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You are here: Home / Archives for smattern

April 30, 2020 by smattern Leave a Comment

How to Find Your Place in the Eternal Song

Thou For Us Hast Died

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library? Click here. Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant! Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

https://resonant7.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CrownHimwithManyCrowns-16.4-429208.29PM.mp3
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We conclude our journey of resonance through this great hymn today. In the first half of this stanza, we considered how Jesus was one with the Father and Spirit as the Lord of heaven. In this second half, we ponder our response to that eternal reality. Let’s think about this.

Endless Praise

To Thee be endless praise, For Thou for us hast died;

Our endless praise is the only appropriate response to what Jesus has done. Though the perfect Son of God, He laid down His life to become the sacrifice for our sins, the only thing that could satisfy the just demand of a holy Father. Indeed, forever will not be long enough to offer the worship that is due Him for His death on that cross.

Still, we are not the first to offer this eternal exaltation around the heavenly throne. In Revelation 5, we read of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders responding first to this Lamb who appears before the throne. They declare Him worthy and tell how His work has ransomed people from every tongue and made us a kingdom of priests who will reign. But the song is only beginning.

Myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, that is how John describes the angels that get in on the action and offer this call to worship.

saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12 ESV

Thousands of thousands. One thousand thousand would be a million, so thousands of thousands would be millions. The exact number is not really the point. Simply put, that’s a lot of angels. But did you notice how they sounded? With a loud voice. They were together, unified as one voice declaring that praise.

Words can not describe their number, so they certainly can not represent the power of that moment of heavenly acclamation. They were praising Him for salvation, but not their own. That honor rests upon the redeemed, His blood-bought people.

Our salvation both makes offering praise possible and enables it. It is all the angels who are quoted here in John’s vision of heaven. There is truly endless praise, having begun at the dawn of creation and continuing forever. They praise Him who was slain for the sins of the world. Do you long to join them in praising the Lord of heaven?

We praise him eternally for dying for our sins. We could and will praise Him for so much more across the span of forever, but our salvation is the foundation that allows us to offer our first praise and enables an eternity of the same. Give Him praise now, and forever!

RESONATE!
It is very difficult for us to even begin to imagine what that endless praise will sound like. As a musician, I love to think about how glorious that praise will be. Take a minute, read that verse again, and ask the Spirit to sanctify your imagination. As the story unfolds, this will be the praise that precedes ours around the throne. Prepare yourself to respond today by pondering what those inspiring moments will be like.

Endless Days

Adored and Magnified

If the angels’ praise is difficult to imagine, contemplate how difficult it is for us to conceive eternity. Not only is the sound of their salutations virtually unfathomable, so is the length. We will begin to praise Him, and simply never stop.

Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days Adored and magnified.

I have joked with folks over the years that they should sing in choirs because it gives them some practical experience for how we will spend a portion of forever. While I think we will engage in other activities besides just singing, I am confident we will lift our voices in praise. So, how are you getting ready?

We are going to spend some portion of our endless days offering endless praise. I want to encourage you to get into good form now, not only because I think it will prepare you a bit for an eternity of adoration, but even more so because it will change your outlook now.

We will magnify Jesus as the Lord of heaven, but we do not have to wait. We can offer the material for our commendation to Him today. Your endless days can start today, if you are willing.

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelation 5:13 ESV

And join them we shall, every creature. Here is the material for our song. Do not wait until the end of days to offer your worship. Praise Him today, and then never stop. That is the blessing of living eternally, we will adore and magnify Jesus for endless days. Hallelujah! Think on that.

RESONATE!
Yes we will add to the angels’ song with one of our own. Notice the Scripture tells us we will “say” these words. You can start your praise today by simply saying them to Jesus from your heart. Read them again. Then say them out loud. Do it again, and imagine you are joining your voice with every creature. You are not alone. Not even now. And you certainly will not be on that day.

Jesus, thank You for dying for me so that I could be among the number that will offer endless praise for endless days. Help me look up today and every day, declaring blessing and honor and glory and might on Your matchless name. I can hardly wait to join my voice around Your throne. Help me grow in praise today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Eternal Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness? Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Podcast 16.4 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n! One with the Father known,

My Father…is greater than all…I and the Father are one.” John 10:29a, 30 ESV

He is the Lord of heaven. Two things of note. First, He is one with the Father, the first mystery of the Trinity. Second, He is known with the Father. Though they are distinct in person they are known connected, as with Jesus’ teaching here. Give Him praise that we can know Him!

