Building 429 - You Carried Me
From the album Iris To Iris
I've been so busy, I missed the reasons
I missed Your love, and I nearly missed it all
Still You've loved me, and You've healed me
You've given all and it brought me to Your cross
I stand only because You've given me grace to walk
Only because
Chorus
You carried me
You carried me
You carried me through it all
And I believe
Yes I believe
You'll carry me all the way home
Cause mercy covers all
Cause mercy covers all
I know the scripture, I've known the songs
I sang the words from my hollowed heart
But You've spoken softly through the storm
I've heard Your voice and I've felt the calm
I stand only because You've given me faith to walk
Only because
Chorus
I know that you love me
I'll never doubt it I can't live without it
Your mercy has found me
I am astounded, I can't live without it
You carried me
You carried me
You carried me through it all
You carried me
You carried me
And I believe
Yes I believe
You'll carry me all the way home
Cause mercy covers all
Mercy covers all
And I believe
Yeah, and I believe
Yeah, I believe
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Studying Through Romans Part 16
7:1-3 "Do you not know, brothers - for I am speaking to men who know the law - that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man."
We are given an example of something that is very clear to us who know the law so that we might understand the lesson.
7:4-6 "So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
So the lesson is that we have died to the law. We have been released from this law so that we might serve in the Spirit.
7:7-13 "What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."
The law itself is not sin. But before the law sin was not recognized as sin and therefore no death. When the law came the sin came and there was death. Sin came because of the law. This is such an interesting concept to think about.
7:14-20 "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
I sin so much even though I don't want to. When I want to do what is right, that is when I am tempted to sin. It makes me feel terrible inside. I feel like I am being torn in two. My sinful nature and myself are having a battle. There is no good in me except for Jesus.
Michael English - The Only Thing Good In Me
From the album The Prodigal Comes Home
I heard someone say the other day
They'd seen in me true love displayed
Blessed by something I had done for them
No sooner did they speak those words
I found myself somehow disturbed
Uneasy as I took their compliment
'Cause I know the heart inside this man
I know the truth of who I am
[Chorus]
The only thing that's good in me is Jesus
The only thing that's good in me is Jesus
I've lived long enough to know
No matter what this life may show
The only thing that's good in me is Jesus
If you could walk the hallways of my heart
And see things as they really are
I wonder if you might be surprised
Seeing faded walls of pride and fear
Rooms I've filled with faithless tears
And corners where I've stood in compromise
But you'd see the work His grace has done
You'd know just how far I've come
[Chorus]
In a thousand years
When the dust of this world clears
And I look back on my life
And see in perfect light
7:21-25 "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
In my inner being (what I think of as myself, my personality, my soul) I want to do good. I want to please God. But my flesh is still a slave to sin. Does this mean that my earthly body will always be a slave to sin? Will I never experience freedom while I am still in this body? God has saved me through Christ. But has this saving been fully worked out in my life? I know that I am saved but is there more to be done in this life? How much sanctification (being made holy) do I experience in this life and how much do I experience after this life? These are things to ponder.
We are given an example of something that is very clear to us who know the law so that we might understand the lesson.
7:4-6 "So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
So the lesson is that we have died to the law. We have been released from this law so that we might serve in the Spirit.
7:7-13 "What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."
The law itself is not sin. But before the law sin was not recognized as sin and therefore no death. When the law came the sin came and there was death. Sin came because of the law. This is such an interesting concept to think about.
7:14-20 "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
I sin so much even though I don't want to. When I want to do what is right, that is when I am tempted to sin. It makes me feel terrible inside. I feel like I am being torn in two. My sinful nature and myself are having a battle. There is no good in me except for Jesus.
