Washed in the Word

Over and over again like waves of mercy
Let Your Word break over me
Let Your living Word purge straight through me
How can I live through this fallen world?
How can Your servant keep his way pure and holy according to Your Word?
Your servant loves Your Word, and I also find myself battling against the flesh
Who will save me from this life of sin?
Where can I go to hide away from this world that entices, seduces, lies, and leads to death?
How can I keep my way pure and true according to the statutes of the King?
I return again to the Word
The living Word that can pierce between soul and spirit, flesh and bone
Jesus, You are the only Faithful Witness

Wash me with the water of Your Word
Save me now, oh God, according to Your Mercy
May the Kindness and the love of God towards me appear
It’s not about my works of righteousness
By faith, I now receive Your seal and brand: “Righteous”
How can this be?
What mystery have I stumbled into, and what grace?
How do You love like this?
How could a perfect and Holy God take the sin of the world on His shoulders?
How could You choose sinful man to be Your own?
What manner of love is this?
Salvation was according to mercy, how much so sanctification as well?
Oh Holy One who pours out grace and mercy abundantly
With penitent heart, and hands washed by the King at the laver…
Because of the Cross, I am Ok with God.
Jesus, Faithful Witness, thank You for the Washing of Your Word

Take me past the outer courts and into the Holy Place
May Grace Abound all the more… Oh God.
Let not the dirge of my soul overtake
I can claim no righteousness of my own
I plead guilty and only claim Jesus as my only righteousness
Not my works, not by strength, through faith I claim right standing with God
Not by works, but by Grace, only the Grace of God

Now grace abounds in my life because my own strength is not holy enough
Here is substitutionary atonement!
Here is the only hope I have!
Here is the greatest example of grace in history!

The Righteous for the unrighteous
The Holy for the sinful
The pure for the spotted

Only Jesus is worthy to take the scroll and open its seals
Only Jesus is the One who redeems
Only before Jesus, will every tribe and nation bow
Only to Jesus have we become a kingdom of priests
Here is the only worthy One

Where I have failed, where I come short
Where my actions have paid only wages unto death
Where I have given in to this world…
Where I have chosen my own way…

Now, by grace, I am in right standing with God
Now, by grace, through faith, I approach the Throne

What faith this takes!
What grace is this?
To approach the Holy One, knowing how sinful I am
I look down at the offering in my hands and I gasp
What are these filthy rags in my hands where my offering should be?
Where is my offering and where is my oil?
Where are the crowns and riches I would offer?
And yet this is what I have

Still I approach
I would wish to hide away because of my own sinfulness and say
“Go away from me, Lord! For I am a sinful man”
But still You call, still You draw, still You say:

“Come back again, you cannot escape My love, and you cannot get away. Come and offer what is in your hands to Me, and do not draw back. For you know I Am a Good Father, and you know I Am forgiving and the Great Redeemer. You must believe you can still approach Me, even when you feel sinful and like you have nothing to bring. You still must come to be with me, where I am. You still must press in. Do not draw back and do not give way. Believe by faith in the Great Grace that I give freely and of which I pour freely and abundantly on My sons and daughters. Let faith arise! Believe you are OK and in right standing with Me, because of repentance, because of forgiveness, because of grace, because this is who I AM – the Great Redeemer. Draw nearer to Me now, and receive the Divine Grace of a Loving God.”

What is my response?
I fall down before the Lamb with the 24 elders and the living creatures
I sing a new song with the very great mighty cloud of witnesses
By faith, by grace, believing the Goodness of God is stronger than my weak witness
I sing now a new song. Oh God, who is this King? What manner of love is this?

I’m so unworthy, but still You love me!
And this is why I will sing forever, how Great You Are
Because You forgive, because You redeem
Because no matter how far we go, You still call back and You still say

“Return and put on this ring of inheritance.”

Because even when we are like the prodigal son and stray so far
Because even when we are like Peter and deny three times
Because even when we are like Elisha and flee across the desert
Because even when we are like David and take Bathsheba from Uriah
Because even when we are like Adam and take the forbidden fruit
Because even when we are like Solomon and give our hearts away
Because even when we are like the Israelites and make a golden calf
Because even when we are like the church at Ephesus and leave our first love

Still You say, “I make all things new, put on this ring and robe.”
Still You say, “It is by Grace, through Faith, feed my sheep.”
Still You say, “I took the sin of the world, and I will not take my Holy Spirit from you.”
Still You say, “This is the Gospel, trading your shame for My glory. Believe, receive, accept justification through faith… and be whole. I will always love you, I will never leave nor forsake you. Even if you take up the wings of the dawn and settle on the far side of the sea, still there My love will follow you. Even there, My right hand will hold you fast.”

Grace and Love will always abound more and more.

