My Favorite Song

       Contrary to my youngest son's belief, I do like music.   Like most teenagers, I listened to the radio and had my share of favorites.  I loved The Monkees.  That's probably thanks to my Grandmother (believe it or not).   She used to allow me access to my Uncle David's albums when he wasn't home.   T0 this day, I still like "I'm a Believer." 
     Although, I have several favorites I wouldn't say I'm a very knowledgeable fan.  I might like a particular song, but wouldn't be able to name the singer or group who recorded it.  I certainly don't know any of the songs my 21 year old likes, unless he's listening to some of the "oldies." 
      The songs I like best though, are hymns and praise songs, even the children's Vacation Bible School songs.  These are the songs I know and love.  These are the songs you will catch me singing around the house as I work.  I love them all.
       My all time favorite is the children's song "Jesus Loves Me."  Though in my opinion, this isn't just a song for children.  It is a song rich in meaning and applies to all of us.  Yes, Jesus loves little children.  Most of us easily understand that.  What we forget is that in the eyes of God and His Only Son, we must all be little children.  Perhaps that is why I find this song so comforting.
      I imagine that the apostles would have liked this song.  After all, they were the ones reprimanded for trying to prevent the little children from coming to Jesus.  They saw His gentleness as He was with those children.  They saw the love in His face as He blessed them. 
      The apostles were also the ones who saw Jesus as the Son of God.  They saw Him at His mightiest.  I can imagine how they must have felt seeing Him after His resurrection.  How small they must have felt.  It must have been an awesome experience to see Jesus and be able to touch Him again - knowing He had conquered death itself.  Oh, how weak they must have felt in the presence of His power! 
     Yet, Jesus still loved them.  He loved them all.  He had chosen them to establish His kingdom.  Yes, when I think of the words of this precious song I think the apostles would have sung it with full zeal. 
      Jesus loves me this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves us .... me and you.  The song has universal appeal because Jesus does love us all.  But His love is intensely personal and this song rightly proclaims that aspect of His love.  That is why little children like it so much.
      Little children are so much into ME.  When I watch them sing in Bible class -- they often point to themselves or hug themselves.  The word "me" is often sung more loudly than the other words.  That's OK.  As an adult I like the thought of Him loving "me" too.  
     After all I've done in my life ... after living for years without walking in His way .. Jesus still loves me.  It is a an awesome thing to think that Jesus - the Son of God has a perfect unconditional love for the person I am.  He allowed me to repent .. to change my life and come back to Him.
      That's another reason I think the apostles would like this song.  They understood His love ... if Jesus could come back to them after they deserted Him at the cross (all but one) -- then they certainly understood the meaning of His love. 
      We come to know about the love of Jesus through the Bible.  It is in itself an act of love by the Father that we have the Bible to read and study.  The Bible tells us all we need to know about our Savior and Redeemer.  I am so thankful God sent His Spirit to inspire the writers of the scriptures. 
      Little ones to Him belong.  They are weak, but He is strong.  We all belong to Jesus.  He bought us with His precious blood.   But we all know Jesus especially loves the little ones.  He cares for them -- for their innocence.  He is their protector.  He is our Protector, too - if we've turned our lives back over to Him. 
      There are other verses to this sweet song.  It was originally written by  Anna Bartlett Warner in 1860 as a poem.  Her sister Susan Warner used the poem in a novel called Say and Seal.  In the context of the book, the poem was read as a comfort to a dying child.  Two years later the words were put to music by William Batchelder Bradbury, who also added the chorus.  It has become a song loved by many around the world.
      The tune is appealing in its simplicity.  The words are  simple and clear.  The message is full of purity and truth.  We are all God's children.  God sent His Son to live and die for us.  Jesus really does love us this much.  His blood was pure and it took His blood to buy us back.  
      In His presence we are weak.  Without His love we are weak to the power of sin -- and bound to pay for our sins eternally.  But Jesus -- Jesus is strong.  Jesus resisted the devil and lived a perfect life.  And the Bible tells us that because He loves us - He gave Himself for us.  He was our perfect sacrifice. 
       We all know that isn't the end of the story.  Jesus showed the devil the power of His strength.  He conquered death.  Through His strength, we have hope of eternal life.  We have a chance to live with The One who loves us so.  We have to love Him back .. to live for Him.  I guess that is why the song is my favorite. 
     
