Posts Tagged ‘New Living Translation’

Why Oh Why

Posted: March 20, 2012 in bible, friendship, life, love, music, religion
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Why does life always have to be so complicated?

You think everything is going along ok, maybe not perfectly, but your surviving and getting by, and then out the blue someone says or does something that knocks you for six.

I had one of those days recently and I’m still full of emotion because of it. To be honest I’m not sure yet whether I’m more annoyed or upset by it, but one thing for certain is that it has affected me and I’m struggling to understand why the situation was handled the way it was by others.

Psalm 18:16-18 (New Living Translation)

He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the LORD supported me.

Yes, we all question what happens in our life at times. However it’s those times that make us stronger people, and it’s by God‘s help we can get through those testing times. All we have to do is trust in Him.

What Lies Ahead

Posted: March 16, 2012 in bible, blogging, life, love, music, religion, Salvation Army
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Philippians 3:13 (New Living Translation):

I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past & looking forward to what lies ahead.

I know the above verse from Philippians go against everything I said in Wednesday’s blog post in Looking Forward or Back? as I said:

Looking forward isn’t just about the future, it’s also about the past!

However, not that I’m now trying to get out of it, but when I said the future was also about the past, I wasn’t meaning that we should continue to look backwards, I simply meant that in order to look forward we must use what has happened in the past to help us in the future.

The above bible verse, does back this up as it tells us to forget the past. i.e. don’t live in the past, resting on past successes or despairing over failures, move on with your life and live for what is to come.

No matter what lies ahead for us, God will be there with us, and will give us the energy and the guidance to continue to move forward.

The songs Onward Christian Soldiers and I’ll Go In The Strength of The King both feature in the following music Marching Onward 07 by Brass of Praise at The Royal Albert Hall:

All Because of The Son

Posted: March 5, 2012 in bible, blogging, family, life, love, religion
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John 8:36 (New Living Translation)

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

I asked you yesterday in Free whether you have found your freedom. Today it’s time for telling you how to find your freedom…

…The way to freedom is through Christ

John 14:6-7 (New Living Translation)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

God will set you free if you come before Him having accepted Jesus as His Son.

Nail Them!

Posted: August 30, 2011 in Bellshill, church, family, friendship, life, love, music, religion, Rutherglen, Salvation Army
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Galatians 5:24-25 (New Living Translation)

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

This bible passage fits in very well both with what I said in yesterday’s blog post One Life, and also with my thoughts for today…

Since last Thursday I’ve found myself spending a lot of time contemplating where I am in my spiritual journey…Has my life stagnated, or am I more eager than ever to learn more about God, and pull the whole of my life into His hands?

My spiritual life has definitely not stagnated in the last few years, but has grown in strength during some very difficult times in my life. Though having said that, I was in the depths of despair for a long time, I thought God had deserted me…but unsurprisingly, He proved to me that He was there, He had always been there, and He always would be there for me.

But have I really nailed all my sins to the cross and left them there? Have I really given Him my whole life?

Truthfully, my answer must be “no”. However I believe God has helped me recognised this fact so that I can move forward in my relationship with Him by giving everything I have to Him.

How about you, have you nailed all your sinful passions and desires to the cross and left them there? Are you living every part of your life for Jesus, and Jesus alone?

Now is the time for you, and me, to start anew, and give our all to God.

I pray you will find blessing and inspiration to take your all to the cross, as you listen to the following song, To Thy Cross I Come, Lord by The International Staff Songsters of The Salvation Army:


Your Prayer

Posted: June 27, 2011 in church, friendship, life, music, pray, prayer, religion
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As children at primary school, we were taught the Lord’s Prayer…but did we understand  what it meant?

As children at primary school we had to learn to recite the Lord’s Prayer…but did we understand the words we were learning?

As adults we recite the Lord’s Prayer on instruction at church…but do we actually believe the words we are reciting?

How many times in your life have you recited the Lord’s Prayer?

How many times when you were reciting it did you actually consider the words you were repeating, and believe them?

I suspect like me, you may find there are very few times when you’ve said the Lord’s Prayer, when you have actually said the words with sincerity and belief. Isn’t that sad. This is the prayer our Lord taught us, yet we treat is like a poem or words of a song that we just recite without thought or consideration.

Next time you say the Lord’s Prayer, please think about the words as you say them, and more importantly, believe and act on them!

As It Is In Heaven by Michael W Smith

Luke 11:1-4 (New Living Translation)

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:

   “Father, may your name be kept holy.
      May your Kingdom come soon.
   Give us each day the food we need,
   and forgive us our sins,
      as we forgive those who sin against us.
   And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

Role Model

Posted: January 18, 2011 in family, friendship, life, love, music, religion
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Sometimes we wish we were more like this person or that person, or that our life was more like someone else’s (See yesterday’s post called Who Are You for more info).

Because God made us just the way we are, we must be ourselves and not try to change ourselves into someone or something we are not. There is of course one except to this, and that is Jesus.

Ephesians 4:23-24 (New Living Translation)

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 

God made each one of us in His likeness, and as such we should do all we can in our lives to become more and more like Him.

Be like Jesus, He is the best role model anybody could ever have.

I’m Trying To Be like Jesus
 
I’m trying to be like Jesus,
I’m following in His ways.
I’m trying to love as He did
In all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted
To make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen
As the still small voice whispers:
 
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”
 
I’m trying to love my neighbor.
I’m learning to serve my friends.
I watch for that day of gladness
When Jesus will come again.
 
I try to remember the lessons he taught,
And the holy spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:
 
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

No Regrets

Posted: January 5, 2011 in life, music, religion
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Laugh your heart out, dance in rain, cherish the moment, live, laugh, love, forgive and forget - life’s too short to be living with regrets.

Good advice, but not the easiest advice to put into practice is it?

Yes it sounds great and would be wonderful if we could all actually live without regrets, but unfortunately as humans, life itself can make it so very hard to laugh, love, forgive and forget.

So what can we do to try and live our life to the fullest, and live without any regrets? Give your life to Jesus – give Him all your problems, all your burdens, both past and present. By doing this God can help you turn your life around, so that you can live your life to the full by forgiving and forgetting and laughing and loving.

1 Peter 5:7 (New Living Translation)

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you

So give your heart to Jesus today and he will take all your cares away.

I Don’t Regret by Barlowgirl

They’re telling me they’re concerned for the way I am living
That I’ll miss it all why would I think that God is that trusting
I can’t explain all the words He has spoken to my heart
Why’d I want him more

I don’t regret choosing you
And I’m not ashamed
That it’s You who holds my heart

Why do we think if we trust God too much will fail us
Nothing has come when I chose its that in me I’d trust
Separate me You have called out to follow You blindly
I won’t fear You’re leading me

I don’t regret choosing You
And I’m not ashamed
That it’s You who holds my heart

You have shown my ever wondering heart what love is
What on earth is more important than to have all of you

I don’t regret choosing you
And I’m not ashamed
That it’s You who holds my heart