I Will Thank Him Always

 Isaiah 53:3 ESV

 

“He was despised and rejected by men,

    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

 

Isaiah 53 is a prophecy about Jesus Christ, the promised seed of Abraham, the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the world. He, being God, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human form, suffered as we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin.

 

During his years of ministry on the earth he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, performed many miracles, fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, and preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God.

 

Crowds followed him, mainly because of the miracles he performed for them. But they were fickle, for when he preached the cost of following him, many deserted him never to return, for they felt that his words were “too hard.” For, he required they die with him to sin and suffer as he suffered.

 

Many of the religious leaders, rulers, and teachers of the law in the temple of God opposed him strongly, for they would not accept him as their Messiah, they didn’t like what he taught, and they were jealous of his popularity among the people, so they sought to destroy him.

 

Even some members of his own family were against him, and they thought he was crazy, and they wanted to put him away. The religious rulers plotted his death, they turned the people against him, and even his own disciples deserted him, and one of them betrayed him to death.

 

Isaiah 53:4 ESV

 

“Surely he has borne our griefs

    and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

    smitten by God, and afflicted.”

 

Many of the Jews, at the persuasion of many of the rulers in the temple of God, called for Jesus’ crucifixion, and so Jesus Christ, God the Son, was hung on a cross to die, although he had done no wrong but only good. Therefore, they denied the Holy and Righteous One, and they killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead (Acts 3:12-16).

 

When Jesus died on that cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. He died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. And he died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who died for us.

 

But he not only carried our sins on that cross, but he carried our griefs and our sorrows. He suffered for us on that cross that he might become our compassionate and merciful high priest. So, he sympathizes with us in our suffering, for he suffered for us that we might live with him.

 

But it was God’s will that Jesus should suffer and die for our sins. It was in his plan and design from the very beginning that Jesus would be our sacrificial Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. He was and is the promised seed of Abraham, the Messiah, the Christ.

 

And he very much cares about us and what we are going through, and he is there for us, who know him, to encourage us when we are down, and to lift us up, and to give us courage and strength and wisdom to follow him and to do what he says, and to say what he gives us to say to the people.

 

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed.”

 

When Jesus died, our sins died with him so that by faith in him we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with him to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. The old has gone, the new has come.

 

Now we are no longer under the control of sin and Satan or in bondage (slavery) to sin, for Jesus set us free! Now, in the power of God’s Spirit, we can walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We can walk in the light as God is in the light in fellowship with the Lord and one another.

 

Sin no longer has dominion over our lives, for Jesus set us free. Now Jesus is our Lord (owner-master) and we are under the Holy Spirit’s control, if we are believing in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded faith in Christ. Now we can live holy and godly lives, pleasing to our Lord, empowered of God’s Spirit.

 

For, the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection was so that we would die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness; that we would forsake our lives of sin, submit to Christ as Lord, and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands, to the glory and praise of God.

 

So, we are no longer at enmity with God, but now we are at peace with God through what Jesus did for us on that cross, and by faith in him in dying with him to sin, in leaving our lives of sin behind us, in surrendering to him as Lord of our lives, and in walking according to his commands.

 

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

 

“All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.”

 

For, we were once like sheep who went astray. We were once enslaved to sin and to all manner of evil. We were living to sin and to self, doing what we desired, not what God desired. We were bound in sin, headed to hell, without hope, and we all fell short of God’s divine approval.

 

But when Jesus died on that cross, he made the way for us to come to faith in him and to be delivered from our slavery to sin so that we could now become slaves to God and to his righteousness. Even the faith to believe in him is founded in Jesus who is the author and the perfecter of our faith.

 

God gifts us with faith and with repentance, and he transforms our hearts and makes them new. We are rebirthed of the Holy Spirit of God, and we are turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God by God’s Spirit, and not of our own flesh. But this is not automatic. We have to surrender. We have to submit. And we have to obey, in God’s power.

 

So, if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, and he is not truly your Lord, because you have not submitted to him as Lord, and if you have not turned away from your sins to follow Jesus in obedience to his will, I pray you will do so today, for where you spend eternity depends on it.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2]

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387

I'm Giving You All of Me

Romans 12:1 ESV

 

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

 

When Jesus Christ died on that cross, it was not just to forgive us our sins so that we can go to heaven when we die. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us.

