An exercise in fixing my eyes on the author and perfecter of my faith

By Jill Krueger Wagner 

Isaiah 26:3  - Keeping my mind stayed on God

What better way to keep my mind stayed on God then to remember songs that speak of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

Love:

I'm forgiven, because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well, you're spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

I'm forgiven, because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well, you're spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
That you my king would die for me
Amazing love, I know it's true
It's my joy to honor you
Amazing love, how can it be
That you My king would die for me
Amazing love, I know it's true
It's my joy to honor you
In all I do I honor you

I'm forgiven, because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well, you're spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Joy:

http://www.squidoo.com/joy-to-the-world   (Nat King Cole singing!)

Lyrics to Joy To The World By: Isaac Watts

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Peace:

Sweet Peace, The Gift of God's Love

There comes to my heart one sweet strain,

A glad and a joyous refrain,

I sing it again and again,

Sweet peace, the gift of God's love.

Through Christ on the cross peace was made,

My debt by His death was all paid,

No other foundation is laid.

For peace, the gift of God's love.

When Jesus as Lord I had crowned,

My heart with this peace did abound,

In Him the rich blessing I found,

Sweet peace, the gift of God's love.

In Jesus for peace I abide,

And as I keep close to His side,

There's nothing but peace doth betide.

Sweet peace, the gift of God's love.

Chorus:

Peace, peace, sweet peace,

Wonderful gift from above,

Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace,

Sweet peace, the gift of God's love.

Patience:

http://instalyrics.com/artists/11379130-the-arrows/lyrics/11297997-ode-to-a-patient-god

You sit and watch

The cars and planes hurry by

You wonder when they'll arrive

Sometimes You try to catch their eyes

They turn to hide, and You turn to sigh

And don't You go insane?

All 6, 000 years of us treating you this way

All this time Well, does it make you tired?

I can't believe You waited for me

Like it was worth Your while

We see the church and the lost

You see Your bride and Your sons And full of hope,

You carry on Making us one, just on and on And patiently,

You wait Never wanting us to die

If we could still be saved Oh, is it so?

Having all control And that controlling nothing at all Of what

You're hoping for and

I Surround my gate tonight Searching to and fro to find

Someone who will fight

And I Oh, I wonder what You see I can't believe You waited for me

And so If there's anything

You need Anything at all, you just call

I made a promise I'll keep So 'till we meet

Kindness

Chris Tomlin

Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let 'em rise
Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let 'em rise

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life

We can feel
Your mercy falling
You are turning our hearts back again
Hear our praises rise to heaven
Draw us near Lord
Meet us here

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life
Is better than life

Your love

Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let 'em rise

[Prayer]
Lord,
We stand here,
As the desperate people
Hungry for the things of You
Come quiet the storms,
That rage all around us
So that we hear
The passion that
Beats through your heart
Spirit put healing in our hands
Put life in our words
And drive a passion
For the lost deep
In the hearts of your people
Inhabit the praises of us
Through children
And father send us out

With a reckless passion
Deliver us from evil
And set a standard of unity
To break down laws
And to heal Your people
Unity is the cry of your church, Lord
Reconcile the children to the fathers
And with forgiveness and mercy
Rush through the hearts of our land
We cry out our deep need for You, Jesus
Oh God come in power
And bring glory to Your name

Goodness

God's Goodness lyrics by Willie Banks
Lord I know you've been so good
Lord I know you've been so good
You watched over me, all night long
Lord I know you been so good

Verse One
Jesus I've done wrong in my life
And sometimes I've even sinned
But Lord I thank you for waking me this morning
And letting me kneel down and pray again
I could have been dead, sleeping in my grave
But you spoke one word this morning, and made death behave
You been good, oh yes you have
I know you've been so good to me
Lord I know you spared my life
 
Lord I know you spared my life
I could have been dead, sleeping in my grave
Lord I know you spared my life
 
Lord you've been with me through the storm and rain every time I needed you I called on your name
Thank you (thank Jesus, you've been good to me)
I know you been so good to me

Faithfulness

Lyrics to Great Is Thy Faithfulness :

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God, my Father,
there is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
as Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter, springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
great is Thy faithfulness,
morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided;
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Your strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine with ten thousand aside.

(Oh great) great is Thy faithfulness,
(oh great) great is Thy faithfulness,
morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided;
great is Thy faithfulness,
great is Thy faithfulness,
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
Lord to me Your faithfulness.
Great is Thy faithfulness.

