Reason # 16 - He Gives Meaning to Life

I have often wondered how non Christians can feel fulfilled in life. I am realizing now that they can't. They flat out, hands down, just...can't.

Christ and Christ alone brings purpose and meaning to our lives. I am so thankful today to know that my life is full of rich, vibrant purpose because I have the Only Reason to live dwelling inside of me!!

For a long distance college communications course I am taking this semester, I had to write a 500 word essay on my life goals. I am so glad that I was forced to take the time to do this!! :)

Thank you Jesus for being a Goal worth living for, and a Goal worth dying for.

"My goal is to live a life that is vividly marked with a wholehearted love for my Savior and Lord. That I could say in complete honesty that I have no closer Friend than Jesus. That the best part of each day would be those precious hours in the morning spent in His presence. That I would involuntarily talk with Him all throughout each day. That my eyes would light up at the mention of His Name.

My goal is to live every day of my life in the light of eternity. That I would evaluate each activity in terms of how it will appear when I stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. And thus, that I will reject any activity that would be meaningless at best or shameful at worst when my life has ended and I am called to give an account.

My goal is to live my life in such a way that I would be worthy of all 4 crowns that Christ has promised to reward His children with: the crown of life for those who persevere and remain faithful through trials and persecution; the crown of righteousness for those who love the Lord’s appearing; the crown of glory for those who are good shepherds of God’s people; and the crown of rejoicing for those who are soulwinners. That as the athlete devotes his life to competing in the Olympics and winning the gold medal, so I would devote every fiber of my life to win the rewards that my Father longs to give to His triumphant children one day.

My goal is to bring with me a vast group of precious souls to heaven, who came to know Christ and first heard of His gift of salvation because I took the initiative to share with them. To unashamedly and fearlessly proclaim the love of Christ not only in my actions, but also in my words. That when I see a new face, I would have only one question: “Do you know Jesus?” And that I would choose to ask that question in all boldness and love.

In short, my goal is stop short of nothing less than a radical life wholly devoted to my Lord…nothing held back. Does my goal seem radical? Does is seem unnecessary? Does it seem unattainable?

In the eyes of most, the answers to the above questions would be a resounding yes! And yet, I am reminded: “Some goals are so worthy that it is glorious even to fail.”

I have not even come close to reaching my goals. Sometimes, it seems that dozens of lifetimes could not give me enough time to accomplish all that I hope to accomplish in one lifetime! But I do not strive alone. With the Giver of all strength and power dwelling within me, nothing is impossible.

I have only one chance at this life. My goal is to make it count! "

I love my Lord, because He brings fullness of meaning to otherwise empty lives.

Reason #15 - He is a Very Present Help in Trouble

Several months ago, a dear friend of ours lost her unborn baby girl at 7 months pregnant. So many other hard things were going on in her life...and now this. There are times when God may seem so far away. A life falls to pieces, and we're tempted to wonder if God even cares.

At the time, as I thought about her situation, I was absolutely overwhelmed as I realized God's nearness in the midst of her pain. Life is hard. We have an enemy (Satan) here on earth who comes to steal, kill, and to destroy. But oh what a beautiful contrast - "Christ is come to give life, and to give it more abundantly!" And even in the midst of our pain, He has promised us that He will walk through it with us - right by our side. To be a very present help in times of trouble.

I wrote this poem at the time, and was in tears through most of it, as I marveled over God's nearness and care for His children...


A father and mother stand together
Grieving over their loss,
A child they have never known
Has left them at such a high cost.

Their hearts ache together
As they try to say goodbye
But how to find adequate words
When all they can do is cry?

But there is One Who hears pain unspoken
Who understands silent grief
Who knows the agony of each tear
And Who alone, can bring relief.

Their joy is His
Their care is His
Their love is His
More infinite, more deep, more abounding
Complete, never ending – perfect.
He Who holds galaxies in His hands…also holds each tear.
He carries in His arms the children He has LOVED:
The Good Shepherd – Who has laid down His life so the lambs may live.
And it is in these everlasting arms that He cradles their child,
Gently caressing, rocking her to sleep against His breast.

In a world where roses are few
Where thorns and briars abound,
Where clouds often cover the sun
And where pain sets in all around…

Surely our joy is not here!
Surely our hope elsewhere lies.
Surely she has found what we long for one day
The pure joy that no money buys!

What comfort is hers!
What peace –
What delight!
And we rejoice with her.
Though our hearts here grieve
We offer our grief to our Lord
And commit her to the Savior’s care.
Knowing that a child who has grown up in the presence of Jesus is the happiest child that could ever be.”

What could be harder than losing a baby? And yet, this thought came to me...our Father, too, knows the pain of losing a loved One. He too understands the pain of losing His Child. There is no hurt too great to give to Him. There is no pain so piercing that He cannot soothe it. There is no burden so heavy that He cannot carry it for us.