 

When he shed his blood on that cross he bought us back for God (he redeemed us) so that we might now be God’s possession, and so that we might now honor God with our lives (with our bodies). And he gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

 

His grace, which brings salvation, trains us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return. The truth in Christ Jesus is that we are to put off our old self, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

Therefore, as followers of Jesus Christ, we aren’t supposed to live the way we did before we believed in Jesus, if we indeed are believing in him with God-given faith. But we are now to walk (in conduct, in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God, and not according to our flesh.

 

And all of this is possible because of what Jesus Christ did for us on that cross in becoming sin for us and thus putting our sin to death with him so that we can die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. For, when we believe in Jesus, we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are resurrected with him to newness of life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

Therefore, our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want, for we were bought back for God with the blood of Christ so that we would now be God’s possession, and so that he would now be our Lord (owner-master). Our lives are now to be given over to our Lord as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship of him.

 

For, worship of God is not just singing songs. For, we can sing praise and worship songs and never be worshiping God. True worship of our Lord is in surrendering our lives fully to him, submitting to his Lordship over our lives, leaving our lives of sin behind us, and following him in obedience.

 

Romans 12:2 ESV

 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

If you are walking according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh, you may be rejected even by others who call themselves Christians. They may even accuse you of being self-righteous or haughty or judgmental or legalistic, or of teaching “works-based salvation.”

 

They may even try to convince you that you need to not be so “religious,” and they may mock you for your walk of obedience to the Lord and for your seriousness of purpose in following Jesus Christ with your life. And they may criticize you for having Jesus be your all and the central focus of your life.

 

For, it appears today, at least in the American church at large (not every church fellowship), that non-conformity to the world is being frowned upon, and that conformity to the world is being encouraged and honored. Church “fellowships” often are no different than a group of non-Christians gathering.

 

Christians are being encouraged to “immerse” themselves in their culture in order to connect with the people of the world, and so they are becoming like the world and not like Jesus in order to “win the world,” but to what? Usually to worldly church fellowships.

 

And we are being told to “stay in your own lane,” meaning to not confront anyone with sin or to call for repentance and obedience to Christ, because we might offend them with the truth of the gospel and then they might not come back for more of the worldly church fellowships.

 

But Jesus said he called us out of the world, and thus the world should hate us, not love us. Paul, too, taught that we are not to be conformed to the world. Why then are so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ still living in conformity with the world? Because the church is blessing that.

 

So, who are we going to listen to? Worldly church leaders? or Jesus? Jesus called us to be his holy people, to live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world. Thus, the world should hate us, not love us as its own. For, we should stand out as different, set apart from the world.

 

Thus, we should be guarding our hearts and minds against all that is evil, immoral, dishonest, and impure. And we should be walking in holiness and righteousness in the power of God for the glory and praise of God.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2]

 

Only Hope

 

By Jonathan Foreman

 

I give you my destiny

I'm giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I'm giving it my all

 

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnS7ZEbEqU

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Holding Fast to What is Good

Romans 12:9-13 ESV

 

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

 

There are people in this world who will tell you that they love you but then they will do evil against you deliberately. That is not genuine love. To love God is to obey his commandments, so if we refuse to obey him, and we make disobedience our practice, that is not genuine love for God.

 

Love for God is to love what he loves and to hate what he hates, and he hates evil. So, we are to abhor all that is evil, such as lying, stealing, cheating, adultery, sexual immorality, drunkenness, idolatry, taking advantage of others, abuse, slander, and the like.

 

And we are to hold fast to what is good, such as the gospel of our salvation as taught by Jesus and his apostles, and purity, holiness, righteousness, honesty, faithfulness, morality, kindness, genuine love, compassion, obedience to our Lord, forsaking of sins, and submission to Christ as Lord.

 

And brotherly affection involves genuine love, care, and concern for the welfare of others, for what is for their good, as God calls good. So, brotherly affection will speak the truth in love to one another, encourage and exhort one another toward holy living, and will teach the truth of the gospel.

 

If we are not slothful in zeal, but fervent in spirit in serving our Lord, we will walk in obedience to his commands, leave our sinful practices behind us, and submit to him as Lord. We will follow him wherever he leads us and do and say whatever it is he leads us to do and to say, even if it gets us hated.

 

But even if we are hated and rejected for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of the gospel, we are to rejoice, and we are to be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. For, Jesus told us that as he was hated so would we be hated if we follow him in his ways and in his truth.

 

And we are to care about the legitimate needs of others. Obviously, we can’t meet everyone’s needs, so we need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in this so we know what true needs are and how best we can help meet them. This will involve discernment regarding needs vs wants, too.