One with the Spirit through Him giv’n From yonder glorious throne,

Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39 ESV

Here is the second mystery of the Trinity. Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to be the Living Water available to all who believe to quench their spiritual thirst and be an expression of the same. Thank Jesus for sending us the Holy Spirit once He was glorified.

To Thee be endless praise, For Thou for us hast died;

saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12 ESV

It is all the angels who are quoted here in John’s vision of heaven. There is truly endless praise, having begun at the dawn of creation and continuing forever. They praise Him who was slain for the sins of the world. Do you long to join them praising the Lord of heaven?

Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days Adored and magnified.

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelation 5:13 ESV

And join them we shall, every creature. Here is the material of our song. Do not wait until the end of days to offer your worship. Praise Him today, and then never stop. That is the blessing of living eternally, we will adore and magnify Jesus for endless days. Hallelujah! Think on that.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

The post How to Find Your Place in the Eternal Song appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Thou For Us Hast Died - https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/why-did-jesus-have-to-die
Adored and Magnified - https://adoringgod.org/2019/01/07/the-infinite-power-behind-gods-providential-care/

Filed Under: Thursday Thoughts

April 28, 2020 by smattern Leave a Comment

When does One + One + One = ONE?

The Lord of Heaven

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We conclude our journey of resonance through this great hymn this week. The Lord of heaven is the crown we consider this week. We will offer eternal praise for His sacrifice for our souls. Let’s tune our hearts.

Crown Him

And here is the greatest crown of them all. The Lord of heaven! He is the Lord God Almighty, eternally one with the Father on high. He rules and reigns over all, the Lamb, the Lord of love and life! For all eternity we will give Him praise for His obedience to the Father’s will.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n! One with the Father known,

Jesus is the Lord of heaven. Undoubtedly that brings great joy to the Father and to Jesus as well. Having the authority to lay down HIs life and take it up again, He did just that, according to His Father’s plan.

Two things of note in this opening line of our closing stanza. First, He is one with the Father, the first mystery of the Trinity. Second, He is known with the Father. Though they are distinct in person they are known connected, as with Jesus teaching here.

My Father…is greater than all…I and the Father are one.” John 10:29a, 30 ESV

Aren’t you glad that Jesus has made the Father known to us? Can you imagine an eternity without this knowledge? Separated from the presence and love of our Creator? Thanks to Jesus, the Lord of heaven, you do not have to.

RESONATE!
Give Him praise that we can know Him! Jesus makes the Father’s love known to us, and our perfection in Him known to the Father. Take a moment to consider the privilege of knowing God. Can you remember when you did not know Him? Either way, thank Him for the privilege of knowing Him now as Lord of your life, and forever as the Lord of heaven.

The Spirit, Through Him Given

Yonder Glorious Throne

One with the Spirit through Him giv’n From yonder glorious throne,

Here is the second mystery of the Trinity. Jesus is also one with the Spirit Whom He promised to send and did send to be our Comforter, Counselor and Keeper. He also promised the Spirit would be the Living Water to quench the spiritual thirst of all who believe. That same Spirit flows from the throne of God on high and is God.

Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39 ESV

And glorified He was. He is the Lord of heaven, and has given us the Spirit.

There is something mysterious about the fact that Jesus could not send the Spirit until He was glorified, but that is more than we can ponder here. We must simply thank Jesus for sending us the Holy Spirit once He was glorified.

 

RESONATE!
Take a moment and try to imagine Jesus glorified and the Holy Spirit flowing from that heavenly throne. Is there anything in your life today that would impair your ability to welcome the flow of the Holy Spirit? Quiet yourself for a moment and ask God to reveal any thought, word or deed that may be blocking that flow. Cry out for forgiveness to the One seated on the throne and ask Him to give you the Spirit that you may find your soul quenched in His cleansing and powerful flow.

Jesus, thank You for becoming the Lord of heaven, one with the Father and the Spirit. We have been made right with Father and know the power of the Spirit because of Your work. We humble ourselves before You again today as we crown You with many crowns. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Reverent Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here? Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 16.4 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

And here is the greatest crown of them all. The Lord of heaven! He is the Lord God Almighty, eternally one with the Father on high. He rules and reigns over all, the Lamb, the Lord of love and life! Give Him praise for His obedience to the Father’s will.

He is also one with the Spirit Whom He promised to send and did send to be our Comforter, Counselor and Keeper. That same Spirit flows from the throne of God on high and is God. Give thanks to Jesus for sending us the Holy Spirit.

