Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize will be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Early 12th Century)
By: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)

Listen to this version with a single solo voice as you prepare to ponder this hymn. 

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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

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

We continue our journey through this ancient hymn originally written in Latin, but still true today. Consider the blessing of knowing the glory of Jesus now, and later. Let’s think about this.

Glory Now

How fortunate we are! We know the wonder of the revealed glory of the Son of God. We may struggle to wrap our minds around it but that makes it no less true.

Our prayer in these closing lines of the hymn simply asks Him to be our glory. What does that mean to you? How do you imagine Jesus will be your glory today?

Glory has two different aspects to it, honor and beauty. Jesus is both to us. He is our honor and beauty when others see and acknowledge something about us that we know is a direct result of our surrendering our lives to Jesus. Maybe you respond to a difficult situation in an unusual way. Maybe you show someone a remarkable measure of grace.

Things like this demonstrate that Jesus is our glory now, and we must be ready and willing to give Him the glory rather that keep it to ourselves. We can thank people for the recognition, but we need to be careful to redirect that to our Lord. To make light of the glory in our lives that reflects Jesus diminishes His glory in us. We can receive those words, but only long enough to give Him praise for it.

Jesus, be Thou our glory now,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV

He is our glory now, not only to those who saw Him face-to-face. He wants to show Himself in your flesh today. We have seen His glory in His blending of grace and truth and want to reflect it to the world around us. 

We are not simply waiting until the day we can live in the glory of Jesus eternally. We can do that today. There is an inheritance that will be ours one day, but we can walk in the reality of it even now. How can you do that today?

RESONATE!
How can you allow the glory of Jesus to be seen in your life today? You need to make certain you can identify it, so spending regular time with Him is essential. As you become more like Jesus at the core of who you are, reflecting the reality of who He is will become more natural, while always remaining supernatural. Thank Him for revealing His glory to You. Ask Him to help you be ready when He brings opportunities to you today to reflect it to the world.

 

Glory Later

Keeping the end in mind balances this struggle of glory now and later. We can welcome the truth of His glory into our lives today more easily when we are convinced it is already ours in some measure and will be fully ours one day because of what Jesus has already done. Are you living today with an eye on eternity?

And through eternity.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…Philippians 3:20 ESV

This earth is not our home, our final destination. We are passing through. Keeping eternity in mind becomes more difficult when we forget this and become more concerned with making this life as comfortable as possible. We are waiting for something, and waiting is never easy.

Jesus is our joy and glory now, but even still we await an incredible inheritance, the privilege of living in the very presence of God forever. That will be heaven indeed. We need to be careful not to act like we have become naturalized citizens of earth.

RESONATE!
What things in your life make it clear you are living for now? For later? Is there a balance, or do you need to make some adjustments? We must look forward to what is to come, but remember that if we are still here, God has a purpose for us. That purpose is always to reflect His glory by living in the reality of it every moment, even as we wait for the fulfillment of it one day. Ask Him to show you how to do that today.

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.

Image Attributions
Jesus, Be Thou Our Glory Now – https://pixabay.com/photos/stained-glass-church-window-1414790/
And Through Eternity – https://pixabay.com/photos/clouds-heaven-sky-powerful-god-4907646/

All those who find Thee find a bliss
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Early 12th Century)
By: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)

Listen to this version with a single solo voice as you prepare to ponder this hymn. 

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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

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

We continue our journey through this ancient hymn originally written in Latin, but still true today. Consider the blessing of knowing the love of Jesus. Let’s think about this.

It Is What It Is

There is normally a resignation in this cliche, but that is not how we are using it here. Instead here it is a quiet affirmation of what the love of Jesus is, the singular eternity altering reality around which hinges everything that ever was, is, or will be. Not to mention your very eternal existence.

And just what is the love of Jesus you ask?

The love of Jesus, what it is,

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV

It is our motivation, and our inspiration. It is our beginning, and our end. It is our freedom, and that which constrains us. It is everything to us, while at the same time is viewed as nothing by some. But we know better.

And this is the love of Christ, to live no longer for ourselves, but for Him who died for our sake and was raised. This life springing from death is an example of the very love it represents. This kind of other-centered love runs contrary to the understanding of love the world possesses. It is a giving love, not a taking love. It controls us, when we surrender to its influence.

