In Christ alone will I glory Though I could pride myself in battles won For I’ve been blessed beyond measure And by His strength alone I’ll overcome Oh, I could stop and count successes like diamonds in my hands But those trophies could not equal to the grace by which I stand
Chorus: In Christ alone I place my trust And find my glory in the power of the cross In every victory Let it be said of me My source of strength My source of hope Is Christ alone
In Christ alone do I glory For only by His grace I am redeemed For only His tender mercy Could reach beyond my weakness to my need And now I seek no greater honor in just to know Him more And to count my gains but losses to the glory of my Lord
AMEN ---
that is what i listened to on repeat all the way home from work today... the 15 minute drive home allowed my brain to rest a bit... but even now as i type, my eyes kinda burn and it's only 6:19 pm... crazy :P
i was thinking on the way home to one of my previous blogs...
excerpt from Dec.15/05 blog: "but u see how since 1B the issues got bigger and bigger.... altho at the time, each trial seemed pretty encompassing... it's like the more you grow... the more you learn.... then next up, God has an even bigger lesson to teach you... something that will break you down on a completely different level... (break down...not as in .. "cries, boo hoo my life sux" kinda break down... but more like finding who you are in God's eyes over and over again, and each time, He brings new aspects to light) ... and thus, your faith and confidence in the Lord also grows stronger.
and if u think about it... it can get kinda scarie... u think that whatever your'e going thru is bad... the worse is yet to come =P hehe...and it's kinda true tho ^_^... BUT realize that He never gives you trials more than you can bear... and if u really think about it... Matthew 11: 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." " even from the time i wrote that blog, indeed, the spiritual battle has gotten more fierce only within a matter of a few months... and i can feel that God is breaking me down again... today, i kinda felt tired and weary.... and i hear God calling out: "Come to me, all who are tired and weary, and I will give you rest." =) boy, do i need some rest...i'm not talkign abour physical rest..cuz altho i get tonz of that, it doesn't make much of a difference in terms of mental, emotional, and spiritual rest.
and In Christ Alone -- there, lies my source of strength and hope.
i cannot fight the fight on my own strength.
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i've realized that this past term, i've really missed praying with other brothers and sisters.... i was praying with some ppl last friday when the RHCCC university aged fellowhsip was held at my house ( i only found this out the day of ). there is so much strength with prayer in numbers... haha it took me 3 months to see how big of a difference it makes to be constantly prayign with others... and sharing about your personal issues and praising GOd together... iv'e got a month left... and well... haha it's kind of a lost cause for the rest of htis term....but defintiely next work term something needs to change... gotta find my prayer buddies in TO =)
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i've been wondering...do i internalize other ppl's needs too much? i was told last week that i shoudl actually start caring more for myself and let ppl deal with their own stuff by themselves...
hmmm... it seems kinda wrong to me tho.... it's kinda of hard to explain to certain ppl... by caring for ppl, i am NOT tryign to fill their needs, that is God's job =) i think this is a key point that stops ppl from being burnt out. By visiting, talking, and praying with&for someone, i am not trying to fill whatever needs they have, but rather share part of God's love to others and be there to listen, so that in all things, His name will be glorified...
there's a lot of pain in this world... everyone's got their own share... i've definitely got mine that i constantly deal with... can you see past your own pain to reach out to others? actually no...it's more than seeing past your own pain...cuz ppl can just suppress their own issues and choose not to deal with them and just focus on others...but that isn't necessarily the way to go either...
quesiton is..how do you reconcile your own pain when loving others? it's kinda hard to explain...but learning self-less-ness and Christ-centered-ness are the two things that i strongly believe in. i struggle a lot with it too when things get crappy at home with increasing school/work pressure and at the same time, other people are looking for support, encouragement, and prayer and your ministries are getting increasingly more heavy... BUT haha, let's continue to fight the tiredness, the discouragement, the selfishness, the pride, and shine brightly for God =)
- try to take time to get out of your own bubble... and realize that the world does not consist of only you and your own struggles... look around you, you won't have to look far to discover that practically everyone around you is hurting too.... it is our duty to share GOd's love with others... and i'm sure that GOd has blessed each person withs pecific gifts and talents and different ways of expressing GOd's love to others... so just go for it in whichever way God has blessed you to do it =)
- focus on Christ.. the cross... what that means.. as Christians, we do have freedom in Christ... and God always keeps his promise to not only take care of us, but continualy build us up stronger if we surrender fully to Him... and oh..what about having the joy of the Lord always in yoru hearts? It IS possible to suffer and have the joy of hte Lord in your heart.... alongside joy, keeping a heart of thanksgiving is also very crucial to keepin Christ-centered. haha sorry, kinda jumbled thoughts now... but yeah.... pray PRAY P.R.A.Y.!!!!!