Gentleness

From “The Music Machine – I used to sing this along with “Jesus Loves Me” to my Meredith every evening as her nightly ritual before she went to sleep

Gentle breeze, gentle breeze
Blowing through the trees
And the meadow filled with flowers
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You

In the still of the night
When you draw me near
Just to whisper how you care
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You

Your dear Soon walked the earth
He was full of love
Now He lives within my heart
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You

Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

Text: Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847
Music: John Goss
Tune: LAUDA ANIMA, Meter: 87.87.87

---

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, 

to the throne thy tribute bring; 

ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, 

evermore God's praises sing.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  

Praise the everlasting King.

Praise the Lord for grace and favor 

to all people in distress; 

praise God, still the same as ever, 

slow to chide, and swift to bless.  

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  

Glorious now God's faithfulness.

Fatherlike, God tends and spares us; 

well our feeble frame God knows; 

motherlike, God gently bears us, 

rescues us from all our foes.  

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  

Widely yet God's mercy flows.  

Angels in the heights, adoring, 

you behold God face to face; 

saints triumphant, now adoring, 

gathered in from every race.  

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  

Praise with us the God of grace.

WHAT FUN THIS HAS BEEN – an awesome way to spend the Lord’s Day

If you have other songs you’d like to add to the list, add away!!

A Good Mother

There are few gifts bestowed on us that reap eternal benefits but a good mother is one of those. I was blessed with a great mom who sought to teach us right from wrong. She nurtured and loved. She dispensed grace when we did something stupid with the words, “You had no way of knowing.” I recall all four of us kneeling to pray at her direction, acknowledging our Lord. Thanks Mom for loving us and starting each of us on our journey to know God. I love you.

The Marriage Kit by Jill Krueger Wagner

Many of you know that my daughter just got engaged and I've mentioned to some of you my search for just the right box for her marriage kit. As a result I've been doing a lot of explaining about what it contains and why I do this.

First the why: Ray and I went through a lot of years of unhappiness in our marriage and I don't want that for others so I designed this to try to stave off problems in new marriages.

The what is this:

The box is a visual aide for how to offer criticism to your mate. Just as a box has a top and a bottom with things enclosed, so you seek to enclose all criticism in a “top” and “bottom” of praise. What do you admire about your mate? What have they been doing right lately? Tel them these things before and after you criticize them.

The white rose is a symbol of love. When you cannot find the words to say “I’m sorry” place the rose on his/her dinner plate, pillow, or car dash, etc. It will say what you cannot.

The small frames are self-explanatory: Don’t let the sun go down while you’re still angry. Ephesians 4:26 Love your mate more than money. When you love someone you don’t just love them because of what they are but in spite of what they are.

The two different colored balls of clay represent each of you and the love language that makes you feel really loved. There are five love languages: Kind words of affirmation/Acts of Service/Quality time spent together/Physical touch or sex/and Gifts. Seldom do both husband and wife speak the same language so you must learn what language makes your mate feel loved and learn how to speak that language. When you are both aware of and speaking the other’s language you will truly become one like two pieces of clay constantly kneaded together.

The mirror is to remind you that you must look to yourself and your relationship with the Lord NOT to your mate to find true happiness.

The Bible verses are to remind you that the wisdom to the ages is at your fingertips in the Bible. God’s plan for marriage is one of extreme intimacy and satisfaction, one in which each person is loved, respected and treated with dignity. If you’re not each reading the Bible daily you may never achieve this intimacy.

The difficult relationship checklist is included because you are not just marrying your mate but his/her family as well. There is always the possibility that you will have difficulty getting along with someone within her or his family. The checklist can be overwhelming, as it is the result of years of dealing with various difficult people. Simply ask God to reveal to you where you can improve in a difficult relationship then start reading the list. He’ll show you what to do.

Here is the checklist:

DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS CHECKLIST

By Jill Krueger Wagner

PRAY:

            THAT GOD WILL ENABLE YOU TO LOVE YOUR DIFFICULT PERSON

            THAT YOUR LOVE FOR HIM/HER

                        IS PATIENT                                IS NOT EASILY ANGERED

                        IS KIND                          KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS

                        IS NOT ENVIOUS                   DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL

                        IS NOT BOASTFUL                REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH

                        IS NOT PROUD              ALWAYS PROTECTS

                        IS NOT RUDE                 ALWAYS TRUSTS

                        IS NOT SELF-SEEKING            ALWAYS HOPES

                                                                        ALWAYS PERSEVERES

            ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU IF YOU NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO YOUR D.R. FOR ANYTHING IN THE PAST?