Romans 5:17…20-21
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ….Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This is what love really looks like

And then I saw Him, the King of Eternity
And then I saw my Maker, lover of humanity
And then I walked onto that mound, how can this be?
I looked up into the sunlight; I thought my eyes were deceiving me

And then I saw Him…
I saw Him hanging there
Bloodied, and beaten
Now beyond all human compare

I saw the King, the Lord of Heaven
The holder of the stars
I saw love embodied
Grace poured forth
I saw blood and water
Scattered splinters and sores

And then I saw Him there.

Then I saw Him there
Hanging on that tree
Looking down at me
It was voluntary
I was staring at Him
He was hanging on a tree
I was looking up at Him
He was looking at me
I’m weeping uncontrollably

And then I saw Him there
Looking down at me
Looking up at Him
He was hanging on a tree
And now I can not control
And now I can not breathe
Looking up at Him
Staring straight through me

How can I go on?
How can I still live?
Life’s trials and troubles
Compared to this Cross
They’re momentary bliss

My jaw drops to the floor
Knees crumple beneath
Muscles twinge with pain
How can this sacrifice be?

His arms were nailed wide open
His very heart was exposed
He’d given up Heaven
Do you call me to this same pose?

He was the darling of Heaven
He was smitten on a tree
And now with open invitation
Calling out to you and me…
Do you wanna know what love really looks like?

If we were made for eternal devotion
If we were given this capacity
If all life comes down to knowing this Maker
And this is the call of eternity
Then nail my arms wide open
Let my heart expose
I’ll answer the invitation
Lay my heart bare on Heaven’s floors
I’ll walk away from all others, and forget all else
To enter into the Throne Room and offer up this hope
It was sacrificial atonement
It was a heart exposed
With arms wide open, it was divine choice

This is what love really looks like

You’re still the One

It has always been You...
Even when competition rises
You’re still the One I run to
Still the only One I turn to
You’re still the One I love

King of Glory
Ancient of Days
Consuming Zeal
Living flame of Love!

You’re the One we come here for
Something happens when we say it
Something moves when we proclaim it
It’s not enough to just think it
So I say, Oh God, You’re still the One I love

Oh God, move with fire
Brood over this heart and purify
I proclaim and announce
I say it with my mouth
Out loud, and in the open air, that all may hear
That they may know You are so good

Here, before the Throne
I love You, Jesus
That’s why I’m here today
That’s why I stand, and pray, and sing

Strike this spirit!
Buffet this heart!
You are why I am here
And You are whom I choose
Above all others
Above all else

I love to love You, Jesus
You’re the One this heart adores
Oh darling of Heaven
Oh bridegroom of eternity
Come break oppression of this heart
Release understanding and divine impartation

That this life would be flooded with grace
That this heart would be drowned with love
That this spirit would be endued with passion from on High

I love You, Lord
I pursue one single and solitary thing
The groan awakens in my spirit…
A deep inner churning from the depths
From the mines of the heart’s chambers
To love You, Lord
The only One on whom I have set my affection
The only One on whom I have placed my hope
You’re the One this heart adores

Would You release Grace to love!
An anointing from Heaven…
And I am lost again
My eyes close and my heart awakens
My thoughts turn to the King
My soul lifts up and searches the skies
With longing gaze for this God
Where is the Spirit of burning?
And where is the Heavenly symphony?

This heart loves You, Lord
This spirit loves You, Lord
This one simply loves You, Lord
Just come and rend the veil
Split the Heavens and return
Pour out the knowledge of who You are
Knowledge of the everlasting One
Eternal, immortal, shepherd of the ages

You’re still the One
So let Your Word burn to the deep places
May worship of You be as a refining
Oh Faithful and Blessed Divinity
How can I make my heart wholly Yours?
Just know, You’re still the One
You’re still the One I love

Hey God

So come and write Your Name on my heart
I hear the dance steps of the Great King
Tenderizing this heart over and again
Speaking love and hope and life

You write Your love upon my heart
How I delight when I am doing Your will
All of my life, all of my time
The world would scoff and say this is not for today
They mock and say, this is not wisdom

But Oh

How they have yet to experience such peace and joy
Grace is poured out on my life like a waterfall
Buffeting, bearing down with the weight of love

Oh the melodies of Heaven capture me again
How can music be this good, this uplifting?
How can life be this full?
Hope rises
Love overtakes
Faith abounds

And so I set my hand to the plow again
In the morning, I arise and keep my pace
I plod, I keep going, I work, and there is grace for each day
His mercies are new every morning
Oh He loves us to the end

The earlier we give ourselves to this
Oh how much better it is
To give this God everything
Just to be found faithful
And so, in this way, I will live my love for this King
In the large and in the small
In the flashy and in the mundane
Whether before the crowd, or in the secret place
Just loving and being loved by this One
Hey God