Psalm 25

Find rest my soul in Christ alone.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
let me knot be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and
your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth or
my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love
remember me,
for the sake of your goodness,
O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast
love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant
and his testimonies.

For your name's sake, O lord,
pardon my guilt for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
His soul shall abide in well-being
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
The friendship of the Lord is for those
who fear him, and he makes known to
them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.

How precious is the blood of Jesus, who has washed me white as snow. He is the one we cling to, grace abounds, and in this we trust.

Why we love the church

Excerpt from Josh Harris' We Are Here to Love the Church

Acts 20:28 tells us that Jesus obtained the church with his own blood. Is this what your love for the church is based on? If it's anything less, it won't last long.

• Don't love the church because of what it does for you. Because sooner or later it won't do enough.
• Don't love the church because of a leader. Because human leaders are fallible and will let you down.
• Don't love the church because of a program or a building or activities because all those things get old.
• Don't love the church because of a certain group of friends because friendships change and people move.

Love the church because of who shed his blood to obtain the church. Love the church because of who the church belongs to. Love the church because of who the church worships. Love the church because you love Jesus Christ and his glory. Love the church because Jesus is worthy and faithful and true. Love the church because Jesus loves the church.

[emphasis mine.]

The face of God in the midst of uncertainty

In the last couple of months, my life has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. Deciding to go back to school or not, wanting to stay in LA but moving back home. In the midst of all this uncertainty, one thing has gotten me through the difficult nights of tears, and angst, and that is the resounding promise and command through God's word.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

1. We are to rejoice always, because the Lord is at hand
2. Because the Lord is at hand, we are not to be anxious
3. But when we are anxious, we are to pray to our God, our Father, who hears us because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, reconciling sinners to Him
4. And God responds to our prayers in an amazing way, He grants us a peace that will actively guard our hearts and our minds
5. And all of this is possible because of Christ

Philippians was written by Paul during his imprisonment, and here there is joy. It starts off with the imperative, a command to do what? to REJOICE in the Lord... when? ALWAYS, and just in case we didn't catch it the first time, "Again I will say Rejoice".

Following this the reassurance I have found in this simple yet powerful phrase,"The Lord is at hand" this is the reason we're called to "not be anxious about anything".

The Lord is at hand, meaning that God is in control, that He is sovereign and that... even when we are anxious, we can pray, our Heavenly Father will hear us, not only does He hear us, but there is a peace that will be given to us. This peace is nothing that man can comprehend, but it is of God.

This truth to rest in, our prayers and anxieties and uncertainties, are heard by God. Our Father hears us, and will instill in us a peace. Notice this peace is the subject of this sentence and following the clause that describes the type of peace, one that is beyond our understanding, is the declaration of what this peace will do.

The peace of God will guard our hearts, and our minds. Did you catch that? One more time... the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds, against the anxiety and the uncertainty.

This is not of ourselves nor with our own strength, but with the last, most important phrase "in Christ Jesus."

The peace of God that will guard our hearts and our minds, comes from Christ Jesus, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls, our Lord.

How reassuring is that?