 

Romans 12:14-16 ESV

 

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

 

To bless others means to speak reason which confers benefit, or it means to confer what is beneficial (in God’s eyes), such as when God blesses us. So, this doesn’t mean to go around saying false niceties so that others will like us and think we are nice. It means to do for them or to speak to them what will benefit them spiritually and in a good way, i.e., that is for their good.

 

And along those same lines, we don’t rejoice with evil, but with good, so if people are rejoicing over what is evil, then we don’t rejoice with them. If others are weeping over the loss of what is clearly evil, we don’t weep with them, either. We don’t mourn over the loss of evil, but we mourn over the loss of what is good and righteous and holy.

 

Also, living in harmony with one another never involves compromise of truth, righteousness, holiness, purity, morality, and faithfulness, etc. It does not involve us ceasing to stand on truth or to cease teaching the gospel of our salvation because it might offend others. We only live in harmony with others in the same way we live in harmony with our Lord Jesus.

 

Also, standing on the truth of the gospel, and living a holy and godly life, and teaching purity, faithfulness, morality, honesty, and obedience to our Lord, and guarding our own minds and hearts against all evil is not being haughty. Living a godly and holy life pleasing to the Lord is not being self-righteous or thinking we are better than everyone else, either.

 

And the lowly that we are to associate with are not those living in sin, doing all sorts of evil, especially if they call themselves followers of Jesus Christ. They are those of low standing socially or financially, or they are brothers and sisters in Christ who are being hated and rejected for the sake of their walks of faith who, in humility, walk in obedience to the Lord.

 

For, we are never to be wise in our own sight. Therefore, this haughtiness has to do with the wisdom of this world or of our own flesh keeping us from associating with those we might feel are beneath us socially or intellectually or financially, or that might hinder us from associating with those who are rich in faith and in walks of obedience to the Lord.

 

Romans 12:17-21 ESV

 

“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 

When people do evil against us, and they will, it is not our place to get even with them. God is the only one who has the right to repay people for the evil that they do, for we have all done evil at some time or another. But this does not mean that we accept evil, or that we say nothing or do nothing to try to prevent evil from occurring.

 

So, when people do evil against us, we can lovingly confront them, we can speak truth into the situation, and we can call for repentance, and for submission to Christ, and for obedience to the Lord, for this is a loving thing to do, and it is kind. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” That should be the message we give out, too. That is grace!

 

And rather than having the desire to get even with those who do evil against us, we are to pray for them, do good to them, and do and say what is beneficial for them, for their good. If they are truly hungry, we feed them, and if they are thirsty, we give them something to drink, for in this way we are not being overcome by evil, but we are overcoming evil with good.

 

Nearer, My God, to Thee

 

Lyrics: Sarah F. Adams, pub. 1841

Vs. 6: Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr.

Music: Lowell Mason, 1856

 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

 

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

 

There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;

All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

 

There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,

There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;

Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5WLZAVKB88

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Remind Them

The Importance of Reminders

Titus 3:1-3 ESV

 

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.”

 

Did you know that if you are a person who tends to remind people of things, it is not necessarily a bad quality? The writers of the New Testament did it as a regular practice. I found 9 passages of Scripture that use the word “remind” to speak to the importance of reminding Christians of certain things, but there are many reminders in Scripture, not just these.

 

We obviously need to be reminded of the ways of Christ, and of the importance of us walking in those ways. We need to be reminded of the truth of the gospel as Jesus and as Paul and the other apostles taught it. For, it is being greatly distorted and adulterated in our present day.

 

We need to be reminded to “fan into flame” the gift of God within us – our salvation from bondage to sin, our new lives in Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit living within us, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit he has given to us to be used in the areas of ministry which God has assigned each one of us.

 

It is necessary for us to be reminded of many things such as sharing in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, not getting tangled in civilian pursuits, and that if we have died with him to sin, we will also live with him, but if we deny him by our lives, he will also deny us, and so on and so forth.

 

And then it is essential to be reminded to be submissive to rulers and authorities, but also of the biblical exceptions to such submission. For, we are not to bow to or worship the beast, we are not to bow to other gods, we are not to submit to denying our Lord or to stop sharing the gospel, etc.

 

Definitely we must be reminded of the importance of obedience – yes to human authority as long as that authority does not require us to disobey the Lord in any way, but more importantly obedience to our Lord Jesus and to his commands (New Covenant).

 

And why do we need all these reminders? Because we are flesh. We live in flesh bodies, and thus we still have a propensity to sin against God. And we do forget things, especially as we age, we do. And we can get distracted by things and pulled back into the ways of this sinful world if we are not careful.

