In Christ Alone

    The other day at church, we sang one of my favorite songs, In Christ Alone. When we sang it, we all stood up in a circle around the emblems. It was one of the most beautiful and powerful moments I have experienced. I cannot begin to explain how beautiful it was. It had me questioning, who am I in Christ, really? What is so precious about the relationship I have with Christ?  I began looking up passages in my bible about who we are/ who I am in Christ. These are some that I found:

• I am loved 1John 3:3
• I am redeemed and forgiven Colossians 1:14
• I am complete in Jesus Christ Colossians 2:10

   The one that stuck out to me the most was Colossians 2:10 " I am complete in Jesus Christ". I don't need anything to fill in the "gaps" of my life. Its very simple. Jesus. It feels like such a Sunday school answer, but it is so legitimate. All I need is Christ. That's it. He washes me clean from all that garbage and filth. This blows my mind that one person would do this for me. But then my thought process goes further. What do I do in return to the immense love that Christ has shown? Do I go telling the whole world about the crazy amount of love that God has given me? No. Do I take this gift he has given me and say thank you? Not enough. Instead, I think to myself, how wonderful it is that a God like our God would do that for me. And that is it. No shouting till the whole world hears. Nothing. I take this gift, and enjoy it. No thank in return. As much as I would love to say that I do these things, I don't.

But in Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. He gets me through the day. He keeps me safe. He meets my every need.
Who am I in Christ? I am loved my God. He bore the pain and suffering on the cross because of my sin. I am so thankful, for what he did for me.

   

God is Love

I was reading 1 John 4 this week at Crow and I was amazed that I had never caught the simple phrase "God is love". So simple but so infinite. This made me think of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. The passage on love. So I read it but I switched the word love to God and I found it so powerful. I am in awe. God is such a wonderful and magnificent God.

God is patient, God is kind.

He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud.

He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs.

He does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. 

He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

God never fails.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in him". 1 John 4:16

This the Power of the Cross

This is a new song that I learned at Ross Haven Bible Camp this summer. I find that this song is such a reminder of what Jesus did for us on that cross. Its so so easy to forget the immense love and sacrifice that poured out.

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Thankfulness

Thankfulness. A word which is means the "act of giving thanks". In the dictionary, it says after this statement, "especially to God". So people know that it is very important to give thanks to God. Then why don't we give thanks to him on a regular basis?
As Christians, we should be shouting out his name to lost. This is how we give thanks to him. Not only by giving him thanks through praise and worship, but through action. We should being giving to to him in return. 
1 Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

My Own Personal God

God is our own personal God. We experience him differently than other people do. I find it frustrating when I have a God moment or see so much of God and cannot explain to people good enough for them to understand. Its like our own love language with God. God is just so awesome, so powerful. He is so gracious and shows me how great of a God he is.
I have always been told the attributes of God, but for the first time in my life, I have been experiencing him as my very own. Ahh, man I can't even explain how I am thinking and feeling right now. This year at Carmel, I have had my eyes opened. Before it was always a "Why oh God". I never saw God. But now, I am seeing glimpses of him.
I see my God through people mostly. I am a people observer. I watch people in how there interact. So when I observe someone over a long period of time, I just am amazed in the growth of the person. When I go to the Mustard Seed, there are regulars that come twice a month. So I see them pretty regularly. So its nice because I feel like I have a connection and a relationship with them. I am there to help the people, but I feel as if they are helping me. So in a sense its a win win. I just cannot believe I had been blind for 17 years. God is here in this city working in the lives of the community. I amazes that I wasn't able to see it before. How great is our God.

Why Oh God?

I feel so alone in this despicable world
I feel as if you have left me to live this awful life alone
I constantly seek you and do not find
Am I doing something wrong?
Have I done evil in your sight, that you have decided that I deserve to live this awful life along?
Why Oh God do I feel this way?
I know you have not left me alone
But I feel as if you are hiding
You said seek and you will find
I read your word day after day, I seek after you, but I do not find
I pray to you, whom I have faith
But still I do not see you
Am I blind oh God? Have you really been in my central vision this whole time?
Am I too blind to see your glory?
Why Oh God do I feel as if I am hyperopic?
I see you far away working in the lives of my peers
But I do not see you here with me
Why Oh God?

“Wake up, you sleepy head!”
You then smack me on the head and my eyes are opened
I feel some relief knowing that you have not left me
You have been here with me in my central vision this whole time
You stood by my side even when I felt you were distant
You are my magnifying glass
You make objects clearer the closer look into the magnifying glass
The farther away I am from you, the more distant you look and feel
But you have revealed to me clarity that I may see you magnificence
Why Oh God are you so good to me?

That's My King Dr. S.M. Lockridge - [OFFICIAL]