Music Monday: Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer

Normally, Music Monday consists of a contemporary song, but today the song is more of an anthem or sacred prayer. The choir sang this yesterday at church and the lyrics really touched my heart.

I think we can all relate to the lyrics.

Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer

By James Koerts

"Jesus draw me ever nearer as I labor through the storm.

You have called me to this passage, and I'll follow though I'm worn.

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith, and at the end of my heart's testing, with your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest, keep my spirit staid and sure. 

When the midnight meets the morning, let me love You even more.

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith; and at the end of my heart's testing, with Your likeness let me wake. 

Let the treasures of the trial form within me as I go.

And at the end of this long passage, let me leave them at Your throne.

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith; and at the end of my heart's testing,

 with Your likeness let me wake. Let me wake."

My favorite lyrics would have to be, 

"Let the treasures of the trial form within me as I go.

And at the end of this long passage, let me leave them at Your throne."

Instead of letting a trial simply be a trial, finding the treasure in it can help us transcend the negative.

Of course, the trial may linger and make it difficult to find hope.

It may bring out raw emotions.

It may seem impossible to find the treasure in it, but I think with God's help, at some point we can find the treasure.

More importantly, instead of holding onto the hurt and trial, we should "leave them at Your throne".

When we do that, we experience the freedom that only Jesus can give.

That can almost be the hardest part, letting go of the hurt and holding onto the anger, but if we don't, we will only walk upon a path of darkness and hopelessness.

What lyrics speak to you?

I'd love to hear from you!

Day 18 In Him we find...

 

If you don't know, my whole motto behind my blog is about being transformed and renewed, especially during hard times. If you don't know my story, check it out here and my post everything happens for a reason . I think there are times in our lives where restoration is needed. It may take a trial to shake us and to wake us up or maybe we just need a new day to realize that we need a change. We can try a new diet or exercise plan in attempt to transform our bodies, but can they even come close to touching our souls? When a new year rolls around, we are so quick to change our outer bodies, but what about what's inside? We can try setting new goals or making a career change or go to counseling, but even when we do that, are we really being transformed as people?

It's when we realize that we aren't god and truly in need of a savior, when our lives can be transformed. Like I said, sometimes it may take a lot to get to that point and even then, the transformation is not over. You see, God is in the transformation business. When we come to that point of throwing our hands up, God is ready to take all that we are dealing with. It can be some messy stuff, but that won't stop God from using it for His glory. He likes to make BIG statements. During this act of trusting God, He can open our eyes to much more than we ever could imagine. Instead of letting the bad stuff get you down, let God transform you through it. The transformation doesn't stop either. After the initial transformation, God continues to transform and refine as His servants.

 

Whatever you've done or gone through, He can make you new. That might sound familiar...yep, it's at the top of my blog. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come." Nothing is too big for Him. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Even when you give it up to God, things may not make sense, but hold on, things will come together. I've said it before and I'll say it again...no matter where you've been or what you've done, God can make you new. He is a forgiving God and He wants you to trust Him with your life. When we trust Him, we become vessels to show His glory.

In Him we find transformation.

Please, please, pretty please check out this song by Tenth Avenue North, "You Do All Things Well" You won't regret it.

If you are journeying through the Bible in a year with me, we start the book of Acts tomorrow!

Day 7 In Him we find...

Hey everyone! I realize it should be Day 9 (and it is), but I got behind, because of a nasty stomach bug that has been going around our house. I'm finally feeling somewhat better to catch ya'll up on my 30 day series. I'm going to post them separately so stay tuned ;)

 

 

Through all the years of health issues, there have been times when I've wanted to give up (the past few days I've felt the same). I'm sure you've gotten to the point where you wanted to throw in the towel too. Well, it's clear that I haven't given up...of course, I've taken some breaks, but never given up. I realized it has been because of Him that I haven't given up. Just like Paul, I've endured many trials and you have too. We all have. Now, I can't crack it up to be my strength that has gotten me through it, because I realize that I'm a weakling. I look back and realize "there is no way I got through that on my own". I repeat, "no way".

Romans 15:4-6 says, "For everything that was written to teach us, so that through endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

In Him we find endurance.


If you are reading along with me, we should be caught up to John chapter 5.

A Work in Progress...A New Creation

From my faithful readers from the beginning, you might can tell that this does not look like my "While on the Deck" blog. Well,if you don't know, I like change so I decided to redesign my blog. I even decided to change my blog's name! I chose "From Chrysalis to Butterfly" to symbolize my life, especially my recent journey with Lyme Disease treatment. In the beginning, I was down in the dumps. Depressed. I went from to denial to anger...why me, God?! After I got over that roadblock, I gave it to God and said, "Your will be done....I trust you...no matter what I go through, You are good and always will be....despite the pain I feel, I still love you." Trust me, that was not an easy thing to say. It took months to get to that point, but wow, when I reached that point my perspective changed. The pessimistic film over my eyes began to fade away and the optimistic flim took its place. I begin to see how God has used my disease to make me a better person in His eyes. He intricately planned out every detail. Through each situation I've faced and each person I've met, I have learned something new about myself or about God and His promises. All of this has led me to change my blog (plus, it has forced me to stay in bed and rest, so that's good ;) name to "From Chrysalis to Butterfly". In the beginning, I was wrapped up in myself and pessimis and through the journey I've changed and grown. Now, I'm definitely not a butterfly just yet My wings still need to grow I've still got a lot of work to do, but it is so encouraging to see how God has turned bad into good, by growing me into who He has called me to be. So my subtitle for my blog is "Transformation through Healing- trials, epiphanies & faith". Lately, I feel like I have "transformed" because I have started trying new things, like sewing, embrodiery, painting, DIY projects, reading new books, and more. Plus, my faith has grown! If I would'nt have gotten diagnosed and started treatment, I might never have tried these things and grown in my faith. The best part of this is that through this time of growth, God is healing me. He is healing me in so many ways, physically, mentally, spiritually, and I know that He is preparing me for things to come. When I was redesigning my blog, I was trying to think of a verse that I could use to go with my theme and the verse that poppped into my mind was 2 Corinthians 5:17. I loveee this verse! In fact, when I was a small group leader I made the girls memorize this verse (girls, if you are reading, you better remember the verse!). So I decided to put the verse on my background as a reminder to all of you (and me). A reminder that God can make you new. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" He makes us new when we put our faith and trust in Him. If you're facing a trial, trust in Him and let him transform you into a new creation. If you're not facing trial, remember that you are a new creation. Your mistakes, regrets, doubts are wiped away when you put your faith in Him. He makes you new. What an awesome truth! On top of that, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." "In all things", God will work for the good no matter what. The good in my Lyme Disease journey is that He has opened my eyes to new things, taught (still teaching) me patience and trust, led me to wonderful people, and I probably could keep listing. God is transforming and healing me through this journey. Anyway, the main idea of this post is to remind you that you are a new creation or you can be! It may sound like a "New Year Resolution" type of entry, but the great news is that we don't need a new year to change our ways. We can be a new creation now! God can make us new, anytime, any place, as long as we put our trust in Him and believe the promises He has given us. So here is my question for you...are you a new creation? Can you feel God transforming you? If not, you can. Just let Him know that you trust in Him and want to give your life as an offering. Trust me, no matter what situation you are in, God can make it better!