Keeping our eyes in right place

I woke up this morning with a song in my heart and as I began to sing it, I realized I didn't know all the words, but I knew the main refrain. The section of the song reminds me to look to Jesus for all things. In the world we search for meaning in our relationships, friendships, children, but the real meaning comes when we are able to look towards heaven to see Jesus. He is our only way and hope, without Him we seek to destroy ourselves, we are lost in depression and hopelessness, but with Him, He is our hope, our love and our everything. We can't truly love until we truly learn what it is to be truly loved, without condition without any of it. Jesus teach us that by dying on the cross for our sins, not just for my sins, but for all of our sins. Can you imagine loving someone so much you are willing to die for them?

The song that was placed on my heart is: 

"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"

O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Saviour,
And life more abundant and free:

[Chorus:]
Turn you eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conqu'rors we are!

[Chorus]

His word shall not fail you He promised;
Believe Him and all will be well.
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

[Chorus]

Today is about looking to Jesus for all our needs (not our wants, but needs). The more we focus on Him, the less we focus on what we want. More of Him, less of our difficulties our anxieties, worries, doubts, fears. He is the way the truth and the light. That is why the "Truth" will set us free. 

Have a wonderful day. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, because as the song states, the things of the earth will fade.

Decided

This week I have been battling to fall asleep and I realize that there are many reasons to why I am unable to sleep, but each time a song comes to mind and or is laid on my heart and I begin to sing it. It is funny, because some of the songs I have not heard for many years. I have done this on several occasions and I have looked up the song on Youtube and listened to it, there are many versions out there and I will listen to them waiting to find the one that I want to hear.

The one that struck me the other night was "I have decided to follow Jesus". As I looked up the song, I found that there was a story that went with it. The song lyrics are:

1. I have decided to follow Jesus,
   I have decided to follow Jesus,
   I have decided to follow Jesus--
   No turning back, no turning back.
2. The world behind me, the cross before me,
   The world behind me, the cross before me,
   The world behind me, the cross before me--
   No turning back, no turning back.
3. Though none go with me, I still will follow,
   Though none go with me, I still will follow,
   Though none go with me, I still will follow,
   no turning back, no turning back.
4. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?--
   No turning back, no turning back.

The story went like this:

About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales, England. As a result of this, many missionaries came from England and Germany to North-East India to spread the Gospel. At the time, north-east India was not divided into many states as it is today. The region was known as Assam and comprised hundreds of tribes. The tribal communities were quite primitive and aggressive by nature. The tribals were also called head-hunters because of a social custom which required the male members of the community to collect as many heads as possible. A man’s strength and ability to protect his wife was assessed by the number of heads he had collected. Therefore, a youth of marriageable age would try and collect as many heads as possible and hang them on the walls of his house. The more heads a man had, the more eligible he was considered. Into this hostile and aggressive community, came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace and hope of Jesus Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomed. One Welsh missionary succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children. This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity. Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man instantly composed a song which became famous down the years. He sang:

"I have decided to follow Jesus. (3 times)No turning back, no turning back."

Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”

But the man sang these words in reply:

"Though no one joins me, still I will follow. (3 times) No turning back, no turning back."

The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down. In a moment she joined her two children in death. Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.”

In the face of death the man sang the final memorable lines:

"The cross before me, the world behind me. (3 times)No turning back, no turning back."

He was shot dead like the rest of his family. But with their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man. He wondered, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some supernatural power behind the family, and I too want that supernatural power.”

In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.
The man chose to follow Jesus, it cost him everything, his wife and his kids, but still he followed. I look at myself and realize so much just by that hymn. I may have lost what I had desired, but our hearts desire must first be for God and when we put God first in all we want, our hearts desires become for Him, for what He wants for us, yes it takes time and waiting, but the wait only teaches us so much more. Are you willing to wait on God and sink your roots into Him. What will it cost us?

Slow Down

Isn't it time to slow down, take in the sunset, or even the sunrise. See the beauty that has been given to us, that we are missing with our fast paced lives. We are rushing from point A to point B and then C, D, E, F, back to B to G and that is all in one day. Today instead of rushing, see the beauty that has been created for us to remember who created us, who is in our lives, who loves us unconditionally, today is that day were you pull to the side of the road to watch that crazy looking cloud pass and realize that it was there for you to marvel at the creation and to show you that you can see more when we take it in. Stop rushing and know that today is that day you need to see.

Every day is about making a new lasting memory, don't be afraid to do that today for you, for your husband or wife, for your kids or the one you are with. Take a moment to see the goodness that was created for you today. Be thankful for the little things, because it is only once in a while a big thing comes our way. Enjoy the little things, for they have been given to you today to marvel at the work of the master artist.

With that I leave you with a song that I have been listening to today:
Matt Maher
"Rise Up"

When you see the road ahead
That you've been down before
When you're halfway to nowhere
And you can't pay the toll

You're hanging onto mercy
Withered on the vine
With your feet on the ground, your head in the clouds
And your heart on the line

Open up your eyes…

You've got to rise up, rise up
When this life has got you down
You've got to look up, look up
When you search and nothing's found
My eyes have seen the glory of the love that's here and now
It's coming down
So rise up now.

When you're told that day is over
Long after the sun goes down
And your mind it keeps on racing
At the dreams that don't come 'round

When you don't know how to surrender
Cause your whole life's been a fight
When the dark holds you and you can't break through
Cause you haven't seen the light.

Open up your eyes…

You've got to rise up, rise up
When this life has got you down
You've got to look up, look up
When you search and nothing's found
My eyes have seen the glory of the love that's here and now
It's coming down
So rise up now.
Yeah rise up now,
Oh rise up now.

And all the lambs roar like lions
And all the prisoners breaking their chains
And all the poor find their treasure
Cause heaven is coming this way.
[x2]

Rise up, rise up
When this life has got you down
You've got to look up, look up
When you search and nothing's found
My eyes have seen the glory of the love that's here and now
It's coming down
So rise up now.
Yeah rise up now,
Oh rise up now.

Human Nature

The more I walk through life, the more I see that we want things that we can't have. Whether it be people or objects, we want them, we try and obtain them, but does it have to continue that way?

Maybe it is time to be thankful for what we have, instead of wanting that extra car, or the other person. Maybe by us learning to appreciate what we have, then we will see that we don't need anything else. I have to wonder if this is true not with just things, but in our homes too. Do you think that if we learn to cherish what we have, that we will no longer long for what we don't have? Maybe by polishing the very thing that we say we love, then the very thing will change from an outward love, into an inward love. We all have wanted more, maybe you didn't want someone else, but we looked at what they had and said oh that would be so nice to have, or if I could just see what it feels like once. OK, maybe no one else has, but I have. I wanted things that I couldn't have and in doing so I took paths I normally would not take.

I look at my wife and I. I met her while I was looking for something more, instead of being thankful for what I had. The same went for her, but in it all we ended up hurting not just ourselves, but the ones we were with at the time. In order to gain what we wanted and did not have. We traveled the path together, but in finding that the path started from destruction until we learned to forgive ourselves we could no longer travel the path together. Yes, I wanted to travel the path with her, but she didn't.

We all have choices to make, we all of places in which we want more. Maybe it is time to appreciate what we have and even if it isn't what we had expected out of life, maybe we should be encouraged we are alive and can live another day to cherish and be thankful for what we have.

I have very little, but what I do have is so much more then some people and I am joyful that I have my life today. May you see that life is not about ourselves, but about others. Cherish, polish and enjoy what you do have, because who knows how long it will last.