What a God we serve!


Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

I love my Lord, because He my very present help in all my trouble.

Reason #14 - I am His Bride

"How beautiful, the hands that served the wine and the bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful, the feet that walked the long dusty roads, and the hill to the cross"

This morning, during my praise and worship time, I listened to the song "How Beautiful" by Twila Paris, one of my all time favorite songs! As I let the meaning of the words sink into my heart, a certain phrase hit me and in a moment changed my perspective forever.

"How beautiful, the radiant bride, who waits for her Groom, with His light in her eyes"

It was as if, in that moment, Christ knelt down on one knee, held out His hand and whispered to me "Behold your Groom."

Instantly, I was reminded of the way that a bride eagerly waits for her groom, adoring him, cherishing in her heart every memory, every special moment. Her eyes light up every time she speaks of him. She spends much time fussing in front of the mirror before she sees him, and tries to the very best of her ability to please him - to be the woman of his dreams. Nothing could be more important to her - all her thoughts are consumed by this man.

What is her motivation?

She loves him.

And he loves her.

And with this reminder came a new realization - I am the bride of Christ! As a bride, do my eyes light up for my Savior, my Groom, my All in All? Is every fiber of my life focused on Him? Do I think of little else? Do my eyes shine when I think or talk about Him?

Do I absolutely adore Him?

Oh, more than anything else, I want to!! I want to be that radiant bride, adoring her Groom, absolutely swept off her feet, head over heels in love.

God reminded me of this beautiful verse:

"...as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." ~ Is 61:5

Ok, so I'll just admit it...I'm a girl. :) No beating around the bush...no denying it or making excuses. I love hearing fairytale love stories - I love dreamy, romantic pictures of couples walking side by side on the beach at sunset - I love going to weddings! And when I do attend a wedding, while everyone is craning their neck to watch the beaming bride walk slowly down the aisle, I love to watch the groom. That look of unspeakable delight - sheer, overpowering desire - and raw, emotional, unveiled love...there's something about that emotion that speaks to a woman's heart.



Do I dare to hope that Christ as my Groom delights in me the same way? And yet, this fact is so clearly stated in the verse above, and in many, many other passages all throughout the Bible.

2 Cor 11:2 - "For I am jealous over your with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

Ephesians 5:25-32 -"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present if to himself a glorious church, not having sport, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy, without blemish....for no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord, the church...this is a great mystery (regarding the relationship of a man and woman) but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

What a beautiful reminder for us! I love my Lord, because He has chosen me as His bride.

Reason #13 - He Feeds Me

I am thankful today to serve an awesome God! He is good!

Our family is all participating in a time of fasting together right now. (I know that Christ instructed us to fast in secret...but since this blog is pretty much "in secret" itself, I should be fine!! :) ) I believe that it is during these times that we realize the truth of this verse: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by ever word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." My daily prayer is that the Lord would make me hungry for Him...beyond hungry...starving! ravenous! as I wrote about in my last post. As I give up physical food for my body, I am seeing how precious His Word is to my soul.

It is amazing to me how ridiculously important physical food is to my physical body, and how much I miss food when I'm not eating...and yet how there have been so many times in the past when I could easily go without spiritual food for my spiritual body, and never even think to miss it. I think that most of us as Christians (myself included many times) feast ourselves daily on food and drink for our bodies, and breeze right over the absolute necessity of doing the same for our souls.

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." ~ 1 Pet 2:2


"...My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is" ~ Ps 63:1

"As the (deer) panteth for the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God..." ~ Ps 42:1-2

How did David get to the point that he longed with everything in him for the Living God? I don't know. I do know that for myself, the more I pursue God, the more I call upon Him to change my heart and my passions, the more time I spend with Him, the hungrier I get.

"Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Mat 5:6

"...open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." ~ Ps 81:10


I used to wonder why my times in the Word weren't fulfilling to me. Why I wasn't hearing anything through those times, or feeling satisfied afterward. Now I am realizing...for all those years, I just barely opened my mouth a crack!! 20 or 30 minutes of light Bible reading and half-hearted praying isn't going to cut it. That's like grabbing a cracker and a handful of raisins in the morning, and expecting that to last us through the whole day.

Open your mouth wide.

And then He will fill it.

How wide am I willing to open it? How much am I willing to pursue Him, to rest at His feet and listen for His voice? This is how much He will fill me.

I love my Lord because He never leaves a truly hungry soul empty. He feeds me.

Reason #12 - He Allows Us to Hunger

One of the "reasons" that I thought of right away to do a blog post on was that my Lord fills me. He feeds me. He satisfies me. Those are no-brainers, right? :) Often one of the first things that new Christians experience is the incredible satisfaction that Christ brings to their lives...a satisfaction and fulfillment that nowhere near compares to anything they ever experienced before! But I'm saving all those reasons for another day and other posts all their own. :)

My reason #12 is in direct opposition - and yet perfect harmony - to all these I just mentioned!

