God’s glory

So Much

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

It is heavy

and overwhelming

and takes your breath away

 

It is the weight

of God’s glory

 

It is unending

and all-encompassing

and relentless

 

It is God’s grace

toward you

 

It is stubborn

and pushy

and raw

 

It is love,

God’s incredible love for you

 

All for you

 

All of it

weighs you down

and overwhelms

and chases you

 

until you relent

under His beautiful

pressure

 

and therein

find your peace

security

and hope

 

– Susie Stewart

 

All the loneliness, angers, hatreds, envies and itchings that [this world] contains, if rolled into one single experience and put into the scale against the least moment of the joy that is felt in Heaven, would have no weight that could be registered at all.

– C.S. Lewis

 

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

– John 1:14 (NLT)

 

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display His craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make Him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

– Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT)

 

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

– John 15;13 (NLT)

 

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!

– Psalm 139:1-7 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

 

Light Of The World

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

Light of the World

 

It is what we call You, God,

because of Your glory

Your redemption

Your Beauty

 

and more

 

And we, in whom Your Spirit dwells

are also

 

The light of the world

 

We share this title

 

Not on equal footing

but because we are like lanterns

 

in which Your spirit burns

and glows

 

We are vessels of Your hope

and Your glory

 

Your light in us

will not burn out

 

Just as Your glory will always

bring light

to the darkness

 

We are not meant to be hidden

from a world of darkness

 

for in that world

we are the light of it

 

The light of the world

 

– Susie Stewart

 

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

– Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

– John 8:12 (NIV)

 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

– John 1:5 (NIV)

 

But you are a chosen people, set aside to be a royal order of priests, a holy nation, God’s own; so that you may proclaim the wondrous acts of the One who called you out of inky darkness into shimmering light.

– 1 Peter 2:9 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Gracie Oertli

Sacred

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

A worshipful lifestyle entails an orientation that views all of life as sacred.  Whether you are at church, home, work, or in your community, whatever you do, it is to the glory of God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.

…My mother would reference anything and everything in life as connecting with God somehow.  She wanted us to know that God was in the midst of everything, and that everything in our lives was somehow tied into His providence, involvement, and plan.  Even if what she said or did bothered those around her, she wouldn’t budge from connecting the sacred to all of life, because her life was lived in an attitude of worship.  Paul indicated that spiritual maturity…ought to produce a lifestyle of reverence and worship.

– Tony Evans

 

All of it, Lord,

Yours

 

No part hidden from Your eyes

Everything touching the Sacred

 

A Life of Worship

Not just Sunday demonstration

 

Poured out

Focused

Intentional

 

All of it, Lord,

Yours

– Susie Stewart

 

So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect.

– Romans 12:1,2 (NCV)

 

…give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

–  Romans 6:13 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Higher Still

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You say you don’t know why

and how He could let it happen

 

And you try to understand,

to know what He’s thinking

 

But His thoughts

are so beyond

 

And His ways

not even in range

 

So we trust that He Is

I AM

 

 

and that He took our fallen selves

and loved us still

 

He took our brokenness

and provided hope

 

He IS our Hope

and our mercy’s hand

 

He IS our Lifeline

 

And though we don’t understand

or comprehend His ways

 

We can know

He is our Answer

 

All questions are shrouded

in the glory of who He is

 

– Susie Stewart

 

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

– Psalm 147:5 (NLT)

 

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

– Isaiah 5:8,9 (NLT)

 

Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of His understanding.

– Isaiah 40:28 (NLT)

 

God stretches the northern sky over empty space
and hangs the earth on nothing.
He wraps the rain in His thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
He covers the face of the moon,
shrouding it with His clouds.
He created the horizon when He separated the waters;
He set the boundary between day and night.
The foundations of heaven tremble;
they shudder at His rebuke.
By His power the sea grew calm.
By His skill He crushed the great sea monster.
His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
and His power pierced the gliding serpent.
These are just the beginning of all that He does,
merely a whisper of His power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of His power?”

– Job 26:7-14 (NLT)

 

“Indeed, through His own gracious revelation of Himself, we can understand God in part, but we can never fully comprehend Him, or even a single one of His qualities. There will always be more of His wisdom to understand, more of His power, more of His holiness, more of His love. We will never fathom Him, and we will never tire of Him. Through all eternity, we will look upon Him and marvel at the endlessly creative, wonderfully gracious, uniquely righteous, timelessly beautiful, unsearchably glorious, infinitely loving Maker and Ruler of all.”

– Kevin Hartnett

 

When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—

what are mere mortals that You should think about them,
human beings that You should care for them?

Psalm 8:3,4 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

God’s Glory

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Ever wonder what you’re doing here?

Ever wonder what your purpose is in this universe?

Ever wonder why you are stirred by a sunset,

in awe of the ocean,

inspired by the stars?

 

Two words:

God’s Glory

 

That’s why.

 

Do you know this purpose to your very depths?

Are you fulfilling your purpose?

 

– Susie Stewart

 

{Please take the time to read ALL of these verses.  It is so obvious in God’s Word why we exist, why God created everything and everyone, and where our focus should be.  It’s all about HIM.}

 

For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.

– Romans 11:36 (NLT)

 

Yet for My own sake and for the honor of My name,
I will hold back My anger and not wipe you out.
I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
I will rescue you for My sake—
yes, for My own sake!
I will not let my reputation be tarnished,
and I will not share my glory with idols!

– Isaiah 48:9-11 (NLT)

 

He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

– Ephesians 1:5,6 (NASB)

 

Bring all who claim Me as their God,
for I have made them for My glory.
It was I who created them.

– Isaiah 43:7 (NLT)

 

He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”

– Isaiah 49:3 (NLT)

 

Our ancestors in Egypt
were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.
They soon forgot His many acts of kindness to them.
Instead, they rebelled against Him at the Red Sea.

Even so, He saved them—
to defend the honor of His name
and to demonstrate His mighty power.

– Psalm 106:7,8 (NLT)

 

Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent Him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

– John 7:18 (NIV)

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

– Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

 

And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

– John 14:13 (NIV)

 

“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!

Father, bring glory to your name.”

Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.”

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.

– John 12:27,28,32 (NLT)

 

I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.

– Isaiah 43:25 (NLT)

 

For the honor of your name, O Lord,
forgive my many, many sins.

– Psalm 25:11 (NLT)

 

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

– Romans 15:7 (NLT)

 

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

– 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)

 

Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen.

– 1 Peter 4:11 (NLT)

 

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

– Philippians 1:11 (NLT)

 

In the same way, even though God has the right to show His anger and His power, He is very patient with those on whom His anger falls, who are destined for destruction.  He does this to make the riches of His glory shine even brighter on those to whom He shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

– Romans (:22,23 (NLT)

 

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

– Habakkuk 2:14 (NIV)

 

And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

– Revelation 21:23 (NLT)

 

The most passionate heart for the glorification of God is God’s heart.  God’s ultimate goal is to uphold and display the glory of His name.

– John Piper

 

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Photos by Arik Stewart & Susie Stewart

 

Love Does Not Boast

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Love does not boast…

– 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

 

Godly love isn’t boastful and arrogant.  It seeks to build up others, not to brag about one’s own accomplishments.  It seeks to make much of God and to bring Him glory.

– Susie Stewart

 

Boasting is the voice of pride in the heart of the strong. Self-pity is the voice of pride in the heart of the weak.

– John Piper

 

Grace puts it’s hand on the boasting mouth, and shuts it once for all.

– Charles Spurgeon

 

Photo by Andy Stewart