
I know where you are leading
          Now. Let it be done.”

by :  John Piper

Thanks (^_^)

Ocha Samohito

Does God Really Want You to Be Encouraged? November 12, 1990

Holidays are dangerous times of discouragement. The expectations for gladness are higher, so realities of sadness are heavier. You’re supposed to be gloomy in February; so it’s more tolerable then. But Thanksgiving and Christmas are supposed to be festive. Hence the double whammy of discouragement. May I offer some preventative medicine?

When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he added an oath, so that through two unchangeable things (the promise and the oath), in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:17-18)

God Will Fulfill His Purpose for You

• by Jonathan Parnell
• Topics:  The Sovereignty of God

“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”

This is the straightforward truth that David clings to in Psalm 57:2.

Here he states two basic facts: God has a purpose for him and God will fulfill that purpose. Both these truths combine to become that deep and wondrous theological concept we call “providence.” The word was much more common centuries ago than it is today, though its relevancy has never waned. Its meaning captures God’s relationship to the created world, namely, that he both preserves the order of all things and guides them toward his intended end.

Providence is the sovereignty of God made palpable. It’s the outworking of his power and authority for his children in space and time, which means, in the things we schedule, the air we breathe, the moments we move. Providence is observed, experienced, tasted. We may even say it’s the distinctively Christian term for reality.

Since God is sovereign, and this world is his, then every moment, in a sense, is a moment of providence. Wherever you find yourself right now has come by the process of events he ordained. Every past moment of your life has led to your now. The same will be true tonight, and tomorrow, and ten years in the future. Our experience of providence is our experience of the present, which we know has been wondrously woven together by God.

And because God is behind it all, we, as those united to Christ by faith, are assured of this: God’s providence neither gets it wrong nor lets us go, ever.

 

Real Trust

I don't trust in the Lord because I know what will be.
I trust God for the things I can't see.
His provision, his protection, and the care of my family.
His direction, His strength, and his care for those friends in my life that he has given to me.
His forgiveness, his grace, and my destiny.
His peace, his joy, and his Kingdom coming eternally.
His restoration, his comfort, and his deliverance.
His truth, his presence, and the fulfilment of his promises.

In summary, if you my friend/family trust in only what you see
then tell me how great is your FAITH seed.
Is it even in comparison to the mustard seed?
Real trust takes faith in whom YOU believe.


Thanks (^_^)

Ocha Samohito

In Christ Alone - Brian Littrell (with lyrics)

Thanks (^_^)

Ocha Samohito