Living under open heaven

It's not just what we offer to God, but the order in which we offer it. Chris Beall First things first. 

If your eyes are on the storm You'll wonder if I love you still But if your eyes are on the cross You'll know I always have and I always will And when you're tired of fighting Chained by your control There's freedom in surrender Lay it down and let it go So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away Your world's not falling apart, it's falling into place I'm on the throne, and you're not alone, stop holding on and just be held I'm painting beauty with the ashes Your life is in My hands Come to Me, find your rest In the arms of the God who won't let go

"Now to him who is able  to do immeasurably more than all we ask  or imagine, according to his power  that is at work within us" If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now. You dont even know who you are.

The world saw that Jesus was only eating with tax collectors and sinners, but Jesus saw people in need of the Great Physician. The world saw only a blind beggar named Bartimaeus shouting above the crowd and disturbing those around him, but Jesus saw a man reaching out in faith and in need of mercy. The world saw only a crooked tax collector named Zaccheaus becoming rich through the suffering of others, but Jesus saw a man ready to be broken with an act of repentance. The world saw only the crowds pressing in on Him from all sides, but Jesus sensed the touch of His garment by a trembling woman. The world saw only the 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed so many, but Jesus saw a great multitude hungry and in need of compassion. The world saw only a woman caught in the very act of adultery and deserving of condemnation, but Jesus saw a daughter in need of forgiveness. The world saw only a robber crucified as a common thief, but Jesus saw a lost soul worth dying for. As of today......

When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come. Longing just to bring, something that's of worth, that will bless Your heart You search much deeper within, through the way things appear. You're looking into my heart I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You. It's all about You, Jesus I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it, when it's all about You. It's all about You, Jesus Finding myself singing the chorus again and again.. A simple song that had touched me ever since my youth days, and always reminds me and teaches me different things at different seasons. Is whatever I'm doing or serving in blessing your heart? Or is it just me justifying my self-righteousness? When is the last time when You were the one that inspired my serving? Or am I going around serving and doing Your will My way instead of Yours? Am i just a "good" Christian in church ticking off my checklist on w...

Some are fine, while some left me a little aching and sad inside. Some are full of praises, while some hurt and sting. It's okay, You said. The next one, I can choose to look at You. Surrendering them into Your hands. Each one of them. Never about the perfect response, but always me and You. Leaning into Your presence. Breathing out my fears and breathing in You. If I look up, will I see You? You are close to the broken hearted. Renewing and restoring, for this is who You are. Fighting battles. Winning and losing. Perhaps, this time round, I can afford to lose. For some battles are not meant to be won. Just so for more of Your plan to be revealed. Or perhaps, this is a losing battle from the start. Just so for me to see that true Victory only comes from You. In the midst of battles and moments, Heart, be strong and Lord, be here. Choosing You again right now at this moment. Should my heart falter again, I know it is okay too. F...

I remember those days When I needed Your grace And You showed to me How good You are to me I remember those years It was filled with tears But You showed to me How Your presence is with me Thank You Lord I just want to Thank You Lord For You are faithful For You are beautiful Thank You Lord 2 Corinthians 5 fully encapsulated who we are in Him, what God has done and what we are called to do; embarking the ministry of reconciliation together with Him. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. ( meaning to see things and people from God's eyes instead from a worldly point of view) Though we once regarded Christ in ...

How could I possibly be the apple of God's eye when my behavior is not yet perfect? Because green apples are apples too! One day I shall be a mature apple, perfectly formed. But, for now, I am still growing. 

Like an old rag, I am filthy with no beauty. Like a withered flower in the mud, I'm stepped on and cast aside, forgotten Whereas for You, Magnificent, glorious and incomparably majestic. Yet, You choose to lose Your dignity, came to earth, found me, and gave up everything for me. Why? I can't fathom. The Son of God actually came to earth to die for me willingly. What love is this? You've exchanged my filthy rags for a crown of beauty, anoint me with oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, and allow me to display Your splendor. Even in tears, when I heartlessly gave up on myself, yet You say You will never abandon me, nor forsake me. Beyond all reasoning, The gift of the cross transformed lives, and we are indeed a new creation in Christ. What a priceless blessing, that I can finally spread my wings and fly. Like a butterfly, it's a new life, I'm changed, I'm new. I will be coronated through trials, in your throne ...

Psalm 91  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High     will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,     my God, in whom I trust.”  Surely he will save you     from the fowler’s snare     and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers,     and under his wings you will find refuge;     his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  You will not fear the terror of night,     nor the arrow that flies by day,  nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,     nor the plague that destroys at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side,     ten thousand at your right hand,     but it will not come near you.  You will only observe with your eyes     and see the punishment of the wicked.  If you say, “The Lord is m...

Last Sunday night, looking at the world and the millions that are suffering, people that hadn't know God, surviving and not living, going after meaningless pursuits, those hurting and crying under their blanket, shouting in their mind for someone to save them, no knowing that there is hope.  All this simply breaks my heart. I guess when I prayed for God to break my heart for what breaks His, I wasn't aware of how much that actually entails. Yet I'm still thankful that God is willing to confide in me (psalm 25:14). "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. "(john 5:19) I remembered that night, looking out the window, bawling for His salvation upon this broken world. There's really nothing I can do but pray, I had never once felt so helpless, but I know prayer precedes revival, and a prayer of a righteous man or women can change God's...

How do I say thank You, Lord.  For the way that You love a nd the way that You come You don't have to come But You always do You  change the whole room, and fill my heart. Not of stone but flesh. How do I say thank You, Lord For the life that You gave and my  cross that You bore For the love You poured out, to bind the brokenhearted, to set the captives free, to release from darkness for the prisoners, to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve, to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  You walk through all my walls, c onquered my shame, s tepped into my past and  f ill my world with grace You didn't have to come But You wanted to I say Thank You. There were times that were hard for me to praise and worship, and I doubted your presence in the midst of my pain. Just like the very words of K...

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible. Reading it brought me laughter and I wonder how often we take for granted the childlikeness we see in people. God probably be smiling too.  The Children’s Bible in a Nutshell In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, ‘The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ and someone did. Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden…Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn’t have cars. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or ...

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.-Matt. 5:5 The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In, himself, nothing; in God, everything. He knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring. He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values. He will be patient to wait for the day when everything will get its own price tag and real worth will come into its own. Then the righteous shall shine forth in the Kingdom of their Father. He is willing to wait for that day. ~ A.W. Tozer Let us examine our burden. It is altogether an interio...

I just want You more than anything else in the world. Help me to chose you all the time. To remember you. To love you. To love you above all else. There's no greater love than yours, nothing else could ever compare.  You are all I need It took more than my strength To simply be still To seek but never find All the answer I've been looking for The reasons I doubt And why do loved ones have to die? But You love me anyway It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known Yes, You love me I am a thorn in Your crown But You love me anyway I am the sweat from Your brow But You love me anyway I am the nail in Your wrist But You love me anyway I am Judas’ kiss But You love me anyway See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground Yes then I turned away with the smile on my face With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace And then alone in the night I still called...