Have we ever realized that not only does He feed us and satisfy us, but He also allows us to hunger? Does it seem like a paradox that the God Who fills us also would empty us? Listen to this story:

The Isralites are preparing to go into the Promised Land to possess it and claim it as their own. They have been in the land of Egypt, seen the mighty Hand of God work unexplainable miracles. They have experienced His power to save them from Pharaoh's oppressive tyranny and utterly humble his "unconquerable" army. They have wandered for 40 years in a barren wilderness, gone through pain, sickness, sorrow, want, darkness, and death. And they have come out victors.

But through their own strength? Through their own wisdom?

Moses pleads with the Isralites "Don't forget!! Don't forget what God has done for you. Don't forget your incredible heritage, and your incredible history. Don't forget God's awesome works and eternal mercy. Don't forget!!

And one of the things he asks them to remember is this: "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger..." (Deuteronomy 8:3)

Why?

The answer is found later in the verse: (I'm skipping over some of the verse because that will be my next "reason"! :) )
"...that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

And what a precious lesson this is to learn! What is life, if we are not being fed daily with the Word of God? Will we not spiritually die if we fail to nourish our souls on His Word?

He allows us to hunger.

I read about a pastor who knew of many Christian women who were married to non-Christian husbands. He decided to begin praying this verse over each of the men.

"Lord, make them hungry. Give them a ravenous hunger for You."

And every one of those men came to know the Lord as their Savior.

I am thankful for a God Who provides for the needs of His people. Whether it is to feed them...or to make them hungry.

I love my Lord, because He allows us to hunger.

Reason #11 - He Sings Over Me

Have you ever had anybody write a song especially for you?

I have written songs several songs in my life for special occasions for people that I love. Granted, they weren't necessarily the most wonderful songs in the world, (I have even been known to "rap" through certain parts in some of these songs :)) but they always expressed my heart towards that special someone. Every time that I have presented these songs, the person being honored was always touched. Not because of anything amazing that I had written (heaven knows that's not the case!!) but there's just something special about knowing that someone has taken the time to write a song especially for you.

I have never had someone here on earth sing a song just for me and just about me. But I was so encouraged the other day as I was thinking on this: my Lord sings over me! He sings songs specifically about me! And I wouldn't be surprised if the Inventor of music writes His own songs! :) What a beautiful thought!

Zephaniah 3:17 - "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."

I have been in a song writing mood for the past couple weeks, so I have written a new song, probably the most joyful one I've ever written! :) which I titled: "He Sings Over Me"

What kind of love is this I see?
What kind of love is here with me?
The God of all the universe
Holds out His hand to me.

What kind of peace now floods my soul?
What kind of peace has made me whole?
With mighty arms He rescues me
And by His blood I'm free.

Now joy and wonder fills my heart
I sing and praise and thank my God.
The Lord has come to be with me
He loves His child
And now-
He sings over me.

What kind of joy is now my song?
What kind of joy has made me strong?
Through sorrow, weakness, fear, and pain
I still sing through the rain.

What kind of grace forgives each sin?
When I am lost, finds me again?
The Lord sees every time I fall
And still, comes when I call.

He knows each star
And calls them by name,
Yet He cares for sparrows
Just the same!

Now joy and wonder fills my heart
I sing and praise and thank my God.
The Lord has come to be with me
He loves His child
And now-
He sings over me.


I love my Lord, because He sings over me!

Reason #10 - He is My Friend

I was feeling discouraged today, and frustrated. There are so many things in life to be grateful for, and yet what does my flesh always want to do? Focus on the negative. On the disappointments. On the frustrations. Ahhhhh - when will I ever learn!!!??

I sat down at the piano, not really for any special reason other than I haven't played in a while and I miss it. I played and sang through several songs, and then playing by ear, I started to sing...

"What a friend we have in Jesus! All our sins and griefs to bear..."

And as I continued on through the beautiful words, I felt my heart softened, and lifted up in worship of the incredible God Who calls us friends. Oh, what a gift we have been given! And how often do I take it for granted??

John 15:14 - 16

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you..."

I think of all the beautiful things that friends share in together...late night conversations, secret dreams, unforgettable memories, common interests, "inside jokes", and yes, maybe even most embarrassing moments :). And not only beautiful things...a good friend will be just as present for the hard times and trials in life as the good things.



As a Friend, I am beginning to realize that Jesus wants to share in exactly these same things with us. The fun times, the heart to heart talks, the beautiful memories, the secrets, and the laughs. And also the tears, the hurts, the broken dreams, and the pain.

Jesus Christ...the Friend Who never, NEVER fails us.

Need I even mention that from then on, my whole day brightened up?? :) Need I even mention that I felt a whole lot better after getting off that piano?? :)

I love Him, because He is my Friend - the best Friend I could ever ask for.