God’s Love

Completely

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Crush me, God,

with Your love

 

Drown me

in Your grace

 

Break me

with Your goodness

 

Smother me

in Your joy

 

 

Push me

in Your strength

 

Suffocate me

with Your peace

 

Do all this

until I am completely overwhelmed

 

with You

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

Still, Eternal One, You are our Father. We are just clay, and You are the potter. We are the product of Your creative action, shaped and formed into something of worth.

– Isaiah 64:8 (VOICE)

 

Power belongs to You, God,
     and with You, Lord, is unfailing love.

– Psalm 62:11,12 (NIV)

 

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

– Psalm 73:26 (NLT)

 

I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

 
-Ephesians 3:16-21- (NLT)
Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

The Only Thing

/ Susie Stewart / 6 Comments

Some day

when my spirit soars to God’s side

 

the only thing

I really care to be known for on this earth

 

is that I made Jesus known

and lived my life for Him

 

for His glory

 

I care that people know

that I love Him

 

with my heart

mind

soul

and strength

 

and that they would be drawn

to His unbelievably fierce love and grace

 

knowing that I love them unconditionally

as He loves me

 

No matter the trials

no matter the pain

 

my life is about Him

and His renown

 

Nothing else

 

matters

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

– Philippians 3:7-11 (MSG)

 

We love because He first loved us.

– 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

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

 

 

 

Same Heart, Different Methods

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

All of us who believe in God

hope to please Him

 

We know when we don’t measure up

 

But, friend, the difference between you and me

is complete dependence on grace

 

We both want the same thing —

rightness before our Creator

 

but you, friend, you chant

and you go through rituals

and you light candles

and you deify humans

and make confessions to them ….

 

relying on what you can do

to earn God’s favor

 

You have faith

but you also are working SO hard

to earn approval

to assuage your guilt

to make amends

 

And it would appear that’s the way

it should be

 

But it’s not

 

Grace is not cheap

and it came with a high price

 

God’s life

 

Chanting

Repeated bowing

Rituals

Religion

 

will never get any of us

closer to heaven

 

Dive deep into inherent Scripture

and find…

 

We can do nothing

to earn His nod

 

But if we humble ourselves

under His mighty hand

 

and accept grace and mercy

bought high-priced

 

we will find freedom

from man-made rules and rituals

 

and just find our Father,

arms open,

complete in love for us

 

And doing right

will come out of love for God,

moved by His great kindness

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time,

– 1 Peter 5:6 (AMP)

 

…but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

– 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 (AMP)

 

But if it is by grace [God’s unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace [it would not be a gift but a reward for works].

– Romans 11:6 (AMP)

 

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

– Hebrews 4:14-16 (AMP)

 

Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

– Romans 2:4 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

God Doesn’t Need You

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

God doesn’t need you,

you know

 

But He’s

desperate

for you

 

He longs deeply

with a Father’s heart

 

God is fulfilled in Himself,

gloriously satisfied

 

but He would go to great lengths

just for you

 

He was willing to give Himself,

to give His Son

 

He gave up Heaven position

in perfection

 

to enter our broken world,

to walk with imperfect

 

He was willing to spend years

in dust and dirt and filth

 

like us

 

And He didn’t have to

 

Love

compels

the heart of God

 

and pure love made Him so desperate for YOU

that He allowed His own torture

 

and murder

 

He didn’t need to!

and He didn’t need you!

 

But

He was

desperate

for you

 

So

when you reject that gift,

that Deity sacrifice

 

you couldn’t turn from a greater treasure

 

It’s absurd

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.

– John 3:16-18 (MSG)

 

The Lord appeared to me in a faraway place and said, “I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness.”

