"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." ~Proverbs 16:24
I decided to skip around in my one word bible study, because I was burdened today with the word healing. I don't think we can discuss the word healing without discussing the brokenness that needs healing. Today, especially, is a day when the brokenness of the world is so overwhelming when we remember the tragedy of 12 years ago and how the world will forever be affected by that fateful day. If you are old enough to remember that day, you most certainly will never forget where you were and what you doing when you heard the news of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. Brokenness flooded a city, a nation, and the world in one fell swoop as shock and anger followed close behind.
I was also overwhelmed, today, with the brokenness of so many of my students and all of the teenagers and young adults that I have the privilege of knowing. The exposure and demands in the world of teenagers today is unbelievable. They are precious, sweet sons and daughters of the King just struggling to find their identities in so many things and being pressured from every direction imaginable.
Healing seems almost impossible in this broken world and these broken lives. But the world has been broken, these lives have been broken. Since The Fall. But God. I will say it again. But God. He had a plan. He had a plan for healing. He sent his son. To die on a cross. For our sins. For our brokenness. He is our redeemer. He is our superhero. He is our healer. Always.Matthew 4:23 says: " And he went throughout all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people."
Jesus rescued us from this broken world, and he calls us to LOVE one another. Gracious words are healing to the bones. We are to act out of love in every circumstance. We are to respond in love in every situation. I love the way that 1 Peter 4: 8 from the Message explains it. "Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything." We are called to love each other. Our lives and the lives of others depend on it.
-I am not
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
It is well, with my soul
I have been thinking about the word "soul" for a little over a month now. Soul is defined as the very essence of our being. We sing about it, we talk about it. But the concept of my soul has been so huge that is too much to contemplate on my own, and slowly the Lord has been revealing this concept to me, bit by bit. Often my soul feels so restless in this world, and I think that is exactly how the Father wants us to feel. We are not meant to be of this world. This is not our home. My soul yearns for union the Father. And while I feel restless sometimes and often so far away from God, He uses so many gentle reminders for me to seek after him always. It is good for my soul when I do. He provides so many opportunities to see him in our everyday monotony. He allows us to step outside of time when we are with him. He quiets our minds, so that our hearts and souls can spend time with him.
I love the picture that Brett Younker gives in his song, "Burning in my soul".The lyrics are: "Whoa hear the sound from Heaven. Whoa, a mighty rushing wind. Whoa, we're calling for revival. God let your fire fall again. It's burning in my soul. I cannot contain it, this fire inside. I cannot contain it, so let it shine. I cannot contain it, this fire of mine. It's burning in my soul."
This image is so perfect for the way my soul feels restless in this world. My soul is yearning for time with the Father, and the Spirit living inside of me is burning to shine through me in this broken world. My soul, in communion with the Lord is on Fire for him and wanting so badly to put aside the things of this world and just be with him. My soul longs for revival in this world and for the day that Jesus returns. I find myself yearning more and more for this day that sometimes it is a struggle to remind myself that the Lord has placed me here for a reason in this time and this place for His purpose.
But He reminds me to constantly seek after him. I love the picture in the hymn, "It is well, with my soul." This is by far, my favorite hymn. Regardless of what is going on in our lives, it is well with my soul. Because we know the truth. We know our purpose is to love our Father and to live for our Father and the things of this world are only temporary.
The Message version of 1 Corinthians 7:17 says this: "And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there."
My prayer is that my soul will seek after the Lord constantly to live and obey and love and believe wherever the Lord has me in the present. I pray that no matter what the circumstances I can always say, It is well, with my soul. And I pray that the fire inside of me will always be too much for me to contain that the Holy Spirit is constantly shining through me.
-I am not
I love the picture that Brett Younker gives in his song, "Burning in my soul".The lyrics are: "Whoa hear the sound from Heaven. Whoa, a mighty rushing wind. Whoa, we're calling for revival. God let your fire fall again. It's burning in my soul. I cannot contain it, this fire inside. I cannot contain it, so let it shine. I cannot contain it, this fire of mine. It's burning in my soul."
This image is so perfect for the way my soul feels restless in this world. My soul is yearning for time with the Father, and the Spirit living inside of me is burning to shine through me in this broken world. My soul, in communion with the Lord is on Fire for him and wanting so badly to put aside the things of this world and just be with him. My soul longs for revival in this world and for the day that Jesus returns. I find myself yearning more and more for this day that sometimes it is a struggle to remind myself that the Lord has placed me here for a reason in this time and this place for His purpose.
But He reminds me to constantly seek after him. I love the picture in the hymn, "It is well, with my soul." This is by far, my favorite hymn. Regardless of what is going on in our lives, it is well with my soul. Because we know the truth. We know our purpose is to love our Father and to live for our Father and the things of this world are only temporary.
The Message version of 1 Corinthians 7:17 says this: "And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there."
My prayer is that my soul will seek after the Lord constantly to live and obey and love and believe wherever the Lord has me in the present. I pray that no matter what the circumstances I can always say, It is well, with my soul. And I pray that the fire inside of me will always be too much for me to contain that the Holy Spirit is constantly shining through me.
-I am not
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)