Month: May 2022

Lower

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk

Recently, while observing a small waterfall, I was struck by an astounding thought. Jesus went from the incredible glories of heaven to the great agony of the cross–the ultimate example of self-sacrifice and humility–poured out for me. How can I do the same for Him? Of course, my sacrifice for Him can never come close to His, but, as Christina Rosetti so beautifully said, “What can I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart.”

Waterfall

This is my prayer for all of us today.

Lord, You have sacrificed so much for us. Help us to step off our thrones of pride and descend lower and lower for You. Help us to cast ourselves down at Your feet and pour extravagant love on You, no matter what those around us think, say, or do. Help every inch of our lives’ journeys to point to You, so that the others see You and You only, and not us ourselves, for we truly are nothing without You. Please become greater and greater, and help us to become less and less, for it is the King that matters most, not the servant; the Creator, not the creation; the Potter, not the vessel. Help us to be vessels for You, Lord, and please grant us the great privilege and honor of becoming less and lower and more humble so that Your name is magnified and glorified through us all the more. We come to You as Your humble bondservants, and we extol Your name above all else!

Amen!

Priorities

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Music, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk

Colossians 1:17-18 (emphasis added)

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Recently, while I was speaking with someone, the conversation turned to spiritual matters. The person with whom I was conversing said, “Yeah, I’ve been really busy lately, but I guess I should make some time for the Lord!” I was left speechless.

How very sad to realize that this is the view some nominal Christians have today. Shouldn’t church be essential, Bible reading vital, and prayer and praise non-negotiable? In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Is it even right to call God “the Lord” if He is obviously not Master and Lord over every area of our lives? If we truly belong to Christ, shouldn’t He be our utter everything, and not just an ideal-sounding clause on the back burner of our lives that is thought about briefly every now and then?

I am reminded of Isaac Newton’s hymn “The Wonderful Cross” which says, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!” Let’s all check our priorities today and make sure we give rightful honor and preeminence to Whom it is due.

Oh gracious Lord and Master,

Here we are your servants. Lord, You are our everything. You have made and sustained us. You breathe Your life into us and hold us together in the palm of Your hand. We are nothing without You. You deserve our entire lives and everything we are and have.

Let us not lose sight of what truly matters, Lord. We are mere vapors, and our earthly lives are quick and fleeting. Be first always in our lives, hearts, minds, and strengths. Help us to prioritize You above all things. May our worship of You, search for You, and obedience to You rise above fleeting earthly pleasures or selfish pursuits. May You always be glorified and exalted first and foremost over everything! We adore You, Lord!

Amen!!!

Sanctity of Life

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, The Christian Walk

As I look at current events and see that Roe vs. Wade may possibly be overturned soon, I thought an article on the subject of the sanctity of life would be especially poignant. According to statistics, as a result of Roe vs. Wade, more than 52 million unborn children were killed in the U.S. just between 1973-2010. The number has skyrocketed since then. In fact, abortion has taken more lives than all the wars the U.S. has ever fought combined.

Abortion is murder. Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5 clearly point to the fact that unborn children are people created in God’s image. Since all humans are created in the image of God, it is never appropriate to take the life of anyone–whether unborn, mentally ill, or elderly.

In fact, I consider abortion (as well as euthanasia) humanism, because in the act of intentionally taking another’s life, man is putting himself in the position of God, Who alone is the Author of human life!

We as Christians have a great responsibility to protect and defend those who are defenseless. We ought to stand up for life, support pro-life organizations, and vote for candidates who will protect the unborn. Anything we can do to help is a step in the right direction.

Let’s stand up for what is right today!

God Is With Us

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Art, Christian holidays, Music, Scripture, The Christian Walk

It is not Christmastime, but the astounding concept of IMMANUEL–God incarnate–is a major part of our every day lives as believers. Here are some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs–“For God Is With Us”–that puts this concept in a beautiful perspective.

“No room for a King/no celebration and no ceremony in that little town/nobody would think/ this is the story of the coming glory….the Body was broken/and it was finished/so let us begin/the celebration and the ceremony…oh, how the world forever changed/for God is with us!”

Stop and ponder this a moment. GOD–the Creator of the universe–the omnipotent, omniscient, almighty God–the only One Who is worthy of all our praise and adoration–the Lord of all things–condescended to earth in human form–for us! GOD, veiled in flesh, came down from His heavenly home to save us! Jesus Christ, the very image of God and God Himself, was born in the lowliest state–for us. ALLELUIA!!!

Oh, friends, let us praise and worship our God! He is the ONLY One worthy of all our adoration! Let Him be Lord in our lives! He is holy–He is awesome–He is full of glory and grace! Let us bow to Him in reverence and praise HIM ALONE today. Alleluia and amen!!!