Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant in the trial and the change
One thing... Remains
On and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever, have to be afraid
One thing remains
Your love never fails, never gives up
Never runs out on me
In death and in life I'm confident and
Covered by the power of your great love
My debt is paid there's nothing that can
Separate my heart from your great love
~ One Thing Remains by Jesus Culture
No matter what is going on in life and amidst the many changes and hard things that are happening. Right now there are many things that are going on in this world. Things that are hard for many people and people are struggling with multiple things in their life. We need to remember that even with all those things that are changing that there is one thing that never changes. "One thing remains." With everything that changes in life there is ALWAYS one thing that never has, never does, and never will change. Jesus will ALWAYS remain. He is ALWAYS there for us. He will ALWAYS be there and we don't have to be afraid. Jesus satisfies our soul. We should know that in times of death and in life that we are covered by Jesus' love. He loved us so much that He died on the cross for us so that He could take away our sins. Our debt has already been taken care of us by our Lord, Jesus Christ. He loves us so much and it is because of that love that we can love others. There is nothing that can separate us from from His wonderful love for us.
It is important that we ALWAYS remember that Jesus' love never fails and that He will never give up on us. We may think that His love has failed because things aren't going right for us. Truth is that His love for us NEVER fails. We may think, at times, that we have done too many horrible things that God won't forgive us for. Often times we think that because of all the bad things we have done that He is going to give up on us. Truth is that God will NEVER give up on us. His love will ALWAYS be there for us. It will NEVER run out on any of us! His love is greater than anything else. There are many people who go through tough things and the ones that get through it the easiest are the ones who love God and know that He loves them more than anything. They may struggle with things, but those who remember this can remember how great His wonderful love is for us and that He will ALWAYS love us. Nothing can separate us from the love that God has for us.
Remember that God's love never fails, God's love never gives up, and nothing can separate us from God's love.
Justina Marie
Friday, December 14, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Be strong and know that God is with you
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" ~ Joshua 1:9
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." ~ Philippians 4:13
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." ~ Colossians 3:23
I know that many of my friends are getting ready for finals these next couple weeks. There are also many people who are really busy this time of year getting different things done. So many people tend to be stressed during this time because it seems like there is so much to do that you thought you'd have gotten done already and wouldn't need to crunch so many things into what seems like so little time, but in reality . It is important that we take time to relax and remember that everything will get done and go according to God's will. The three verses above, along with many others, are great reminders for us that we should keep in mind during this time. They shouldn't only be on our minds during this time, but ALWAYS.
The first quote from Joshua tells us that we need to not be afraid, but to be strong and to not be discouraged, but courageous. There may be several things that we need to get done, but we shouldn't get discouraged by that. We should be strong and know that we are going to get everything done. God is with us wherever we go and helps us in everything that we do. With God's help we are able to push through the hard times and can overcome the long list of things that we have to complete. In everything that we do, God is going to give us the strength that we need to complete it. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but those are the times that make us stronger. With God everything is possible and He will help us get everything done. Everything we do, we should work on it to glorify God and not as if we are doing it to glorify man. We should do everything to the glory of God. The things that we do should be for God and we should put our whole heart into it.
Remember that God is always with you and will help you be strong to get things done.
Justina Strecker
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." ~ Philippians 4:13
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." ~ Colossians 3:23
I know that many of my friends are getting ready for finals these next couple weeks. There are also many people who are really busy this time of year getting different things done. So many people tend to be stressed during this time because it seems like there is so much to do that you thought you'd have gotten done already and wouldn't need to crunch so many things into what seems like so little time, but in reality . It is important that we take time to relax and remember that everything will get done and go according to God's will. The three verses above, along with many others, are great reminders for us that we should keep in mind during this time. They shouldn't only be on our minds during this time, but ALWAYS.