And surrender we should because of the bliss that results.

Why? Because the love of Jesus is what is truly inexpressible. Our bliss flows from our knowledge of it, but it is not simply intellectual. It stirs our hearts, our souls, our minds like nothing else, for there is nothing else like it.

RESONATE!
So how will you respond to the love of Christ today? First, simply praise Him for making it known to you.  That is the first miracle. Then, ask Him to show you how to live in response to it. When you do, take a few moments to listen to what He is saying to you, then let His love control you…and do it. 

To Be Loved

If the love is Jesus is going to control us, what kinds of things might we expect it to ask of us. In a word, love. But who exactly and why?

The people of God. Because He commanded us.

None but His loved ones know.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34 ESV

We are His. Bought at a great price. And just how do we demonstrate that we belong to Him? We show we are His loved ones by loving one another.

Do you love God’s people? If someone investigated your life, what evidence would they find to build their case. Would it confirm you do or don’t, or would it be inconclusive?

Here’s a different thought. The knowledge that only those who belong to Jesus can understand His love is both thrilling and terrifying. Thrilling because we know, and terrifying because there remain so many who do not. What are you doing everyday to help you tell the story of your Savior’s love?

RESONATE!
Loving those who love Him. Only those who love Him can know a love that enables this. This is a sober reality. If you understand this ask God to help you demonstrate you are His by loving those who love Him. Then follow that love up by building relationships with those who do not yet know His love so they can see it in you.

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.

Image Attributions
The Love of Jesus What It Is – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-god-holy-spirit-christian-3469896/
None But His Loved Ones Know – https://pixabay.com/photos/holding-hands-circle-of-friends-858005/

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Early 12th Century)
By: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)

Listen to this version with a single solo voice as you prepare to ponder this hymn. 

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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

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

We begin our journey through this ancient hymn originally written in Latin, but still true today. There truly is no name like Jesus, no matter the century. Let’s think about this.

How Kind?

Here is some good news….God does not treat us as our sins deserve.

Every single one of us, starting with Adam and right down through the entire human race, has missed the mark of God’s sinless perfection. We have esteemed our desires over God’s will countless times. Those decisions have sent us down paths where we have stumbled and fell, ended up bruised and broken, and often so embarrassed by our choices that we have felt guilty and ashamed.

Those feelings have left us hesitant to reach out to God. Reluctant to admit our wrong. Even afraid of how God might respond.

But we should not let our failures to live perfectly keep us from approaching Him. He knew the end from the beginning, which includes everything you have ever done wrong, AND all the things you have yet to do. Knowing all that, He chose to make a way to make it just as if we had never sinned. That’s what justification by His grace does.

But it does not do so without a cost. We can find redemption when we fall only because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. How kind of Him to offer us this incredible gift!

To those who fall, how kind Thou art!

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:23-24 ESV

In response to our sin, God continually offers us His grace as a gift. Once would be extravagant, but He keeps offering. We all fall, but His kindness is readily available.

We have each experienced the kindness of Jesus, but we can wonder if we have exhausted His kindness when we fall again. We can also become acutely aware of just how kind He is when we fall, as we all do. We tend to be hard on ourselves, but Jesus is ever kind.

 

RESONATE!
Have you fallen lately in some way you have not confessed? He is kind, so very kind, so why wait?  Acknowledge your fall to God today and taste the kindness of His redemption again. Maybe it is a sin that habitually trips you up. Ask the help of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome that struggle by learning to seek Him in the midst of it. We will focus more on this in the next section. Give Him praise for His endless kindness to you, especially when you do not deserve it.

How Good!

The very best way to overcome the things that make us fall is to seek God in the midst of them. That is not an easy thing to do, but it is indeed possible. His help is there for all who will call on Him for it.

Think of it this way. You have determined to follow Jesus, so He has put you on the tracks that lead to His light. The darkness presses in, but the light is unmistakable. It is not always easy to stay on track, but Jesus will help us, if we look to Him.

Have you made that decision to be on track with Jesus? To seek Him and His ways, even when it is not easy? Never will we see the goodness of God more clearly than when it is set against the darkness of walking away from His path for us.

