AT THE CROSS

This weekend is the anniversary of the death of Jesus, the Messiah, on a Roman cross. This is a song I wrote back in 2003, about the accomplishments of his sacrifice on that cross. I hope you enjoy reading it as a poem.

Have you been to the cross of Jesus?
Have you stood in that place of victory?
If you haven’t knelt there in His presence
Then I invite you to go there with me

At the cross, my sins are forgiven
At the cross, my blinded eyes now see
At the cross, my broken heart is mended
At the cross, I am set free

Have you been to the cross of Jesus?
Have you felt the love that He has for you?
If you haven’t yet felt His forgiveness
That’s one thing that you need to do

At the cross, our sins are forgiven
At the cross, our blinded eyes now see
At the cross, all broken heart is mended
At the cross, we are all set free

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away
At the cross, you can have forgiveness
Please go to the cross of Jesus today

At the cross, our sins are forgiven
At the cross, our blinded eyes now see
At the cross, all broken heart is mended
At the cross, we can all be set free

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Song "At The Cross" © 2003 © 2007 Teddy Lynn – BMI All Rights Reserved

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FORGIVE YOURSELF

About a year ago, I posted a story about learning to forgive. It was called “I Forgive You, Mr. Richmond.” I’ll put a link to it at the end of this post. Many people misunderstand forgiveness, and what it really involves, and I was no different. I had to truly understand forgiveness before I could give it.

We know we must forgive others for God to forgive us, but sometimes it’s not that easy. What’s even harder, is forgiving yourself. We know ourselves better than any other person on earth knows us. We know all our thoughts and all our secrets. We know what kind of person we really are under all the smiles, and masks we sometimes wear.

When we do something that hurts others, or God, we’re ashamed, because we know we shouldn’t have done such a thing, but we also know that sometimes, deep down inside, we really wanted to do it. Whether it’s something mean we said to someone, or something God says to do, or don’t do, and we disobeyed. It might be anger we’re holding on to because we don’t want to forgive just yet. Sometimes we hold on to that anger like a child with a favorite toy, or like it’s a vital piece of merchandise or our most prized possession we can’t bear to part with.

It’s even worse when we’re angry, or disappointed with ourselves. When we become the focus of our own anger we are in a bad place indeed. If we could only see through our anger and shame, we would realize that we are only hurting ourselves more by holding on to those things. In Mark chapter eleven, Jesus had this to say.

Mark 11: 25-26

25 And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Jesus said forgive if you have anything against anyone. That would include yourself. We are God’s children just like anyone else, and we should try and see ourselves through his eyes. We know he wants us to forgive his children for wrongs they have done to us, and we ask them to forgive us for things we have done to them. We need to forgive ourselves as well when we’ve done things that we shouldn’t have. It’s important to do so in order to clear our minds and start fresh, with a clean conscience.

We may know ourselves better than any other person on earth knows us, but God knows us even better than we know ourselves. We often forget that. If he can forgive us, surely we can find it in our hearts to forgive ourselves.

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For more about forgiveness, read “I Forgive You Mr. Richmond.”

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https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
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GRADUATION: ANOTHER MILESTONE

When my youngest son graduated from grammar school, he asked me to say a few words at the ceremony. I hope I inspired him with something I said. I was looking through some things I’ve written over the years and found the notes I used that night. Since I shared a story about my oldest son a few months ago I thought I’d share this about my youngest. Later I’ll share an interesting dream I had about my daughter, years ago that is now coming true. Here are my notes for the graduation speech. 

In 1998, God gave us our third child. We named him Matthew, Robert, Kyle. I remember it like it was only, fifteen years ago. LOL. He was a great baby. He was sleeping through the night in no time. He wasn’t much trouble at all. He was a happy baby. He laughed and smiled all the time, except when he was crying. Even when he was sick, we could still make him smile.

He was very affectionate and very loving. We could tell he loved us very much. I remember coming home from work before he could walk, and he would be so excited to see me, he would try so hard to come to meet me. I felt so loved. It wasn’t long before he started walking. Then he started running. Then he was everywhere.

Then, he started talking. And that’s all he did. He never stopped talking. He would even talk when he was sleeping. I hope he doesn’t mind me telling this story, but I just can’t resist. You’ll understand when you hear it. He was either five or six years old. He was talking, talking, and talking. Finally, I asked him, “Can you not be quiet for five minutes? You never stop talking.” That hurt his feelings, and he said, “I’m just gonna stop talking. Nobody wants to hear me talk, I’m not talking again as long as I live.” Not even a minute later, just out of the blue, he said, “Is Michael Jackson a woman”? Our family has had a lot of laughs from that one over the years.

I’ve always thought that people who talk a lot, don’t have time to think, but Kyle is certainly a thinker. He’s always had a very active imagination. He has a very creative mind. When he was younger he created his own Super Hero and even made an action figure of him. He has written songs and stories and is starting to write a book. He made the music for the slide show we saw earlier. He’s very creative.

I’m proud of you Kyle. I believe in you. You can do anything you set your mind to. In Mark 10:27, Jesus said, “With God, all things are possible.” God created you with so much potential. He believes in you. So, always believe in yourself. What does Philippians 4:13 say? Right. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Always depend on God. He wants you to. You’re not bothering him when you ask for his help. The Bible says he will supply all your needs. And you can believe it. Always remember to thank him for his blessings and answered prayers. Don’t wait until you need him to talk to him. Talk to him constantly. He’s your friend. He cares about what you care about. Remember to listen to him also. He has so much to tell us, we just need to listen.

I remember When I graduated from the eighth grade. I was so excited, but at the same time, it was pretty scary. I didn’t know what was ahead. Going to a new school. Meeting new people. New teachers. It was scary. But things change. It’s part of life.

We have to embrace it, and move on. Progress and grow. That’s how we become better, as long as we are trusting Jesus to guide us.

This is not the end, Kyle. It’s the beginning of the next stage of your life. As you continue your education, I want you to remember this. Things won’t always be good, but God is always there for you. For he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Never let things, or circumstances pull you away from God, nor people for that matter. Don’t let anything discourage you. You’ve made it this far, you can go all the way. Just make sure you take Jesus with you.

Congratulations on this milestone in your education son, and congratulations to all the class of 2014. Never stop learning, and never stop growing in Christ. God bless you all.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2016 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6