Category: Hope

Born King of the Jews

Posted on by Dorci

Each year we’re reminded of the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Born in a stable, laid in a manger. But oh, He was so much more than just another baby born that night or any other night. (And by the way, why do babies love to come in the middle of the night?!)

That very night would begin the proclamation of who this Child really was as angels gathered in a holy chorus of praise glorifying His name, and shepherds ran to see for themselves this baby who was the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.  

And not too long after, the truth of who He was began to spread.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’”
Matthew 2:1-3

“And this was his (John the baptist’s) message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life…’”
John 6:35

“I am the light of the world…”
John 8:12

“Jesus said again, ‘I am the door…”
John 10:7

“I am the good shepherd…”
John 10:11

“I am the resurrection and the life…”
John 11:25

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”
John 14:6

“I am the true vine..”
John 15:1

“So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:28

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 
John 8:58

“…He was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
John 5:18b

“Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say.’”
Matthew 27:11

At the beginning of His life, wise men called Him the King of the Jews.

And at the end of His life (well, a very temporary end!), Pilate called Him the King of the Jews.

This Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus – the Son of God, the Word of God, the Creator, the Healer, the Anointed One, the Prince of Peace, the Beginning and the End…let us also remember that He is the King of Israel.

He sits on His throne in a place we can’t yet see, but He is there nonetheless, reigning over all. And someday soon He will return in full regalia as Judge and King. 

May we keep our hope and faith in Him who is not only full of grace and mercy, but is also faithful, righteous, and just. Praise His Name! 

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Dorci

A Taste of Heaven

Posted on by Dorci

With every passing year (week? day?), every hurdle I face, every body part that breaks down, every headline I thought I’d never see, I find myself longing more and more for my heavenly home.

This world holds less of what I want, but heaven…the home of my LORD, my Savior, my Friend…that is where my heart is. And I know I’m not alone.

 

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved.”
Romans 8:22-24

Ah, childbirth. In those moments of some of the most intense, blinding, delirium-inducing pain I’ve ever had, I never thought I’d be able to look back and smile. Even chuckle. I barely remember the pain now, but oh, the tremendous blessing I received afterward – now that I remember, and am still blessed with today.

And I can say yes, it was all worth it. The morning sickness, the cravings, the water retention, the back pain, all worth it. I can even cherish it now knowing the beauty that came from it.

And yes, no matter the pain in this life, it’ll all be worth it someday. The day will come when not only our adoption is complete, but we’ll see how the Lord used the trials in this life to mature our faith, to grow us closer to Him, and to receive those treasures we’ve laid up there, treasures greater than we can ever imagine.

For now, we continue to groan inwardly, to wait, patiently, for our time to come. There is a way, though, to experience a taste right now of the future reward for our labor.

Call up an old friend, a brother or sister in the Lord you haven’t seen in while, and invite him or her to lunch, dinner, coffee.

Laugh over old times, eagerly share what’s happened in your lives, how the Lord’s been faithful to always be there in the tough times, and what He’s taught you along the way.

As your heart is filled with the joy of the reunion, let it be a reminder of joy we’ll experience at the great feast in heaven as we join untold numbers of loved ones, those we sorely miss and those we have yet to meet, with our King at the head, and rejoice forever.

Until then, let us hold onto our Hope.

The Saturday Song – Lord of My Life

Posted on by Dorci
Hello Friends,
No matter where you are today, whether walking with the Lord, struggling to walk with Him, or having turned your back on Him for whatever reason, for however long, I want you to know our Lord Jesus is there and He always will be. Wherever you’ve been, He knows and loves you, and wherever you’re headed, He’s been there and back and made a way for you. Call out to Him with assurance that He will forgive where you need to be forgiven, hold out His hand, and invite you to come alongside and walk with Him. 
 
I hope the sentiment of this song will be ours throughout the coming year, and with it the peace and hope of Christ.  
 
Heavenly Father, may you be the song in our hearts and the light for our paths through every storm, every rainbow, every desert, every heartache, and every joy. May you forever truly be the Lord of our lives.
 