– Jeremiah 31:3 (GW)

 

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

– John 15:13 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

As For Me

/ Susie Stewart / 5 Comments

Everyone around me

may be going one way

 

But as for me

I will go the way You show me

 

They may invent new “truth”

and follow their own broken hearts

 

But as for me

I will stand solidly on Your timeless wisdom

 

All may bow to the world

and its ways

 

But as for me

I bow only to You, Lord

 

I will not be swayed

by a crowd mentality

by expendable truth

by waves of cultural norms

by popular opinion

 

As for me

I am with You, God

 

My commitment to You

clings to who You’ve promised

Yourself to be

 

On the love

that You gave me

proved so beautifully

 

As for me

I follow You

 

– Susie Stewart

 

As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.

– Psalm 55:16 (NIV)

 

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

– Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

 

But as for me, I trust in You.

– Psalm 55:23 (NIV)

 

Photo by Maggie Oertli

 

Drowning In It

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

I choose this day

to drown in Your love, God

 

instead of drown in my problems

and sorrows

 

I stand waiting

for Your showers of grace

to cover my whole self

 

You pour out Your liquid love

as if there were no water restrictions

 

and in turn

 

I will pour into those who know not

limitless love

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

– Romans 5:5

 

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

– Romans 5:3-5 (MSG)

 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

– 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

How Do You Do Life Without Him?

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

He sustains

He carries

He rescues

He loves

 

and He is strong enough

to create and carry

the whole world

 

So, I wonder

how anyone does life

without Him?

 

Any burden

He asks us to cast on Him

 

During our trials

He promises to be there

 

And when we are stuck

He provides a way out

 

In this life

if you don’t have God

 

What

do

you

have

to

cling

to?

 

Everything and everyone

can be gone at any time

 

Almighty God offers Himself

freely and forever

 

even to the point of death

 

Don’t do life

for one more minute

without Him

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am He, I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

– Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)

 

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.

– Psalm 68:19 (NIV)

 

Cast your cares on the Lord
and He will sustain you;
He will never let
the righteous be shaken.

– Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

 

I cling to you;

your right hand upholds me.

– Psalm 63:8 (NIV)

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

 

Light in Light

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

In Light

we see Light

 

In darkness

all is dark

 

So, Jesus, open the eyes of the blind!

Awaken them to Light!

 

For the dark

is a scary place to be

 

It’s hopeless…

 

But those who dwell in Light

recognize Your Light

 

and want it

for those in absence of it

 

Those who dwell in blackness

can’t see it

 

Loose them, Lord!

Unbind them!

 

Let us be Your Light

to our fellow-created

 

May Your Light

Pierce the darkness

 

that threatens to overtake

those You love

 

– Susie Stewart

 

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

– Psalm 36:9 (NIV)

 

How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, To eat our fill at the banquet You spread as You fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light.

– Psalm 36:7-9 (MSG)

 

In Your house, they eat and are full at Your table.
They drink from the river of Your overflowing kindness.
You have the fountain of life that quenches our thirst.
Your light has opened our eyes and awakened our souls.

– Psalm 36:8,9 (VOICE)

 

But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.

– Luke 15:32 (GNT)

 

Light shows up everything, just as the Scriptures say,

“Wake up from your sleep
and rise from death.
Then Christ will shine on you.”

– Ephesians 5:14 CEV)

 

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.

– Colossians 2:13 (NLT)

 

It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

– Ephesians 2:1-6 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Delight

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

To know that YOU

delight in me

 

Is almost too much

for me to fathom

 

Delight?

In me?

 

And I choose to believe You

and not overthink it

 

For delight is not demanding perfection

 

And You smile

at me

 

I am undone

by my Beloved

 

For I delight in You too

my Father

my Jesus

my Holy Spirit

 

My Love

 

And where there is mutual delight

there is an understanding

 

A heart-deep smile

A stirring

 

For in each of our heart’s,

 

God’s

and mine,

 

there is a special place

that only the other can fill

 

No one else

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in His love He will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.

– Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

 

the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.

– Psalm 147:11 (NIV)

 

Take delight in the Lord…

– Psalm 37:4 (NLT)

 

Then I will go to God’s altar with nothing to hide. I will go to God, my rapture; I will sing praises to You and play my strings, unloading my cares, unleashing my joys, to You, God, my God.

– Psalm 43:4 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart