Sometimes you have to search across the globe to find good Christian music. Today’s group is from Scandinavia. HB is a Christian symphonic metal band that formed in Forssa, Finland in 2002. While this sound may not be your cup of tea, the lyrics point listeners in the right direction with God Has All Glory just as John the Baptist guided his followers toward Jesus as the One to follow.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.,”) John 1:14-15.
The gospel of John begins with Creation and introduces readers to the Holy Trinity in chapter one. This quick summary highlights the fact that God has all glory, honor, and is worthy to be praised. HB’s song does this in an unique manner, but in the body of Christ, we are all one in Jesus, Colossians 3:11. Therefore, may you celebrate the diversity in Christ Jesus as you glorify God.
The origin of the phrase ‘third time’s a charm’ dates date to ancient times. Things that come in sets of three have often been associated with good luck. As an element of astrology and fortune-telling, numerology has long been employed to predict future events. From a biblical perspective, the Bible is full of symbolism. The number 3 is used 467 times in the Bible with an imagery of completeness like the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. 12 Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you, Jeremiah 29:11-12.
During a 4th grade Art Class, a little girl from Wisconsin draw a little picture with a dream beneath it. Molly wrote “one day I am going to complete in the Olympics and win a gold medal.” Fast forward two decades and Molly Seidel competed in her second marathon ever. This race just happened to be the qualifier for the 2020-21 Olympics. Despite her limited experience as a long distance runner, Seidel finished second and earned her spot on Team USA.
A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure, Proverbs 16:9.
After waiting an additional year due to Covid-19, Molly ran in her third marathon earlier today. While she did not earn the medal in her childhood dream, Molly Seidel became the second American woman to ever medal in the Olympic Marathon. The passage above is a reminder that you may have certain aspirations, but the Lord’s purpose prevails. May the bronze medal that Molly Seidel earned today inspire you to sleep well and dream big.
One of George Mason’s nicknames is the “Father of the Bill of Rights.” According to historians, it was Mason who proposed the language mentioned in the First Amendment. Using a Christian reference in the Bible, “All men have an equal, natural and unalienable right to the free exercise of religion.” While secular and revisionist historians continue to suggest that America wasn’t founded on biblical principles, the genius of God’s creation has left several breadcrumbs inside the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth, Genesis 1:26-28.
As America struggles with civil and racial unrest, the Bible is full of solutions to unite souls. In the passage above, Moses reveals that men and women were created in God’s own image. The Our refers to the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This collaboration suggests an agreement, content with Creation. This unity carries over to the New Testament as Jesus came to live, die, and rise again so that all nations and religions could come together again. Unfortunately, there are invisible forces that cause human beings to fight one another instead of the real enemy, Ephesians 6:12.
For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. 28 There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus, Galatians 3:27-28.
The apostle Paul writes about the unity of Christ in letters to Colosse and Galatia. Each of these letters possess a common theme, unity that is available in Christ. When you fully surrender to God, giving up your own desires and wants, unity is made possible. When this maturation process is complete, you take on a new identity in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21-22. Unfortunately, many Christians never fully yield total control, Subsequently, unity does not occur in many churches as division and factions seek self promotion. If you want to experience the genius of Creation, hand over the reigns of your life to Jesus, Matthew 16:24-27.
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