Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

I just finished reading the last few chapters of Revelation.  Wow!  Though I've read this awesome prophecy before, it never ceases to amaze me.  As followers of Christ, we will one day rule and reign with Him! But something stood out to me that I don't remember seeing before.  Revelation 22:3 reads like this: "No longer will there be any curse.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him." So we will continue to serve Christ throughout eternity.  How does that fit into the ruling and reigning with Him?  Two verses later, we read: "And  there will no longer be  any  night; and they  will not have need  of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will  reign forever and ever." Serving is reigning!  When we serve, we rule!  Like so many other ways of God's Kingdom, it is in total opposite to this world's system....

We all have an image.  Others see us in a certain way.  We may see ourselves in another. But it is God's view of us that matters, and His alone.   So how exactly does God see us? Well, when we are born again, He sees Jesus in us.  This is indeed a miracle!  Since none of us are remotely like Christ in and of ourselves, this truth is amazing. We are all created in God's image.  This in itself makes us worship our Creator! But the fall of man distorted that image in us, to say the least. But Jesus came so that His image could be once again formed and maintained in us. Several things vie for our image.  The world would try to mold us into its image, which is not in our best interest, though it is tempting to think so.  The world wants you to believe you can be self-made, that you need no help from the Lord.  But what is left is an outer shell with little substance on the inside. The devil would like to ruin and destroy our image beyond reco...

  My latest song to encourage, soothe, heal, and strengthen you.

Here is the most glorious piece of music ever written.  Whenever I hear this song, I must stand up.   So stand!  Praise the King of kings!  We praise Him for His miraculous birth, bringing us hope, light, peace, joy, and salvation!!   A blessed Christmas Day to you!

What a glorious Christmas Carol!  Do you remember when Charlie Brown and the gang sang it at the end of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special?  So sweet.  If by some strange reason you have never seen the show, by all means watch it!  It is the best. Lord Jesus, just as the angels heralded Your birth over 2,000 years ago, we herald You in our hearts.  We worship You, Lord Jesus.  We cannot praise and worship You enough for being born!  God Almighty born in a manger.  Alleluia!  Amen!   Lyrics 1.  Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful, all ye nations, rise; Join the triumph of the skies; With th’angelic host proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem! [Chorus] Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King! 2.  Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, Ris’n with healing in his wings. Mi...

Only two days until Christmas (counting today)!  Can you believe we are coming to the end of this history-making year?  Do we even remember what life was like before the pandemic hit?  Can we imagine life returning to normal any time soon? I think we still need to take this plague very seriously.  The more we try to "do" life as normal - gathering for public events, getting together socially - the longer this blasted thing is going to drag on. Celebrating Christmas during a pandemic is still possible!  We put a lot of pressure on Christmas.  The get-togethers, the food, the cookies and candy, the pine trees, the decorations - these are all supposed to make us feel "up" and brighter.  And to some extent, they do. But not this year.  I'm just not "into" the festivities as much.  You?  However, when I get my focus off of what is "missing" this Season, I remind myself what this holiday is really about.  The birth of the Messiah.  H...

No other gods before Me.  That is what Jesus tells us to do - to put no one or nothing above or before Him in our lives, hearts, and minds.  Why does He want this of us?  It certainly isn't some ego trip on His part - He has no "need" of our allegiance, but He desires it not for His own satisfaction, but for our good.  For our best. He knows that nothing can or will ever, ever, ever fill us up in our souls like Him.  As we put Him first - worship Him, desire Him, seek Him - we are satisfied in our souls.  Why?  Because we were created for this.   Eden was perfect not only because there were no weeds.  Eden was perfect because Adam and Eve walked with God in uninterrupted communion.  Bliss indeed. Before sin entered the picture, Adam and Eve worshiped God freely.  Nothing came between their intimate relationship with God. That's what Jesus came for!  So that sort of closeness to God could be restored!  I can't imagine ...