To Pardon And Sanctify Me

This verse from the old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross, offers powerful hope for our earthly lives and for our eternal souls:

In the old rugged Cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For the dear Lamb of God, left his Glory above,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Jesus died to pardon our sins -- our acts and deeds of rebellion -- and to purify our Sin -- our attitudes and dispositions of rebellion.

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
-- 1 John 1:9 (NLT)

Lord, thanks for saving and for sanctifying me.
Grateful

Your Sins Have Deprived You!

Your sins have deprived you of My bounty.
-- From Jeremiah 5:25 (NET)

Lord forbid that we would choose to embrace our sinful rebellion and in so doing forfeit Your holy blessings. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Click here: It Is Well With My Soul - YouTube

"My sin not in part, but the whole...
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O, my soul!"

Deo Volente -- Whatever God Wants!
Grateful

Come Back... Stop Sinning.

(33) Don’t let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people. (34) Come back to the right point of view, and stop sinning. Some people don’t know anything about God. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
-- 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 (GWT)

Let's Shout to the Lord in Holy Worship.
Let's not shake our fists in His face in sinful rebellion.

Click here: Darlene Zschech - Shout to the Lord - YouTube

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

Snatching Them From The Door of Death

17 Some were fools; they rebelled
and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out His word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about His glorious acts.
-- Psalm 107:17-22 (NLT)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

God-Breathed

Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
-- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (The Message)

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful

Make Us One

If you rebel against the Lord today, He will be angry with all of us tomorrow.-- Joshua 22:18b (NLT)

God you demand and deserve a holy people. Help us as a whole community to totally turn from rebellion against you to true relationship with you. Lead us one-by-one from sinning to worshipping and make us one in Your Spirit, yes, one in You Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click here: YouTube - PHIL DRISCOLL - MAKE US ONE

I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as you are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.
-- Prayer of Jesus in John 17:21 (NLT)

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful

Confession Breeds Connection

Could it be that the reason we too often feel disconnected from God is that we too often disregard the simple and profound truth that confession breeds connection?

(3) Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. (4) And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, (5) we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. (6) Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land..."
-- Daniel 9:3-6 (NKJV)

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

Encouraging Others to Sin?

1 Corinthians 8:12 (NLT) --And you are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong.

What a sobering thought, heh?

Lord, forbid that we would sin against You and others by encouraging others to go against their own consciences, coaxing them to choose wrong rebellion over what they believe to be right relationship with You. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Returning Home

Repentance is more than being remorseful for our rebellion.
Repentance goes beyond just being sorrowful for our sins.
Repentance is only made complete by returning home.

I believe the greatest piece of literature ever penned is the story Jesus told in Luke 15 about a son lost in rebeliion, a son lost in religion, and their loving, relational father.

In the passionate story, the rebellious son was obviously remorseful for his rebellion but that was not equal to complete repentance. Yes, he was sorrowful for his sins but he was still lost in the filth of the pig pen. His repentance was only nearing completion when he turned his back on his sinning and began walking in the light towards His Father's House and a new beginning. The Prodigal Son went from being totally lost to being totally found by returning home.

Lord, indeed, we must be sorry for our sins, but we must also go beyond our sorrow and leave the sin-pig-pen for the Father's House. Find us returning home where Your embrace of Holiness waits to warmly welcome us in from the frigid far-country of sinning... for forever and today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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