For This

For this, for this, I worship You!

My sins are forgiven,
My soul is made whole.
My heart's hole is filled,
With Your love and mercy.

And it's for this!
For this, Christ Jesus!
For this I worship You!
Oh my King, for this I worship You.

Your blood was spilled.
Your body was beaten.
The Father turned His face away.
You felt pain, You felt anguish,
All this, because You loved me, yeah You loved me!

And it's for this!
For this, Christ Jesus!
For this I worship you!
Oh my King, for this I worship You.

My soul cries out,
My heart sings.
I lift my hands and worship,
Worship You, my King!

You have made me new again,
You have made a sinner clean.
Your righteousness surrounds me,
Your love and mercy help me through!

And for this, for this.
It's for this my God I worship You!

Do and Done

Do and Done?


What up with that you ask? And why am I posting about it?


I'm glad you asked.


Let's get the definitions for these words.

Do: to perform (to act)

Done: past participle of do(in other words, performed)

People think that they have to do all this stuff.

Churches tend to tell their people 'you must do this in order for Jesus to like you.' So you follow this long list of rules, do good things, and hope that Jesus will see you as a good person. You fill out your checklist and boom, you're a good Christian. Much better than so-and-so who only did this or forgot to read their Bible for 5 hours today. You are the poster-perfect Christian.

You may think that all this stuff you do makes you this. Makes Jesus love you more and so you become buddy-buddy with Him. You are higher up on the scale.

Nope.

Now don't get me wrong, this stuff is good. reading your Bible will help your relationship with God and doing good things opens doors to share the Gospel, but they won't help Jesus love you more.

Like this guy, my pastor, said in a sermon series he did on the gospel, "In Christ, there is nothing I could do to make You[Jesus] love me more; nothing I have done that makes You love me less."

There is nothing, nothing, that you and I can do to make Jesus love us more. He already loves us so much. So much, He died on the Cross for our sins, for our wretched souls. He loves us that much.

Jesus DID so we DON'T.

Religion, that checklist? Yeah, that says DO. Do this, do that, you'll earn Jesus' approval.

Jesus, the Son of God Who died on a tree, He says DONE.

'Jesus + Nothing = Everything' - Tullian Tchividjian

Not Jesus plus this or that. Jesus is it. He is everything.

Religion says do.

The gospel says done.

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."' John 14:6a 

~tJf~

Christmas

Christmas.
One of the best times of the year.

Everyone giving, family getting together, gaining lots of weight eating all the Christmas cookies, and last minute shopping.

It's easy, with all the hustle bustle of the season to forget the reason we celebrate Christmas day.

Most of everyone knows the story.
An angel.
A virgin.
A journey.
A stable.
An incredible birth.
A holy child.

Jesus, Son of God, was born in a barn on Christmas day. Laid in a manager filled with hay. Wrapped in swaddling clothes. Mary and Joseph watching over Him, cattle, sheep, and shepherds looking on, worshiping the baby King.

Yes, celebrating to remember the birth of a King. King Jesus.

But this is not the only thing I'm thinking about this season.

This is not the only thing we should be celebrating/remembering.

Yes, this baby lying in the manager is grand. But when I look at that baby in my nativity set, I see a Man.

A Man beaten.
A Man scarred.
A Man bleeding, bleeding for my sins. Bleeding for your sins.
A Man taking my place.
A Man taking in the wrath of God for me.
A Man that loved me enough to die.

This Christmas season, when you grab that last present, bake the last batch of cookies, look at the family around you, see the nativity set sitting on your shelf, remember why Christmas is so important.

It's not just about the baby lying in the manager. It's about the Man, hanging on the Cross, dying for our sins.


~tJf~

You Know

So many days come and go,
Good and bad ones,
Better and worse ones.

I may feel as though the world is just
Passing me by...
But I know,
Yes I know!

You are here,
Watching me.
Holding my hand.
You know whats going on.
You are always there watching me,
You know and You care for me!