            ASK GOD TO PURGE YOUR THOUGHT LIFE FROM THOUGHTS OF REVENGE AND NEGATIVE THOUGHTS TOWARDS OR ABOUT YOUR D.R.  ZECHARIAH 7:10b ROMANS 12:19

            ASK GOD TO REVEAL TO YOU WHY YOUR D.R. DOES THE THINGS THAT UPSET YOU AND HOW TO RESPOND TO SUCH REVELATIONS

            ASK GOD TO REVEAL TO YOU THE ROOT PROBLEM IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND WHAT TO DO REGARDING THAT REVELATION.

            ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU IF YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE UNREASONABLE AND HOW TO AMEND THEM IF THAT IS THE CASE. ALSO ASK HOW TO GET LEGITIMATE NEEDS MET.

            ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO SET BOUNDARIES AGAINST YOUR D.R.

            ASK GOD TO STRENGTHEN YOU FOR BATTLE WITH YOUR D.R. WHEN HE/SHE OVERSTEPS THE BOUNDARIES YOU’VE SET. JOHN 18:19-23

            ASK GOD TO MAKE YOU “…QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK AND SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY, FOR MAN’S ANGER DOES NOT BRING ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS LIVE THAT GOD DESIRES.” JAMES 1:19,20

            ASK GOD TO GIVE YOU “THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING” WHEN YOU MUST DEAL WITH YOUR D.R. PH. 4:7

            ASK GOD TO HELP YOU TO “KEEP A WATCH” ON YOUR MOUTH SO THAT YOU DO NOT GOSSIP ABOUT YOUR D.R.

            ASK GOD FOR A “BATTLE PLAN” BEFORE CONFLICT ARISES WITH YOUR D.R. THIS PLAN SHOULD REFLECT GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR YOUR D.R. AND HIS DESIRE THAT YOU BOTH BE TREATED WITH THE DIGNITY YOU DESERVE.

            ASK GOD FOR A TRUSTWORTHY FRIEND TO PRAY WITH (BUT DO NOT REVEAL DETAILS ABOUT YOUR D.R. THAT MIGHT UPSET HIM/HER.)

            THANK GOD FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THROUGH YOUR D.R. BECAUSE “AS IRONS SHARPENS IRON, ONE MAN SHARPENS ANOTHER.” PROVERBS 24:17

I usually present this to the couple alone but have done it at rehearsal dinners and showers.

Forgiveness and Justice

By Jill Krueger Wagner

Everyone who knows me knows that I love the Bible. Yet loving it and always understanding it are two different things. I find great joy in digging in it to find answers to what God is like and what he requires of me. Yet there are things that really disturb me in The Word. One of those things has just been cleared up for me.

My question was why would God refuse to let Moses go into the Promised Land after all he had done to lead the people of Israel to that sacred land? Just because God said, “go to Pharaoh” Moses went (after strenuous objection on his part!) – and he could have been killed for it. Moses was, for the most part, an obedient servant to God so it seemed wrong to me to not let him into the land to see the fruit of his labor. But now I see; now I think I understand why.

Moses’ offense, found in Numbers 20:6-12, was, I believe three-fold. God told him to speak to the rock and God would bring water from it. Instead Moses struck the rock – that was one offense. The weightier offenses were that he didn’t give honor to God but claimed glory for himself when he said “must we bring water from this rock?” “We?” There was no “we” in this miracle – it was all God. He also didn’t trust God enough to just speak and felt he must strike the rock.

God had just told Moses in Numbers 14:18 that he was a forgiving God so why didn’t he forgive Moses? Moses and God had an awesome relationship. God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to a friend. They were very close. Finally I understand that God did forgive Moses but there was another element at work in this issue. The element was justice.

Being forgiven does not negate the need for a just discipline for the sin. And this is the answer I discovered this week while studying the book, “The Art of Forgiveness” by Lewis Smedes: Forgiveness is for the individual but justice is for the community.

What would the Israelite community have thought if God offered no consequences for Moses’ sin? To them it might have seemed like he was saying, “Moses you broke my law but it’s no big deal.” But it was a big deal, whenever we break God’s law it’s a big deal.

As James Dobson once said, “God’s laws are like guardrails on the side of the road – they protect us.” We, being basically self-centered individuals, don’t want anyone, even God, telling us what to do (or not to do). We want to forge our own way and we don’t want anyone telling us it’s wrong. If we were to develop a god he would be always forgiving and never judging our sin but that is not what the God of the Bible is like.