 
Lord of My Life
by Matt Maher
 
A sky without a North Star
A ship without an anchor
Caught up in the current
My heart is prone to wander

All these roads I’ve taken
Lead me back to nowhere
And you’re the destination
And you’re the way to get there

You can have it all

Be the song I sing, be my guided light
Savior of my soul, be the Lord of my life
Every step I take, always by my side
I am Yours, and You are mine
Be the Lord of my life

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Mercy’s never failing
Forgiveness overflowing
A beauty you’re unveiling
A love that just keeps growing

This is all I want
I surrender all

Be the song I sing, be my guided light
Savior of my soul, be the Lord of my life
Every step I take, always by my side
I am Yours, and You are mine
Be the Lord of my life

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

I wanna go where go You go, wanna move where You move
Wanna love who You love, watch it break on through
I wanna go where go You go, wanna move where You move
Wanna love who You love, watch it break on through
I wanna go where go You go, wanna move where You move
Wanna love who You love, watch it break on through
I wanna go where go You go, wanna move where You move
Watch it break on through, break on through

Woah-oh-oh, oh-oh
Woah-woah, woah-woah
Woah-oh-oh, oh-oh
Woah-woah, woah-woah
Savior of my soul, be the Lord of my life
Every step I take, always by my side
I am Yours, and You are mine
Be the Lord of my life
Oh, I am Yours, and You are mine
Be the Lord of my life

I am Yours, and You are mine
Be the Lord of my life

To Gaze Upon the King

Posted on by Dorci

I’d like to repost one more piece for you, this one from December 2015. I pray you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the beloved Child, the Savior, the King.  

***

Oh dear ones, loved so greatly by God, can I ask you to, for just a moment, lay down your tape and scissors?  To take your eyes away from the Christmas movies and your ears from the holiday music?

Can I ask you to come take a journey with me?  We are going to see a King.

There is a little, ancient town full of people who have come to be counted in the census.  All the rooms are full, too.

There is a very young woman who is about ready to give birth.  She and her husband have come a long way and she looks tired and uncomfortable. Her labor pains have begun.

“The barn is available,” they’re told.

Humbly, they make their way to the stable.  He tries to make her comfortable with a bed of hay as the animals make room for a royal guest.

She gives birth and the pain is soon forgotten as joy overwhelms her.  He is perfect in every way.  They gaze upon their miracle child, the one given to them by God Himself.  There is a feeding trough, and he makes a bed for this tiny baby.  The stars are shining on this most special of nights.

Meanwhile, out in the nearby fields, men who only a moment ago were tending sheep now stand in shock and fear as a glorious and heavenly light shines around them and an angel of the Lord appears to them and says,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The shepherds are barely able to take it in when a whole host of angels appears, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

They grab their staffs and run to the place where this Savior, this long-awaited Messiah has been born.  He is beautiful and they can hardly believe it.  They have seen the great Shepherd.

Room has been made for this little family of three.  They wonder what the future holds in and through this new and precious life.

Sometime later, other worshippers make their way from the east.  A star has led some wise men on a journey.  It’s been long and dusty, but they’ve been moved by something, Someone, beyond them to make it.  They’ve brought gifts suitable to present to royalty: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold for a King, but not just any king.  A King who has chosen to strip Himself of His heavenly robes and crown and become like us.

Frankincense, symbolizing His priesthood, one that would never end.

Myrrh for embalming, for one day in the not-too-distant future, this King will die for the sins of the world.

The star that led them from so far away has stopped directly over the house where the King lay.  They step inside and bow before Him and worship Him.  They present their gifts, and Mary and Joseph continue to marvel at God’s love, His miracles and His glory.

The world looks different to them now.  Suddenly it is filled with hope and love and promise.  Under the light of the stars was the Light of the world. Salvation was here.

This, they knew, was no ordinary child.

This was a King.

The Saturday Song – There Will Be a Day

Posted on by Dorci

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4

 

Heavenly Father, help us walk through the hard things in this life with the hope you’ve given us for the next. In Christ’s name we pray, amen. 

Saturday Song – I Lift My Eyes Up

Posted on by Dorci

In the days leading up to today, the words that kept coming to my heart were that our help comes from the Lord.

The word “help” in Hebrew is ‛ezrâh, meaning aid, and it derives from another word, ‛âzar, meaning to surround. 

He is our ever-present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

You are my help and my deliverer… (Psalm 40:17)

Give us help from trouble… (Psalm 60:11)

Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wing I will rejoice. (Psalm 63:7)

And this song, I Lift My Eyes Up, from Psalm 121. 

Father, thank you for surrounding all of us who look to you for comfort and peace today and every day. We pray for your grace and mercy on our nation today for revival, that countless more hearts will look to you, the Creator of heaven and earth, to be their help, their hope, their salvation. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen. 

