Original Works 11

[Sue J Love]

Open Your Hearts

In this song, Jesus is speaking, and he is asking us to open our hearts to him, and to invite him into our hearts. He is not only saying this to those who don’t know him, but he is saying this to those who think they know him or to those who do know him but have closed their hearts off to his voice. He is asking that we come and follow him and obey his teachings, for he is our only hope of salvation and eternal life with God.

I think sometimes we can get so caught up in our own lives, or even in Christian ministry, that we don’t really spend the time with our Lord in listening to his words speak to our hearts words of encouragement, direction, correction and/or instruction. We may think we are living the Christian life just fine, but we are still so worldly and so focused on ourselves and on our pleasure and comfort instead of us listening to his voice and doing what he wants. So, he is calling us to open our hearts to him, to listen, and then to obey him.

Open Your Hearts / An Original Work / September 11, 2011

Open your hearts to Me.
Will you not receive me?
I’m your Lord and Savior, Jesus,
I am King of kings.
Listen to Me speaking to you.
Invite Me within.

Hasten to Me calling.
I’ll keep you from falling.
I am with you, and I will
Abide with you always.
Repent of your sins and
Worship Jesus Christ today.

Come and follow your Lord.
Obey all His teachings.
Witness to your neighbors,
And tell them of Jesus Christ.
Let them know that He provided
Their sin’s sacrifice.

He is your deliv’rer;
Rock of your salvation;
Cornerstone, rejected by men,
Mighty God is He.
He will give the only hope
Of life eternally.

 

[Sue J Love]

Sing Praises

We should take this attitude toward our own suffering, persecutions, troubles, and grief, etc. We should realize that God has not abandoned us in our suffering, he will never leave us or forsake us, he is in complete control of our circumstances, he knows what he is doing, none of this has taken him by surprise, and he has a plan and a purpose for it all.

He has not hidden himself from us, he has not fallen asleep, he has not forgotten about us, he hears our cries for mercy, he hears the desires of the afflicted, and he is here to offer us encouragement, hope, counsel, direction, purpose, and to fill us with his peace and joy. He will give us all we need, he will help us, and he will rescue us from all our troubles. He may not rescue us physically from trouble and hardship until he takes us home to be with him, but he will rescue us emotionally and spiritually from the weight and burden of our suffering, and he will lift us up and will fill our hearts with desire for him.

So, when we are going through difficult times, and even at the hands of those we consider to be evil and wicked, we must remember what the scriptures teach us with regard to suffering, persecutions and hardships. They are for our good, to test our faith, to develop within us godly character and perseverance, and to grow us to maturity in Christ Jesus.

Our response to these times of hardship, tribulations and persecutions should be that we should rejoice, we should praise God, and we should leap for joy because we are being treated the same way the prophets of old were treated, and the same way Jesus Christ was treated. And, we should have joy in our hearts and thanksgiving for the good that God will produce in our lives as we learn obedience through what we suffer.

Sing Praises / An Original Work / November 30, 2012

Based off Psalms 6-9

Sing praises to the Lord!
Tell of His wondrous works.
Afflicted, they cry out;
The Lord will not forget;
The needy, not desert.

The Lord’s our refuge now;
A stronghold when we fear.
The Lord will ne’er forsake
The ones, who Him pursue!

Sing praises to the Lord!
With all my heart I sing.
I will rejoice in Him;
Sing praises to His name;
Tell of His wondrous works.

My shield is God Most High.
He saves those who believe
In Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
His grace has pardoned you!

The Lord accepts my prayer!
The Lord has heard my cries.
He is so merciful.
He heals my anguished soul.
The Lord has made me whole.

Give thanks unto the Lord.
Give praise unto His name.
Our Lord is righteousness.
Sing praises to the Lord!

Sing praises to the Lord!

 

[Sue J Love]

The Ransom

9/8/11: My husband and I were asked to sing at a memorial service about a month ago for a family member who had died. So, we felt led to sing a couple of the original songs the Lord had given me to write. I only had a melody line and chords written for this, so I wrote a tenor part for my husband to sing the song with me, and then we sang it in Akron, Ohio at the beginning of October, 2011.

The song simply presents the gospel of Jesus Christ – He paid the ransom with his blood so that we could go free from both the ultimate penalty of sin, eternity in hell without God, and from bondage to and the control of sin over our daily lives. In the process, he, through his resurrection, also set us free to live in victory and to walk faithfully in obedience with our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Ransom / An Original Work / September 8, 2011

Jesus paid the ransom,
so we’d be forgiven;
Purified from our sin,
so we’d be set free.
Crucified on a tree;
took on him our sin.
Buried our sin with Him;
rose in victory.
Jesus calls us to Him;
asks that we flee from sin;
Obey His commandments;
live eternally.