The first quote from Joshua tells us that we need to not be afraid, but to be strong and to not be discouraged, but courageous. There may be several things that we need to get done, but we shouldn't get discouraged by that. We should be strong and know that we are going to get everything done. God is with us wherever we go and helps us in everything that we do. With God's help we are able to push through the hard times and can overcome the long list of things that we have to complete. In everything that we do, God is going to give us the strength that we need to complete it. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but those are the times that make us stronger. With God everything is possible and He will help us get everything done. Everything we do, we should work on it to glorify God and not as if we are doing it to glorify man. We should do everything to the glory of God. The things that we do should be for God and we should put our whole heart into it.
Remember that God is always with you and will help you be strong to get things done.
Justina Strecker
Friday, November 30, 2012
Here I am to Worship
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
~Here I am to Worship by Tim Hughes
The first two lines of this excerpt from the song is really powerful. We will never know the pain that Jesus felt when He stretched out His arms on the cross and died hanging there for us. There is no pain that we will ever endure that is as great as that. We do feel some pain, but nothing will compare to that. He was tortured slowly and He didn't even do a single thing wrong His entire life. He died on the cross for us who are undeserving because we sin daily, but He never sinned. We should be thankful that Jesus was willing though to do this for us because by that one action we will be able to live in heaven for eternity. He did what He did because it is what God had planned to happen. We can see the wonderful love of God and Christ through that action. God has an unconditional love for us and He sent His only Son to die for us so that we can all one day live with Him. That is some pretty powerful love for one to be able to go through that.
God is lovely, worthy and wonderful. He has done so many great things for us and has given us each so many blessings. He is worthy of all our praise. We shouldn't just worship only when we go to church or chapel, but we should worship Him 24/7. Since we are sinners we do fail at this, but it just means that we should try to praise Him in everything we do and we should do everything to the glory of God. Sometimes we forget how awesome God is and all the wonderful things that He has done for us, so it is important that we do take time to remember everything that He has done for us. He is wonderful and His unfailing, unconditional love is the best thing that we could ever receive. Not only should we thank God for loving us unconditionally, but we should try to love others like He loves us. It is the best kind of love that one could receive, so why wouldn't one want to share that love with others? We should even try to show this love to strangers because just maybe that one moment of a love like that can turn into something big for them and could possibly be life changing.
Remember to always worship God no matter where you are and what you are doing.
Justina Marie
To see my sin upon that cross
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
~Here I am to Worship by Tim Hughes
The first two lines of this excerpt from the song is really powerful. We will never know the pain that Jesus felt when He stretched out His arms on the cross and died hanging there for us. There is no pain that we will ever endure that is as great as that. We do feel some pain, but nothing will compare to that. He was tortured slowly and He didn't even do a single thing wrong His entire life. He died on the cross for us who are undeserving because we sin daily, but He never sinned. We should be thankful that Jesus was willing though to do this for us because by that one action we will be able to live in heaven for eternity. He did what He did because it is what God had planned to happen. We can see the wonderful love of God and Christ through that action. God has an unconditional love for us and He sent His only Son to die for us so that we can all one day live with Him. That is some pretty powerful love for one to be able to go through that.
God is lovely, worthy and wonderful. He has done so many great things for us and has given us each so many blessings. He is worthy of all our praise. We shouldn't just worship only when we go to church or chapel, but we should worship Him 24/7. Since we are sinners we do fail at this, but it just means that we should try to praise Him in everything we do and we should do everything to the glory of God. Sometimes we forget how awesome God is and all the wonderful things that He has done for us, so it is important that we do take time to remember everything that He has done for us. He is wonderful and His unfailing, unconditional love is the best thing that we could ever receive. Not only should we thank God for loving us unconditionally, but we should try to love others like He loves us. It is the best kind of love that one could receive, so why wouldn't one want to share that love with others? We should even try to show this love to strangers because just maybe that one moment of a love like that can turn into something big for them and could possibly be life changing.
Remember to always worship God no matter where you are and what you are doing.