Michael English - The Only Thing Good In Me
From the album The Prodigal Comes Home
I heard someone say the other day
They'd seen in me true love displayed
Blessed by something I had done for them
No sooner did they speak those words
I found myself somehow disturbed
Uneasy as I took their compliment
'Cause I know the heart inside this man
I know the truth of who I am
[Chorus]
The only thing that's good in me is Jesus
The only thing that's good in me is Jesus
I've lived long enough to know
No matter what this life may show
The only thing that's good in me is Jesus
If you could walk the hallways of my heart
And see things as they really are
I wonder if you might be surprised
Seeing faded walls of pride and fear
Rooms I've filled with faithless tears
And corners where I've stood in compromise
But you'd see the work His grace has done
You'd know just how far I've come
[Chorus]
In a thousand years
When the dust of this world clears
And I look back on my life
And see in perfect light
7:21-25 "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
In my inner being (what I think of as myself, my personality, my soul) I want to do good. I want to please God. But my flesh is still a slave to sin. Does this mean that my earthly body will always be a slave to sin? Will I never experience freedom while I am still in this body? God has saved me through Christ. But has this saving been fully worked out in my life? I know that I am saved but is there more to be done in this life? How much sanctification (being made holy) do I experience in this life and how much do I experience after this life? These are things to ponder.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Studying Through Romans Part 15
6:1-2 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"
We often wonder how much sin can we get away with. This is not the question to ask. We have given up our sinful ways. Why would we even want to sin?
6:3-4 "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
We are a new creation. Why do we so often try to go back to our old self. We should leave it behind. It is dead.
MercyMe - So Long Self
From the album Coming Up To Breathe
Well if I come across a little bit distant
It's just because I am
Things just seem to feel a little bit different
You understand
Believe it or not but life is not apparently
About me anyways
But I have met the One who really is worthy
So let me say
Chorus:
So long self
Well it's been fun, but I have found somebody else
So long self
There's just no room for two
So you are gonna have to move
So long self
Don't take this wrong but you are wrong for me farewell
Oh well, Goodbye, don't cry
So Long Self
Stop right there because I know what your thinking
But no we can't be friends
And even though I know your heart is breaking
This has to end
And come to think of it the blame for all of this
Simply falls on me
For wanting something more in life than all of this
Oh, can't you see
6:5-7 "If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
If we have become one with Christ in His death then we are still one with Him as he rose from the dead. Since Christ has risen we have also risen. Hallelujah! So then, why are we tormented by lies saying that we are still slaves to sin? Oh, how I long to feel totally free from sin.
6:8-11 "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
I am dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ. That means I need to live my life not just for God but to God. I must worship Him with my whole being.
6:12-14 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
When I was younger my mother often said, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop". As I have gotten older I have realized that it is not just true of hands but of the mind as well. A mind and hands that are busy doing good and worshiping God are less likely to fall into sin. Shouldn't we worship God with our bodies in return for this great gift of life that He has given us?
6:15-18 "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
We can't serve two masters. We must choose who we are going to serve. I am set free from sin. I am a slave to righteousness.
6:19-23 "I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I am a slave to righteousness which leads to holiness. I received no benefit from my shameful sins. But now that I have been set free, I will holy and have eternal life.
We often wonder how much sin can we get away with. This is not the question to ask. We have given up our sinful ways. Why would we even want to sin?
6:3-4 "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
We are a new creation. Why do we so often try to go back to our old self. We should leave it behind. It is dead.
MercyMe - So Long Self
From the album Coming Up To Breathe
Well if I come across a little bit distant
It's just because I am
Things just seem to feel a little bit different
You understand
Believe it or not but life is not apparently
About me anyways
But I have met the One who really is worthy
So let me say
Chorus:
So long self
Well it's been fun, but I have found somebody else
So long self
There's just no room for two
So you are gonna have to move
So long self
Don't take this wrong but you are wrong for me farewell
Oh well, Goodbye, don't cry
So Long Self
Stop right there because I know what your thinking
But no we can't be friends
And even though I know your heart is breaking
This has to end
And come to think of it the blame for all of this
Simply falls on me
For wanting something more in life than all of this
Oh, can't you see
6:5-7 "If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
If we have become one with Christ in His death then we are still one with Him as he rose from the dead. Since Christ has risen we have also risen. Hallelujah! So then, why are we tormented by lies saying that we are still slaves to sin? Oh, how I long to feel totally free from sin.
6:8-11 "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
I am dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ. That means I need to live my life not just for God but to God. I must worship Him with my whole being.