God our Father loves us,
which is why He gave us
His Son to die for us
on a cruel tree.
God created us to
walk in fellowship with Him,
daily trusting in His righteousness.
He has a plan for us
to abide in His grace;
Be transformed in our hearts;
live for him always.

Won’t you trust in Jesus?
Be your Lord and Master?
He wants to forgive you;
give you victory
Over sin and yourself;
Jesus set you free.
Daily walking with Him,
live victoriously.
Invite Him in your heart.
He’ll give you a new start.
Your old life behind you,
a new creature be.

 

[Sue J Love]

Willing

This song is about being willing to obey Jesus Christ, to be his witness, to love others with his love, to know his power and working in our lives, and to be transformed into his likeness. As well, it is a prayer and a call to the Holy Spirit of God to come in power, and to change our hearts within this hour in which we now live, so that we may be like Jesus always, and to be that light that shines in the darkness, so that others can come into the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think we have probably all heard the saying, “God does not need our abilities, what he wants is our availability.” He doesn’t want what we think we should do for him. He wants our lives surrendered to him, our all on the altar, willing and ready to follow him wherever he leads us.

Willing / An Original Work / August 17, 2011

I am willing to obey You;
Have Your Spirit live within me;
Know Your power; be Your witness
To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,
So that they might come to know Him;
Know His power; His forgiveness;
Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,
Change our hearts within this hour.
May we be like Jesus always;
Be a light that shines in darkness.

 

[Sue J Love]

Refresh My Spirit, Lord

Sometimes our bodies get tired and need rest. Other times our spirits get tired and need refreshed, i.e. our emotions sometimes get drained, or even our spiritual lives might feel like something is missing. Sometimes it is because we lack true Christian fellowship with the Body of Christ, and therefore we are not getting the encouragement from others that we need. Or, it can be because the Body of Christ has been rejecting, mocking, ostracizing and/or marginalizing us, instead. There can be times when we are under serious attack from our enemy Satan or when our brothers and sisters in Christ (or professing Christians) attack us at every turn, or else they ignore, avoid, and snub us. Or it can be that we face much resistance when we share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is at those times when we need our spirits refreshed and our souls revived.

For me, my times alone with my Lord in prayer and in his word refresh my spirit, as well as does listening to and/or singing songs of worship and praise of my Lord, or songs of encouragement, hope, healing and leading in the ways of the Lord. And, other times God sends along an encourager at just the right time to give me what I need in order to help me keep going. The Holy Spirit is the best encourager I know. He is the motivating force in my life which keeps me pressing on even in the face of many difficulties and persecutions.

Refresh My Spirit, Lord / An Original Work / August 8, 2011

Based off of Psalm 51 & Matthew 11:28-30

Refresh my spirit, Lord.
Revive my heart today.
Move me to serve You,
Lord in all I do and say.
Be my heart’s one desire;
my spirit set on fire
In pure devotion, Lord,
to love you and obey.

Create within me, Lord,
a pure heart, this I pray,
So I can worship You
and yield to You always.
May all Your love and pow’r
be lived in me, I pray,
So I might love as You;
be Your witness today.

Jesus says, “Come to me
all you with heavy hearts,
And find in me your peace,
and give to me your all.
My yoke is light to bear,
‘cause I paid for your sin,
So you might be set free,
and purified within.”

 

[Sue J Love]

Not Be Silent

This psalm, updated to our relationship with Jesus Christ, God the Son, is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise for all that God has done for us in providing salvation for us from sin through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and through his resurrection. He delivered us from our ultimate destiny of hell, and emptiness, and slavery to sin, and he healed our hearts and souls and gave us new lives in Christ Jesus through our faith in him as our Lord (master) and Savior. He turned our weeping into joy!

When we were outside of faith in Jesus Christ and still in bondage to sin and selfishness, we could not see God, and we did not recognize our need of Christ. We were self-sufficient and felt secure where we were. Yet, Jesus Christ, by his love and mercy, forgave us, and we, by faith, now stand confident in Him. By his grace he set us free! Amen! And, because of all that he did for us and he continues to do on behalf of those who love him, we give him thanks and praise and honor and glory. We should be so filled up in our spirits with joy that we cannot hold it inside, but we must sing of his praises and share his gospel always.