Justina Marie
Monday, November 12, 2012
God will always pick you back up
'Cause my whole world is caving in
But I feel you now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know you more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find you when I fall apart
~ Fall Apart by Josh Wilson
Sometimes we see our world changing around us and it seems as if everything that was going right is now going all wrong. We find ourselves struggling with different things in our life and it is hard for us to get back up and see the good in things. At times it can seem like everything is against us and we aren't going to find a way back to how they were. In a way though that could be what God wants because the way things were wasn't how He wanted them to be. He wanted us to be on a different track and to get on the right track God wants us on sometimes we struggle because we can't find our way there alone. When need God to help guide us to the right track that He wants us on. Sometimes we fight against what He wants because we think what we want is better for us, but truthfully what God wants us to do is always what is best even if we can't understand why He wants certain things to happen to us. That is the beauty of God though because we can't see the amazing things that He wants to happen and we only realize them once they happen if we even realize them at all and to get to that point sometimes we have to struggle so that we can see the beauty in the amazing thing that is going to happen.
While we are down we really need to remember that God is with us and He is going to help us through the difficult times. We should always strive to want to know more about our wonderful Lord. No matter if we are going through the difficult times or the times that we see as being great we should always want to know Him more. He has done so many marvelous things for us that we will never know them all, but each one is a blessing from God. Sometimes it takes the struggles that we go through to want to get closer to God and to see the many things that He has given to us and done for us. When we fall apart it is important that we look to God on where we should go and what we should do because He knows what is right for us according to His plan. He is always there to pick us up even if we don't feel like we can go on. No matter what happens, the good and the bad, God is always there with each of us and is going to help us stay on the path that He wants us on. We have to look to Him and trust that He will guide us according to His plan.
Remember that God is always with you and will help you through all moments.
Justina Marie
But I feel you now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know you more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find you when I fall apart
~ Fall Apart by Josh Wilson
Sometimes we see our world changing around us and it seems as if everything that was going right is now going all wrong. We find ourselves struggling with different things in our life and it is hard for us to get back up and see the good in things. At times it can seem like everything is against us and we aren't going to find a way back to how they were. In a way though that could be what God wants because the way things were wasn't how He wanted them to be. He wanted us to be on a different track and to get on the right track God wants us on sometimes we struggle because we can't find our way there alone. When need God to help guide us to the right track that He wants us on. Sometimes we fight against what He wants because we think what we want is better for us, but truthfully what God wants us to do is always what is best even if we can't understand why He wants certain things to happen to us. That is the beauty of God though because we can't see the amazing things that He wants to happen and we only realize them once they happen if we even realize them at all and to get to that point sometimes we have to struggle so that we can see the beauty in the amazing thing that is going to happen.
While we are down we really need to remember that God is with us and He is going to help us through the difficult times. We should always strive to want to know more about our wonderful Lord. No matter if we are going through the difficult times or the times that we see as being great we should always want to know Him more. He has done so many marvelous things for us that we will never know them all, but each one is a blessing from God. Sometimes it takes the struggles that we go through to want to get closer to God and to see the many things that He has given to us and done for us. When we fall apart it is important that we look to God on where we should go and what we should do because He knows what is right for us according to His plan. He is always there to pick us up even if we don't feel like we can go on. No matter what happens, the good and the bad, God is always there with each of us and is going to help us stay on the path that He wants us on. We have to look to Him and trust that He will guide us according to His plan.
Remember that God is always with you and will help you through all moments.
Justina Marie
Monday, October 22, 2012
Never Alone
When there's nowhere else to turn
All your bridges have been burned
Feels like you've hit rock bottom
Don't give up it's not the end
Open up your heart again
When you feel like no one
Understands where you are
Someone loves you even when you don't think so don't you know you got
Me and Jesus by your side through the fight you will never be alone on your own you got me and Jesus
~ Me and Jesus by Stellar Kart
At times we may be going through struggles and it feels like there is no one that we can turn to. Sometimes we feel like the ones who told us they would be there for us and when we really need them they aren't there. We may feel as if no one loves us because they aren't there for us like they told us they would be. At times we want to give up because we just don't see that anyone is there for us. We may feel like no one understands what we are going through, but the truth is that many have had similar situations and they would be willing to help us. We may feel like we are stuck and have no where that we can go, but there are so many places that we can go because this world is full of many opportunities.
