Tag: truth

Down To The Jordan Jesus Went

~ Suzanne Davis Harden


DOWN TO THE JORDAN JESUS WENT

 

Down to the Jordan Jesus went

He went to be baptized,

While others went to leave their sins,

He’d none to leave behind.

 

Down to the Jordan Jesus went

To be baptized by John,

Pure and holy Jesus went

For he’d done nothing wrong.

 

Down to the Jordan people went

To be baptized, for sins repent,

Into the Jordan leave their sins,

And come up holy, pure within.

 

Down to the Jordan Jesus went,

Went with a heart his Father sent,

Went with a heart all pure within,

Plunged in a river all filled with sin.

 

Into the Jordan Jesus went,

And came up bearing all people’s sins;

Sins the people had all confessed

Clung to the Lamb of righteousness.

 

Up from the Jordan Jesus came

Bearing the sins of all,

All the sins of every soul 

All the way to the cross.

 

Up from the Jordan Jesus came

Spotless, sinless bearing our shame,

And all our sins when he bled and died

On the cross when he was crucified.

 

Up from the cross, from death, and the grave,

Up rose Jesus mighty to save!

When he rose from the Jordan, he bore our woes,

He rose from death, so we’d die no more.

(Prayer Poem) © 2017 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.
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*Scripture References

That Inspired this Prayer Poem  

Matthew 3:4-6 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 
Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 
Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. 
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

John 1:29-30 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 
Matthew 3:13-16 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” 

Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 
Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
John 3:16-17 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 
Isaiah 53:4-6 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 
John 11:25-26 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.

 Prayer Poem “Down To The Jordan Jesus Went” & Illustration © 2017 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotations: NLT © Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers All Rights Reserved./ The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Angelsong © 2017 All Rights Reserved.

 

The Cherished Of The Lord

~ Suzanne Davis Harden


THE CHERISHED OF THE LORD

The cherished of the Lord

Shall dwell within His heart,

And God shall cover them with grace

And from them not depart.

They shall dwell between

God’s shoulders like a child,

And there shall they find peace and hope

Through every stormy trial.

God who robes Himself with light

And dwells in clouds above,

Will hide them from the wind and rain

And shield them with His love.

The cherished of the Lord

Will ever sing God’s praise

Extolling Him who gave them life,

They’ll worship Him always.

(Prayer Poem & Scripture Painting) Copyright 2017 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Psalm 68:4 (KJV) “Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.”

Psalm 104:1-3 (ERV) “My soul, praise the Lord! Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with glory and honor. You wear light like a robe. You spread out the skies like a curtain. You built your home above them. You use the thick clouds like a chariot and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind.”
Deuteronomy 33:12 (KJV) “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.”

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, may You bless all who read this prayer, poem, and bible verse to know that You cherish them beyond anything they could ever imagine. 

Your word says that Your thoughts toward us outnumber the grains of sand by the sea in Psalm 139: 18, and Psalm 40 says You are always thinking about us. 

You don’t ever forget a single one of us though sometimes we may feel forgotten in our pain, loneliness, trial, or whatever challenge we may be facing. You are with us. The Bible is true. 

Isaiah 49:16 reveals that You have engraved a picture of us on the palm of Your hand and that “our walls” are ever before You. You see all our needs and the challenges that we are facing. You will never fail or forsake us. 

You love us without measure and that love is unconditional. You forgive all our sins and wash them as far away from us as far as the east is from the west according to Psalm  103: 12. 

That same Psalm declares: “The Lord has always loved His followers and He will continue to love them forever and ever!” Psalm 103:17 (ERV) Lord, thank You for Your great love for each of us! 

Lord, thank You for Your grace and mercy, and for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we could be saved and given eternal life with You. We love You. In Jesus name, amen.

 

Angelsong © 2017 SD Harden All Rights Reserved. “Cherished Of The Lord Prayer Poem” & Scripture Painting © 2017 SDHarden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotations from The King James Bible (Public Domain) and The Easy To Read Version Bible © 2006 Bible League International; Paths of Hope, He Loves Your More By Far, © 2017 SD Harden  All Rights Reserved. All Glory To God

Make A Joyful Noise

~ Suzanne Davis Harden

Make A Joyful Noise

In my painting “Make A Joyful Noise” the flute player’s hands are large, and seem clumsy as she plays her instrument. 

In God’s word, the Psalmist tells us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. It does not matter whether we are talented singers or musicians. 

He just says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…” Psalm 100:1

God loves each of us. He created us to worship Him just as we are with whatever skills and talents we have.

It brings God joy when we accept ourselves for who He created us to be. We honor Him when we don’t compare ourselves with others. We may feel clumsy and awkward, as if we don’t measure up in some way, but God says, “Make a joyful noise!”

Jesus said, “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” ~Matthew 5:5 (The Message Bible)

In my painting, the Flute Player is playing her flute anyway, even though she seems unsure, unsteady, with her large awkward hands.

