As I chart my life’s course
Through hazards and misdirection,
I shall kneel and know You
In the North,
Exalt You and extol You
In the East,
Submit to You and serve You
In the South,
Witness to You and worship You
In the West,
Praise You to all points,
And keep You at the centre,
My Lord and compass cornerstone.
Month: August 2014
Quotes on the Love of God
“There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”
― Corrie ten Boom
“God’s definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.”
― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
“The greatest honour we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.”
― Julian of Norwich
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”
― Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
“The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go God’s love for us does not.”
― C.S. Lewis
“God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. ”
― Max Lucado
“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.”
― Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging
“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”
― Thomas Merton
“If you can’t do great things, Mother Teresa used to say, do little things with great love. If you can’t do them with great love, do them with a little love. If you can’t do them with a little love, do them anyway.
Love grows when people serve.”
― John Ortberg, The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You
“The wisdom of God devised a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God while not compromising the righteousness of God.”
― John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather he will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?”
― Mother Teresa
“In the end what matters is not how good we are but how good God is. Not how much we love Him but how much He loves us. And God loves us whoever we are, whatever we’ve done or failed to do, whatever we believe or can’t.”
― Desmond Tutu
“Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy’s fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper a surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy’s flame. Fullness of joy is discovered only in the emptying of will. And I can empty. I can empty because counting His graces has awakened me to how He cherishes me, holds me, passionately values me. I can empty because I am full of His love. I can trust.”
― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
“To some, the image of a pale body glimmering on a dark night whispers of defeat. What good is a God who does not control his Son’s suffering? But another sound can be heard: the shout of a God crying out to human beings, “I LOVE YOU.” Love was compressed for all history in that lonely figure on the cross, who said that he could call down angels at any moment on a rescue mission, but chose not to – because of us. At Calvary, God accepted his own unbreakable terms of justice.
Any discussion of how pain and suffering fit into God’s scheme ultimately leads back to the cross.”
― Philip Yancey
River
The following was written for the Christian Flash Weekly Event #21 on sister blog More Than Dreamt Of.
The following was written for the Christian Flash Weekly Event #21 – please click through to see the winning and other submissions.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Psalm 46:5
River awoke abruptly. Light streamed through the gaps between her drapes, and dazzling patterns danced across the wall as it reflected off her favourite glass ornament.
Her skin felt clammy, and her heart raced. The memory of her dream remained fresh in her mind.
Her mind’s eye held the after-images which replayed themselves in the waking world. She had been lying peacefully on the floor at the centre of the church, her face warmed by the sunlight shining through the windows. Slowly her body lifted upright, and she glided toward the large double doors which revealed the outside world. As she approached, she felt herself begin to separate into two…
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Faith Unlocked’s Friday Haiku #32 – Stand in His Name
In times of trial –
Put on the armour of God
And stand in His Name
#FF @toyboxcharity ‘Follow Friday’ Haiku – Let the Children Play #streetchildren #begenerous
Let the children play –
Every child’s human right
Is to be a child
dedicated to @toyboxcharity http://www.toybox.org.uk/
Submit to Him
For Him who is able
To do immeasurably more
Than all we ask
Or ever dare imagine,
Let us soak our minds
Deep in His word,
Submit to His Spirit
To follow His direction,
Ignite in prayer
To praise and repent,
To intercede and yield,
To pray for transformation
In our minds and our lives,
To ground ourselves within
God’s love, grace and mercy,
To know He has no limits:
No thing too small,
No thing too large;
To seek Him, to hear,
To obey Him, and know
That He is God.
Thursday is Verse Day @FaithUnlocked – Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason
I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you
with power through his Spirit
in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you,
being rooted and established in love,
may have power,
together with all the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge –
that you may be filled to the measure
of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power
that is at work within us,
to him be glory
in the church
and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations,
for ever and ever!
Amen.
– Ephesians 3:14-21
20 Years Apart
A collaboration
Of two men,
Joined by name,
Divided by 20 years;
The older
Regarding the younger,
Not recognising
The man he was;
Lamenting
The man he became;
Still hoping
For the man he is
Yet to be;
Lord, have mercy.
The River
Written following this week’s Daily Post Writing Challenge.
In my dreams, I envision a place
With lush green, steep banks
And the soothing sound of the flow
Of a river
On those banks I see
A great number of trees,
Standing tall to each side
Of the river
The water runs East,
Unerringly to the sea, where
Salt water meets the sweet
Of the river
Fish begin to thrive
Where sweet refreshes salt,
The seas teaming with life
From the river
Fishermen gather there
Casting nets, landing catch,
Bringing in to take home
Back up river
The trees of the banks
Bear fruit of every kind,
To strengthen and nourish;
Their leaves ever green,
To shield and to heal;
Their roots firm and deep,
To secure their foundation;
All fed by the living water,
From the river.
Angel
Angel
Descending,
An army of one,
To do
The Father’s bidding,
No more,
And no less;
Bringing His words,
His blessing,
And purpose and plans;
Ministering,
Protecting,
Commissioning
His people,
To his purpose,
And the glory of God.
Faith Unlocked 