child of God – Song Dive

Me on Your Mind

The next entry for my Blog is Me on Your Mind, which was written by Matthew West, Jeff Pardo, and Anne Wilson. It was first released February 18, 2022. A link to Matthew West singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

I’ve read the words in red
How You leave the 99
To find the one missing
Feels like that was written
With me on Your mind

And the prodigal son who ran, leaving his home behind
The part where the father came running to meet him
Did You say that with me on Your mind?

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
Who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

Just knowing You’re mindful of me
Just knowing You call me Your child
It’s flooding my soul with unspeakable hope
Thank You, Lord, that it’s me on Your mind

I’ve read the words in red of a heavenly home on high
You’re preparing a place where the sorrow’s erased
And when I stand before You, I’ll find
All along, it was me on Your mind

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
And who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
With me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

Woah (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was me on Your mind

I believe we all have times in our life when we feel all alone and we often get down and out and feeling sorry for ourselves. Unfortunately, many people have this feeling way too many times and they lead very sad lives. Maybe our friends and our families try to encourage us, but they really don’t understand. The words of encouragement and friendly hugs and prayers may be there, but your heart is still hurting and sad. Some people, such as our Christian friends, may encourage us to read our bibles and read about the promises of God in hopes that it brings us out of our depression. Have you ever been in this situation before? If so; didn’t you feel completely hopeless? It seems even more distressing when you are in a group of people and everything in life seems perfect with them.

The writers of the song refer to the text in the bible that is written in red. These red letters are words that came from Jesus, the son of the almighty God. Not every bible has these letters, but the red-letter editions always put the words of Jesus in red. There is a story in the bible that Jesus shared in the book of Matthew 18:12-14, which tells us just how much Jesus loves us and views each of us as his children. “If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” We are the lost sheep until we acknowledge Jesus as our savior and God as our father. No matter how far we wander away from God, he will be there with us. Yes, the 99 sheep are still as important to him as they have always been, but for that moment in time; he is focused on getting us into the flock and becoming part of his eternal family. When I reflect on the scripture above, it does seem as if I was the lost sheep Jesus came after and the red letters I had been reading were referring to me. It is so important to know that none of us are ever alone and we can never hide from the eyes of God.

The writers of the song also tell us about a family member who ran away from home with the dreams of getting everything he wanted in life. His father gave him his share of the inheritance and he went and squandered it all within a short time. This parable is found in the book of Luke 15:11-22, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes every single day. We say things we don’t mean and do things we don’t really mean to do. God loves me when I hold him close to my heart and God still loves me when I wander away. So maybe this story fits all of us in some way.

The chorus of the song is so powerful as it describes how the king of this entire world with its billions of people, still loves me and watches out for me every single day. Why am I so special that he wipes the tears from my eyes, heals the hurts in my heart, and loves me unconditionally? It is because each of us are his children and no matter how bad we act, he loves us unconditionally. He allowed his only son to suffer a brutal death on the cross, so that we could spend eternity with him. He wants us to come to him as we are and find comfort in his love. I don’t know if I will ever be able to comprehend the depth of God’s love, but I do know he always has me on his mind and in his heart. One day I will join him in the heavenly home he has prepared just for me and he has a special home for everyone who accepts him as their father and Jesus as their savior. The day Jesus died, you and I were on his mind.

Click to Hear Matthew West Sing Me on Your Mind

No Longer Slaves to Fear

The next entry for my Blog is No Longer Slaves to Fear which was written by Jonathan David Helser, Brian Joel Case, and Mark Johnson. It was first released by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser in August 2015 in association with Bethel Music. A link to the Helsers singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

No Longer Slaves

You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again, into a family
Your blood flows through my veins

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance
We’ve been liberated
From our bondage
We’re the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am the child of God
You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
You drowned my fears in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am the child of God (yes I am)

I am a Child of God
I am a Child of God (yes, I am)
I am a Child of God (full of faith yes)
I am a Child of God
I am a Child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

