Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

 

 Listen here on my YouTube channel as I read an excerpt from my new devotional, “Greater is He.”  https://a.co/d/9RlkTld

I am so excited to share my new devotional with you!  Draw closer to God in the New Year as you let the love, grace, power, and forgiveness of the real Jesus transform you.   Purchase a copy for yourself and one for someone you love.  Available on Amazon. Click here .

  This is my song based on various Scripture verses about who we are in Christ.  It's fun, upbeat, and will stick with you.  Remember who you are at all times! 

The number one thing I want Christians to understand is this.  There is nothing in us, in and of ourselves, that can pull off the Christian life. Now let's pause right here.   If the "Christian life" means nothing more to you than attending church and trying to be a "good person," you haven't a clue as to what it is truly about. God calls us to be holy. God calls us to love each other. God calls us to live a life worthy of Himself, His calling for us. God calls us to forgive others. God calls us to put Him first above all else (including reputation, money, and family). The question we must face is this: are we able to accomplish any of these things on our own? The answer: no way, no how, not in a billion years.  Maybe outwardly, but not from our own inner selves. So why would Jesus tell us to do what we are not able to do?  We must be able to do these things or He wouldn't have commanded them, right? We truly can only do all of these, and more, through C...

I get it. I get why the Jews rejected Christ as their Messiah. Throughout the Old Testament, God showed up for His people working miracles and wonders on their behalf. To them, when all was well, when life was prosperous, they were blessed by God. Enter Jesus. Jesus wasn’t rich with earthly wealth (the way He blessed the Jews in the Old Covenant). Jesus wasn’t a grand, earthly king. He didn’t fit the picture in the Jews’ minds of what a Messiah should look like, should be, how He should act. Jesus associated with the “unclean,” the Gentiles. Every good Jew knew that only they were God’s chosen people. All others were not God’s people. And that was true in the Old Testament, before Jesus arrived on the scene and opened the door for all to come to know God, to belong to God, to be His people. When the Jews were the only chosen of God, they were special. They were “it” in God’s eyes. So I imagine this poked at their pride a bit when we Gentiles were now considered just as chosen as they. ...

God loves when we come to Him with vulnerability and honesty, when we share our struggles and worries with Him. There is much talk about emotions these days.  It's the flavor of the month among some Christian circles. But... When we take a minute to get our eyes off ourselves, stop promoting our emotions and problems as gods, we can enter in to where God wants us to live: in His glorious Presence.  After all, which is greater - anything we are experiencing, or God Almighty? Lord, I am sad today. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am worried and anxious. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am uncertain about this situation. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am discouraged because You haven't healed the way I've asked You to. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am growing weary waiting for Your deliverance. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am doubting that this circumstance is really for my benefit. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am confused about Your ways and timing. I AM THAT I AM. Lord, I am feeling lost and rejected. I AM THAT I A...