God says “Be ye holy, as I am holy” Leviticus 11:45. And he lays out for us what that holiness looks like in his Word – it’s hard but we better do it if we want to see the Promised Land ourselves. By His amazing grace God forgives but he still demands justice so the wise person learns to “fear God and give Him glory.” Revelation 14:7

The Peace Returns

I have been struggling for some time with a lack of peace. For me as a Christian, peace has been one of the best perks of being a Believer. I’ve had it in some very difficult situations like my husband telling me he was going to leave me (he didn’t), my daughter telling me she was moving in with her boyfriend’s family (she did) and watching my father take his last breath. But I’ve grappled of late with balancing rest and work and have not been peaceful.

Some time ago in my frustration I screamed at God, “What do you want from me?” I did not expect an immediate response but I got one. Inside my head I clearly thought/heard “Micah 6:8.”

God has responded to me many times with a Scripture reference so I immediately looked in my Bible to see what it says there. … “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God.”  That was definitely as answer from on high!

Well, I try to act justly and I do love mercy but humility is so very hard for me. I have struggled with pride most of my life. How does a person balance self-sufficiency with being dependent on God? This morning I did some extra investigation into this passage and found that Israel wanted to offer a sacrifice to please God but that’s not what God wanted. He wanted them to live Micah 6:8.

Today I’ve laid out some ways for me to “walk humbly before my God.” I feel the peace now. It’s like I was trying to just offer some sacrifice to get God to accept me as I am but he wasn’t having any part in it. Now that I’ve made an active effort to ‘return to my first love” (Rev. 2) I’m feeling his pleasure. It feels good. We’ll see if I can live humbly for today.

Snares of Death

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”

                                                                                                             Proverbs 14:27

I have been thinking of God as my buddy – in my heart I know he’s my friend but he’s also the God of the Universe. I need to remember who he is and

We’ve been talking about what the “fear of the LORD” is in my Sunday school class.

From the Scriptures below we’ve gleaned a summary.

“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…  Deuteronomy 10:12

‘The fear of the LORD – that is wisdom, to shun evil is understanding… Job 28:28

Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. Ps. 33:8

Revere: To regard with reverence (honor or respect; profound respect mingled with love and awe); to venerate (to regard with reverential respect, or with admiration and deference

“He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.” Proverbs 14:28

So to summarize: those who fear the Lord walk in all his ways, love him, serve him with all their hearts and souls. They shun evil, they reverence him and as a result he is a mighty fortress for their children.

I want that fortress for my kids so as I am able I WILL fear the Lord!

Why I love studying the Bible

I consider my life to be a work in progress. I’m not yet where (or who) I want to be but as the saying goes, “praise God I’m not what I used to be!"

Much of what I’ve learned from God I’ve learned through Bible study. Some I’ve learned one on one, just God and me and those are very precious lessons. But I’ve also learned tons in Bible studies with other people. It’s fascinating to hear other people’s perspectives on a passage.  I always marvel at how men and women often look at the same Scripture but get totally different applications from it.

Two studies I’m in right now are, “To Live is Christ” by Beth Moore in my JOY group and “Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker in MUGGS.

I always learn plenty from Beth Moore but last Wednesday night was an exceptional lesson. On day 5 starting at page198 Beth taught us about “The Five Thieves of Contentment.” Of late I’ve been struggling with a restless spirit so this really peaked my interest. The five thieves are: pettiness, anxiety, destructive thoughts, resistance to learn and independence. Yep – I struggle with two of the three – destructive thoughts and independence. So since I’ve read this I’ve been working on both and have begun to once again feel “the peace that passes understanding.” It’s been glorious.

Then we were listing our hurts in “Life’s Healing Choices” and I was stunned to find that a childhood hurt could still bring tears to my eyes. All I could think was “why is this bothering me so now so many years later?”

The hurt was from the fact that nobody wanted me on his or her team on the playground. I was a terrible underachiever in relation to anything requiring physical prowess. I can still remember the feeling when we were choosing up teams. There was always a knot in my stomach and although I never cried I always felt like doing so.

So we were required to take our hurts to an accountability partner and express them. I went to my BFF Kathryn. I cried AGAIN when I told her about those feelings. I thought, “This is ridiculous! Why does this hurt so much?” We talked a little more and I did an exercise that I learned years ago. I imagined where Jesus was when I was going through these and I could clearly imagine him standing at my side saying, “I choose you Jill, and I want you on my team.” Oh what a sweet thought! Then in a little while Kathryn asked me to tell her again what happened on the playground. I did but this time there were no tears because I could imagine Jesus there, feeling my hurt and loving me through it. How precious it is to find Jesus in all our hurts.

Today I'm thankful for:

A warm house on a chilly, damp day
The smell of pot roast cooking
I've never had to go without shoes like so many in other countries
Being healthy enough to volunteer at Samaritan's Feet