The Lord Bless You and Keep You

Numbers 6:24-26  The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

            One of the joys I have are the quiet mornings with a cup of coffee, finding interesting passages of scriptures and sharing the thoughts from my heart with any who might happen upon them and read them. However, from time to time life interrupts daily routines and such is the case for me right now.

            I will return to writing as soon as possible because I truly enjoy it. But for a week or two, I will leave you with this blessing which comes from the LORD himself to Moses, through his brother Aaron and all the priests, continuing to us today.

The LORD bless you and keep you…

            He is the one, true, Almighty God and our Heavenly Father. We could have no better blessing than to be kept in his providential care.

The LORD make his face shine on you…

            He never turns his back on his faithful ones. He watches over us day and night. There is no place we could be—the highest heights, the lowest depths—that he cannot see us.

…and be gracious to you;

            What better gift of grace could he offer than salvation through the death and resurrection of his only begotten Son? …that whosoever believeth on him might be saved.

The LORD turn his face toward you…

            He does not stray…WE are the ones who stray from him. Yet he turns towards us and calls us back; leading us, guiding us all the way back to him.

…and give you peace.

            As we are told in scripture, there will always be trouble in the world. But our Heavenly Father gives us peace in the midst of any of life’s troubles—the kind of peace that doesn’t always remove the storm but helps us see our way through it—the kind of peace that those without a loving Savior cannot understand or fathom.

            This is my prayer for you while I am temporarily away from daily writing.

 

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            Thank you for your love and your constant watch-care over us. Thank you that you are always only a whispered prayer away; that you hear us; and that you always respond. As part of my personal prayer, I humbly thank you for the ability you have given me to present your message through writing in an interesting way. Thank you for times of refreshing and be with each reader until I return to writing once again.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotional The Lord Bless You and Keep You appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Since I Have Been Redeemed

    Yesterday I shared with you one of my favorite hymns, “Redeemed”. Today I share what I like to consider as its sequel—namely: the next steps; what to do after one has been redeemed. For a bit of variety, today I will post scripture verses appropriate for each hymnal verse.

Since I Have Been Redeemed  (Edwin O. Excell, 1851-1921)

            I have a song I love to sing, Since I have been redeemed, Of my Redeemer, Savior, King, Since I have been redeemed.

            I have a Christ that satisfies, Since I have been redeemed, To do his will my highest prize, Since I have been redeemed.

            I have a witness bright and clear, Since I have been redeemed, Dispelling every doubt and fear, Since I have been redeemed.

            I have a home prepared for me, Since I have been redeemed, Where I shall dwell eternally, Since I have been redeemed.

            Since I have been redeemed, Since I have been redeemed, I will glory in his name; Since I have been redeemed, I will glory in my Savior’s name.

 

I have a song I love to sing:

Psalm 146:2  I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

To do his will my highest prize:

1 John 2:17  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

John 6:40  For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

I have a witness bright and clear:

Colossians 4:3-4  And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

I have a home prepared for me, where I will dwell eternally:

John 14:1-3  Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            Once again we thank you for the faithful generations who put words and music together to provide us with a clear message of your desire for our daily lives. First that we would be redeemed—and how humbly thankful we are for the sacrifice of your only begotten Son that makes redemption possible. We also thank you for guidance from scriptures—your written word—to praise you, to do your will, and to be a witness to others. Thank you for the promise of Christ’s return at which time we will enter your blessed Kingdom for eternity. Forgive our failures and shortcomings. May we be found faithful.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotional Since I Have Been Redeemed appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Redeemed

Psalm 9:1-2 I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 13:5-6 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 42:8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

            Music has always been a large part of my life. My earliest childhood memories include hearing my Mom sing hymns throughout the day. Our family faced many challenges throughout the years, but hymns were important for they brought encouragement and comfort no matter what situations we faced. The repetitious choruses of today may have their place in worship, but in my humble opinion, nothing can compare with the calming melodies and stirring words of our older traditional hymns. Sadly, they are becoming extinct in most churches. Today, I will simply let the words of one of my favorite hymns speak for itself. May it bring you encouragement and joy.

Redeemed (Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915)

            Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed thro’ his infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.

            Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus, No language my rapture can tell, I know that the light of his presence With me doth continually dwell.

            I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of him all the day long; I sing, for I cannot be silent, His love is the theme of my song.

            I know I shall see in his beauty, The King in whose law I delight, Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps, And giveth me songs in the night.

            Redeemed, redeemed, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Redeemed, Redeemed, His child and forever I am.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            Thank you for the wonderful generations who put into writing and added music to create such wonderful reminders of your love. Thank you for the songs in my mother’s heart that were passed on to me. Although I miss her dearly, I will always have the memory of music to share.

            Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your redeeming love. Thank you for songs in the night.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotional Redeemed appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

 

Whiter Than Snow

Isaiah 1:18  Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Isaiah 43:25  I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Isaiah 44:22  I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.

            What a wonderful comfort to know that when we mess up our Heavenly Father already knows every detail; we never have to hide or cover up our mistakes. Even greater than this, as soon as we ask His forgiveness, it is forgiven completely and not a trace is left. Human nature is to dwell on past mistakes, blunders, errors, and sins…but that is not God’s nature. God’s nature is forgiveness—total, complete forgiveness.

            There are those whose minds are so wrapped around the past that they wonder how God could ever forgive them. The truth is God made a wonderful world—one that was “good” in every respect and detail. Even then he knew man’s freedom to choose would one day corrupt and taint that beautiful creation. Even then, he planned a way for salvation for any who would call upon his name. That plan was the sacrifice of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection brought a pathway for salvation to all humankind.

            No matter what currently tarnishes or mars your life today—anything from an obvious sin to a poor or negative attitude—Christ died so that your sins might be totally forgiven. Call upon his Name and your life, too, can be washed whiter than snow.

Whiter Than Snow  (James Nicholson, c. 1828-1896)

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; I want thee forever to live in my soul; Break down every idol, cast out every foe; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from they throne in the skies, And help me to make a complete sacrifice; I give up myself, and whatever I know, Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat, I wait, blessed Lord, at thy crucified feet; By faith, for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow, Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord, Jesus, thou see-est I patiently wait, Come now, and within me a new heart create; To those who have sought thee, thou never saidst No, Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow, Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            What an amazing God you are; we stand in awe. You created a wonderful world and inhabited it with people. You gave them the ability to choose to serve you even though giving humans a choice meant that you would also need to create a rescue plan. How humbled we are knowing that the only perfect plan for salvation came at the cost of your only Son. You already know our sins and shortcomings, not a single one is hidden from you. We bring them now and leave them at the feet of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask forgiveness; we ask to have our sin-stained hearts washed whiter than snow.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotional Whiter Than Snow appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com