How good to those who seek!

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, none of us would ever seek after Jesus, yet He helps us, and when He does, we find out just how good Jesus is, especially set against the reality of how bad we are, or can be. Thank the Father for giving you the ability to seek Jesus.

 

RESONATE!
When we seek Him, He has promised we will find Him, if we simply seek Him with all our hearts. We can only do that at the prompting and with the help of the Holy Spirit. If you are inclined to seek Him today, thank Him for that prompting…and do it! You will again find that He…is…good!!

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.

Image Attributions
To Those Who Fall How Kind Thou Art – https://pixabay.com/photos/lost-place-concourse-old-2723541/
How Good to Those Who Seek – https://pixabay.com/photos/beyond-death-faith-gleise-2753576

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Early 12th Century)
By: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)

Listen to this version with a single solo voice as you prepare to ponder this hymn. 

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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

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

We begin our journey through this ancient hymn originally written in Latin, but still true today. There truly is no name like Jesus, no matter the century. Let’s think about this.

Present Sweetness

While just the thought of Jesus fills our hearts with sweetness, imagine how much sweeter will be those moments when we finally see him face-to-face! The brightest and best moments of this life are but a shadow compared to the light of that coming encounter, and yet each of them points to it. Even in this darkness God has begun to make Himself known through the person of His Son.

But sweeter far Thy face to see,

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

Did you ever consider the fact that God could have simply chosen to reveal truths to us. Ideas, philosophies and concepts. But instead He chose to reveal Himself, out of which flow His ways and purposes.

How kind of God to reveal the sweetness of the knowledge of Him as we look to the face of His Son, the Light of the World. He pierces our darkness as He shows us the glory of God. That work begins in our hearts, and then shines from there with an unmistakeable and unquenchable brightness. Praise the Father for revealing His glory through Jesus Christ!

RESONATE!
Where there was darkness, rot and decay Jesus brings a vibrant and dynamic renewal and refreshing until sweetness displaces everything else. Is there anything threatening the filling of the core of your being with His unmatched brightness today? Ask Jesus to give you eyes to see His face so the light of the knowledge of the glory of God may shine into your heart again right now. Speak the name of Jesus in your heart and experience His fullness, asking Him to fill you with the sweetness of His presence.

Future Rest

That kind of sweet knowledge of Jesus opens the reality of a rest in Him that begins now and culminates in eternity. The future rest we are promised in Him has implications for the way we live today. This is true even in, maybe especially in, the weariest days.

And in Thy presence rest.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 ESV

These are the words of Jesus. The clear invitation of our Master is to come and find rest in His presence. Thinking about Him brings a sweetness indeed, but it is superseded by the rest of simply being in His presence. That rest begins the moment we accept His invitation to come. It also continues to consume us as we learn to live with a constant awareness of His presence. 

When we first have eyes of faith to see Jesus His rest becomes a present reality. Even better though will be that day when we finally see Him face-to-face. The sweetness of His unveiled glory in those moments will be sweeter than anything we will have ever experienced, by far.

RESONATE!
What we need to continue to grow to realize is that the reality of that “someday” rest can influence our lives “every day”. That way the someday rest becomes and everyday rest. Sound too good to be true? Maybe, but it actually is true. Ask the Spirit to help you long for that day, as you learn to practice the rest it promises even today.

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.

Image Attributions
But Sweeter Far Thy Face to See – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9pbOddjdfM
And in Thy Presence Rest – https://onwardchurch.org/2016/03/07/meeting-jesus-face-to-face/

When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

Precious Lord, Take My Hand (1932)

By: Thomas A. Dorsey (1899 – 1993)

Listen to this version featuring Mahalia Jackson as you prepare to ponder this 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.

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

We conclude our journey through this great gospel song which voices our desire to have God take our hand. More often than not, we need some help to make it through. God is always there waiting to give that help if we will only ask. Let’s think about this.

Slippery Rocks

Growing up in the mountains I have always loved putting my feet in the refreshingly cool, crisp waters of a stream. But you must be careful. The stones along a moving body of water can be treacherous due to moss and moisture. On many occasion I have had to contort my body in awkward positions so as not to tumble onto those slippery and very hard rocks.

