DEAR GOD: I Reflect On Your Gift Of Salvation~

by C D SWANSON // May 5, 2024 // No Comments

Psalm 149:4: A Reflection on Divine Pleasure and the Beauty of Salvation

Psalm 149:4 states, “For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” This verse is a powerful reminder of God’s love and favor towards His people. It speaks of a God who not only creates but also delights in His creation. But what does it mean for the Almighty to take pleasure in His people, and how does He beautify the meek with salvation?

The Pleasure of the Lord

The pleasure of the Lord is not like human pleasure, which is often fleeting and self-serving. God’s pleasure is deep, abiding, and focused on the well-being of His people. It is a pleasure rooted in love and grace. Reflect on this: What brings you pleasure? How does your pleasure compare to the pleasure of the Lord?

The Beauty of Salvation

Salvation is often thought of in terms of rescue or deliverance from sin. However, Psalm 149:4 suggests that salvation is also an adornment, a beautification. It is God’s transformative work that takes the broken, the meek, and the humble, and clothes them in the beauty of His grace and righteousness.

Consider this: In what ways have you experienced the beautifying work of salvation in your life?

Scriptural Support

Throughout the Bible, we see the theme of God’s pleasure in His people and the beauty of salvation echoed:

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “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.”
Isaiah 61:10 declares, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness.”

These passages reinforce the message of Psalm 149:4, showing us that God’s pleasure and the beauty of salvation are central to His relationship with us.

Reflective Questions

How can we live in a way that brings pleasure to God?
What does it mean to be ‘beautified’ with salvation in our daily lives?
How can the knowledge of God’s pleasure in us transform our self-perception and interactions with others?

In Unity Prayer

“Dear Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of Your love and the pleasure You take in us. We are humbled by the beauty of Your salvation that adorns us in righteousness. May we live lives that reflect Your grace and bring You joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Moral Thought of the Day

“True beauty is found in the salvation that God bestows upon us, transforming our lives from the inside out and reflecting His perfect love.”

I invite you to ponder the depth of God’s love and the transformative power of His salvation. It encourages us to reflect on our own lives and to seek to align our pleasures with those of the Lord, finding true beauty in the salvation He offers. May this reflection lead us to a deeper understanding and appreciation of God’s love for us.

DEAR GOD: How Great Thou Art!~

by C D SWANSON // November 5, 2023 // No Comments

How Great Thou Art - Hope Publishing Company

Psalms 86:10 KJV: For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

You and You alone are my greatest and most influential Being in my life! I love You LORD!

Psalms 92:5-8 KJV: O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.

You and Your works, Your hands of grace that touch my face, and lighten my burdens, and hold me up. You and You alone! I love you LORD!

2 Samuel 7:22 ESV: Therefore you are great, O Lord God.

You are great in all things. You and Your will is the front and center of all my existence. It is because of You that I even right now exist! I love You LORD!

1 Chronicles 17:20 KJV: O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

You are my amazing Great God. Through You all things are possible. Even in the darkest hours, and the most treacherous of times You extend Your hands to Your children. I LOVE YOU LORD!

Just wanted to give you all glory and honor and exalt You!

“Dear Father, thank You for Your love, and for being You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Dinner Theatre: How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art / Oh The Glory Of His Presence | Jesus Image – YouTube

How Great Thou Art – YouTube

How Great Thou Art ” is a Christian hymn based on a Swedish traditional melody and a poem written by Carl Boberg (1859–1940) in Mönsterås, Sweden, in 1885.

All songs are copyrighted (C) by said performers on You Tube, this site has no claim or rights to said videos, other than to “share” them with others for benefits of entertainment.

DEAR GOD: I’M LISTENING~

by C D SWANSON // November 2, 2023 // No Comments

How to hear God’s voice……… - Shash Grewal

John 10:27-28 (KJV)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Do you hear His voice? When you are alone, or in the middle of a valley, do you hear His loving voice? Do you recognize Him? And if so, do you follow Him?

Jesus is giving us a directive in this verse, He is stating with certainty that those who hear Him, are His sheep. Those who follow Him, shall have eternal life, and they shall never perish. He promises that nothing can pluck us away from Him or His hands.

That statement from Jesus our LORD and Savior brings an emergence of comfort to those who believe and follow Him. Joy fills the souls of those who know the truth and it has set them free. Free from the crippling effects of troublesome emotions such as anxiety, fear, worry…when we have God in our corner, we are under the “Helmet of protection” from Christ and the Almighty Father.”

There are certain advantages to being a faithful follower, such as living a life filled with “blessings” and love from above. One that is according to God’s will and purpose for our lives, and His plan is always the best one for us. Even when we can’t see the immediate results. The long-term plan of the LORD is always the best plan.

Do you hear His voice?

Listen, He’s calling…

“Father, thank You for calling me and for providing me with Your love and provisions that are never ending, may I do all according to Your plan, today, tomorrow and always, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

DEAR GOD: Is One Thousand Years Truly One Day with You?~

by C D SWANSON // August 16, 2023 // Comments off

Pin on Numbers...1 to 1000

2 Peter 3:8 – But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

I overheard a man recently telling another man in the parking lot, “boy, when I’m around my wife’s family, a couple of hours feels like one thousand years!” To which the other man roared with laughter and replied, “I have to remember that- that’s great!”

Somewhat bemused at the exchange, I thought immediately about 2 Peter 3:8, and realized that is kind of on topic for that verse. Well, sort of…

What I personally take away from this particular passage is that “God’s timing” is not ours. I take this verse to mean that God is not bound by time as humans are. Because what might seem like an extremely long tedious time to us, in actuality is but a moment to God.

I have often heard this verse used to encourage and uplift others to trust in God’s perfect timing, and not to give any thought or worry about time itself. That is to say, how long things take in this lifetime of which is paradoxically, fleeting.

For sure it’s entirely different when we get to our permanent home. Things won’t be the same as they are while we are in our flesh bodies, or so it is told throughout God’s Word. And of course, when we subscribe and surrender to His will, and His purpose, and trust in Him…we know that what we read is inspired by Him, through His prophets, and so…Heaven is real, and not as it is here on earth.

Of course, this verse is part of a larger passage pertaining to the coming day of our LORD, when the world will be judged and renewed. God is merciful and fulfills His promises and wants everyone to repent and to spend eternity with Him. His timing, not ours. His will, not ours. His purpose, not ours. His, and His alone.

I have to tell you, if I’m being honest…there are some individuals I know who can spin a story that never ends, and it truly can seem like a thousand years! I smile to myself and say, now in the eternity with the LORD, this story would elapse quickly! LOL!

Trust that He is everywhere at all times, and the next time you are with someone who is going on and on, and time is dragging. Remember Christ dwells within us, and His Presence is with you everywhere. Try to concentrate on that aspect then perhaps the time will go a “little faster!”

“Father, I embrace You always and realize that my time is not as Yours, and my timing is not as Your timing, which is perfect, I thank You for Your promises, and love, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

~Dear God With Love~

C D Swanson

eternal love