We praise him eternally for dying for our sins. We could and will praise Him for so much more across the span of forever, but our salvation is the foundation that allows us to offer our first praise and enables and eternity of the same. Give Him praise now, and forever!

We adore Him now. And we will always adore Him. We magnify Him, not making Him any larger, but seeing ever more clearly the magnitude of His might. Ask Him to empower Your praise today, and every day, for the rest of eternity.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

The post When does One + One + One = ONE? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Lord of Heaven - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/447545281701944841/
Yonder Glorious Throne - https://www.pinterest.at/pin/534872893217182133/

Filed Under: Tuesday Tunings

April 23, 2020 by smattern Leave a Comment

Wonder-filled Sight of Mysteries Bright

No Angel…Can Fully Bear That Sight

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library? Click here. Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant! Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

https://resonant7.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CrownHimwithManyCrowns-16.3-4232012.57AM.mp3
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We continue our journey crowning Jesus the Lord of love. In the first half of this stanza, we considered the fact that Jesus still bears the wounds from the crucifixion. In this second half, we ponder the weight of that glorious mystery which causes all the angels to bend their eyes downward.

Angels Overwhelmed

No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight,

Scriptures seems to indicate there are a few distinctions among angels. In Isaiah 6 we find the seraphim. Ezekiel 10 describes the cherubim. I Thessalonians 4 foretells the call of the archangel. And then of course you have your ordinary angels which are most often referenced like here.

I heard…the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…” Revelation 5:11-12a ESV

Though our words say “No angel” and most often this would evoke the idea that not one of the angels could bear the sight, it is interesting to also consider the fact that no kinds or types of angels could. Though not even the most important thought it remains an interesting one.

All that said, so great is the sight that no angel can fully bear it. Like the image above, maybe they covered their eyes with their hands, or the seraphim from Isaiah 6, on set of wings, or simply looked down, none of them could fully bear the sight.

What sight? The sight of the Lamb that was slain. Jesus still bearing the wounds He took to purchase our redemption. That is a truly remarkable thought. It fills the angels with wonder. They existed eternally in the glory of God, but could not even take in the this mystery.

RESONATE!
If these heavenly beings can not take in this sight, imagine what our reaction will be like. We will have just arrived at our glorious eternal home and we set our eyes on the One who died to declare His love for us. Though there are times when that love amazes us now, that will certainly be true when we finally see Him face-to-face. How do you imagine you will respond in that moment? Take a minute to ponder that heavenly seen and how you might respond.

Mysteries Bright

Mysteries So Bright

They is no doubt what the mystery is. It is the display of love that our Savior will bear eternally. The mystery is simply that He would love us that much.

But downward bends His wond’ring eye At mysteries so bright.

Bright mysteries. Seems like a contradiction as mysteries tend to be shrouded in darkness and mist, but not so with these wounds. Angels bend their eyes downward in wonder, and we may as well, but all the same we look forward to crowning Him the Lord of love eternally with heartfelt praise.

That nail-scarred hand. What an incredible symbol of love! I like this image because it acknowledges the pain, but fills it with the brightness of His glory and helps me to understand in a miniscule way the wonder of the angels.

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. Isaiah 6:2 ESV

RESONATE!
So what ideas come to mind as you imagine the flight of the seraphim? Does the thought of it fill you with wonder? Take a few moments and consider what leaves the angels looking down, and ask Him to fill you with wonder. Then approach the Lord of love with wonder as often as His scars come to mind throughout this day.

Jesus, thank You for filling the angels with so much wonder that they bend their eyes downward when they look to the glorious mystery of your scars of love. Help me fill my life with wonder and crown You the Lord of love today and everyday, for all eternity! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wonder-filled Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness? Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Podcast 16.3 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side—

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:27 ESV

When Jesus appeared to His disciples following His resurrection, He obviously still had the crucifixion wounds. Thomas was not there, so He did not believe. When Jesus appeared again He offered Thomas the opportunity to believe. Give Him thanks for the grace to believe.

Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…Revelation 5:6a ESV

The Lamb of God is described as appearing as though it had been slain. Though it is not clear why, obviously something about His appearance evokes this description leading us to believe His wounds are still visible. Praise Him for bearing the wounds that brought you life.

No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight,

I heard…the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…” Revelation 5:11-12a ESV

The angels looked upon His form and declared the Lamb to be worthy. They who had circled the throne from eternity past were compelled to declare the worth of the One slain for the sins of the world. Are you quick to join them in praising Jesus? Be certain to do so somehow today.

But downward bends His wond’ring eye At mysteries so bright.

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. Isaiah 6:2 ESV

Though they acknowledge His worth, they can not look directly at Him, so marvelous is the bright mystery of His countenance. Does the thought of it fill you with wonder? Take a few moments and consider what leaves the angels looking down, and ask Jesus to fill you with wonder.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Wonder-filled Sight of Mysteries Bright appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
No Angel…Can Fully Bear that Sight - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/258253359870905142/
Mysteries So Bright - https://www.freeimages.com/search/nail-scarred-hand

Filed Under: Thursday Thoughts

April 22, 2020 by smattern Leave a Comment

Do Your Eyes Wonder or Wander?

Wednesday Wanderings is time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with our Holy Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we reviewed how to Crown Christ in the Crisis. This week we will consider our Wondering Eyes. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

Eyes is a Lamp

PROMISE: Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

PARABLE: I definitely do not think this is what Jesus had in mind when He taught that one eyes are lamps to our bodies! What He was teaching was the our eyes allow things into us that influence who we are and what ultimately comes out of us. We are going to look at a bit of juxtaposition of the two words, wondering and wandering as prompted by the hymn text for the day and the meandering with Jesus we hope to do together here.

The angels are described to have wondering eyes. They are overcome with the scars of the Savior as we will see below. That left them overwhelmed and in awe of His sacrifice. Those are the kinds of eyes we need. Eyes that flood our souls with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [2 Corinthians 4:6]

The kind of eyes we do not need are wandering eyes. This describes eyes that end up looking at things or in places that generally create trouble for us. Wandering eyes are more prone to invite darkness in, rather than light, or so the phrase normally goes as it refers to someone in a relationship who has eyes that wander away toward someone other than the person with whom they are in relationship.

PSALM: Crown Him with Many Crowns
by Matthew Bridges,(1851), v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Downward Bend

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

Thring proclaims he will crown Christ as Lord of love. We could learn from the angels who bend their wondering eyes downward. Seeing Jesus and His love rightly help us to fill our souls with the light of this transforming truth. We must cultivate wondering eyes. But how do we do that?

PONDER and WANDER: If you choose, Ponder the question: How can I develop wondering eyes?
Trying to formulate this answer makes me think about the difference between different kinds of meditation, in the simplest form. While some forms focus on emptying our minds, which can be a very dangerous practice, I believe Christian meditation is a filling of the mind with the ways and will of God, by way of His Word in particular and His Spirit in general.

What does this mean practically? In this context I believe it means asking God to reveal to the eyes of our souls Himself, His purposes and His ways. Start with Scripture and use that as a solid foundation for creating God a context to speak to you. We could return to our Scripture above and use it as framework for prayer asking God to fill our eyes and our souls with His light, as in the exercise below.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise and consider taking time to let the B.R.I.G.H.T. mystery of God to flood your soul as you seek to develop wondering eyes.

  • When you are ready, clear your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to Begin by helping you center in on God a passage of God’s word. We will use Matthew 6:22-23 for this exercise.
  • Next, Read the passage and ask the Holy Spirit to make it come alive for you.
  • Then, begin to pray the Scripture. Inject yourself into the passage by personalizing it. For example, “Lord I confess my eye is the lamp of my body. Make my eye is healthy, so my whole body will be full of light. Keep my eye from looking at things that are bad, so my whole body will not be full of darkness. May the light in my body be the light of your glory, so as to escape the darkness of this world!”
  • Give the Holy Spirit time to speak to you as you wait quietly, silently before the Lord.
  • Hold your soul before God and ask Him to reveal any darkness, then be quick to confess it and determine to welcome light in its place.
  • Lastly, Thank God for the light of His Word and His presence, and the forgiveness and mercy that allow you to walk in them.

PRAYER: Lord of love, I bless you for the light of Your glorious sacrifice for me. You will ever bear the scars that purchased it for me, and want to always be quick to give you praise for doing so. Fill my soul with the B.R.I.G.H.T. mystery of Your incredible love for me. In the wonderful name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to crown Jesus with your praise. Let the work of your wandering fill you with the love of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Do Your Eyes Wonder or Wander? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Eye is a Lamp - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/282741682826220610/
Downward Bend - https://pixabay.com/illustrations/fantasy-angel-mystical-wing-magic-4122152/

Filed Under: Wednesday Wanderings

April 21, 2020 by smattern Leave a Comment

Remembering His Rich Wounds

Behold His Hands

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We continue our journey of resonance on this side of Easter considering His wounds this week. Though we will be spotless eternally, He will bear the scars that will serve to remind us of the price He paid. May those remembrances inform our praise now and eternally. Let’s tune our hearts.

Believing

If we are going to crown Him the Lord of love, we must be willing to consider the wounds He bore to accomplish the work that entitles Him to the crown. Jesus taught that there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for your friends [John 15:13], then He did just that. Jesus is the Lord of love, and we will crown Him as such in our Tunings today, and, Lord wiling, our lives eternally.

Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side—

The wounds He bore are now scars. They are healed but not removed. This is clear from His encounters after His resurrection with His disciples, like this one.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:27 ESV

When Jesus appeared to His disciples following His resurrection, He obviously still had the crucifixion wounds. Thomas was not there during that first visit, so He did not believe. For this reason Thomas gets a bad wrap, often referred to as Doubting Thomas, but truth be told, how often have each of us failed to believe on someone else’s testimony. It is not until we have our own encounter with the living Christ that we believe.

Jesus does not judge Thomas, but instead shows up to Him. When Jesus appeared again He offered Thomas the opportunity to believe. And He did. For that reason, for the rest of his life and eternity I believe He has the right to called Believing Thomas. Wouldn’t you prefer to be remembered for the times you believed rather than when you doubted?

RESONATE!
We find ourselves again on this side of the resurrection account. We have once again considered the claims of Christ and found them to be worthy of believing. What will you do today to allow your faith to be put on display? Jesus still bears those scars for you. How will you bear His name today? It may look different for each of us, but I pray it has the similar quality of belief. Take a few moments and ask Jesus to show you how to put your faith in His finished work on display today.

Glorified

Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified.

The Lamb That Was Slain

What an interesting way to describe wounds, rich. Oh, but they are. They are the wounds that purchased our redemption, and He will bear them eternally.

It is hard for us to imagine what wounds must look in glory, especially since He will be the only One who has any. He will not be nailed to a cross, but will still bear those wounds. He will not be a lamb slain and lying across an altar, but He will bear some resemblance to one.

It is difficult to conceive what John is attempting to describe when said this.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…Revelation 5:6a ESV

Jesus, the Lamb of God, is described as appearing as though He/It had been slain. Though it is not clear why, obviously something about His appearance evokes this description leading us to believe His wounds are still visible. Why do you think that is?

Why is it that His wounds will still be visible, albeit glorified, eternally? I suppose it is for two reasons. First, to remind us of His sacrifice of love. Second, to evoke a continual, eternal response of worship.

How kind of Jesus not only to suffer those wounds, but to bear them eternally for the glory of God and our good. You will praise Him then, but why not put in some practice today. Praise the Lamb that was slain for bearing the wounds that brought you life.

RESONATE!
Take a moment and try to imagine that scene before the throne. Close your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a sense of what John describes. See the Lamb that was slain and His wounds for you. Give Him praise!

Jesus, thank You for offering the perfect sacrifice so that I could be redeemed. Your love for me is greater than I can fathom. I am so thankful for the opportunity to remember and give you praise with my life today, and around Your throne on another day. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Reflective Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

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Video 16.3 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

The second crown we bestow on Jesus is the One He earned when He sacrificed His life to purchase our redemption. It was the greatest act of love in history. As we look to Him we see the marks of the crucifixion. May that vision ever move us to tears, and praise!

Yes, He will forever bear those wounds, and when we see them we will always be reminded of His love for us. Somehow they are still visible, but glorified. Imagine what that must be like. He chooses to retain the reminder of His suffering for us. Thank Jesus for those wounds.

Angels who have forever circled the throne and eternally lifted their praise to the Lord God Almighty can not fully bear the sight of His glorified wounds. They cover their eyes with two wings, but still they can not take it in. Ponder what that sight must be like?

Bright mysteries. Seems like a contradiction as mysteries tend to be shrouded in darkness and mist, but not so with these wounds. Angels bend their eyes downward in wonder, and we may as well, but we look forward to crowning Him the Lord of love eternally with heartfelt praise.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Remembering His Rich Wounds appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Behold His Hands - https://downloadwallpaper.org/pt/passion-of-the-christ-wallpaper-2/2/
The Lamb That Was Slain - https://psalmistpetegardner.com/2019/09/25/the-glory-of-the-lamb

Filed Under: Tuesday Tunings

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