Most of us are pretty focused on what is going on in our everyday lives. We are concerned about money, jobs, how our children are going to turn out, school issues, retirement planning, neighborhood problems, what we are hearing on the news, and just basic survival. These are all things that are very important, but so many times we become overwhelmed with these worries, fears, and what-ifs; we are bound by the issues of life. Essentially, we have become slaves to our worries as we obsess over each one; many of these are issues that are completely out of our control. As we become slaves to our fears, we lose our focus on God. When we finally realize what is happening and call out to God, we feel peace, love, and a complete escape from all of the challenges confronting us. If we focus on God first, it helps us to better address all of the other aspects of our life; since we realize once again that we are never alone. It doesn’t mean our problems go away, but focusing on God gives us a greater sense of inner peace as we deal with the issues at hand. We are also reminded yet again that we are his child, a child of God. As we commune with God during our brief escape and open our hearts, we find that sweet and calming spirit that dwells within us. Psalm 32:7 states: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Our worries are replaced with the peace that God provides as he holds us in his arms as he delivers us from our bondage to fears just as he delivered the Israelites from their bondage of slavery.

God made us his child before we were even born and has always loved us and always will. In fact, Isaiah 44:24 tells us “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb, I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.” He has called out to us our entire life, and patiently waited for us to listen to his voice. When we finally hear him and reach the point of accepting his son Jesus as our personal savior, we become part of his eternal family with a home in heaven. As the old church hymn said,” we are joint heirs with Jesus”; take time to let that sink in. His love and his spirit are with us every day and during every circumstance of our lives. Think of the love you have for your children; it pales in comparison to the love God has for us. God is always there for us, just waiting to wrap his arms around us give us that loving embrace that we need, it is up to us to step into those loving arms. As we fall into the arms of our heavenly father, we are overcome with tranquility that blots out the noise of the world. Our heart is filled with joy and praise; we are finally free from our shackles. It is a time for us to worship the Lord with our hearts and our voice. It is time to sing praises to the Lord at the top of our lungs, so that everyone can know what he means to us and how good it feels to be a child of God.

Most of us have probably read or heard about how God parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk on dry land out of Egypt, this miracle is found in Exodus 14. Do you realize that he still parts the waters for us today? Our Red Sea is the turbulent seas of life that we battle every day. When we call upon him in the middle of the storms of life, he takes our hand, pulls us out of the water so that we are no longer drowning, confined by our burdens. He calms our seas and replaces the turbulent waters that drown us with an all-encompassing love that is greater and far beyond our comprehension.

Yes, we are a child of God and with Jesus Christ, we are no longer a slave to fear. I think we should all stop what we are doing and sing praises to him for his unconditional love and the eternal promise has made for each of us.

Click to Hear Jonathan David and Melissa Helser Perform No Longer Slaves

Rescue

The next entry for my Blog is Rescue, which was written by Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury, and Lauren Daigle. The song was initially released in 2018. A link to Lauren Daigle performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Rescue

You are not hidden
There’s never been a moment
You were forgotten
You are not hopeless
Though you have been broken
Your innocence stolen

I hear you whisper underneath your breath
I hear your SOS, your SOS
I will send out an army to find you
In the middle of the darkest night
It’s true, I will rescue you

There is no distance
That cannot be covered
Over and over
You’re not defenseless
I’ll be your shelter
I’ll be your armor

I hear you whisper underneath your breath
I hear your SOS, your SOS
I will send out an army to find you
In the middle of the darkest night
It’s true, I will rescue you

I will never stop marching to reach you
In the middle of the hardest fight
It’s true, I will rescue you
I hear the whisper underneath your breath
I hear you whisper, you have nothing left

I will send out an army to find you
In the middle of the darkest night
It’s true, I will rescue you
I will never stop marching to reach you
In the middle of the hardest fight
It’s true, I will rescue you

