Jesus Bled So We Could Belong

It seems I hear the Lord clearly saying to me, "I chose to bleed for you so you could choose to belong to Me."

I've heard it said that the words "bleed" and "bless" come from the same root word. Surely when our Savior "bled" to death at Calvary, it was to "bless" us with Life.

One of my partners in ministry, Pastor Joseph, sent me this old hymn in a YouTube link. I believe as we listen we will remember His bleeding and it will make us more aware of His blessing.

 Click here: The Collingsworth Family - At Calvary - YouTube

Mercy There (at Calvary) was Great and Grace was Free...
Grateful

Whose Am i?

Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, Whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves.
-- 1 Corinthians 6:19 (GWT)

Lord, i want to go beyond being Your follower. i want to be Your sanctuary. i truly believe that You desire for me to go past merely imitating You in everything i do, to ever-increasing intimacy with You. More than impressing You, You want to possess me. Let it happen.

Whose am i? i am Exclusively God's! Yes, i am, I Am's! And... i am...
Grateful

Whose Are You?

Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord.
-- From Philippians 3:1 (CEV)

Click here: Larnelle Harris Live - I Can Be Glad - YouTube

These seven words from 2 Timothy 2:19. encourage my soul:
The Lord knows those who are His...

I am not my own. I belong to Christ!
Grateful

If You Want To Boast?

(17) As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” (18) When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.
-- 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (NLT)

Lord, I am not my own. I belong to You!
Grateful

Do You Still Belong To Yourself?

The biography of the life of Oswald Chambers is titled Abandoned to God. What a declaration to live by!

Oswald Chambers often used words like this in his preaching and teaching to define his own life and to challenge others concerning their lives: I have given up my right to my own life, to God.

Have I, have you, done that yet?

When we Abandon to God, God purifies our hearts by faith. We are then among God's sanctified, God's saints. A saint is simply and profoundly one who can say from a totally surrendered life-stance, I have abandoned totally to God. I am not my own at all. I belong exclusively to my God.

Have you asked Father God for the purifying, indwelling Gift of His Holy Spirit? Have you abandoned to God? Have you given up your right to your own life to God? Do you belong to God or do you still belong to yourself?

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself...
-- 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

Will you be crucified with Christ? Will you embrace His Cross with Him and release your life to Him?

Click here: - Crucified with Christ/Embrace The Cross/Steve Green

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

John Wesley's Good Friday Message In 1790

John Wesley wrote this in his journal about the place he preached and the passage he preached on Good Friday in 1790:

"I preached in a new House that would in nowise (couldn't possibly) contain the congregation; but I preached to as many as it would contain on 1 Corinthians 6:19."

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own... (NIV)

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself... (NLT)

Lord, on this day, we remember that You surely surrendered Your all for all of us. Yes, You gave up everything for everyone who would look to You and live forever. Lord, I am not my own. I belong to You, Christ. Let The Holy Spirit indwell my body, Your temple, today and tomorrow, and for forever. Amen.

Click here: YouTube - Thank You for the Cross

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful

I Belong Between The Bread & The Blood

We have now entered that season between Christmas and Easter.

During the Holy Days of the Christmas season, it slowly but surely struck me that Bethlehem is called The House of Bread and Calvary is all about The Blood.

As we live between The Bread and The Blood, let us be in constant Communion with The One Who was born as our Baby King. Yes, and let us be intentional about an ever-increasing intimate relationship with Immanuel, The Lamb Who was once (and for all-time) slain for our sins (but is now Alive forevermore!)

Soon enough we will find ourselves in that celebration season between His glorious Resurrection and His powerful Ascension with the remarkable reality of Pentecost on the horizon.

Lord Jesus, during every season leading up to my faith finally becoming sight -- on that Day when You return for me -- I want to belong to You, and never betray You! I belong between The Bread and The Blood. Amen!

Click link below for Kathryn Scott's song "I Belong":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg9TchaiOck&feature=related

(23b) The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, (24) and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (25)In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (26) For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. (27) Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. (28) A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. (29) For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. -- 1 Corinthians 18:23b-29 (NIV)

Lord, from Your first cry in Bethlehem's Manger to Your final cry on Calvary's Cross, You have given to me everything necessary to succeed spiritually in every season of life and death! You are so Faithful. Find me ever so...

...Grateful (for Bethlehem's Bread and Calvary's Blood!)

Wholly His

The most passionate desire of God's heart of hearts is not to see us as holy heroes -- doing everything for Him, but as wholly His --being everything to Him.

Isaiah 43:1 (NLT) -- ...the LORD who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine."

2 Timothy 2:19 (NLT) -- But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are His," and "Those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness."

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

One Quarterback's Message

The University of Florida Gators' football team has a quarterback named Tim Tebow. Recently, after overcoming an injury and returning to the field of play where he led his team to a hard-fought victory over Louisiana State University, I noticed this "Scripture reference message" written clearly in the "football war paint" under Tim Tebow's eyes: 1 Thess. 5:18.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) says: No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

What an awesome attitude, whether playing a game or living a life.

ALL JOY!
Grateful

We Don't Belong to Darkness

1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 (NLT) (5) For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. (6) So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober.

ALL JOY!
Grateful

Are You Weak? He is Strong!

I've come to realize that whatever spiritual independence is, it is not strength. In fact, I know that spiritual independence is in reality weakness in denial. We must not deny that we need God and each other. We especially need God.

Spiritual independence is the entry way to spiritual suicide. Spiritual Independence properly defined is self-centered ego, yes, the very essence of sin. And Romans 6:23 (NKJV) warns us with these 6 words: ...the wages of sin (spiritual independence) is death.

Actually, the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:3 might be properly paraphrased like this: Blessed are (the poor in spirit) those who admit they are spiritually dependent upon the Lord.

2 Corinthians 12:10 (NLT) ends with this declaration of spiritual dependency on God: For when I am weak, then I am strong. In other words, if I declare rather than deny that I am weak, I confess spiritual dependence on God and His strength becomes mine.

The "Jesus Loves Me" children's song says it best:
Little ones to Him belong; they are weak but HE is strong!

And another songwriter said it this way: His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.

Good news! Are You Weak? He is Strong!
In 7 words? Turn from sin. Turn to Him. Totally.

ALL JOY!
Grateful

The Lord Hears. The Lord Knows.

If you belong to the Lord, I invite you to inhale within the depths of your soul and embrace with all of your life these two verses:

* Psalm 34:17 (NLT)
"The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles."

* 2 Timothy 2:19 (NLT)
"But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and 'Those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness.'"

Together, let's pray and obey Psalm 34:17 and 2 Timothy 2:19. The keyword for me in both verses is the word HIS.

And let us never forget that Our Lord Hears and Our Lord Knows.

ALL JOY!
Grateful