The Glory that Transfigures... Day 3

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, 

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, 

While God is marching on... 

Glory Glory Hallelujah

Glory Glory Hallelujah

Glory Glory Hallelujah

While God is marching on... 

Lyrics from: The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward Howe (written 1861)  

This hymn has always greatly inspired me, it's opening lines... "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." What a fierce first line, that describes the charged nature of the time of civil war, and a just cause to fight for. It's funny that the first time I ever happened to hear the tune to this song was in a vacuum cleaner sales meeting! Full of young sales people, one being my father, and pumping each other up by singing, "glory, glory, what a heck of a sale we made!" Thank goodness, I later learned the true meaning and words to this song and not just a catchy jingle that the sales department put together... 

As I researched a bit further into the true meaning this hymn, I found that this was truly a hymn of inspiration. The authoress claims to have awoken early in the morning to these words dancing in her head, filling her mind with all 6 stanza's before she finally made herself get up and sprawl them out on paper not even having to look as she spilled the words out of her head. Sounds like divine inspiration to me! Way back in 1861, amazing to think about how God's Spirit is moving. I've always dwelt on the 5th stanza which I have chosen to highlight from the hymn, although all of the stanza's are pretty remarkably written.

"With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me" 

I love this verse, it speaks of the all encompassing glory of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit that came to earth through Christ's body, and was released into the earth as a Helper for us.... to transfigure us.   

TRANSFIGURE: to give a new and typically exalted or spiritual appearance, to: transform outwardly and usually for the better (Websters Dictionary)

My prayer today: Lord transfigure me! Help me to be a new creation in Christ, let the old me pass away and let a God centered me begin. Let Your glory rest in this body, make Your home in me today. That I may be able to say right along with Ms. Howe, "my eyes have seen your glory."

You have given life to me - Day 2

"I will serve You, because I love You
You have given life to me
I was nothing, until You found me
You have given life to me

Heartaches, broken people,
Ruined lives are why you died on Calvary
Your touch is what I long for
You have given life to me."

On my wedding day I chose to remember by dear and recently departed father by playing the instrumental rendition of this song as part of a list of music that was playing as guests filled the church in anticipation of our wedding ceremony to begin. I remember hearing it as I stood in the corridors, dressed in white, not visible to anyone but my wedding party, waiting to hear our cues to come full center and through the church doors and down the aisle. I could hear my dad, guitar in his hand, strumming this song out with tears in his eyes and a smile on his mouth, thankful for what Christ had done for him... choked up as he sang that first verse...

"I will serve you, because I love you..."

As a young adult, in my walk with Christ, I often focused on the things I could not do, the "fun" I could not have, and saying "no" to sin. My father taught me, it's not saying "no" to sin that should be your focus, but rather saying "yes" to God and that will enable you and empower you to say "no" to sin. He taught me that it is because "we love Him" that we serve him, not a ritual, or a religious act, or a bunch of rules to be good ... it's our love for Him that will keep us on the right path and journey with Him. I can remember him saying, "Candace, it has to be because we love Him." What an appropriate message to hear on my wedding day, isn't it? Ultimately, it will not be societal expectations or my ideals of what marriage should be, or the rules that are set before me as a wife, it will be my love for God and my husband that will motivate me through good times and bad to be committed to our life together.  I pray regularly for God to help me to love my husband more and more, and to respect him, because I love him.

"Heartaches, broken people, ruined lives are why you died on Calvary."

This verse touches me every time I get to it and Holy Spirit reminds me of not only my own brokeness but also of the brokeness of people around me. It reminds me to love people through their brokeness, to extend grace to them, no matter how dysfunctional they may be, this is why He died on Calvary, for those who have hurt me, for those who proclaim they are Christians- but are still a mess, for those who reject His name, for those who hate God, for those who are lost in pain and sin - this is why He died on Calvary, for people like me. So that Holy Spirit could come in and break every chain, break every generational curse and restore freedom and life before our very eyes.

My prayer today: Lord help me to have the right motives in serving you. Help me to love you first with all my heart, mind, and soul and help me to love the folks around me, who are broken and hurting and struggling. Help me to see them through your eyes, to extend grace to them and your gospel of love and peace to their thirsty souls.

I am Your Beloved - Day 1

Lord it was You
You created the heavens
Lord it was Your hands,
That put the stars in their place.
Lord it was Your voice
That commands the morning
Even oceans and their waves bow at Your feet.....

Lord who am I
Compared to Your glory?
Lord who am I
Compared to Your majesty?

I am your beloved
Your creation
and you love me as I am
You have called me chosen
For your Kingdom
Unashamed to call me Your own
I'm your beloved

If any song brings me back to my college years of a fresh love for Jesus, a new commitment and a broken heart for God, this song brings me back to that time. I believe this was the first worship song that marked the beginning of a wave of romantic songs toward God, or was it just that I was having a new romance with Him at the time and everything seemed romantic... like that feeling of newness in a relationship when you are in the clouds and everything feels new and wonderful. It's been more than 10 years since I found out I truly was the beloved of God. Although I like to say that back then I was "young and unafraid" and had this feeling of invincibility as I had yet to face the cost of discipleship, it is as empowering now as it was then, and it continues to break fears, doubt, insecurity and shame off of me to say to the Lord, "I am your beloved."

My prayer today: Lord revive in me a fresh love and heart for you, make me "young and unafraid" once again. Though life weighs me down, you are the lifter of my heart! Even oceans and waves bow at your feet, and I, Your beloved, will continue to trust in your will for my life.