Love Eternal

15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.

Isaiah 49:15-16 (New International Version)

There's more that dances on the prairies
Than the wind
More that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There's a love that is fiercer
Than the love between friends
More gently than a mother's
When her baby's at her side
- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

These verses are God responding to His people's cry that He has forsaken them. He says that he will love us more than a mother loves her child - never forgetting us no matter what. It is a love eternal. This passage is one of comfort and hope.

This is the last set of verses and lyrics for Rich Mullins' song, If I Stand. The song has always been one of comfort to me, even though it's a somewhat sad and slow tune. The verses he ascribes to his lyrics speak of God's greatness, the eternal reward of heaven, his love for us. They speak of hope, comfort and love.

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Weeping for Our Home

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill .

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.

Psalm 137:1-6 (New International Version)

But if I weep let be as a man that is longing for his home.
- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

This passage makes me think of how we often forget how awesome heaven is in comparison to where we are now. When we enjoy where we are - and what we're doing - we lose sight of our ultimate goal. At the same time, this verse says to me - anything you weep for, it is less than the grief of not being in heaven. It is both a comfort and a warning.

It is very easy to say, "Try your best and you will go to Heaven." It's a comforting thing to think. However that is a simplification of the concept of grace. This verse speaks poetically of the woe of those far from their homes. God's grace gives us a place in heaven and the Bible tells us what our response should be.

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A song of ascents.

© Alyssa Grabinski

A song of ascents.

¹ When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
³ The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
⁴ Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.
Psalm 126 (New International Version)

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to you
If I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs

- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

Today's verse is about how God turns our sorrow to joy. Even in the midst of our sadness, he can turn things around. Those are words of comfort when we are sad or depressed. Rich Mullins' lyrics say, "Even if I can't sing about joy in my life now Lord, I can still rejoice in the joy that brought me to you." His grace is abundant, and it is always there to catch us when we fall.

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Every Good Thing

¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:14-17 (New International Version)

The stuff of Earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the giver of all good things
- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

This verse goes back to the question of "Why does God let bad things happen?" Bad things come from sin. Good things come from God. That is a simplification, but that doesn't make it untrue. Bad things happen because we live in a broken world - a world broken by sin. Rich Mullins' lyrics tell us that we don't owe any allegiance to that sin. We owe it to the Almighty. Our verse tells us that he is constant and good, and that is why he deserves our devotion and allegiance.


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Law and Gospel

¹⁷ The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

¹⁸ and the idols will totally disappear.

¹⁹ Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and to holes in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²⁰ In that day men will throw away
to the rodents and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship.

²¹ They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²² Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

Isaiah 2:17-22 (New International Version)

There's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiment
A music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes for the allegiance

-Rich Mullins, If I Stand

I've been learning about how we as Lutherans interpret the Bible so that I can teach a class in Sunday school. On of the things Dr. Mark Allen Powell talks about is how pastors are taught to look for both Law and Gospel in every verse they preach upon. I look at this verse and I see law. People will run in fear and cast aside their idols when the Lord comes. Rich Mullins' lyrics talk about the promise of gospel however. Loyalty that is more than just words - it is a truth so true and pure that it cannot be expressed in its fullness. Law and gospel.

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

A Hug In Words

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:2 (New International Version)

More that shines in the night
Than just the moon
There's more than just this fire here
That keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger than this room

- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

This verse is a verse of comfort. I have never read it before and I love how it's like a giant hug in words. God is always there, surrounding us, protecting us. It's not the oppressive weight of Big Brother, but the majestic sweeping of beauty of solid bulwarks that last for eons. God was here before us and will be there long after we are gone from the earth. What images does this verse evoke in your mind?

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Let us acknowledge the LORD

© Meredith Sizemore Photography

3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth."

Hosea 6:3 (New International Version)

There's more that rises in the morning
Than the sun

If I Stand
Rich Mullins

I read this verse and I imagine standing on a mountaintop, basking in the presence of the Lord as the sun rises. Have you ever looked at a blade of grass and marveled at the detail that God puts into each blade? His creation is a wondrous thing. Where do you see God in your life? Where do you see Him in the world around you? When do you acknowledge His presence?


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If I Stand

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (New International Version)

In looking for another song or verse that spoke to me, I ended up going back to one of the songs that speaks to me on many levels. The song is "If I Stand" by Rich Mullins. Rich Mullins was an artist that died in a car accident, and his death affected me because as tragic as it was, he live his life for God. It was so clear to me that God called him home. I bought one of his CDs in a music store. It was stuck in the discount rack. It had "Here I Stand" and "Awesome God" on it. When I looked inside at the lyrics, I noticed that there were little scripture references throughout every song. There were 8 passages alone just for this song. So over the next week, we are going to be looking at these passages.