The thing we need to remember is that God is ALWAYS there for us. Jesus is with us through everything and even if we are going through a struggle He is going to pick us up and carry us through the hard times. We can always turn to God and talk to Him. He may not give us the answers that we want, but He is going to give us the answers that He knows are best for us and according to His plan. We should never want to give up because God has given us this life as a gift and He has a plan for each person's life. God also knows how we feel and He will help us in the right path to get to those people we need so that we can overcome the things that are bothering us. We should be the "me" in this song because we should love others just as Jesus loves them. If we ever see someone who needs someone to talk to we should be willing to talk to them and help them out. We may not have gone through the thing that they are struggling with, but at least we can be there for them and try to help them remember that they are loved. It is very comforting to know that He is always there for us and loves us no matter what.
Remember even if you don't think anyone is there for you or understands you that "you got me and Jesus."
Justina Marie
All your bridges have been burned
Feels like you've hit rock bottom
Don't give up it's not the end
Open up your heart again
When you feel like no one
Understands where you are
Someone loves you even when you don't think so don't you know you got
Me and Jesus by your side through the fight you will never be alone on your own you got me and Jesus
~ Me and Jesus by Stellar Kart
At times we may be going through struggles and it feels like there is no one that we can turn to. Sometimes we feel like the ones who told us they would be there for us and when we really need them they aren't there. We may feel as if no one loves us because they aren't there for us like they told us they would be. At times we want to give up because we just don't see that anyone is there for us. We may feel like no one understands what we are going through, but the truth is that many have had similar situations and they would be willing to help us. We may feel like we are stuck and have no where that we can go, but there are so many places that we can go because this world is full of many opportunities.
The thing we need to remember is that God is ALWAYS there for us. Jesus is with us through everything and even if we are going through a struggle He is going to pick us up and carry us through the hard times. We can always turn to God and talk to Him. He may not give us the answers that we want, but He is going to give us the answers that He knows are best for us and according to His plan. We should never want to give up because God has given us this life as a gift and He has a plan for each person's life. God also knows how we feel and He will help us in the right path to get to those people we need so that we can overcome the things that are bothering us. We should be the "me" in this song because we should love others just as Jesus loves them. If we ever see someone who needs someone to talk to we should be willing to talk to them and help them out. We may not have gone through the thing that they are struggling with, but at least we can be there for them and try to help them remember that they are loved. It is very comforting to know that He is always there for us and loves us no matter what.
Remember even if you don't think anyone is there for you or understands you that "you got me and Jesus."
Justina Marie
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Thank you for letting me be alive
I won't take it for granted
I won't waste another second
All I want is to give you
A life well lived, to day "thank you"
I want to live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be, it's good to be alive
~ Good to be Alive by Jason Gray
I am really sorry that it has been about 2 weeks since I have written last. There have been many things that I have had to do and just really haven't had much time to relax and think about life. I have been so stressed with a lot of school work and also with other things going on in my life and many thoughts running through my head. The song Good to be Alive is a great song and a great reminder to me. It is one that every time I hear I really think about the words and try to think about my life for a little bit. We get so many things in life and sometimes we forget to stop and thank God for ALL that He has given to us.
The song says "I want to live like there's no tomorrow Love like I'm on borrowed time." That part of the song is how I want to live. I know it isn't how I live, but I wish that it were. I love God and I know He loves me, but I don't feel like I live everyday like there is no tomorrow. Where I am at in life, I seem to always be looking to the future and thinking about many things that are going to happen. I am always doing homework for the next day or even a few days away, I am thinking of what I have going on over the weekend and what homework I can do during the weekend, and I am thinking about when is the next time that I am going to get to see certain people that I haven't seen in quite a while. I know that I wouldn't get by if I didn't think ahead and didn't do these things, but what I really need to do is think about each moment and not take it for granted. I need to remember that we aren't ever promised a tomorrow, but that each tomorrow is a great gift from God. I want to be able to live my life where I don't hold back and I do everything to the best that I can and I want to live for God and praise and glorify Him in everything that I do.
