Category: My Journey

No love is greater than giving one’s life for a friend. Jesus said this and by His giving of Himself on the cross, lived this. We also ought to love one another as much as we love ourselves.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

(1 John 4:11-13)

To love one another, we ought to forgive one another. True love is forgiving. When others wrong us, the spirit within us, God’s spirit, leads us to show mercy on others, not because they deserve it, but because it is within us not to hold them guilty for their sins.

God has forgiven us of all our sins. If we repented and gave our hearts to Him, He no longer holds anything against us. He did this because He loves us and does not want anyone to perish. In so doing, He shares His joy with us through the Holy Spirit, who comforts us.

Be joyful, for as God has forgiven us, we ought to forgive others. By this, others will know God is living in us and us in Him; and we have hope. That hope will never fade, for God’s love never fades.

Beloved, love one another.

I will sing praise to the Lord my God. He knew me in my mother’s womb, nurtured me, taught me His ways and raised me to speak His heart. I will take refuge in Him, for I know He will deliver me from all my trials.

“I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.”

(Psalms 7:17)

Though the earth closes its clefts around me; though the water seeps above my chin; though the light of day diminishes into night, my God will never forsake me. He will restore my soul and save me from the hands of the grave.

God knows when I am hungry and will feed me. He knows when I am thirsty and will give me drink. He knows when I fall asleep and when I awaken from my slumber. He knows all things and will not leave me to the lions, but will chastise the wild beasts, for I am His son.

I will sing praise to the Lord my God, for He is good. I will give thanks for all His gracious deeds. His loving kindness is beyond measure. His power sustains all things. Sing praise to the Lord our God.

Great is the Lord in all His majesty; His works fill the earth and there is no end to his glory. How great is our God that He should consider us heirs to all He has?

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

(Psalms 145:1-3)

Great is the Lord, for He forgives us of all our sins. He sacrificed His son Jesus so that we would have salvation; because of His forgiveness, we are at one with Him. No longer does sin bind us, but we are free.

Great is the Lord, for His mercy never fails. As many times as we fall, He is there to raise us to our feet. His patience for us endures forever and His grace upon our lives is from everlasting to everlasting.

Great is the Lord, for His love is as the stars; for as deep is the ocean and as high is the sky, His love for us will never depart. He will fill our heart with His spirit so that we will want to love Him as much as He loves us.

O how great is the Lord, for He is good!

Bless the Lord always, give him honor and glory in all of creation. He defends the weak, provides to those who do not have and strengthens the righteous. There is no one like our God, for He is merciful and will heal us of our infirmities.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases.

Psalms (103:1-3)

We have absolute joy serving the Lord of Hosts. He has given us hope for a future with no suffering. He has given us His Son to pay for our sins, to suffer on the cross meant for us. Bless the Lord, for He is good. His grace abounds forever.

O how great is our God. We shall not feel defeat with the Lord as our bulwark. He hastens the demise of our enemies, raises the faint of heart to be shepherds and blows the trumpet to foil the evil one. Great is our God, perfect and just in all His judgments, and righteous in all His ways.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, for He is good.

God’s pleasure is caring for His sheep. He does this by the Holy Spirit, which He has given to all His children in order that we may live. Through His nurturing spirit, He restores our soul.

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

(Psalms 23:3-4)

No trial is too great and no tribulation is too strong that it would hold back God’s hand from our lives. His love for us is greater. Things can change in a moment; therefore, brothers and sisters, let God’s love flow through us as a testimony to those who are lost.

God will never abandon us. He will never forsake us. Our joy comes from knowing we have His love to comfort us. He will replenish the light in our eyes and apportion strength to our bones so that we can overcome daily the ruthless attacks delivered by the evil one.

The Lord God is our hope and our salvation. Through His Son Jesus, we have life. His mercy never fails.

All glory belongs to our God. Praise Him from the mountains. Praise Him from the hills. Praise Him from the countryside. Praise Him from the ocean. Bless Him and praise Him always. His love endures forever.

God restores our soul!

Jesus commanded us not to be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Today’s trouble is enough for our mind to resolve, for God will provide us with the strength to overcome whatever ails us. Daily we are to look to God for guidance.

“Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34)

We should not worry about the coming days. We should meditate on the present moment as if it were our last. Whatever may be stealing our thoughts is seldom important. Whatever we need is seldom in our thoughts.

If we come to rely on God for all things, He will provide for our needs. We ought not to worry, as worrying brings anxiety. What is anxiety? To fear is to be anxious and not trust God. Trust God and he will relieve the anxiety.

During these troubled days, we have even more reason to give of our hearts to the Lord our God. He promised to look after us and provide for us. There should be no doubt of His awesome and majestic power.

If God could create the universe and everything in it, is our trouble greater that even He could not solve it?

God is beyond the impossible. Do not be anxious.

Trust in the Lord in all you do, and He will bless you without restraint. His goodness is great, His mercy is sure, and He will give you of His abundance so that you can live according to His will.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.

(Proverbs 3:5-8)

The Lord is good in all of His ways. He discerns the spirit, gives to the humble and calls the lost into the fold. He gives wisdom to His shepherds and His judgments are righteous. All good things come from the Lord.

Give heed to the Lord’s wonderful spirit. Trust in all that He does. He will look after us. He will take care of us. There is no need to worry with the Lord on our side. He will fight our battles and win.

All glory belongs to the Lord our God. His power is from everlasting to everlasting. Let us give of our hearts to Him and He will richly reward us with joy, peace and grace. No one can come between our God and us, therefore trust in the Lord.

[Note: It is with heartfelt sadness that I announce James Chance of JCSouthwest blog has passed away. For those who have not known him, he was committed to spreading the gospel to the elect, providing the hope to those wanting to draw near to Christ. Please keep his family and the memory of him in your prayers.]