A Prayer of Blessing
May God Jehovah bless you
With faith to trust His way
And His abiding presence
To keep you day by day.
May God Jehovah guide you
With tender, loving care
Along the path best suited
Your treasure to prepare.
May God Jehovah guard you
With strong and tender arm
From all that would distract you
Or seek to bring you harm.
May God Jehovah bring you
With gladness and delight
To dwell with Him forever
In heaven’s home of light.
Christina Joy Hommes
Mark 8:36
And what if I should gain the praise
Of all who live on earth,
Yet lose the praise of Him who came
To offer second birth?
And what if I should gain the wealth
Of all the world and more,
Yet lose the riches that will last
Beyond the golden shore?
And what if I should gain such fame
My name was always known,
Yet lose the name ‘beloved of God’
Before God’s holy throne?
And what if I should gain true ease
With all the things I crave,
Yet lose the rest God offers free
To each that He will save?
And what if I should gain the skills
And wisdom of this world,
Yet lose the wisdom hid in Christ
Throughout His Word unfurled?
And what if I should gain the world
With all it offers me,
Yet lose my soul which is my life
For all eternity?
Christina Joy Hommes
“For what shall it profit a man,
if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?”
Mark 8:36
I’ll Trust You
I’ll trust You for the past things
That brought me to today,
Remembering Your promise
That You’ve prepared my way.
I’ll trust You for the present –
That You are with me here
To guard and to protect me
So there’s no need to fear.
I’ll trust You for the future –
That everything will be
Just as Your perfect wisdom
Has planned it out for me.
I’ll trust You in this moment –
I yield my life’s control;
You are the hope and portion
Of all my heart and soul.
Christina Joy Hommes
We talk about self-image
And self-identify,
We try to find new freedom
In redefining “me,”
We set out to discover
The person that we are
And spend our lives in searching
For some great inner star.
Yet my intrinsic value
Lies not in who I am,
But in the holy Image
I bear and Whose I am.
It’s not that I am mighty
Or talented or loved,
But Who had made and claimed me,
Who calls me His beloved.
It’s not in my achievements
And all the things I do,
But in His work within me
To let His love shine through.
It’s not in my great vision
And impact that I rest,
But in this sweet assurance –
In Jesus I am blessed.
It’s not my clothes that give me
The status that I bear,
But Jesus’ robes of beauty
And righteousness I wear.
It’s not great wealth and riches
Or things that I acquire,
But in His glorious treasures,
The prize that I desire.
It’s not in my self-image,
Discovering myself,
But in my glorious Savior
Who makes me like Himself.
He is my prize and treasure,
The measure of success.
Yes, Jesus Christ defines me –
How could I wish for less?
Christina Joy Hommes
Ephesians 3:14-21
To Him who is able and willing to save,
To Him who has loved us – His own life He gave,
To Him who will answer with power our prayers,
To Him who is faithful and tells us He cares,
To Him who is crafting our lives link by link,
To Him who does more than we ask or can think,
To Him who is working within us today,
To Him who is worthy of glory we pray:
Lord, grant us Your Spirit in fullness and might
That Christ dwelling in us by faith may ignite
Our hearts as we’re grounded in love so we’d know
The depths of your love and it’s limitless flow.
Christina Joy Hommes