Meaningful Songs

The Bible is silent about the day before Jesus rose from the grave, but a couple of songwriters have put their thoughts on paper summing up exactly what Jesus did for you and me.

I Should Have Been Crucified

Gordon Jensen

I was guilty with nothing to say,
And they were coming to take me away.
But then a voice from heaven was heard, which said,
“Turn him loose, and take me instead!”

Chorus:
And I should have been crucified,
I should have suffered and died.
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace,
But Jesus, God’s Son, took my place.

Crown of thorns, the spear in His side,
And all the pain should have been mine.
Those rusty nails were meant for me,
But Jesus took them, and let me go free!

Jesus Paid It All

Elvina Hall

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Have you walked the Romans Road?

The Romans Road is a group of Bible verses that show the way of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

The Bible says no one is innocent.

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin.  We were born under the power of sin's control.

- Admit that you are a sinner.

Romans 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

We all have original sin from Adam, the first man.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; …

Sin has an ending.  It results in death.  We all face physical death, which is a result of sin.  But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity.

- Understand that you deserve death for your sin.

Romans 6:23  … but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Praise God that verse 23 doesn’t end with death. The verse continues BUT (God gives us a choice)

Salvation is a free gift from God to you!  You can't earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it.

- Ask God to forgive you and save you.

Luke 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Repent means to think differently. We need to think differently about our sin and turn from it.

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus died for our sin, your sin and mine . He paid the price for all sin, when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross.

Romans 10:9 -10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10]  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

- If you know that God is knocking on your heart's door, ask Him to come into your heart.

Pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and come into your life and save you. Repent and turn to Him.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Lessons from Esther: Before the king

3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, 5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces: 6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Esther 8:3-7

The wicked Haman is dead but his dastardly deed will continue unless Someone steps in.

Esther is “beside herself” she is ready to burst from sorrow. Something needs to be done before the dreaded day, when all the Jews will be killed. She pleads with the king to remedy the situation before it is too late.

In Esther 3:13 we read, “And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.”

Esther asks the king to reverse the letters that Haman had sent to all the provinces. She is pleading and interceding for her people, the Jews. This is a picture of what we as Christians should be doing daily, interceding on the behalf of others.

·        Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. Psalm 54:2

·        The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. Psalm 6:9

·        Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. Psalm 86:6

·        Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; Psalm 88:2

·        Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Psalm 122:6

·        Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Romans 10:1

·        Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6

Ahasuerus reminds Esther and Mordecai what he has done so far in regard to the serious situation. He had Haman hanged and he gave Haman’s house to Esther. This is not exactly what Esther was referring to, she wanted to save the lives of her people and without a reversal of the decree they were doomed.

Join me the next time to find out the rest of the solution.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Innkeepers

Let us not forget what Christmas is all about. It is not about gifts, it is not about who buys the most "stuff" but it is about Jesus. Open your heart and life to Him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

Have a blessed day,
Donna

A time to reflect

November first, where did the time go? It seems like yesterday was the first of July. Time certainly does not stand still for anyone. This year has been a little trying; my husband had back surgery, was in rehab, returned to work, hurt his back again and now is back out of work. Through all this he has had a positive attitude. I have so much to be thankful for, not just today but every day.

Today’s five:

1. Missionaries – We had a missionary from Middle East African Partnership (MAP) visit with us on Sunday. Thanking God for sending people to work and share the gospel in the Middle East.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:14-15

2. Tiptoes -Mark stood on his tiptoes. It may seem a little thing to you, but a great achievement to us. He has not been able to stand on his tiptoes for almost a year.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

3. Walking - Praising God that Mark is walking.

4. Venison chili – I didn’t bring lunch to work yesterday. When I got there a co-worker had made a big pot of chili to share.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2
5. Job – I have a job and am extremely thankful.

Take a minute from your busy life to meditate on what God has done for you today.

I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Psalm 77:12

Have a blessed day,
Donna