An old Gospel song drifted through my thoughts in the early hours of the morning: “I have no song to sing, but that of Christ my King; to Him my praise I'll bring forevermore.” In that line there is a summation of my experience and my aspirations. Christ has been my life and I pray that the rest of my life will honor Him. I understand the world through the lens of my faith. I do not simply ‘exist’ as a random speck of carbon atoms, though some might try to tell me that I do. My best life is not defined by the things I own or the pleasure that I can experience. Made by God, I am owned by Him, though naturally I was separated from Him. “In Christ” I am restored to my place as His child, my destiny to serve Him until He calls me to my eternal home! Those are the simple facts that define Jerry.
I have little patience for those who complicate the
Christian experience by adding long lists of religious duties or by insisting
on seeking mystical revelations. I love
the Church, but find the complex ritualism that creeps into ‘worship’ a distraction
from the heart of the faith- Jesus Christ alone.
I live to love -
Jesus, God come in Flesh.
Jesus, Who died on the Cross to save us.
Jesus, Who rose from the dead to assure us of life eternal.
The Scripture speaks to the corruption of the faith by human additions. "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by
what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to
come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights
in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such
a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual
mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from
whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews,
grows as God causes it to grow." (Colossians 2:13-19, NIV)
Do not be taken in by those Christians who love to argue about doctrine, who love their systematic theology books more than their Bible. Ignore those teachers who talk more about the “End Times” with their conspiracy theories and timelines than they do about Jesus. Those who try to make you a captive of their particular religious practice, trying to convince you that in order to know Jesus as Savior you have to be … baptized a certain way, avoid specific foods, worship in a prescribed manner on a special day, join their denomination, espouse their political persuasion, or whatever their pet idea – have ‘lost connection with the Head’ Who is Christ Jesus!
You want to rediscover Jesus? Pick up your Bible again and read the Gospels
– Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Meditate on the stories of Jesus found there.
Let the Holy Spirit show you His face again.
When the disciples asked how they
could know the way to God "Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip,
even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has
seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that
I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are
not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work."
(John 14:9-10, NIV) Jesus reveals the
love of God to us and makes us His children.
Ah, yes, we need to know Jesus Christ.
Do you know Him or just about Him?
Have you opened your mind and heart to Him in faith, inviting the Spirit to
make you alive in and through Christ Jesus?
He, friend, not the rituals, nor the doctrines, nor the fanciful
mystical ideas make us truly Christian.
The word from the Word is my aspiration. I hope you share it. "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:8-11, NLT)
___________
I can't count the times
I've called Your name some broken night
And You showed up and patched me up
Like You do every time
I get amnesia I forget that You keep coming around
Yeah ain't no way You'll ever let me down
Good God Almighty
I hope You'll find me
Praising Your Name no matter what comes
'Cause I know where I'd be
Without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs
Tell me is He good (He's good)
Tell me is He God (He's God)
He is Good God Almighty
You say Your love goes on forever
That Your mercy never stops
So why would I assume
You'd be somebody that You're not
Like sun in the morning
I know You're gonna be there every day
So what on earth could make me be afraid
Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noon time
Praise Him when the sun goes down
Love Him in the morning
Love Him in the noon time
Love Him when the sun goes down
Jesus in the morning
Jesus in the noon time
Jesus when the sun goes down
Jesus in the morning
Jesus in the noon time
Jesus when the sun goes down
Ben Glover | David Crowder | Jeff Sojka
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