 

For, before we trusted in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, and we died with him to sin, and we were raised with him to newness of life in him, we were enslaved to sin and to doing all manner of evil. But then the Lord delivered us from our slavery to sin so we might now become slaves of God and of his righteousness.

 

[Rom 5:15; 1 Co 4:17; 1 Co 15:1; 2 Tim 1:5-6; 2 Tim 2:1-16; Tit 3:1-2; 2 Pet 1:12-13; 2 Pet 3:1; Jude 1:5; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24]

 

Devote Yourselves to Good Works

Titus 3:8 ESV

 

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”

 

Yes, it is true that we do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws (persuades, convinces) us to believe in Jesus. Our faith is founded in Jesus Christ, it is perfected by him, and it is gifted to us by God.

 

We can only be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice of his life given for us on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us.

 

But our salvation from sin is not mere forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven when we die. When we believe in Jesus with God-given faith, we surrender our lives to Jesus, to be his, to do his will. We die with him to sin, and we are raised with him to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

Yes, we are not saved by our own good works done in our flesh according to our own will for our lives. But we are saved to good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. We must, therefore, walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We must no longer make sin our practice, but righteousness should now be what we practice, or we don’t have eternal life with God.

 

So, even though we are not saved by our own fleshly works, we must be careful to devote ourselves to the good works of God done in the power of God’s Spirit within us as we yield control of our lives over to the Lord, and we walk in obedience to his commands, and we do what he says to do.

 

Jesus said that if we want to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (daily die with him to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. This is the essence of the gospel message. For, if we hold on to our old lives of living for sin and self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin) for the sake of Jesus, we will have eternal life.

 

But we don’t do this, and we can’t do this in our flesh. That is why Jesus died for us, because we could not be righteous in our own merit. He made the way for us to be saved from our sins and for us to be righteous in God’s sight. But part of that way has to do with us leaving our lives of sin behind us and us following him in obedience to his commands, in his power.

 

His grace, which brings salvation, trains us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. But he doesn’t just train us, but he equips us, and he empowers us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to him. So, all the glory goes to God for what he accomplishes in and through our lives, as we submit to him, and we walk in his ways.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2]

 

YOU RAISE ME UP  

 

Brendan Graham / Rolf Lovland

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be…

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.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG-vD-kkQ24

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We Will Have Tribulation

Jesus said “These Things”

John 16:33 ESV

 

Jesus Christ said this: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 

So, what are “these things” he said to them?

 

He told them that if the world hated them they were to know that it hated him first. If they were of the world, the world would have loved them as its own. But because they were not of the world, because Jesus chose them out of the world, therefore the world hated them, and us, too.

 

He went on to tell them that “they” would put them out of the synagogues. So, who were “they”? “They” were the religious rulers, and in our case they are pastors and elders of church fellowships. We will be put out of church fellowships when we wholeheartedly follow our Lord Jesus in obedience.

 

Why? Because so many of them are flesh driven and they deny the working of the Holy Spirit. Their teachings are much of human origin, although they will quote the Scriptures. But so many of the Scriptures are being taken out of context and are being taught outside their true meaning.

 

Then, he went on to tell them that he was going to be leaving them, but that he would send them the Holy Spirit, and he did. And He is living within those of us who believe on Jesus Christ with God-given faith, who have died with Christ to sin, and who are living to God and to his righteousness.

 

Lastly, in this particular context of John 16, he told them that the hour was coming, and indeed it had come, when they would be scattered, each to his own home, and that they would leave him alone, which is what they did when he was arrested and was put on trial as though he was a criminal.

 

Of all his disciples, I think John was the only one who was with him when he was hung on a cross to die for our sins. So, Jesus was largely abandoned by his closest companions when he was put to death on that cross.

 

And then (in this discourse with his disciples) he said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

 

His Purpose for Me

Psalms 138:7-8 ESV

 

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

    you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

    and your right hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

    Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

 

In the Midst of Trouble

 

So, based off what Jesus told his disciples, what kind of trouble might we, as followers of Jesus Christ, be facing today? What trouble might we be walking in the midst of? And who are our enemies today?

 

We will be hated by the people of the world. But who hated Jesus? Who were the ones who hounded him and who tried to trip him up with every word, who kept falsely accusing him of evil, when he did no wrong? Who plotted his death and then arranged for it to be carried out?

