Give me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus, 
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

He leads us on by paths we did not know.

Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow

Though oft we faint and falter on the way,

Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day,

Yet, when the clouds are gone,

We know He leads us on.

He leads us on through all the un-quiet years;

Past all our dream-land hopes, and doubts, and fears

He guides our steps; through all the tangled maze

Of losses, sorrows, and over-clouded days

We know His will is done,

                                                                                                     
And still He leads us on.

And soon or late the rugged field of strife
Shall catch the sunlight that transfigures life;
The heart shall win the discipline of pain,
And know the struggle has not been in vain;
Its doubts and fears shall cease,
And Christ will bring it peace.

-He Leads us On 
N. L. Zinzendorf aus Dresden

            The words of that poem/hymn are so rich in truth and in hope. How fitting to start the new year of 2015 praising God with those words. Everyone always wants to know what our new years resolutions are and to be honest I only have one: to experience more of Jesus. That is why last night through tears the words of the song Give me Jesus kept replaying in my head. It seems simple but I know in reality it is not. In reality it takes me seeing more and more of my own sin and selfish desires before I really start to see more of Jesus- experience more of him each day.

         It is my resolution to fall in love with His word again this year. My resolution to pour out my heart before him more regularly. Depression has a way of stealing joy, in convincing us we can never be the person we were before it hit us like a brick. Christ has proven that is a lie, one that I have bought into much too easily. Nothing about me defines who I am- not the good things or the bad things. Christ defines me. His redeeming grace and eternal love. His word is slowly becoming my lifeline again and I pray to see it become as close knit as it once was. I will fail and I will falter but He will remain and he will lead me on.

       I know it won`t be easy but I know that Christ is faithful. I experienced that already in the past 24 hours. I love the above hymn because it reminds us that life is full of the hills and the valleys and we need both. I want to learn how to forgive myself and how to extend forgiveness. I want to learn to control my tongue and react with compassion replacing anger. 

      These are my heart ramblings for 2015. I want to know Christ more. It sounds so simple yet I know it will be filled with challenges and joys alike. 

       To God be all the glory.