Everything in Jesus, and Jesus Everything!

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 

that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 

I want to know Christ--yes, 

to know the power of His resurrection 

and participation in His sufferings, 

becoming like Him in His death, 

and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. 

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:7-14)

Dear Friend,

I want to share with you today words from a cherished poem/hymn. It reflects many of the topics we've discussed.

Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.
Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost.
Once 'twas ceaseless holding, Now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting, Now my anchor's cast.

Once 'twas busy planning, Now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring, Now He has the care.
Once 'twas what I wanted, Now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking, Now 'tis ceaseless praise.

Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him, Now He uses me.
Once the power I wanted, Now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored, Now for Him alone.

Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He's mine;
Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine.
Once for death I waited, Now His coming hail;
And my hope is anchored, Safe within the veil.

All in all forever, Jesus will I sing!
Everything in Jesus, and Jesus everything!

• What do the "Once" and "Now" statements demonstrate about a walk of faith?
• How do these words demonstrate freedom through surrender?
• What should be our endless pursuit?
• What Scriptures come to mind when you read this poem/song? 
• Which verses stand out to you? Why?

Heavenly Father, we thank You. You have given us Jesus, our All in All. Will You help us to know You more? 

Psalm 119 - 18 - Tsadhe - Perspective

"(Tsadhe) O LORD, You are righteous, 
and Your regulations are fair.
Your laws are perfect 
and completely trustworthy.
I am overwhelmed with indignation, 
for my enemies have disregarded Your words.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested; 
that is why I love them so much.
I am insignificant and despised, 
but I don't forget Your commandments.
Your justice is eternal, 
and Your instructions are perfectly true.
As pressure and stress bear down on me, 
I find joy in Your commands.
Your laws are always right; 
help me to understand them so I may live."
(Psalm 139: 137-144)

Dear friend,

Notes from "Tsadhe": Perspective

Sorrow, stress, testing, rejection, 

pressure, enemies, indignation

The author experienced "real life," just like us. He wasn't isolated from the world. This should give us comfort and perspective. Biblical authors were real people; they lived through good and bad. They persisted in their faith.

In the midst of this author's trials, we see that he clings to the Lord and to His Word.

Here is truth; here is our perspective:

God is righteous; 

His regulations are fair. 

His laws are perfect and completely trustworthy. 

His ways have been tested and proven. 

His justice is eternal 

and His instructions are perfectly true. 

His laws are always right. 

Always.

When life whirls out of control, we can lose perspective. What we see overwhelms us. Our feelings get the best of us. Our thoughts convince us that all hope is lost.

But hope is NOT lost.

God is enthroned. He is good. His ways are right. He is eternal. His justice wins in the end. Our hope is in Him, not in this world. 

When life rages out of control, 

we must choose His way, 

see from His perspective, 

cling to Him.

This is not easy. It is right. This is faith. Faith is perspective. Though we do not see, we know. In our despair, we hope. In our sorrow, we rejoice.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1 NIV--I switched versions because I like this wording better.)

"Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. So please don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Jesus Christ through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:12-21) 

• How is faith exercised more during difficult times?
• When battling emotions, how can we exercise our faith?
• In what way will knowing God's Word help with perspective?

Heavenly Father, We thank You, for in You we have everything we need. Will You help us when we lose perspective? Will You bring Your Word to our minds? Will You strengthen our faith to place our hope in You, even when it seems that all hope is lost? We want to walk in Your ways, to live a faith-filled life, to know You and to love You.

A Call and a Promise 2

""O Sovereign Lord," I said, 

"I can't speak for You! I'm too young!" 

The Lord replied, "Don't say, 'I'm too young,' 

for you must go wherever I send you 

and say whatever I tell you. 

And don't be afraid of the people, 

for I will be with you and protect you. 

I, the Lord, have spoken!" 

Then the Lord reached out 

and touched my mouth and said, 

"Look, I have put My words in your mouth!"" (Jeremiah 1:6-9)

Dear Mrs. Kurtz

I absolutely love the idea that we never have to go alone. God's call is not easy, but He never expects us to use our strength. God gives us the strength to follow. We must say "Yes" to God--no exceptions. God's Word does not leave any room for our will: 

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. 

Resist the devil, 

and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

This verse calls us to "submit" (the scary word) to God. Submitting means complete surrender of ourselves.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; 

do not depend on your own understanding. 

Seek His will in all you do, 

and He will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

God says: seek His will in ALL you do.

Fully submitting to God is difficult to us for two reasons:

1. We live in an uncertain world. We are used to being let down by the people around us, constantly questioning who we can trust. Things change so quickly, especially when you are younger, and we like to cling to what we know. Accepting God's call of complete surrender is scary because it requires letting go of control and putting our trust in Someone we cannot see.

2. We "like" to sin, and we don't like to be wrong. Sin is enticing, and it is human nature to want to push the limits. In our culture, defending our sin is commonplace; we don't like to admit it is wrong. However, following God requires us to let go of our sinful ways and to acknowledge that His way is right and we are wrong.

Dear Friend,

There is a journey of joy for every believer. As we surrender to the Lord, we find that we are freer than we ever thought we were when we were walking in the ways of the world. It's one of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel!

"When He (Jesus) came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come.' He rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently. Then He began to speak to them. 'The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day'." (Luke 4:16-21)

"Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." (John 8:34-36).

Don't you love it?! 

When we surrender to the Lord, we often feel hopelessly out of control. The very word "surrender" sounds restrictive, punitive, and painful. Yet in complete reverse, surrender leads to complete freedom! 

I am so glad that you are saying "Yes" to the Lord! It is scary, but it is good. It is very good!

• When we are called, the best answer we can give is "Yes!". Sometimes, though, people say, "Yes, but...". What are some "but" s that people have?

• When we say "Yes, but" to the Lord, what are we implying about ourselves?

• When we say "Yes, but" to the Lord, what are we implying about Him?

• Can you think of any examples of finding freedom in surrender?

Heavenly Father, we thank You for calling us Your children and not Your slaves. We are free in You, we are loved by You, we are called by You, we are kept in You!