 

These were not the Gentiles, i.e., the non-believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Father, Son – Jesus Christ – and Holy Spirit). They were those who were called God’s people, and they were the religious rulers and teachers of the Scriptures in the temple of God.

 

So, don’t be surprised if you are hated by some of those who are professing faith in Jesus Christ, and by pastors and elders of church congregations. For, if you follow Jesus Christ in full submission to his will for your life, you are going to ruffle some feathers. They won’t like you.

 

And you will be asked to leave some church fellowships if you stand on the truth of God’s word and if you do not compromise your faith in order to appease human flesh and to attract the people of the world to the “church.” They will gladly volunteer to help you find someplace else where you will be a “better fit.” But you are not to “fit” with this world.

 

And you may be tempted to desert the Christian faith and Jesus Christ who saved you because it is “too hard.” You may even blame God for the troubles you are going through because they came as a direct result of you following him in obedience, doing what he said to do. For, it can be lonely and disheartening, at times, being opposed for doing what is right.

 

But Jesus warned us ahead of time that in this world, even among those who call themselves the people of God, we will have tribulation, we will be hated, we will be accused falsely of what we did not do, and we may even be invited to leave some church fellowships because we stand on the truth of God’s word, and we refuse to compromise with the world.

 

But Take Heart

 

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, in submission to him as Lord, having died with him to sin, and we are dying to sin daily, and if we are walking in obedience to his commands, empowered by the Spirit of God, then in the midst of the trouble we face for our walks of faith, we can be assured that our Lord is with us, and that he will carry us through it all.

 

He may not physically deliver us from our troubles, though sometimes he does, although not always immediately or as soon as we would hope. But he will walk with us through them, and he will guide us in what to do, and he will show us the way we should go, and he will use us for his glory and praise to minister his love and grace to others.

 

And he will give us the grace to endure unjust suffering at the hands of those who treat us as though they are our enemies. And he will help us to love them, in return, and to pray for them, and to do good to them. And he will hold us in his loving arms and comfort us with his love when we are going through such difficult times as this.

 

And through it all, he will fulfill his purpose for our lives. For, part of our preparation for being who he wants us to be and doing what he has called us to do is suffering for the sake of righteousness. So, what others (and Satan) may mean for evil against us, God uses in our lives for our good.

 

So, when we trust him with our circumstances, and we believe in his sovereignty over our lives, and when we accept that suffering has a purpose, and that ultimately it is for our good, we can be at peace even in the midst of trouble, because we know that our Lord is with us, he is working it all out for our good, and he has overcome the world.

 

When I Go Home

 

By G. M. Eldridge

 

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4

 

In the moment He appears

And the light from heaven shines,

I’ll forget ev’ry fear,

Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.

Then I’ll see Him as He is

And I’ll know Him as I’m known.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

 

Ever present is the tho’t

That a moment waits for me

When unworthy as I am,

His glory I will see.

I will empty all my praise

Before my Father’s throne.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

 

If the trial I endure,

And your presence I can’t find,

Be near me, Lord, I pray,

Bring back unto my mind

That your promises are firm

And I’m never on my own.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z98Zvr1CyXg

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Fight the Good Fight of the Faith

1 Timothy 6:3-5 ESV

 

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”

 

There are many “different doctrines” being taught today, some of which are just differences of opinion as to what the Scriptures actually are saying in particular places, but which are not opposed to the sound words of Jesus Christ and of his apostles. They agree on the essentials of the faith.

 

But then there are “different doctrines” which are opposed to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to those of his New Testament apostles. And they are opposed to teachings on holiness and that are in accord with godliness. For these “different doctrines” originate in the minds of those who are of depraved mind and who are absent (in practice) of the truth.

 

For, those of depraved mind are immoral, corrupt, evil, wicked, malicious, dishonest, and they are liars and manipulators who twist the Scriptures to their advantage to make them say what will appeal to human flesh and to sinful passions. It isn’t that they don’t know the truth, but that they manipulate the truth in order to tickle itching ears.

 

And these “itching ears” don’t want the truth because the truth is going to command that they turn away from their sinful practices to submit to Christ as Lord and to follow him in obedience to his commands. The truth is going to insist on holy and godly living which is pleasing to God. Thus, they will reject it because they want to continue in their sinful practices.

 

Those who are promoting, encouraging, and teaching the “different doctrines” coming from these of depraved minds are also among those who will try to manipulate or twist words so that they can argue against the truth of the Scriptures and talk people down from sharing the truth or to try to discredit them in an effort to discredit the truth.

