Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

You will eventually despise and resent religion.  Why?  Because no one can keep the ten commandments fully. No one can keep manmade laws perfectly.  Religion places an impossibly heavy burden on you that you cannot carry, so of course you give up!   That is why you need to discern between religion and having a relationship with Christ.  Never the twain shall meet. It's kind of hard to wrap your brain around because Christ is intertwined with Christianity, a religion. But Christ came to set the captives free.  Now mind you, He still would have us obey the law but He knows that we cannot in and of ourselves; not the way that we need to. He knows that we could never earn our salvation.  He is our Redeemer. If your pride dictates that you still try to be a "good" person, and do the "best" you can, good luck.  You may pull it off to a degree, even win the compliments of people, but it just won't cut it on Judgment Day! We. All. Need.  A.  Savior.  Jesus is the on

Everyone wants to know why they were born, for what purpose.  Most see their purpose as a job to do, an assignment to complete, or a role to play.  But these are the outcome of a deeper purpose. We were made for God.  And if we are carrying out any sort of purpose, no matter how grand or "famous," which excludes Him, without knowing Him, it is of no import at all in the end. Our truest purpose is to know God.  He wants to be known by us!  Can He ever be fully known this side of eternity?  No.  But we can get to know Him as much as is possible for now until we see Him in all of His glory and splendor and majesty and power. Why is getting to know God so very crucial?  Because that is our purpose!  We find ouselves in His Presence.  We are found.  We finally know true peace, love, joy, and contentment because we know Him. And out of that connection, that seeking Him daily, flows His living water from us that will nourish those around us, in whatever sphere of influence He has de

You may have read in many sources (online, books, etc.) that your calling has to do with your gifts and talents.  Yes, the Lord can definitely sanctify and use our gifts and talents for His glory and purposes. But then why did God call the following people for the following tasks? Moses had a stutter, was a murderer, and was not very brave.  Yet God chose him as His mouthpiece and leader to His people.  He entrusted the Ten Commandments to Moses! Peter was ambitious, unreliable, and impetuous.  Jesus made Peter His rock on which He built His church. Isaiah was a man of unclean lips (he had a potty mouth).  God chose him to be His most important prophet to speak to Israel and foretell of Christ's identity as the Messiah! Noah struggled with getting drunk. God used him to literally save the world, and animal, population. Where in the world did we ever get the idea that God chooses "upstanding" citizens?!? It is just the opposite! God chooses the weak and foolish so that He

Dearest one, your purpose is to know Me.  All other accomplishments are temporary. Those who accomplish much without knowing Me are not fulfilling their true purpose.   Don't forget that I do not "keep score" as the world does.  I look at one thing and one thing only.  Your heart. I know what and who is on the throne of your heart every minute of every day. And when worries, cares, projects, idols, people, etc., take My place on the throne of your heart, you are not in your truest purpose. When you allow Me to rule completely - over your mind, will, emotions - and live in your heart fully, that is when you are fulfilling My great purpose for you. Out of that comes real and lasting fruit. It may not evolve into temporarl fruit, but that is not your aim anyway. Eternity.  Eternal rewards.  Lasting treasures.  These are yours when you keep Me as your Center. Plus, you have My peace as a sign of My approval of you, My Presence in and around you giving you all you need. Most a

A purpose is more than a goal or a 5-year plan.  There is a greater, overarching, life purpose that God has for each and every one of us that needs to take precedence if we are to find any meaning in life at all. To know God. But how? you may ask.  Bible study is definitely one way.  After all, it is God's book and revelation of Himself to us.  We see how He chose the Jews to be His own people in the Old Testament.  What did He choose them for?  To be His own.  That they might know Him. Then, we see God send His only begotten Son, Jesus, in the New Testament.  We see God's endless grace and mercy poured out toward us through Jesus.  Now, we too, along with the Jews, are called to know God.  As we come to know Christ, He grafts us into the true Vine - Himself.  We are now part of His family. He sets a course for our lives once we belong to Him.  It may look nothing like we'd imagined for ourselves in our own, limited minds.  But it is the best possible path because He sets i

  This is one of my writings that I pinned on Pinterest to my original quotes board.  For more inspiration, check it out here:   More quotes If you're struggling with comparing yourself or your surroundings to another's, pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for thinking me up.  You formed me in my mother's womb as a unique creation from Your imagination.  This is awesome!  And You created me for a purpose.  Thank You that my foremost purpose is to know You, dear Lord.  Help me grow in Your likeness as I serve and love You with my whole heart.  As I do this, I know that I will become all that You imagined me to become when You made me!  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

What is it that you think you need to make you whole?  What piece is missing in your life? "If only I had ______, I know I could make it."   When life doesn't turn out as planned, where to we turn? Or when we reach a certain age where we thought we should have "arrived" by now but aren't there at all, then what?  Give up?  Stop dreaming?  Stop living? No one tells you that you wake up one day and you're 20 years older in a flash.   Oh sure, people talk about how quickly time flies.  But we don't really feel  it when we're young.  It's only as we get older that we realize how short life really is. And boy, it  - time, life - whizzes by at breakneck speed. Maybe you are a goal-setter and your life is so carefully planned out, to the smallest detail, that you are  exactly where you planned to be in life, where you wanted to be, and doing what you thought you would be doing at your age.   For me, it's like the Lord would not let certain dream

On what is your identity based?  What makes you you?  Are you listening to our culture's definition of what and who is important? If the devil can get you at the root, the core, your very identity, all else in your life will follow suit - be messed up, confusing, and just not right.  But the sad fact is that these things may "feel" or appear alright when deep down they are most certainly not. Identity is found in so many ways.  The world's ways are superficial and temporary.  They either crumble quickly or may take awhile to disintegrate, but crumble they will.  The hard part is to see them for what they are because in and of themselves, they are not bad things.  But when they become as gods in your heart and lives, they have no real substance or sustaining power because they were not meant to bring you true and lasting security and peace.  Only Christ gives us that. What are these false foundations?  Here are just a few:  looks prestige money job title gender possess

All the laws in the world do not have the power to change the human heart. Oh there may be outward compliance, but that is no indication of what is going on in the heart. Think about wearing a mask during this pandemic.  Did you ever once feel  like wearing a mask when you went out?  Probably not.  I know I didn't.  Do we always feel  like doing what is right?  In today's world, do we even know right from wrong any more?  I mean, what the Bible calls sin has become acceptable in our society.   Only Christ can change the human heart.  And that is not done from the outside-in. When we are born again, Jesus comes to live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  That is how He is able to change us from the inside out.   As far as I have experienced, there is no other route to genuine change.  No self-help, no striving or trying to "be good" can change the heart of the matter.  Doing the right thing outwardly can be done by just about anyone.  But the Lord is after our hear