He gives us so much and so we should use the abilities that He has given us and show His love to others. I want to be able to love others without thinking twice. Often times, even though we shouldn't, we judge people for things (some of which we don't even realize) and so we may not love them like we should. The way that we should love is because of the great love that God has for us. We should try to love others like that, even though it isn't possible because His love is the greatest. He gives us the ability to love so we should want to spread that love with others and not hold any of it back. If we see someone who is struggling or just isn't having a great day, we could do a small little thing such as holding a door for them or smiling at them and by that small act we could be showing God's love. I truly hope that I can try to do these things and I hope that I can show God's love to others as best as I am able to do.
Remember that each day is a gift and we never know when we may not have a tomorrow so we should live as if there isn't one and live to glorify God in all that we do.
Justina Marie
Thursday, October 4, 2012
All I am is Yours
So I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
-I'll Stand by Hillsong United
At Praise last night we sang this song and it is a song that I listen to quite often. These words have a great meaning and often times we forget how amazing God really is. We go about our days just getting done what we have to get done for the next day and even for something later that day. So many times we forget to just stop and praise God. We are His children and we should be in awe of Him and make sure that we take time for Him daily. Lately I have been really tired and busy and I haven't done my devotions every night this week like I used to do. I need to get back into that because when I did them I felt great when I went to bed right after I did it and it helped me to remember how awesome God is. We need to try to always remember this because it was Him who created us and has a wonderful plan set out for us.
The song says "my soul, Lord, to You surrendered All I am is Yours." To me this is probably the deepest part of the song and that part that has the biggest meaning to us. We have surrendered our soul to God and that has made us His. So this means that we should be living a life for Him and recognizing the beauty that He creates. He gives us everything that we ever need and more because truly we only need Him, but He gives us so much more. I think we sometimes forget that we are living for God and we stray away from Him, but He knows that we belong with Him and He will make something happen that will lead us back to Him. The picture below is of me on the first day that I had felt rain in over a month because of the drought this summer. I had edited it to have the lyrics of this song on it. It is my background on my computer and is just a great reminder to me that I am Gods and I am surrendered to Him and will do whatever it is that He has planned for me.
Remember that we surrendered to God and that we are His.
Justina Marie
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
-I'll Stand by Hillsong United
At Praise last night we sang this song and it is a song that I listen to quite often. These words have a great meaning and often times we forget how amazing God really is. We go about our days just getting done what we have to get done for the next day and even for something later that day. So many times we forget to just stop and praise God. We are His children and we should be in awe of Him and make sure that we take time for Him daily. Lately I have been really tired and busy and I haven't done my devotions every night this week like I used to do. I need to get back into that because when I did them I felt great when I went to bed right after I did it and it helped me to remember how awesome God is. We need to try to always remember this because it was Him who created us and has a wonderful plan set out for us.
The song says "my soul, Lord, to You surrendered All I am is Yours." To me this is probably the deepest part of the song and that part that has the biggest meaning to us. We have surrendered our soul to God and that has made us His. So this means that we should be living a life for Him and recognizing the beauty that He creates. He gives us everything that we ever need and more because truly we only need Him, but He gives us so much more. I think we sometimes forget that we are living for God and we stray away from Him, but He knows that we belong with Him and He will make something happen that will lead us back to Him. The picture below is of me on the first day that I had felt rain in over a month because of the drought this summer. I had edited it to have the lyrics of this song on it. It is my background on my computer and is just a great reminder to me that I am Gods and I am surrendered to Him and will do whatever it is that He has planned for me.
Remember that we surrendered to God and that we are His.
Justina Marie
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