 

And they will try to discredit godly living, calling it “works-based salvation,” as though to be godly means one is trying to earn his own way into heaven. But we can’t be godly in our own effort, or it is not “godliness” we are producing. We can only be godly because Jesus Christ is living within us in the person of the Holy Spirit empowering us to live godly and holy lives.

 

1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV

 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

 

But the truth of the matter is that godliness with contentment is great gain, but it is not us earning our own salvation, but it is us living out the salvation that is already ours by faith in Jesus Christ. But if we don’t live it out, that is evidence that stands against us which says our faith is not genuine.

 

But it is godliness with contentment, meaning that we aren’t living for the pleasures or the passions of this sinful world. We aren’t living to make tons of money to spend on our own pleasures. We aren’t looking to gain fame and fortune or notoriety of any kind. We are looking to please our Lord and to minister his love and grace and his gospel of salvation to others.

 

When our focus is on this world and on the pleasures of this world instead of on Christ and following him and living godly and holy lives, pleasing to him, we will be vulnerable to fall into temptation to pursue many harmful and senseless desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. I believe the most destructive today is in the area of sexual immorality.

 

But money is not the true issue. Having money so we can eat and pay our bills and help other people is not wrong. But when we crave and hunger and thirst after physical wealth so that we can engage in the pleasures this world has to offer us, then that is sinful. When money becomes our god, that is when it begins to go downhill from there.

 

But again, it isn’t just money. If we make anyone or anything our god other than the one true God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – and we worship the created rather than the creator, and we lust after the pleasures of this world rather than to hunger after God and his righteousness, this is where we fall, and we wander from the faith.

 

1 Timothy 6:11-12 (read through to v. 16) ESV

 

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

 

So, what’s the main lesson here that we can gain from all of this? We need to watch out for “different doctrines” which may lead us away from the truth of the Scriptures, and away from holiness and godliness, and away from unadulterated faith in Jesus Christ. We need to be discerning about what we read and hear and watch so that we aren’t led astray.

 

And we must be students of the Word of God, studying it in context, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead us to all truth. We must test everything we hear or read coming from other people, and we must not just “jump on the bandwagon” of whatever doctrine sounds good to our ears. For, just because it sounds good doesn’t mean it is good.

 

If we are testing what we hear against the Scriptures (in context), comparing Scripture with Scripture, and interpreting Scripture in light of all the teachings under the New Covenant, we are going to get to know the truth and we will also learn to recognize the lies and the deceptions of the enemy and of these “different gospels,” too.

 

Then we can separate truth from lies, and we can follow after the truth and not after the lies. But our heart has to be in the right place. This can’t be just an intellectual exercise. We have to want to live for our Lord and to know the truth and to obey the truth and to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands. If we don’t, we will most assuredly fall.

 

Therefore, we must flee from all that junk. We must flee from the lies and the twisting of truth to pursue truth and righteousness. We must flee from wanting to follow the passions of our flesh to now desiring to please our Lord in all that we do and are and say. Instead of pursuing the things of the world, we are to pursue righteousness, godliness, and love, etc.

 

And we must fight the good fight of faith, which means we put on that armor of God every day and we say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and we live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the power of God. We don’t play with sin, but we flee from it. Daily by the Spirit we are putting to death the misdeeds of the flesh and we are walking in holiness by God’s Spirit.

 

For, if we don’t, and we continue living in sin, doing what we know is wrong, as a matter of practice, and so we adopt the cheap grace gospel because it gives us permission to keep on in our sin, if we don’t repent and turn to follow our Lord in obedience, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will die in our sins.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

 

All I Ask of You

 

by Andrew Lloyd Webber

 

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears;

I'm here, nothing can harm you,

My words will warm and calm you.

Let me be your freedom,

Let daylight dry your tears;

I'm here, with you, beside you,

To guard you and to guide you.

 

Let me be your shelter,

Let me be your light…

 

Love me, that's all I ask of you

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uahlf4fo3iQ

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Beware Liars and Deceivers

Matthew 16:5-12 ESV

 

“When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, ‘We brought no bread.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said, ‘O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

 

“’Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

 

Leaven (Definition)

 

I looked up the word “leaven,” and I got a surprise. The definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary said, “Something that modifies or lightens.” I had never thought of leaven in that way before. But that fits perfectly!

 

For, I also looked at the word “leaven” in a Greek Interlinear. And, it said that it is figurative for “the spreading influence of what is typically concealed;” “a symbol of the spreading nature of evil.”