Not Be Silent / An Original Work / December 3, 2012

Based off Psalm 30

O Lord my God, I’ll exalt You.
I called for help,
And You healed me.
O Lord my God,
You brought me from the grave.
You spared me from hell.
Sing to the Lord, you saints of His;
Praise His holy name today.
Weeping may remain for a night;
Joy at break of day.
Our debt He did pay!

O Lord my God, I said, “I will
Ne’er be shaken.” Secure, I felt.
O Lord my God, You forgave me.
Confident I stand in You.
When I could not see
Your face I was dismayed.
I called to You. O Lord,
You are my help.
You were merciful to me;
By Your grace set free!

O Lord my God, I’m so thankful for
Salvation through my Jesus.
You turned wailing into dancing;
Clothed me with Your joy today,
That my heart may sing
To You and not be silent.
Praise Your name.
O Lord my God,
I will give you
thanks forevermore.
My Lord, I adore!

 

[Sue J Love]

I Will Lift My Eyes

Hebrews 12:2 says: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In 2 Corinthians 4:18 we read: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

When we lift our eyes to the heavens and/or we fix our eyes on Jesus, this is not speaking merely of the use of our physical eyes, but this is speaking of our whole being – thoughts, attitudes, heart, emotion, and will. This means that the central focus of our lives, in all we do, think, are and speak is centered in Jesus Christ and his divine will for our lives, because of all that he has done for us in saving us from sin. We look to God, not to man, and not to the things of the world for our help, for all that we need, and to give us the strength and courage to live each and every day of our lives for Him and for His glory. And, God is faithful. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3 NIV ’84).

I Will Lift My Eyes / An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.

 

[Sue J Love]

I have known the Lord Jesus Christ since I was a young child. I was convicted of sin, and I wept in repentance as I called out to my Lord in prayer, accepting him as my Lord and Savior, believing in him to cleanse me of my sins and to make me a new person in Christ. I continued to get to know him as I sat daily at his feet, praying and reading his word, listening to him speak to my heart, and as I followed him in obedience to what his desire was for my life.

This has been a work in progress, though. That is why the Bible describes our salvation in this way – I am saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. Some call this the process of sanctification. Although we are forgiven of our sins when we believe in Jesus, and he cleanses us and he delivers us from the punishment and the control of sin over our lives, the Christian walk of faith is a process of putting off the things of our flesh and putting on the things of God. It is a process of forsaking sin and walking in his Spirit in his righteousness and holiness. And, we need him daily to lead us and guide us through this process so that we walk in his truth and in his ways.

Jesus, Lead Me / An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.
Be my hope and be my stay.
Gently lead me where I should go,
So Your Spirit, I want to know.
Open up my heart to You.
Fill me with Your love and truth.
Make my heart want to obey.
Be my Lord today. Gently lead always.

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;
Be transformed in my heart today,
As I turn from my sin and pray.
Make Your will known to my heart.
May I not from You depart.
How I long to hear You now,
As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

 

[Sue J Love]

Broken Hearts

God has loved us with an everlasting love. He has drawn us to himself with loving-kindness. He feels our pain. Jesus went through great suffering for us when he lived on this earth so that he could become our compassionate, merciful and faithful high priest. He knows what we are going through. He knows the sorrow that we feel in our hearts at the loss of human lives in senseless and cruel tragedies, or at the deceptions propagated as truth. He knows, because they beat him beyond recognition, and then they (his enemies) sent him to the cross, although he had done no wrong. So, he is our sympathetic and merciful high priest, and he so longs for us to come to him in our weeping and in our sorrow, and that we put our trust in Him to save us from our sins, to give us new lives in Christ, and to believe in all his many promises to us, including the promise and hope of eternal life with Him in glory.

Broken Hearts / An Original Work / December 14, 2012

Based off Jeremiah 31:15 (cf. Matt. 2:18)

Weeping in Ramah;
Her children no more.
Rachel is weeping;
Her comfort forlorn.
Jesus is waiting;
Her comforter be,
When she calls on Him,
Down on bended knee.
He has provided our
Sins’ sacrifice,
When He died for our sin,
Paying the price.

Our hearts are broken;
We’re feeling her pain;
Looking for answers
And someone to blame.
Jesus is calling us;
Him to believe;
Turning from our sins,
So we can be free.
Trust in His promises.
Lean on His grace;
Living for Jesus,
Eternal life gain.

Days of confusion,
Distress, pain and grief;
Looking for someone
To give us relief.
Our God and Father
In heaven above
Is looking down to us;
Providing love.
Call upon Him in your
Sadness and pain.
Trust your life with His Son;
Live life again.