Category: Faith

a simple chorus

Adam MashniLeave a comment

this chorus was running through my mind this morning

my first, not my last

my heart is yours

take all of me, Jesus

because everything I am

is for Your Kingdom’s expanse

take all of me, Jesus

**May 27 addition**

For your name and your renown

we lay down our crowns

Take all of me, Jesus

I lift up my hands

it’s You i demand

take all of me Jesus

let it be true of me.

Abandoned

Adam Mashni1 Comment

recently i have been reading “Streams in the Desert” by L.B. Cowman…a daily devotional, given to me by a good friend.  this poem was part of today’s reading.  it challenged me to ask the question, “is this true of me?”

Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!

Seeking all His fullness, whatever the cost;

Cutting all the moorings, launching in the deep

Of His mighty power – strong to save and keep.


Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!

Oh! The sinking, sinking, until self is lost!

Until the emptied vessel lies broken at His feet;

Waiting till His filling shall make the work complete.


Utterly abandoned to the will of God;

Seeking for no other path than my Master trod;

Leaving ease and pleasure, making Him my choice,

Waiting for His guidance, listening for His voice.


Utterly abandoned! No will of my own;

For time and for eternity, His, and His alone;

All my plans and purposes lost in His sweet will,

Having nothing, yet in Him all things possessing still.


Utterly abandoned! It’s so sweet to be

Captive in His bonds of love, yet wondrously free;

Free from sin’s entanglements, free from doubt and fear,

Free from every worry, burden, grief, or care.


Utterly abandoned! Oh, the rest is sweet,

As I tarry, waiting, at His blessed feet;

Waiting for the coming of the Guest divine,

Who my inmost being will perfectly refine.


Lo! He comes and fills me, Holy Spirit sweet!

I, in Him, am satisfied!  I, in Him, complete!

And the light within my soul will nevermore grow dim

While I keep my covenant – abandoned unto Him!

~author unknown

God spells love “T.I.M.E.”

Adam MashniLeave a comment

recently i took a day and just went away.  my goal was to connect with God on a level where there were no distractions, nothing around me that needed my attention.  so i turned my phone to “airport” mode, got my Bible, the book “Deep-Rooted in Christ” and my guitar…drove 40 minutes north and ended up at Kensington Metro Park.

this was my view.

pretty amazing.  i took this next pic cause i thought it looked sweet.

overall i had a fantastic day…just me and Jesus…talking about how I can become more like Him.

how long has it been since you had some “Jesus Time?”

spontaneous in a never-changing kind of way

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so our rustproof team (for plymouth and saline) is going through the 4 gospels in 40 days.  one of my favorite parts of this process is reading about the healings of Jesus…specifically how He healed 3 blind men.

  • one man got mud put on his face (after Jesus had made the mud with spit)
  • one man got two doses of mud…maybe because the first dose wouldn’t have taught him anything
  • and then one man simply heard the words “see,” and he was able to see.

Jesus never healed the same way twice.  I love the creativity.  I love the spontaneity.  we serve a God who changes things up…but is never changing.  we serve a god that is always creating, yet remains the same.

Jesus is spontaneous in a never-changing kind of way

Every time I sin… [part.two]

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i have learned it’s not enough to just revel in the fact that Jesus forgives us when we sin.  while that is the most glorious truth, we shouldn’t view that as a permission slip from heaven to keep on sinning (Romans 6:1).  so what can we do?  how do we make sure that our temptations to sin don’t get the best of us?

  • stay connected to Jesus (John 15:5).  daily disciplines such as bible reading, solitude and prayer help keep us focused.  the more we spend time with Jesus, the more we realize who WE are in light of who HE is…which keeps us very humble.  it’s hard to be selfish (the root of most sins) when we’re humbled.
  • when tempted…RUN.  1 Peter 5:8 describes Satan as a roaring lion just waiting to devour its prey.  Peter is trying to paint a clear picture that we shouldn’t hang around when temptation shows its face.  that’s how David got into trouble…he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, so it was easier for him to do things he wasn’t supposed to do (2 Samuel 11).
  • know your enemy (Ephesians 6:10-18).  any good sports team will take time to study their opponent.  the bible makes it clear that we have an opponent (Satan, demons, our own evil desires, etc).  the more we know how our enemy operates, the less likely we are to give in to the temptations he throws at us.  you should also know that Satan is not very creative…he knows our particular weak points, and he’ll keep pressing those buttons as long as they work.  so stay alert…know your weak points and protect against them.

be encouraged.  Jesus was tempted, yet he never sinned.  in the heat of temptation, he used scripture as his weapon of choice.  so today, may your mind be filled with the words of hope so that your normal temptations won’t feel as strong.

amen.

Every time I sin… [part.one]

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I try really hard not to sin. I try to stay on course. fight the good fight. but sometimes (as paul puts it) i do what i don’t want to do. and when i do that (whatever “that” is), i am reminded of a few things:

  • I fail.  Often.
  • Jesus forgives.  Always.

So to you, follower of Jesus, when you find yourself on the other side of temptation, and it didn’t work out well, rest in the fact that the same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you.  that’s cool.

repent and live your life from this point forward in that power.

amen.