 

So, this leaven is a word that is used to symbolize the spreading influence of evil, but an evil which is hidden from sight, so this is speaking of deception. But this evil and this deception, which are being spread, lighten and modify what they touch (influence). And leaven is something you put in bread, and bread is symbolic for the Word of God. So, this is about lightening and modifying the Word of God for evil purposes and in order to deceive. Wow!

 

What’s the Issue?

 

So, what was it about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees that Jesus took issue with? What was his main issue with them? For one, it was their hypocrisy. They were making a show of righteousness on the outside while they were engaged in all manner of evil behind closed doors. But their evil wasn’t hidden from Jesus, for he can see behind closed doors.

 

They also taught much that was of human flesh and not of God, of their own minds, and not of the mind of God. A lot of it was legalism and/or human traditions. They taught much in the way of distortions of truth. They either added to the Scriptures what was of man, or they took away from the Scriptures what they disagreed with. And they tried to force or manipulate or coerce others into compliance to their particular doctrines.

 

Jesus had some strong words of rebuke for the scribes and the Pharisees (see Matthew 23). They preach, but do not practice what they preach. They put people under loads of man-made rules. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. They like to be regarded as important and exalted.

 

This one is very telling to today: They shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. They don’t enter heaven themselves and they don’t allow others to go in. So, they make disciples after themselves in their own image and they end up making them twice as much children of hell as themselves.

 

They follow legalistic rules, but they neglect justice and mercy. They appear righteous on the outside, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Outwardly they appear good and righteous, but inside they are full of all kinds of uncleanness, hypocrisy, and lawlessness.

 

Application to Today

 

Man-made religion can be either legalistic or it can be liberal in nature. The focus either way is on the flesh and not on God, on self and not on Jesus. It is man-made faith and a walk of faith ruled by man and not by God. Those who teach it distort and modify the Scriptures to prove their case.

 

In both cases, those who abide by either legalism or libertinism are hypocrites for they do not live the faith that they profess, for they both profess faith in the one true God and in Jesus Christ, God the Son. They both profess to believe the Scriptures. But they both distort the Scriptures.

 

The legalists add all kinds of rules that are not of God, not of the Scriptures, which they impose on their people, and thus they put heavy burdens on them. But the liberals who teach an altered and modified cheapened form of the true gospel of Christ promise their people freedom from sin while they leave them still in bondage to sin and headed to hell.

 

Those who are teaching the cheap grace gospel (not true biblical grace) claim they are free, but they are still in bondage. They claim they no longer follow legalistic rules, but they have their own set of rules they follow, which they try to enforce, and they try to shame those who do not comply.

 

And there is much pride either way, for they are both convinced that their way is the right or the only way, and either way there is much that is done for performance, to look good to others, to persuade, to make a show, to attract people to what they are offering by appealing to the flesh.

 

And neither legalism nor libertinism (liberalism) leads to eternal life with God, for they are both of the flesh, not of the Spirit of God. For they do not practice the faith they claim to possess. So, they are not leading people to genuine faith in Jesus Christ but to man-made religion, which is empty.

 

The Biggest Threat

 

The biggest threat right now to the truth, though, is the cheap grace gospel which has convinced people in large numbers that they are saved from their sins and that heaven is their eternal destiny, but they do not require repentance (forsaking our sins) and obedience to Christ and submission to him as Lord (owner-master) of their lives.

 

So, what they are telling them gives them free license to continue in deliberate, habitual, and premeditated sin against the Lord, for they are telling them that their sins are forgiven and so what they do from this moment forward will not affect their eternal security.

 

But that’s a lie. If we read the New Testament and the words of Jesus and the teachings of the apostles in context, and we pray for understanding, and we seek the truth, we won’t be able to miss what the Scriptures teach. For, they teach that we must repent, obey, and submit.

 

If we do not, and if we continue to make sin our practice, and righteousness is not what we practice, but may be what is faked (in some cases), and if we do not obey our Lord, we do not have the hope of eternal life with God, but we will die in our sins.

 

So, don’t listen to the teachings of those who are leading you to ignore much of the teachings of the New Testament and who are pulling Scriptures out of their context and who are distorting the word of truth. Don’t be deceived by the lies that tell you your sins don’t matter. They do!

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2]

 

Broken Cord

 

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

 

Your bond is broken

With your Lord and Savior

And, your testimony is

Separate from Him.

 

Your words not matching

Your actions today.

Repent of your sin and

Bow down and pray.

 

Live what you testify

In truth always.

