Cling to the cross
And trust its might power.
Remember what He did for you
In every minute, hour.
Focus on Him
And keep your eyes above.
Let earthly cares now fall away,
And drink His cup of love.
Take up your cross;
With grace your burdens bear.
Let not your cross bring bitterness —
Have hope, and don’t despair.
Carry your cross,
And one day there will be
A glorious crown, a shining light;
Make love your destiny.
It’s really not your fault –
Perhaps my fated cross.
Some days I live in clinging fog;
I swim as if in thickest bog.
And yet I see a Light
That keeps me in the fight.
Won’t God His precious promise keep?
He’ll surely make my soul complete.
Poor thinking got me here –
Poor thinking, and much fear.
Must reconstruct my mind;
New truths I need to find.
And here’s were God comes in –
His life must grow within.
His Word I must digest
And of my fear divest.
The past I must let go;
The lies and fears forego.
The resurrection nears –
Let there be joyful tears!
Your broken body,
Your fractured faith,
Your shattered dreams —
To the cross now take.
Your failed friendships,
Your social gaffes,
The misunderstandings —
Under the cross, now past.
The things you wanted,
The things you lost,
All worldly dealings —
Now bring them to the cross.
Let them go and
Let them be.
Just put them down
Under the tree.
Release the burden,
Let go the weight;
Then God, His love
Will demonstrate.
[“When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found
them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you
sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
(Luke 22:45-46)]
As darkness falls,
Do we sleep from grief,
Or weariness –
Discouragement deep?
Or cynicism,
Or harsh derision,
Or is our sleep
Another kind?
Brought on by drugs,
Or too much wine?
From entertainment,
TV time?
Or trying to end
Our emptiness
With false romance
Or casual sex?
No matter why
We’re sleeping now,
Must ask for grace
To wake somehow –
To take up cross,
Accept all loss
Of worldly glory –
Must tell the story
Of Jesus’ love,
His always-love.
Let grace come in,
Fill souls within.
Our peace receive,
And let grief sleep.
What is the beauty within you?
That God-made, deep inside,
Don’t-need-to-hide beauty?
What are your dreams and schemes,
The bright sunbeams,
The things that keep you going?
Has life beat you up?
Do you want to give up?
Can you try to look up?
Feel ugly inside?
Are you trying to hide?
Will you give God a chance?
Will you let Him romance
Your soul?
He wants to enfold you,
He’s not trying to scold you,
He’s waiting right now for you.
Just open the door,
Come in from the cold,
So your heart can behold
The One who adores you,
His heart broken for you,
He died on the cross for you.
When all seems dark,
When evil seems to reign,
Take up your cross,
And look at Christ again.
When clouds oppress,
And gather in a storm,
Yield all to Christ,
And let His Spirit form.
Forget the strife,
And let Him calm the storm.
Let Him give life;
To Him your thoughts conform.
I’m dancin’ again!
Through the pain,
And through the tears,
I’m dancin’ again.
Because the dead are raised to life,
And peace will come through fearful strife,
Because the wrong will come to right —
I’m dancin’ again.
Because my heart,
Though so confused,
Is slowly, gently being infused
With grace, and truth, and light.
Because the pain is for my good,
Because He’s always understood,
Because with God I really could —
Learn to dance again.
Because the cross will cure my sin,
Because He’ll bring me peace within,
The peace that silences the din —
I’ll dance again!
When darkness falls,
Light hides His face,
It’s then you must
Lean on His grace.
Deny the lies
That come your way
Upon His cross
Your eyes must stay.
Rejoice that He
Has let you weep.
For suf’ring shows
His love so deep.
And should the sun
Break through the clouds,
A greater joy
He will allow.
CRUCIFIX
Lord, I know You rose from the dead;
You live in glory with Your Father.
But down here it seems
We haven’t heard the news
We’re still fussing and fighting
Darkness seems so enticing
We’re still bleeding down here
Won’t You please come near?
And He did
And He does
And He will
I know You overcame sin
And Your victory is sure
You triumphed over death
Our bonds you have broken
But we’re weak and afraid
Our messy beds we have made
Still thinking false thoughts
And the lies we have bought
We get stuck in our ruts
Wander far from Your ways
We’re still bleeding down here
Won’t You please come near?
And He did
And He does
And He will
I will look to Your cross
Where my soul You have bought
I will lift up my eyes
Keep my eyes on the prize
I will lift up Your name
Trust in You all the same
Though I still bleed sometimes
I have You by my side
And He loves
And He gives
And He walks beside us
January 10, 2013
Selfless Love
Jesus, Mary and Joseph are amazing examples of selfless love Even in the midst of great joy, grief, pain, or challenges, they thought of the welfare of others.
Mary, upon learning that she would conceive Jesus the Messiah, the son of God, went off to help her cousin Elizabeth, who was also with child, though further along in her pregnancy. At the wedding in Cana, Mary thought of the distress of a married couple running out of wine. Mary also stood at the cross of Jesus when many had deserted Him.
We never hear Joseph, Mary’s husband, speak a word in the Bible. But his actions speak loudly. Like his namesake in the Old Testament, he was a dreamer, and as far as we know, he always obeyed God’s leading, which often came through dreams. No matter the embarrassment (of Mary’s pregnancy), or inconvenience (having to travel long distances or pull up roots), he obeyed God and fulfilled his role as protector of Mary and Jesus.
Jesus, when he heard of his cousin John the Baptist’s beheading, went off to grieve privately, but when the crowds discovered His location, he had compassion on them and healed their diseases. Later that day, he multiplied loaves and fishes to feed the crowd. How often in our grief do we want to just curl up in a ball and pull the covers over our head?
While Jesus suffered excruciating pain on the cross, he still thought of us. He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
When we have a vision of how God wants us to cooperate in His plan, we, too, can be selfless, through His grace!
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