        Yes, Jesus loves me.  And He loves you, too.  I know this.  Without a doubt I know this.  The Bible tells me so.


Christ above all things,
Robin
     

At the Dollar Tree

       I love going to the Dollar Tree.  Sometimes I don't buy anything; but I enjoy looking around.  It's amazing to me what they manage to sell for only a dollar.   Not only are there interesting things in the store; but often there are interesting people too.  Everyone knows I love little ones, but I especially like to watch interactions between children together or between parents and children. 
        So a couple of days ago, I'm in the store picking up some cards and other things.   I'm a couple of aisles over from where the toys are; but I hear a conversation between a little boy and his mother.  She must have come in between errands because she seemed to be in a hurry.  The little boy was in quite a dilemma.  He wanted to continue looking at all the toys; but Mom needed to go.
      The little boy did not want to leave the toys.  I don't even know if she had told him he could buy something or not.  He just didn't want to leave the toy aisle.  And at the same time, he didn't want his mother to leave him either.   In an attempt to get him to come with her, she started to walk away a couple of times.  He began to cry and begged her not to leave him.   A small battle was taking place.  Mom won. 
      Hearing this little drama unfold started me to thinking.  That little boy was stuck.  He had to make a choice between the allurements of the toy aisle and the safety of  his mother's presence.  How often do we do this to ourselves?
     Are we ever tempted by the allurements of "the toy aisle" of our lives?  Are we ever get enticed to leave the safety of God's company by trying something out in the world?   Certainly, I am.  The devil is a great deceiver.  He is an expert at making something look charming.  He might whisper in your ear -"It's OK,  you can stay here with me."   Be careful - that is a spiritual death trap. 
       Maybe we try to argue with God.  We might be happy with where we are in the world.  Maybe we say,  "I don't want to leave my worldly ways, Father.  But can't you stay here too?"  The Father is always within our reach ... but that's the key.  We must reach for Him.  We can't try to stay between two worlds.  We have to choose. 
       God wants us to walk with Him.  But we can't get stuck trying to hold on to parts of the world.  Our walk with Jesus must be pure and righteous.  We have to put our worldly toys away.   Jesus told us in Luke 16:13 - "No one can serve two Masters."  
       Yet it is not always easy.  Paul talks about the struggles between the flesh and the Spirit.  Galatians 5:16-17 reads:  "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."  ( NIV)  This sounds a little bit like being stuck in the toy aisle to me. 
      BUT - we are not to despair.  God is on our side.  He wants us to win!   Paul tells us that in I Corinthians 10:13. 
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (ESV)  
       Going back to the verses we mentioned from Galatians 5, we know as long as we walk by the Spirit, we will not have the desire to follow the works of the flesh.  But it does take diligence on our part.  Walking by the Spirit means moving away from the sin.  Studying the Spirit inspired words of the Bible helps us learn to walk with the Spirit.  Knowing how much God loves us and that He will always provide a way of escape is of great comfort. 
      We are to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."  (Ephesians 6:10 ESV)  It is through Christ's power that we gain the strength to move out of the aisle (so to speak).  Every day we grow as a Christian is another day we grow away from the world and draw closer to Him.  It may not always be easy, but if we walk in the Spirit we can do it.  
         Remember Paul's encouragement to Timothy:
".... I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."  (2 Timothy 1: 6-7 ESV)    It is through God's power - and through God's love - that we develop our self-control.