Oh, I will rescue you

Sometimes in life, we feel sort of like the person that got lost in the deep dark forest in a Disney movie. We look up and we can’t see the sky due to the towering trees, we can only see so far ahead since the sun seems to barely make it to the forest floor, and the path we used to get there now looks so overgrown that we are not sure that is the right path. Have you ever reached this point in your life? A time when you feel lost, forgotten, cast out, alone, and/or unloved? The events in our life cause us to want to just disappear. As we start to come back to our senses, we realize we don’t know the way back home and a feeling of hopelessness overwhelms us, we don’t want to stay where we are, but we don’t know how to get back to where we were. We may also reach a point where we are convinced that no one can find us and perhaps there is a feeling that no one even cares. This is sort of a dire situation that maybe all of us have reached at some point in our lives or have at least been on the verge due to the events of our lives just beating us down.

At some point, maybe as a last resort, we reach out to God and put our faith, hope, and trust in him to get us back home. Of course, we should have reached out to him earlier, but we often want to try to work everything out ourselves and then reach out to him when we discover we cannot handle our situation on our own. Fortunately, he always knows where we are physically and emotionally, so we are never hidden from him. He is the light in the darkness and there is no darkness that his light of love cannot penetrate. He sees us through the darkness and shines his light so that we can see him as the darkness dissipates around us. His word tells us that we will never be forgotten, especially since we are children of God once we have accepted Christ as our savior. He always hears our plea, our SOS, and we soon feel his love surround us in the midst of our dark world. We are now filled with hope and begin to realize that we were never really alone and that he is the great physician who can heal any brokenness we may feel. As the lyric says, he whispers to us that we are ok; he doesn’t have to shout since he knew where we were all the time.

To complete our healing, God sends his army to rescue us. We are told in Psalm 23 that we are the sheep of his pasture and John 10:14-15 where Jesus says “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” It doesn’t matter how far away we are physically or emotionally, his army will come; every single sheep is important. I view his army as our family, our church family, our friends, and maybe even people he brings into our lives for a short time to help provide the healing we need. They all come to seek us out and each will play a part in helping to make us whole again. His army may visit us in person and hold us, give us a call, maybe they send their love in a card, an email, or other electronic message. The key is that they are sent by God and doing what they need to do. All the while, God is protecting is us from more damage while serving as our hope and our shield. God and his army will fight for us until the battle is won.

It is true we will probably need help from this mighty force again, but all we have to do is reach out at any time and from any place and God will rescue as again. We must always remember his promises to find us and protect us no matter where we wander.

“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” Ezekial 34:11-12.

Click to Hear Lauren Daigle Perform Rescue

Who You Say I Am

The next song for my Blog was written by Ben Fielding and Rueben Morgan and released in 2018. A link to Hillsong singing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.

Who You Say I Am

Who am I that the highest King
Would welcome me
I was lost but He brought me in
Oh His love for me
Oh His love for me

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

Free at last
He has ransomed me
His grace runs deep
While I was a slave to sin
Jesus died for me
Yes He died for me

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of God
Yes I am
In my Father’s house
There’s a place for me
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

I am chosen
Not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me
Not against me
I am who You say I am

I think all of us have been in a situation where we feel as if we do not belong. We have such feelings as we are under dressed, over dressed, not good enough, not of the right social class, or just a general feeling that we shouldn’t be wherever we are. Imagine, that despite who we were, who we are, or where we come from; we are always welcome to be with the greatest king of all; our God. He doesn’t care about our past, but only who we have become. We are welcome in his kingdom at any time. When we were lost and wondering what the future held for us and sometimes were lost in the quagmire of life, he invited us, through his son, to join him for eternity. The only thing our king asked was that we accept his only son as our lord and savior. We can’t even begin to understand the depth of his love for us or even why he should believe we are even worthy of his love.