You are my God!
Loving me no matter what,
Things will come
Beating me down.


I may feel as though the world is just
Passing me by...
But I know,
Yes I know!

You are here,
Watching me.
Holding my hand.
You know whats going on.

You are always there watching me,
You know and You care for me!

I may feel as though the world is just
Passing me by...
But I know,
Yes I know!

My God is always here
He's always watching me,
Loving me,
Caring for me!

He loves me and He loves you.
When things come into your life,
Things, you may not understand,
Don't worry....


You may feel as though the world is just
Passing you by...
But know....


He is here,
Watching you.
Holding your hand.
He knows whats going on.
He is always there watching you,
My God,
You know and You care for me!

You are always there watching me,
You know and You care for me!

For me!

Always and Forever

My God is here.
He will never let me down.
He's always by my side,
Holding me up when things seem down.

My God is there.
Always caring, always sharing
His love!
He's there in the good times,
In the times when you feel alone.

My God is now.
He's someone I can talk to,
Someone I can hold on to.
He is here now and always!

My God is always.
He's been since the beginning.
He always will be.
My God is forever and ever.

My God is here.
My God is there.
My God is now.
My God is always and forever.

Always and forever, My God is here for me.
Always and forever, He will be loving me.
Always and forever, My God is watching over me!

Always and forever,
Now and always.
Here and there,
My God is loving me!

Random Verses

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:6-11 (ESV)

We must put away our old self and put on the new(Ephesians 4:22-24) so that we may grow in our relationship with God. If we hold on to the stuff from our old life in sin, we will not grow

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"for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light"
Eph 5:8 (ESV)

We were once in darkness, sinners, with no hope. Lost. Then, the Light shone on us.
(Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12)
Jesus redeemed us making us a light for the world! Now we are to shine like stars(Phil.2:15) so that others can know the love of our Savior.

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
John 13:34 (ESV)

A new commandment? In the Old Testament, you see that loving your neighbor(each other) was one of the top laws. So why does Jesus call this a new commandment? Check it, 'that you love one another: just as I have loved you,'. He revolutionized the commandment. Not only are you to love each other, but love each other like Jesus has loved you! Love like Jesus loves.

A Motto

Love God.
Love Each Other. 
Love Our World.


This is my church's motto, and I'm pretty much adopting it as my own just because it's awesome.

Why is this our motto? Glad you asked.

These are the greatest commandments.

Love God.
Matthew 22: 37-38
'And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind. This is the great and first commandment."'

Love Each Other. Love Our World.
(pretty much the same thing)
John 13:34-35
'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.'

But what does this mean? How do I follow this motto?

Once again, I'm glad you asked.

There was a time in my life that I thought about these things too. How do I love God? What does it mean to love each other? Love my world? Why should I do that?

My small group(yes, you should get in/start one. They rock!) went through this a few weeks ago and we came up with some awesome ideas!

Love God.


How do I love God? How I show God I love Him?
By the way I live. By how listen/read His Word. How I praise Him shows Him my love.

Love Each Other.


How do I show fellow believers that I love and care about them?
Praying for them. I listen to them when they need someone to talk to. Giving them someone they can count on. Being their friend in their lowest times. By helping them spiritually, physically, financially.

~

First, before I list the ways I love my world, I'll answer the question 'Why?'.
When you show love to others that seem like they don't deserve it, they wonder why. And why? Cause that's what my King showed me, love that I didn't deserve. When they ask why I do the things I do, I tell them it's cause my King wanted me to show others the love He gave me. In John 13:34-35, remember what it said? 'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.'
That is why I love my world. I want to show them my King so that they too can know Him!

Anyway...

Love Our World.

How do I love my world?

By helping them spiritually, physically, and financially. Praying for them.

Pretty much the same things as loving each other.

My challenge?

Love God.

Love Each Other.

Love Our World.

~tJf~