 

Purity’s lacking in

Your life and witness,

For you profess one thing,

But other you do.

 

Not moral, spiritual.

Still of the flesh.

Not living in truth to

What you confess.

 

Lying about it

Puts you in a mess.

 

Living a lie is your practice,

‘tis true of you.

Masquerade righteousness –

None of it true.

 

Your heart is not given

To your Lord God.

Because of how you live,

You are a fraud.

 

Turn from your sin and

Give your life to God.

 

https://vimeo.com/287303934

By Way of Reminder

2 Peter 3:1-2 ESV

 

“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles…”

 

Do you ever need to be reminded of things? I do! I am 71 years old, so believe me when I say that when you get into your 70s your mind is not as quick as it used to be. If I don’t write things down when I think of them they can go out of mind as quickly as they came in.

 

But even young people can have problems with remembering certain things and may need to be reminded, at times. And all of us can forget things we learned before and need to be reminded. And that is why the Scriptures repeat the same message over and over and over again.

 

And do you know that God’s primary message he gave to his people through the prophets is the same exact message that he gave to us through his Son Jesus Christ? The message has not changed, for God and his divine character and will for us, his people, has not changed.

 

And that message was and still is that we must repent of our sins. We must turn away from living for sin and self, and we must follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. We must not be idolaters nor engage in sexual immorality nor be liars nor thieves nor engage in impurity of any kind.

 

But we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We must love God with our whole being and our neighbors as ourselves. We must not hate anyone, but we must hate evil. For, if we died with Christ to sin, it was that we might live to Christ and to his righteousness.

 

We are to be holy in all of our conduct (actions, behaviors, attitudes) as God is holy. We are to live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Jesus Christ. And we are to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return.

 

For, if we walk according to the flesh, and if we make sin our practice (habit, addiction), and righteousness is not what we practice, and if we don’t obey our Lord’s commands (New Covenant), and if we hate our fellow humans, we will not inherit eternal life with God no matter what we profess.

 

2 Peter 3:3-4 ESV

 

“…knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’”

 

These scoffers aren’t just people who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Many of these scoffers are those who profess Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, but who are following after the cheap grace gospel and the flesh of humans rather than submitting themselves to Jesus as Lord.

 

So, their scoffing isn’t just confined to mocking our faith with regard to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Their scoffing includes rejecting and criticizing our beliefs which teach that we must submit to Christ as Lord, and leave our sins behind us, and follow our Lord in obedience to his will.

 

So, they ridicule our beliefs, and they call what we believe “works-based salvation” even though these beliefs are what the prophets and the apostles taught through and through. And they raise Paul up to be their hero, but they must not read all he wrote, for they would have to accuse him of the same.

 

For, Paul taught that God’s grace to us is not free license to continue living in sin. He taught that by God’s grace we die with Christ to sin, and we live to Christ and to his righteousness. And he said that if we obey sin, it will end in death, but if obedience is what we obey, it leads to eternal life with God.

 

Paul taught that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who WALK (in conduct) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, and that if we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

He also taught that God will render to each one according to his works:

 

“To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Rom 2:6-8).

 

And it was Paul who said that we should not be deceived:

 

“God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal 6:7-8).

 

2 Peter 3:8-9 ESV

 

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

 

So, just because Jesus has not yet returned to judge, and just because you may still be living in sin without punishment, and so you may feel as though God is not going to judge you for your evil deeds, don’t get cocky. Don’t get overconfident in thinking God is not going to judge you.

 

And don’t take heaven for granted. Eternal life with God has conditions. They are listed for us all throughout the New Testament, many of which have been discussed in this writing. If you don’t meet those conditions, because you refused to surrender your life to Christ, you don’t have eternal life.

 

Also, for those who are following the Lord in obedience, who are being mocked and judged falsely for their walks of faith, do not lose heart. God is allowing things to go on as they are because he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to REPENTANCE.

 

And biblical repentance is not just “believing” in Jesus Christ if that belief is not of God but of the flesh, and thus it does not bear fruit in keeping with repentance. If we don’t die with Christ to sin and live to Christ and to his righteousness, we don’t have saving faith in Jesus Christ.

 

But, again, if you are following the Lord in obedience, and thus you are being mocked for your walk of faith, don’t lose heart. Don’t be discouraged. Give your circumstances over to the Lord, and keep praying, and keep believing the Lord for the salvation of many people.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2]

 

YOU RAISE ME UP 

 

Brendan Graham / Rolf Lovland

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be…

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.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG-vD-kkQ24

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