Sometimes God will ask us to do something that we don’t feel we have the right skills for, are incompetent to do, or that we might fail in. 

Yet God asks us to trust Him anyway, to walk by faith. “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

He asks us to believe His word that says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

He asks us to trust in the power of His grace to help us with every challenge.

Each one of us are very important to God’s plan, though we might not realize our importance to God this side of eternity.

We may feel awkward, unsteady and clumsy like the flute player in my painting. But we must walk by faith, trust God, and obey Him, and do whatever He asks of us anyway.

For in the end, He will make a lovely song out of our joyful noise we have made unto Him whether or not we were competent in the thing He called us to do.

For God does not base His calling on our talents, skills, or appearances. All He asks is a willing, humble and faithful heart. 

Jesus said, “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:16

May it be our prayer to have a willing, faithful heart that will humbly obey the Lord, no matter what He asks of us each day.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of my life, and that You created me to be just exactly the way You wanted me, and that when I am myself, I glorify You. Thank You that I bring You great joy when I am satisfied with who You created me to be and believe all the wonderful things that You say about me and not listen to doubts and fears. I love You, Lord! In Jesus name, amen.

“Make A Joyful Noise” Original Fine Art Print Is Available in my Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/257925019/original-art-print-make-a-joyful-noise

 “Make A Joyful Noise” © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Angelsong ©2017 SD Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture References: King James Version Bible/The Message Bible: Copyright 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson All Rights Reserved./ New King James Version © 1982 Thomas Nelson All Rights Reserved. / New International Version Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

You Are Treasured 

~ Suzanne Davis Harden ~ 2 Comments

You Are Treasured


You are treasured by the One
Who made the moon, and stars, and sun,
Who formed the flowers and the trees
And set the ocean’s boundaries.
He rides the Heavens and He sees
Your heart and knows your every need,
He listens to your every prayer
He listens and He loves and cares.
Though He’s silent and unseen
He’s just as real as what you see;
He’s close enough for you to hear,
He’s ever present, very near.
His love for you is like the sand
And can’t be measured by your hand.
Like sandy grains upon the shore
It’s measureless and grows still more
He’ll love you as His precious child
Eternal ages for all time.
SD Harden (Prayer Poem) © 2017 All Rights Reserved

Happy Valentine’s Day, Dear Friends! 
May you know that you are cherished by the God who loves you so much He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to die a cruel death on a cross for each of us to atone for our sins. When we invite Jesus into our hearts and ask forgiveness for our sins the Lord washes them all away “as far as the east is from the west.” 

And we are justified by faith – or made right with God through faith in Christ. We won’t be perfect or without sin till we get to heaven, but the Lord puts a portion of His very own Spirit within our hearts to help us want to be good, and to make us more and more like Him. We get to know God because His Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. His Holy Spirit dwelling in our heart helps us to not only keep loving God, but to love Him more and more as we pray to Him and study His word and obey Him. 

If you want to know God’s love, invite Jesus Christ into your heart. He is only a prayer away. Don’t take my word for it. Just close your eyes and ask Him to come inside your heart right now. He will fill you with love and rivers of peace and hope. He will wash all your sins away. He will fill you with His Spirit and make you His redeemed child forever.  He will write your name in His book of Life. When you die, you will be with Jesus in Paradise for all eternity.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, may You lead souls to Thy Son Jesus Christ who need salvation, who need forgiveness, who need to know that You love them and will never reject or forsake them. May You fill their hearts with Thy holy measureless love for them, rivers of peace and hope, wash all their sins away as far as the east is from the west, and fill them with Thy Holy Spirit. May today they become Your very own precious redeemed children forever, in Jesus holy name, thank You, Lord, we love You, amen. 

Scriptures to meditate on:

Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV) The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 

John 3:16-17 (ERV) Jesus said, “Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.”

 Romans 5:1-2, 5 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.  

John 6:29 (NLT) Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” 

John 6:37 (NLT) Jesus said, “… those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.”

Psalm 103:11-12 (NLT) For God’s unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 

1 John 1:8-9 (NLT) If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 

1 John 2:2 (ERV) Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too. 

Hebrews 11:1-3 (ERV) Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this. Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen. 

Romans 10:17 (NASB) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 

Philippians 2:13 (ERV) Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases Him, and He gives you the power to do it. 

Romans 10:8-11, 13 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

Philippians 1:6 (GW ) I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. 


Angelsong © 2017 SD Harden All Rights Reserved /Prayer Poem “You Are Cherished © 2017 SD Harden All Rights Reserved./ Scripture Painting © 2017 SD Harden All Rights Reserved. /”Jesus Loves You” Photo via Pinterest 

Bible Quotations: NLT (New Living Translation) © Copyright 2015 Tyndale House Publishers, Easy To Read Version (ERV) Copyright 2006 Bible League International, New American Standard Bible Translation (NASB) Copyright 1995 The Lockman Foundation, The King James Version Bible, (KJV), God’s Word (GW) ©1995 God’s Word To The Nations