Today's passage was listed at the beginning of the song, and I believe it was meant as an overarching theme for the song. The song is a song of praise and a song of supplication. As you listen to the song and/or read the lyrics, what do you think about? How does it relate to the verse above? This verse is the core of the Lutheran Faith - we are saved by grace. What does that mean to you?

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Set the World on Fire

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Mark 2:14 (NIV)

Today's verse is one I came across in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer talks about how in the above verse, Jesus calls Levi and Levi responds. He doesn't come to God asking to serve. He doesn't think about it, or do it on his own terms. He just answers the call.

To continue with the musical theme for this week, I have a song by Britt Nicole called Set the World on Fire. The song is about wanting to serve. The song reminds me of the hymn, Here I Am Lord, but it's a song about answering the call Jesus has given to us.

Jesus calls us. We answer. It's as simple as that.

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

[CHORUS]
I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father's hands

[CHORUS]

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Nothing I cannot do

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There's nothing I can't do
Nothing I can't do

I'm gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Glorious Unveiling

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

1 Cor 13:12 (NIV)

Continuing with the musical theme we have a song by The Micah Watson Band. If you click on the link to the band's site you can listen to their first album. The first song is the title track for their CD, "Glorious Unveiling". I went to look up the lyrics in the case and found the above verse in parentheses. What a wonderful message.

Before I address today's verse, I want to put in a plug for The Micah Watson Band. My friend Joe is the bassist for the band. He and I met at my first Kairos. He taught me everything I know about U2. :) The band is working on their new CD, and they are hoping to pay for it by selling pre-release packages. If you like their music, I would encourage you to support them if it is within your means. You can find the pre-release in their store - just click here! :)

We often talk about God's grace and how it saves us. Everyone has an idea in their head of what heaven will be like. This verse talks about the wonders of our reward in heaven. Imagine fully knowing. Imagine understanding all the things that perplex you now. We get to find out where gravity comes from. We can ask "why?" about anything and know the answer! Imagine a world where you can see everything clearly - where there is no need for deceit because everyone can see it for what it is. There is only truth.

Sounds good.

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The Beauty of Grace

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:2

Today's verse was inspired by music. Specifically a song by Krystal Meyers, entitled "The Beauty of Grace". Take a listen to the song. The message is pretty basic. God's grace saves us. Woo hoo! It's always good to come back to the basics and be reminded of that fact. No matter what doubts we're having, or questions we're asking, one thing remains true: We are saved by God's grace. We have eternal salvation. That's an infinity mile warranty that never expires and is non-transferable, but always shareable. His grace covers all our pain and all our sins. We are washed clean by His blood. That knowledge brings all sorts of peace.

For those who are interested, here are the lyrics, from LyricsMania.com:

Tell me why'd you run?
You say you’re so ashamed
Bruised and broken
Thought if I figured out the mess you made
Then I’d leave

But anywhere you are
Is never too far away
There’s freedom from your scars
The mistakes that you’ve made
Forgiven
The memories erased
Baby, that’s the beauty of grace

La de da, la de da da

Tell me what is love?
I’ll never hold you to
The things you may have done
You say you want new life
In My arms there’s mercy

Anywhere you are
Is never too far away
There’s freedom from your scars
The mistakes that you’ve made
Forgiven
The memories erased
Baby, that’s the beauty of grace

La de da, la de da da

So blow a kiss goodbye
To all the pain you hide

Anywhere you are
Is never too far away
There’s freedom from your scars
The mistakes that you’ve made
Forgiven
The memories erased
Baby, that’s the beauty of grace

La de da, la de da da

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Never Been Unloved

¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:10-12 (NIV)

This passage was inspired by Kara Brooks' blog on the Book of Faith website. If you don't know about the Book of Faith initiative, it's something that was started last year by the ELCA and Augsburg fortress to help Christians spend time in the Word every day. If you like reading my daily verses, but are more do-it-yourself, check out what they have to offer. Note that I do not use the same verses that they do every day.

Today's passage is a multimedia experience. You can find Michael W. Smith's song, Never Been Unloved, on YouTube. He sings about the fact that for all that for all our failures, God's love never fails.

Today's verse is very powerful for me, for I do not think there is any power on earth greater than love. God's love is so great that he covers us with His grace. His son died for our sins. That's a lot of love. Our passage goes on to encourage us to love each other the same way. This kind of love, this self-sacrificing love, is referred to as agape in the Bible. How can we be that self-sacrificing? It's hard. We are selfish creatures. We aren't God. We aren't perfect. We can love one another though - and every little bit counts.

So what do we do? We try. Start with the little things. Be aware of people around you and the things that you can do for them. Hold a door for someone. Help someone carry something when it looks like they need help. Say a kind word or just smile to someone when you pass them in the hall. These little things are good habits and they can mean a lot to others. And as you get in the habit of doing little things, it will become easier to do big things. And through these things God's love will be made complete in you, and even though no one has ever seen God, people will see Christ in your life and in your deeds. And the people you meet will know that they have never been unloved.

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