So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. Romans 9:16
Dear Lord,
I praise You for giving me a new heart and for gifting me with my faith to believe in Jesus. Nowhere in Scripture does it say anything about "inviting Jesus into your heart." I didn’t invite Jesus into my heart, rather He gave me a new heart. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Salvation is truly all a gift by Your grace.
It wasn’t like I was ‘more spiritual’ or wise enough to believe in Jesus and choose eternal life, for then I would have something to boast about within myself. Rather, repentance and faith are gifts because YOU chose me and loved me before the foundation of the world, according to the purpose of Your will, to the praise of Your glorious grace (Eph 1:4-5, 1:11-12, Eph 2:8-9, 2 Tim 1:9, John 6:44, John 15:16, Galatians 1:15, Rom 8:28-30, Rom 9:16, Mat 22:14, Acts 13:48, Rev 13:8, Jeremiah 1:5).
I am not saved because of anything I did or because of any merit in myself, but I am saved because of who You are. You are good, kind, and rich in mercy. So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy (Romans 9:16).
You had compassion on me. You looked down upon me with mercy, and you gifted me with my faith in Jesus. AMEN! "The greatest act of mercy God performs is giving the gift of faith." ~ RC Sproul
Lord, I praise You for your mercy. I praise You for all that You are. You are perfect, holy, just, righteous, loving, merciful, and gracious. Salvation is all by Your grace, and that is oh-so humbling and You are so, so praise-worthy! Not only does Your grace save me, but Your grace sanctifies me, as I renew my mind in the truth of Your Word. Your grace is both a saving and a living grace. As the Holy Spirit does His sanctifying work in my heart and leads me into all truth, help me to delight in You so that You may give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). Lord, I desire for You to give me more holiness. I certainly can't become more like Jesus in my own strength. Like every other good thing, growing in holiness is all by Your grace.
More Holiness Give Me
More holiness give me,
More strivings within,
More patience in suffering,
More sorrow for sin,
More faith in my Savior,
More sense of His care,
More joy in His service,
More purpose in prayer
More gratitude give me,
More trust in the Lord,
More pride in His glory,
More hope in His Word,
More tears for His sorrows,
More pain at His grief,
More meekness in trial,
More praise for relief.
More purity give me,
More strength to overcome,
More freedom from earth-stains,
More longing for Home.
More fit for the Kingdom,
More used would I be,
More blessed and holy –
More, Savior, Like Thee. – Author: P.P. Bliss, More Holiness Give Me
All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His Name, I pray, amen.
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. 5 In love He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4-6
Hey Guys,
So a new thing I'm doing is playing hymns on the piano. I started posting on YouTube a few days ago and connected it to my website here. If you ever feel like listening, feel free to visit my Music Page or subscribe to my YouTube Channel. So far I have one subscriber lol. Let's go for two!
So I recorded this hymn on the piano to go with the above devotion: More Holiness Give Me. (This is the first time I'm doing this so hopefully that link takes you right to that piano video on my website). Otherwise, you can just go to my Music Page if you feel so inclined. There's not too much posted as of right now, but stay tuned! I've been loving playing hymns. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). The Lord has not been giving me MY desires. He's been planting HIS desires in my heart, and I believe this is one of them...playing hymns on the piano for His glory. I want to be a good steward of the gifts He's given me and use them to point people to Jesus.
For me, it's the truth in the lyrics that really makes the melody sing. That's why I love playing them. It's all about the Truth. There's nothing as sweet, loving, and beautiful as Jesus. Maybe one day I will be able to have a decent singing voice too, if the Lord wills! (With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible). Matthew 19:26
I'll also be posting some classical stuff too like Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, etc, and I hope to revisit some Bach too because I just learned that Bach was a follower of Jesus. I love that Bach will be playing piano for eternity! Ok, I can just keep rambling and typing away so I'm gonna go now :) You know how I can get haha.
Love,
Jenna