His Purpose

Hallelujah! hallelujah! my soul is now free!

For the precious blood of Jesus cleanseth even me.

I have been very blessed! I started this post sometime earlier this week because I was so blessed with these songs and passages in Proverbs. My previous post said that I had had a tough week, but God was still blessing me through it. These words were the perfect encouragement for me.

O sweet will of God! thou hast girded me ’round,

Like the deep, moving currents that girdle the sea;

With omnipotent love is my poor nature bound,

And this bondage to love sets me perfectly free.

Hallelujah! hallelujah! my soul is now free!

For the precious blood of Jesus cleanseth even me.

For years my soul wrestled with vague discontent

That like a sad angel o’ershadowed my way;

God’s light in my soul with the darkness was blent,

And my heart ever longed for an unclouded day.

And now I have flung myself recklessly out,

Like a chip on the stream of the Infinite Will;

I pass the rough rocks with a smile and a shout,

And I just let my God His dear purpose fulfill.

Hallelujah! hallelujah! my soul is now free!

For the precious blood of Jesus cleanseth even me.

Forever I choose the good will of my God,

Its holy, deep riches to love and to know;

The serfdom of love to so sweeten the rod,

That its touch maketh rivers of honey to flow.

Roll on, checkered seasons, bring smiles or bring tears,

My soul sweetly sails on an infinite tide;

I shall soon touch the shores of eternity’s years,

And near the white throne of my Savior abide.

Hallelujah! hallelujah! my soul is now free!

For the precious blood of Jesus cleanseth even me.

I think that song just might be my favorite. I don't know. It's hard to choose, but I do find myself singing it quite often. This next one I sing quite a bit, too.

Walking in sunlight all of my journey,

Over the mountains, through the deep vale;

Jesus has said, I’ll never forsake thee—

Promise divine that never can fail.

Heavenly sunlight! Heavenly sunlight!

Flooding my soul with glory divine;

Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,

Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!

Shadows around me, shadows above me

Never conceal my Savior and Guide;

He is the light, in Him is no darkness,

Ever I’m walking close to His side.

In the bright sunlight, ever rejoicing,

Pressing my way to mansions above;

Singing His praises, gladly I’m walking,

Walking in sunlight, sunlight of love.

Heavenly sunlight! Heavenly sunlight!

Flooding my soul with glory divine;

Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,

Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!

Lastly, these bits of wisdom from Proverbs was just what I needed for some situations in my life right now.  They are so fitting.  The first one: who doesn't want wisdom? Try being humble first.

Selections from Proverbs 11:

With the lowly is wisdom.

The integrity of the upright shall guide them.

The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way.

The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them.

In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

A gracious woman retaineth honour.

There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

So, God has a purpose in his will for our lives even when things seem to be going wrong. Remember that which he has promised, and praise him for who he is.  Whether life is bringing you joy or sorrow, God's love can outshine that.

Blessings,

Alyssa

Thanksgiving

To be honest,

This has been a tough week.

We all pass through swollen rivers

At some time in our journey.

What do you do when you feel

The force of such a flood?

I say, praise God.

He deserves our praise

At every time,

In every situation,

And in every emotion.

So, to take my own advice,

I think I'll start praising him.

His ways are always perfect,

And I think him

And praise him

For his righteous judgments.

He leads me like a shepherd,

And I do not fear,

Because he has proved faithful,

And loving to me.

His mercy is everlasting!

He sees me in my weakness,

And loves me,

And in his strength,

I can rise above.

I praise him for his,

Abounding, unconditional love.

I feel it so strong in my heart,

And it is perfect in every situation.

He is great and mighty,

Yet, in love, he came to earth,

To live and die here,

That we might live forever

With him.

His greatness is unsearchable.

A human could not imagine

The height and the width

and the breadth thereof.

I thank him to the Bible,

His holy word,

That he gave us to

Bless

Encourage

Guide

Comfort

and

Strengthen

His little children.

I thank him for the days

Of cheer and happiness.

So many little blessings

Just because he love us.

I thank him for each day

Overshadowed with discouragement.

A time of strengthening

Just because he loves us.

I thank him

And praise him

For the life he gave me.

It is perfect.

All he does is perfect.

Bless his Holy name.

Amen.

Duke Finds a Rose

Duke found a pretty pink rose.

It must have been one of the dozen

That I got for my 21st birthday.

He hid his porcelain among the the green

And suggested a picture or two.

(Of course, I took more than just a few.)

(to my best friend)

Blessings,

Alyssa

Beautiful Creatures

I guess taking pictures of these beautiful creatures

has become a sort of--

connection?

--for me.

It's kind of my way of "smelling the roses."

So many things are on the computer.

Things are busy.

There are due dates.

There are schedules.

There are responsibilities.

And then there is creation,

Just standing there,

Looking beautiful.

Blessings,

Alyssa