6:12-14 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
When I was younger my mother often said, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop". As I have gotten older I have realized that it is not just true of hands but of the mind as well. A mind and hands that are busy doing good and worshiping God are less likely to fall into sin. Shouldn't we worship God with our bodies in return for this great gift of life that He has given us?
6:15-18 "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
We can't serve two masters. We must choose who we are going to serve. I am set free from sin. I am a slave to righteousness.
6:19-23 "I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I am a slave to righteousness which leads to holiness. I received no benefit from my shameful sins. But now that I have been set free, I will holy and have eternal life.
Studying Through Romans Part 14
It has been a long time since the last blog in this series. I'm hoping to finish Romans in the next couple months.
5:12-14 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned- for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come."
Death reigned over all, even those who did not break God's commandments. Death came to all men because they were born with a sin nature. The absence of law did not save them from death.
5:15-17 "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
All of us are condemned by Adam's sin. Everyone who has been born on this earth, (excluding Christ) has been born with a sin nature. All of us face death because of one sin. But grace is not like the sin. One man (Christ) has brought life to all. One gift has covered everyone's sin. Sin came into the world through Adam and death was conquered by Christ's finished work on the cross.
5:18-19 "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
Wow!
5:20-21 "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
It was the law that made our sins greater and more numerous. But this was done so that grace may be even greater than all our sin.
5:12-14 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned- for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come."
Death reigned over all, even those who did not break God's commandments. Death came to all men because they were born with a sin nature. The absence of law did not save them from death.
5:15-17 "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
All of us are condemned by Adam's sin. Everyone who has been born on this earth, (excluding Christ) has been born with a sin nature. All of us face death because of one sin. But grace is not like the sin. One man (Christ) has brought life to all. One gift has covered everyone's sin. Sin came into the world through Adam and death was conquered by Christ's finished work on the cross.
5:18-19 "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
Wow!
5:20-21 "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
It was the law that made our sins greater and more numerous. But this was done so that grace may be even greater than all our sin.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I Want to Be Pursued
I'm old-fashioned. Really old-fashioned. I think that if a guy is interested in me he should pursue me. I'm not going to pursue him or win his heart. It is his job to win my heart. I tell people I court. But the old way of courting involved the guy courting the girl. He went to her house and they sat in the parlor. She didn't go to his house. He was doing the courting and she was letting him court her. I don't go quite to that extreme but I almost do. I think before you actually become boyfriend and girlfriend, the guy does all the asking and pursuing. Once you start a more serious relationship then it is all right for the girl to ask him out as long as he is continuing to ask her out every so often. I want to be pursued. I want a guy who will love me enough to come after me. Is that too much to ask?
Monday, March 17, 2008
My Lover
He keeps on pursuing me. Every time I slip away He comes after me. I have such a perfect Lover. I was so on fire at the start of the year. I was excited about what God has in store for me. Then I lost sight of that and drifted away. But He came after me. He pursued me like no man has ever done and like no man ever will. I have promised to spend time with Him. I promised not to ignore Him. I am giving up movies and TV until May so I will have the time to spend with Him. I don't want to get distracted again. God has so much in store for me. I can't waste anymore time. I need to ready myself so God can use me. I have decided to start memorizing Romans chapter 8 and finish studying through Romans on this blog. But that is just the start.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Lent
I was talking to one of my friends about giving stuff up for lent. It got me thinking about things that I could give up, but I have never observed lent. I think that I am drawn more to the principle of giving something up for God and spending time praying than to lent itself. So I was thinking about what I want to give up for a while. I thought about food first. I thought maybe sugar but then decided that I wanted to be able to eat dessert on my Mother's birthday on the 22nd. I then thought that I should give up watching TV and movies for a couple weeks or so. Now that will be a hard thing to do. There are two shows that I like watching every week and I have been watching at least two movies every week. But that might be the best thing for me to give up. It will give me time that I can spend studying. It also will give me time that I can spend praying and reading my Bible. Perhaps I should do this for a month. But why do I feel so reluctant? Has the TV taken over my life? Has it become an idol to me? Now I feel like I have to give TV up. I have to get it out of my life. At least for a while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)