We have been set free of all of our transgressions, our mistakes, and our lack of obedience to God, all because the Son of God died on the cross so that all of these sins would simply disappear. The really good news is that everything we have done wrong and will do wrong, is eternally dismissed; we are truly free of our past. For sure we will have memories and scars from our past, but God wants us to look to him and to the future and to not dwell on the past since we are finally absolved of all guilt. We have become a child of God, yes we are! John 8:34-36 delivers this message to us: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Whether you accepted Christ as a child or as an adult, you became free for the first time in your life with a guarantee that you are free for eternity. Christ paid the debt, just like the old hymn Jesus Paid it All tells us;
‘Cause Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
The ransom/debt was paid in full so we could be completely free. It is by his grace, which means that God loves us even though we don’t deserve it. Sin owns us throughout our life until we decide to become a child of God. Jesus died for me and for all of us, and through his death; sin and Satan lost their power over us. I can honestly say that Christ died for me and you can say he died for you, isn’t it amazing that we can have a personal relationship with the son of God? Each of us can claim him as our own, just he claims each of us as his own. We are told in John 14:2 that when Jesus returned to heaven that he was preparing our eternal home for us, In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. So not only has God promised an eternity with him, he has already prepared our new homes in heaven. We may ask, who does this type of thing? The only answer is the King of everything.

We, who have accepted his son, are his chosen people. He could have easily walked away from us because of the way we have turned our backs on him, but he refused to forsake us, He promised us eternity and that he would never leave us. Yes, I am a child of God, I am who you say I am!!

Click to Hear Hillsong Perform Who You Say I Am

When He Was on the Cross – Entry #2 of 7

This entry covers the following two lines in the song:

But I’ll prove someday just why I say
I’m of a special kind

Many people seem to focus their life on proving something as opposed to accepting who they are. Sometimes we have a hard time accepting who we are and spend way too much time thinking about being like other people. Some people are going to be very intellectual, some are going to have a lot of common sense, some are going to be scientists, some are going to be farmers, some are going to be wealthy financially and some are going to be wealthy in other areas of their lives. We can either dream about being someone we are never going to be or we can accept who we are and be the person God wanted us to be. What do we really have to prove? We have a relatively short life on this earth and then, assuming we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we will have eternity in heaven. There is nothing wrong with dreaming and maybe admiring others, but our focus should be on being the person God really wants us to be. He wants our heart, not our accomplishments.

When God created us, we were created as unique individuals and each of us has a purpose. We may understand that purpose early in life or we may gain understanding later in life; but it is all in God’s timing. The purpose in our life comes from who God created us to be and it resides deep in our heart and soul. We have a tendency to assess/judge people based on appearance and perhaps actions, but we do not know their heart nor God’s purpose/mission for them. People we categorize as bad sometimes do good things and people we categorize as good sometimes do bad things. Judging others is something we should never do since we do not know the inner works of their heart or the reason behind why God put them on this earth.

What we should know is that we were put here for a unique purpose and that by accepting him, we become his children. If we know Christ as our Savior, we are rewarded with the gift of eternal life; He alone can grant us this gift. Christ loves everyone and wants them to be His people; but many do not return His love and therefore will never feel what it is like to belong to him. The bible tells us we are chosen out of this world once we accept Christ. I do believe Christ has a broken heart for all of those who do not return his love and his offer of eternal life.

Even though we can’t grant the gift of eternal life to anyone, we can certainly tell them about how to become part of God’s family. We all have the responsibility to deliver this message so that everyone we meet as the opportunity to understand what it means to be a Child of God. We are set apart with God once we have accepted Christ and we want to make sure everyone we meet has that opportunity. Another powerful objective we have in our lives is to show love to others and make them feel wanted and needed while on this earth. I read a daily devotion from Max Lucado and here is a story that shows how making someone special can change a life.

“I once shared a class with a girl who got engaged. I don’t remember much about the class except the hour was early and the teacher was dull. I don’t even remember the girl’s name. I do remember that she didn’t stand out in the crowd. She was shy and not very confident. One day, however, her hair changed, her outfit changed, and even her voice changed. She spoke with confidence. What made the difference? Simple. A young man she loved looked her squarely in the eye and said, “Come and spend forever with me.” He proposed to her. His love for her convinced her she was worth loving.”

No matter what others may think, those who have accepted Christ truly are of a Special Kind. We are not perfect and we will make a lot of mistakes, but we know where we will spend eternity.