“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:1-2
(This photo was taken in the fall of 2014 at Kaanapali Beach on Maui)
I have said many times how music has played a significant role in my faith journey. Every so often a song or hymn comes to mind as a message and because of technology I can go find it and listen to it.
This morning it was a song that was popular about 10 years ago but the message is still very true today. The story behind the music is the original composer wrote the song as an instrumental and asked his favorite novelist to write the lyrics. The composer then had the song performed for the first time at his mother’s funeral. It’s intent became that you can relate to it by applying it to your own personal life…I chose to use it as a worship hymn to God because in the end we can do nothing without Him. Here are some lyrics from “You Raise Me Up”…
Original composer Rolf Loveland, Original lyrics by Brendan Graham
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.
When Jesus was teaching his disciples he said:
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:9-11
Today how does our Lord raise you up?
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
Jesus said to the disciples…
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome this world.”
John 16:33
He Is Risen!…and so we are forgiven.
Hallelujah!
Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and Christ
As I sit in the glow of lights from our tree I think back to Christmas time when I was a child. As a kid I enjoyed the lights, the music and family gatherings and of course, the presents. As I and my faith have grown I realize that Christmas is the time of year that I really began to connect with my faith. As an adult in the mind and a kid at heart I still enjoy the lights, the music and the family gatherings…I now enjoy the giving of gifts far more than receiving. Where we live I enjoy the snow (most years) and even the cold. The change of season is natural, to me it is God showing us his love using nature. All that was alive in summer has passed on but it will all be reborn in springtime. The world is covered in fresh new snow and we see angels in different forms everywhere. Most of all it seems to be the one time of year that people actually live life at a slower pace and often take time to recognize Jesus Christ and his coming into the world.
At Christmas time I pray we see and feel a sense of…
Hope – God made a promise to you and everyone to love you and to never leave you…believe him and trust him with every area of your life.
Peace – Be content when your basic needs are fulfilled and share with others if you have been blessed with abundance…practice patience.
Joy – Wear a smile more often and make an effort to help others find their smile…focus on the positive as often as you can.
Love – Life is more about how you treat others than how they treat you…you can’t control what others will think, say or do so why waste time worrying about it…do all that you can do with love.
At Christmas time this year put Christ in the center of your life…with Christ you will know Hope, you will know Peace, you will know Joy and you will know that the Love of Christ in your heart will help you overcome anything this world can throw at you.
May we all see and know God’s blessings in our lives this Christmas and carry them with us all through the New Year!
Merry Christmas!
You look around and everywhere you look there is a darkness like a Shadow…you move to the right…Shadow…you move forward swiftly to try to get past it…more Shadow. You look behind you…Shadow. No matter what you do or where you go in this life the Shadow is always with you.
You spend so much time in your life looking for a better way…to get away from this Shadow but even when we begin to think we lost it or begin to believe it is gone you realize it is still with you and it really never left.
Many of us spend our entire life trying to get away from this Shadow and then at the end of our life…in our final days…we begin to see…a Light. We have seen light in the past but this is different…this Light has a comforting sensation…as this Light brightens you begin to notice the silhouette of a person standing next to you…the longer you look the more you begin to realize that the Shadow that has been with you for your entire life is being cast by this figure right by your side. You also now realize that this Shadow is not to be feared or ignored it is being provided to guide and support you on your journey.
Embrace the Shadow in your life that is being provided to protect you while you live in this world…because that Shadow is your guide to see everlasting Light.
Reflecting on the season and all that goes on in our lives…I have always been a Christmas guy. As a kid I enjoyed the lights, the music and family gatherings and of course the presents. As I and my faith have grown I realize that Christmas was the starting point for me to really deepen my faith. As an adult in mind and a kid at heart I still enjoy the lights, the music and the family gatherings…I now enjoy the giving far more than any receiving of presents. Where we live I enjoy the snow and even the cold. The change of season is natural to me it is God showing us his love using nature. All that was alive in summer has passed on but it will all be reborn in springtime. With the shorten daylight we set up lights to add color to the white world. But most of all it seems to be the one time of year that the most people in the world actually recognizes Jesus Christ and his coming into the world.
At Christmas time I pray you see and feel a sense of…
Hope – God made a promise to you and everyone to love you and to never leave you…believe him and trust him with every area of your life.
Peace – Be content when your basic needs are fulfilled and share with others if you have been blessed with abundance…practice patience.
Joy – Wear a smile more often and make an effort to help others find their smile…focus on the positive in any situation.
Love – Life is more about how you treat others than how they treat you…you can’t control what others will think, say or do so don’t waste time worrying about it…do all that you do with love.
At Christmas time put Christ in the center of your life…with Christ you will know Hope, you will know Peace, you will know Joy and you will know that the Love of Christ in your heart will help you overcome anything this world can throw at you.
May you see and know God’s blessings in your life this Christmas and carry them with you all through the New Year!
Merry Christmas!
Take Your Faith With You 