 


I lift my eyes up, to the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You
Maker of heaven, Creator of the earth

Oh how I need you Lord
You are my only hope
You’re my only prayer

So I will wait for you
to come and rescue me
Come and give me life

God Promises to Walk Among Us

Posted on by Dorci

“As God has said:

‘I will live with them
    and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.’ (Lev. 26:12; Jer 32:38; Ezek. 37:27)

Therefore,

‘Come out from them
    and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
    and I will receive you.’ (Isaiah 52:11; Ezek 20:34,41)

And,

‘I will be a Father to you,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.’ (2 Sam 7:14; 7:8)

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
2 Corinthians 6:16b-7:1

God Promises To Be With Us Always

Posted on by Dorci

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the 
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am 
with you always, to the very end of the age. 
Matthew 28:19-20

The Saturday Song – King of the World

Posted on by Dorci

Hello friends.  I hope you’re having a great Saturday and preparing your heart for what the Lord desires to speak into your heart this weekend.  

I heard this song again recently and with all that’s going on in our world, and in my own life, it really touched my heart, and I wanted to share it with you. 

The God we serve – the great I AM, the creator of the universe and of you and me, the One who sent His own Son to purchase our souls, and has made a way for our eternity at home with Him – is, always has been, and always will be the King of the world. 

No matter what we’re facing today or will face tomorrow, He’s got this, if we’ll just hold it out to Him and ask Him. 

May He bless your day, your weekend, and may you see His strong and loving hand in all the things that concern you. 


King of the World
by Natalie Grant

I try to fit you in the walls inside my mind
I try to keep you safely in between the lines
I try to put you in the box that I’ve designed
I try to pull you down so we are eye to eye

When did I forget that you’ve always been
The King of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands
Of the King of the world

How could I make you so small
When you’re the one who holds it all
When did I forget that you’ve always been
The King of the world?

Just a whisper of your voice can tame the seas
So who am I to try to take the lead
Still I run ahead and think I’m strong enough
When you’re the one who made me from the dust

When did I forget that you’ve always been
The King of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands
Of the King of the world

How could I make you so small
When you’re the one who holds it all
When did I forget that you’ve always been
The King of the world

Oh, you set it all in motion
Every single moment
You brought it all to me
And you’re holding on to me

When did I forget that you’ve always been
The King of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands
Of the King of the world

How could I make you so small
When you’re the one who holds it all
When did I forget you’ve always been
The King of the world

You will always be the King of the world

Remain Steadfast

Posted on by Dorci

 

STEADFAST


The Lord has been putting this word on my heart lately. 

Remain steadfast. 

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 
1 Peter 5:8-9

This is Peter telling us this.

Peter, the one who told Jesus he would never deny Him – even if he had to die with Him.

Peter, one of the apostles whom Jesus took and asked him to pray the night before He was arrested, and then fell asleep.

Peter, the one who impetuously drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. 

Peter, the one who vehemently denied Christ three times. 

But all that doesn’t make him less credible; it makes him more. 

He’s saying don’t do what I did! He learned what the devil had been up to and he wanted to warn his brothers and sisters in Christ to be aware. 

To remain steadfast in the faith – steadfast in our convictions, steadfast in the truth, steadfast in our reliance upon Christ and Christ alone, now and forever. 

The devil’s ways are the same as ever. he’s looking for people who are at a weak place, who aren’t being alert and vigilant to the devil’s ways, who aren’t steadfastly trusting in the power and righteousness of Jesus Christ. 

Right now, when the world seems like a raging sea, is an opportune time for the enemy to try to discourage us, to trip us up, to question Jesus, and maybe even walk away from Him, even a step. 

But we who are in Christ can confidently “lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever…” 
Hebrews 6:18b-20

No matter what happens in this life, we don’t have to give in to fear and be tossed around in the waves of confusion. We have an anchor of hope.

We have the promises of God, all of which in Christ are yes and amen. His promises are for this life and extend all the way behind the veil that lies between this life and the next.

Our sure hope, our anchor in rough seas, is that Christ is with us now, and He will surely call us to live with Him in His home where we’ve laid up treasures beyond comprehension, and where love and peace and joy are the way of life.     

And we’re reminded of this hope every time we pray, every time we read God’s Word, and every time we enter into fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Our steadfast anchor of hope will keep us steadfast, too.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Cor 15:58