As a father, I have many memories of introducing my four boys to the simple joys of this experience, but not without a degree of drama. See I know how treacherous those slippery rocks can be, but they did not. I would hold their hands tightly, the younger they were the more tightly I held, as we made our way along the stones sometimes to the middle of the stream. They would try to pull away, sometimes successfully, but I would always take hold of them hands and guide them to the best places to step in my attempt to keep them safe.

Our Heavenly Father does the same for us.

Life presents us with any number of very tempting and slippery situations. We are often unaware of the peril they present. Our Father is not He is willing to walk along the edge of the water with us, guiding our steps and holding our hands. When we yield to His care, He keeps us safe, even though there may be some twists and turns.

This is never more true than in the final passage through the transition from this life to the next. Our learning to trust Him through smaller, simpler perils will give us an increasing measure of confidence in Him as we approach that last one. This is imperative as we long to see our soul delivered even through death.

At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:

For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Psalm 56:13 ESV

We will all face death, but God is able to deliver us even through that peril. He will keep our feet from falling, and guide us through safely so we may walk with Him in the light of life eternal. He is a good Father and wants to keep your soul safe. Will you let Him?

RESONATE!
God’s care through the perils of this life can prepare us for the last, great one at our passing into eternity. Are you trusting Him with your perils? Maybe like a child you have pulled your hand away wanting to face it on your own. Maybe you have realized that is often not a great idea. Ask the Spirit to reveal if there are any perils you are facing today where you are not putting your hand in God’s. Confess whatever He reveals and determine to put your hand back into Your Father’s again today. 

Excruciating Circumstances

Trusting someone through perils can be challenging for a self-reliant child, and many a self-reliant adult, and the maturity that when demonstrate in those moments is not easily gleaned. Even still, those are often not the situations that test our trust the most. Whether physical, emotional, spiritual or relational, pain affects us even more than the rush of adrenaline caused by peril.

There are probably many reasons why but they can be grouped in one of two larger areas: the acute nature of pain, and the lingering effect it has on our trust in God. We will consider the simpler, former reason first, then move on to the more complex, latter one.

Let’s use an example. You are rushing around doing some tasks and you drop something. In your hurry you bend over without realizing their is now something in the path of our your head as you raise up. You hit your noggin so hard that you get an immediate headache and your vision blurs, partly because of the tears. You totally forget everything else you were doing because you are so fixated on the pain.

Pain effects us first because of the acute nature of it. Even after the fact there is a reminder of the injury. Sometimes this makes other things difficult because whenever you do not have anything else to think about, you go back to this incident.

While that is problematic to our trust in God, the lingering effects on our hearts and minds can be even more troublesome. Sometimes we wonder why God would allow that pain. We question why we are not healing faster. This line of thinking effects our trust in Him, when we probably should be asking questions that affirm our trust. Questions like, “I wonder what purpose God has for this pain in my life?” Not easy, but essential.

We can develop that kind of trust when we ask Him to lead us, and then remember His promises.

Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV

Think of it this way. If we can trust God to lead us home, that is to lead us through death into His promised rest, certainly we can trust Him for everything else that leads to our passing into eternity. If you love God, you are responding to His call. You are likely to have demonstrated that by trusting in Christ and becoming His child. You can trust that God works all things together for your good, even your death.

If we grasp that perspective, it changes how we think of the pains of this life. Rather than blaming God for them, we can grow to trust that He has a purpose in them that is higher than ours. This is not an easy truth to practice, but doing so is essential to our faith, and prepares us for that final pain at the end of this life.

RESONATE!
Are you trusting God to use everything, including your pain, for your good? Ask the Spirit to reveal if there is anything you are struggling with when it comes to past pains in your life. As He reveals anything, ask Him to turn those things into opportunities to grow your trust, through every twist and turn of life, until you arrive at the final one.

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.

Image Attributions
At the River I Stand, Guide My Feet, Hold My Hand – https://pixabay.com/photos/man-wilderness-nature-river-1246233/
Take My Hand, Precious Lord, Lead Me Home – https://pixabay.com/photos/slap-hand-open-fingers-4379830/