You Can Have A Song In Your Heart

Ephesians 5:19  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

I’m glad God likes gospel music. I’m pretty sure the Apostle Paul had no clue that 21st Century Christians would make melody in their hearts to the lord from hundreds of hymns and spiritual songs stuffed inside a hand-held metal container. My Ipod goes where I go and is always playing gospel music in the car.

The following lyrics to a song we sang many years ago  explains how precious The Lord’s music is to me. Maybe you remember this song penned by Ira Stanphill..

You can have a melody down in your heart, when it's aching, almost breaking 
Even though the sorrow makes the teardrop start, you can have a melody down in your heart. 

You can have a song in your heart in the  night, ---After every trial, after every mile 
Anyone can sing when the sun's shining bright ---But you need a song in your heart at night. 

My Rock, My Fortress, My Deliverer

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

None of us know what we will face in the years of our lives, but believers can know that God in Heaven will give us strength to pass through trials and battles. The longer I serve my Lord and Savior, the more Psalm 18:2 means to me. I memorized it.

Twenty years ago concern crossed the face of the  oncologist as she read my pathology report ------ fast moving metastatic breast cancer cells. “All we can do is give you everything we have to offer,” she said. It seemed my life was dangling at the end of a rope.

But  Jesus ----my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer ----gave me peace and assurance through it all.  A few years later my oncologist told me I was in a 15% survival rate for my kind of cancer.

I know I've written about this time and again, but I can't help but praise God for that victory.

To Understand The Will Of God

Ephesians 5:15-17  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, [16] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. [17] Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is .

You and I have been given a short window of time to live in this world. We need to make the most of every opportunity we are given to serve the Lord and understand His will.

I hope our calendars and smartphones don’t steal our pray time and worship time and Bible reading time. Understanding the will of the Lord comes from study and meditating on God’s Word. We have to make it a priority on our daily schedule.

The infallible, inspired Word of God is food for the soul. It exposes us to the very mind of God, so we must read it often to know its Author intimately. The Holy Spirit will help us understand its message.

I find  peace, hope, help and strength as I read the precious Word.

How To Behave Like Christians

Ephesians 4:1-3  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

When the apostle Paul uses the word “therefore” he’s reminding us about the doctrine he just wrote. He shifts from doctrine to duty --- from what we believe to how to behave. The Lord gives us the Holy Spirit to help us behave right.

Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is that of being our “Comfort”.  He comes alongside the saints of God like a trusted Friend to offer encouragement, guidance, consolation, instruction, teaching, and exhortation among others things ---- so that we walk worthy of our calling.

The Holy Spirit also helps us to grow, to make us more like Jesus Christ, to challenge us to reach our fullest potential in the Lord. Our attitude is important. The Spirit of God helps us with  lowliness and meekness,  longsuffering and forbearing one another in love. That’s important. I really need help with that.

Jesus Saves

2 Timothy 1:9-10  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

If you are a born-again Christian you are saved from the wrath of God. His salvation is precious because it’s complete, perfect and eternal. It delivers the soul and changes the life. Praise God!

Salvation is a holy calling. It has nothing to do with who we are or what we’ve done. We are saved by grace --- the unmerited favor of God. It was His grace that sought us, called us, saved us, keeps us, and will take us home to glory to live forever with Him.

Satan was rendered ineffective when Jesus died at Calvary and rose from the grave, victoriously overcoming the sting of death. Because He lives forever, believers will live forever.

These are the great gifts of Jesus to those who trust Him by faith for the salvation of their souls.

Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Revival

Psalm 85:6-10 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?  Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.  I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. 

Sometimes, for various reasons, we  lose our spiritual passion for the Lord and need to be revived. The best evangelist in the world can’t make us experience true revival.

Revival comes when we open our hearts daily to God’s word, not nibbling it here and there or now and then, but by prayerful study and meditation. First, we will need to lay any sin garbage at the feet of Jesus and repent. A thorough cleansing is necessary for revival.

To have revival, we must want revival, want it so much that we  pray and pray and pray. As we wait for the answer, take care not to slip back into worldly folly.

When saints are revived, the Spirit of God calls sinners to salvation and that involves mercy and truth and righteousness and peace. Genuine revival makes us rejoice, and it should overflow into church, the community, the state, and our nation. Praise God and lift up the name of Jesus!

Reach Out To Jesus

Mark 5:30,33-34 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? . . . .  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. [34] And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

The woman with an issue of blood receives healing when she reaches out to Jesus, touching  the hem of His garment. Jesus said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.”

When we bring our burden to Jesus, our faith is so small. We don’t understand the deep things of the Word of God --- the  nuances of theology. But, when our little faith reaches out to Him, He responds by giving us everything Heaven has. That’s when we begin the exciting journey of learning  about our riches in Jesus.