Hallelujah (Our God Reigns) Devotional

There's never been a more compelling figure in all of human history than Jesus Christ. He has the ability to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, love His enemies, stand for truth, and shine light into the darkest and most desperate situations. He came from the light and perfection of heaven to show us what the Father is like, and to make a way for us to enjoy eternal life and friendship with Him. He came not of His own desire but to accomplish the will of the Father. Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that Jesus set aside the privileges of deity, emptying Himself of His outward glory by reducing Himself to the form of a lowly servant. If Jesus is showing us the Father, then the way of the Kingdom is humility and surrender. If that is how Jesus prayed, then my prayer ought to be the same. God, take me, change me and make me more like Jesus. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (MSG) What would it look like if we really prayed this prayer? We live in a culture that is fueled by a sense of self entitlement and pride. God wants to use us to show the world how much He loves them. He wants us to love people with the same compassion and humble, selfless, sacrificial love of Jesus! Based on the song More Like Jesus by Brooke Ligertwood, Kristian Stanfill, Scott Ligertwood, and Brett Younker. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Whole Heart by Passion Music.

In Psalm 13, David is crying out to the Lord in anguish. He cannot feel God's presence. His heart is overwhelmed with sorrow and torment. You can sense the desperation in his voice. He's being honest with God about his feelings. God invites all of us into that same genuine relationship. It's important to see that David doesn't let his emotions determine his response. David keeps praying until he remembers and declares over his own soul what he knows to be true. He says, “But I trust in your unfailing love and my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise for he has been good to me.” (NIV) With the blood of God's only Son, our sins were paid for and bought on the cross. When we remember what God has given us—His grace, His love, His sacrifice—we can't help but rejoice! David prays until a song of praise erupts from his mouth. “For he has been good to me!” There is power in speaking the truth of who God is, and there is power in speaking the truth of who we are. In order to do that, we must know what God says about us in His Word. Scripture says we are blessed and called! We are healed and whole! We are saved in Jesus' name! We are highly favored, anointed, and filled with God's power, all for the glory of Jesus! Based on the song God You're So Good. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Whole Heart by Passion Music.

Before the creation of the world, before the stars and galaxies, the oceans and rivers, before the redwoods and daffodils, the lions and the butterflies—God knew you. On that fateful day in the garden when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and sin entered the world—God knew you. As history unfolded and God enacted His redemption plan to save humanity, God knew you. When Jesus hung on the cross, beaten and bruised, suffering and dying to defeat the power of sin and death—God knew you. When Jesus was buried in the tomb and when He rose again three days later—God knew you. When Jesus ascended to heaven, God made you alive in Christ; then He picked you up and set you down right next to Him! You were there! (Eph 2:6 MSG) God has not for a second forsaken you or forgotten you. He has not abandoned you. His promises are good and His heart is for you. You did nothing to deserve His love. And there's nothing you could ever do to earn it. Like the lost sheep, He found you. His arms are open wide to you. He wants to put you on his shoulders and carry you home. That's the love of our God. It doesn't make sense. It isn't selfish. It isn't self-serving. And it never fails. In these next few moments will you let God's love rush over you? Will you let Him come near, comfort you and remind you He gave His life for you? He is here. Based on the song Reckless Love. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Whole Heart by Passion Music.

With news of scandal, tragedy, devastation, heartache and war incessantly at our finger tips it is easy to let confusion, fear and anxiety blur our perspective. Slowly we begin to give authority to these feelings. We wonder where God is in the midst of it all. What is He doing? Where has He gone? Isaiah 6 says, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple... 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” The nation of Judah prospered under King Uzziah's reign. His death would have been a time of sadness and sorrow for the people. But in that same year, in the middle of grief and pain, Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne. The throne of heaven is not empty. The throne of heaven is occupied. And like Isaiah, when we see God on His throne our perspective changes. It does not mean things are always good, that we won't face opposition or conflict, or that our hearts won't break. But we can trust that God has not abandoned us or forgotten his promise to save. In Psalm 73 Asaph cries out to God — afflicted, punished, betrayed, and confused, then he enters the sanctuary of God. In the presence of God, Scripture says Asaph “understood their final destiny.” When we see God we can accurately weigh what we are walking through. We can see that God is greater than our problems and our circumstances. Based on the song Ever Almighty. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Whole Heart by Passion Music.

A love with no conditions is an overwhelming idea. It doesn't matter if you ask for it, understand it, believe it, or even want it—you can't ignore it. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:4 that "long before [God] laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” We see that God's love for us is unconditional because He chose us and loved us from before our first breath. He chose us before we had met any conditions. Before we had done anything to earn His love, or to lose it. Living with the truth of God's unconditional love on our hearts does a few pivotal things. First, it silences the lies that we are out of reach, don't belong, or can never be free. Those are lies that cannot stand in light of an unconditional love. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) Next, we see that God's unconditional love calls us to something greater than ourselves. His love gives us a home and a family. “Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” Ephesians 1:5-6 (MSG) Finally, as we understand God's unconditional love for us, it helps us understand who we are. “It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG) The only response worthy of all that this unconditional love means for us, is surrender and allegiance. What better king could we love and serve? Yes, this is our God! His heart for us is good. His promise for us is real. And He will never turn His back on us. Based on the song Whole Heart. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Whole Heart by Passion Music.

Often we think of heaven as the place we hope to go when we die. It is the place where God will wipe away every tear, where there will be no more death or crying or pain. If we are honest, most days the hope of heaven is seemingly so far away. But not to Jesus. Jesus prays in Matthew 6:9-10, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” For Jesus the Kingdom of heaven was not only a future promise but a present reality. If that is the way Jesus prayed, maybe the gap between heaven and earth is not as wide as we think. Maybe Jesus came not just to get us into heaven, but to get heaven into us. John Wesley says the moment we believe in Jesus and come to know His unsurpassable love for us unveiled on the cross, “heaven is opened in the soul.” To know this love is simply a “foretaste of heaven now.” One day we will experience, face to face, Jesus in the perfection of heaven, but right now we live with the peace, assurance and hope that the power of heaven is inside of us now. The Holy Spirit is bringing that future life into the present, awakening us to God's love revealed in Jesus. The closer we grow to Jesus and the more we know Him and His love for us, in that same proportion will we see the Kingdom of heaven around us. We'll see tides begin to change, walls begin to fall and darkness shake! And we won't be able to keep that immeasurable love and joy to ourselves! Based on the song Whole Heart by Sean Curran. Original post by Passion Music available on YouVersion based on the album - Whole Heart by Passion Music.