Christ above all things,
Robin
    

    

 

How Firm Is Your Foundation?

      Yesterday as I was putting a bowl in my cabinet, I nearly toppled over a stack of other plastic food containers.  They are rectangular in shape and made in such a way that I can stack the containers and lids together.  But when I set the bowl beside them, I bumped the container at the bottom of the stack.  It went sideways and when it did all the ones on top of it began to sway back and forth until I righted the one on the bottom.
       I thought about how easily that bottom container moved sideways when I bumped it.  I realized my containers didn't really have a firm foundation.  How could they when they were only depending on each other to hold them up?
      We need Jesus to hold us up.  We can't stack our hopes on one another.  The One we depend on is our Lord Jesus Christ.  The song "How Firm a Foundation"  almost immediately popped into my mind.  The song is an old one - a very old one.  It was first published in 1787, yet it is still used in many churches today. 
      The author of the lyrics is not definitively known; but the words of the song have undoubtedly encouraged many souls through the years.  The truths are timeless and based on the truth of God's word. 
     There are five verses to the song; but for the sake of time, we will only look at three.  Some of us may know the words; but I will post the verses under consideration.  The first verse explains the origin of our foundation:
     How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
     Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
     What more can He say than to you He has said,
     To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

     This verse assures us as Christians that our faith  in Him is because of our faith in His Word.  Every Christian should have a deep respect for and love of the scriptures.  The Bible is how we know about our great God. 
      The first verse also reminds us that the Bible is complete.  We have all that we need to build on our faith.  Through the Word of God we have what we need to know how to live for Christ.  We don't need anything else and we shouldn't expect any new revelation.  He has already said it all.  God has given us all we need through the scriptures.
 
      The words of verse 2 are absolutely beautiful to me:
      Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed,
      For I am your God and will still give you aid;
      I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
      Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
 
       How wonderful is it to know that God is with us!??!  I didn't realize until I "googled" this song that this second verse is taken almost word for word from Isaiah 41:10.  We don't have to worry or be afraid because God is in control.  He is our God and we are His.  The Heavenly Father takes care of His own. 
        We find words very similar to this in the first chapter of Joshua.  God tells the new leader of Israel that he has nothing to fear.  God promises to be with him. 
       The truth is He promises to be with all of us who follow Him.  He will strengthen us.  He is our Great Helper.  We will stand because of Him.  God is all powerful and He will hold us up.  The next time you feel like you are about to fall, imagine the Father holding you up.  It is quite a comforting thought, right?  
       
        The fifth verse concludes the song and reinforces the beauty of turning our life over to Christ.  We are reminded of how firm our foundation --the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ --- truly is.  It is soul-saving -- literally.
      The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
      I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
      That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
      I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

     God loves those who love and obey Him.  Scripture is full of reassurances that He will take care of us.  If we lean on His Son, He will not desert us.  God and Christ will not allow our enemies to defeat us.  Even in the face of death, God will bring us home.  If we don't surrender, HE won't surrender us.  If we don't forsake Him, He will never forsake us. 
      The world will let us down, trust in riches will let us down.  Fame and success could come and go. Our friends or family may let us down sometimes.  People are not perfect.  We don't always live up to the expectation of others.  That's where forgiveness comes in. 
        There are times when folks take a totally different path and betray or desert us.  Those hurts go deep.  Jesus will not do that.  He will not betray us. 
       We can always count on Him.  This beautiful song reminds us of that.   We shouldn't build our lives on anything except our Redeemer.  If we build on a weaker foundation --- well, then we topple over like so many plastic containers. 
      A faith built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ our Savior is invaluable.  For Christians, He really is the rock that keeps us going.  Our faith in Him gives us the peace that passes understanding.  Jesus gives us our hope of eternal life.  For the Christian,  it is our faith - our knowledge of Him that makes life livable.

Christ above all things,
Robin

Footnote:  http://www.covlife.org/static/hymns/how_firm_a_foundation