A Heart Of Multitude

 Charles Spurgeon says: ''It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.''

There's a sign on the door, says, "Come as you are" but I doubt it, 'Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded, But didn't you say the church should look more like a hospital, A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals, Like me, Well truth be told, The truth is rarely told, Oh am I the only one who says, I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not, I'm broken And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not And you know it, I don't know why it's so hard to admit it, When being honest is the only way to fix it, There's no failure, no fall, There's no sin you don't already know, So let the truth be told, Can I really stand here unashamed, Knowin' that you love for me won't change?, Oh God if that's really true, Then let the truth be told.

Will You be my light, when I cannot see? And when I can't take another step, Lord, would You carry me? And when I've lost my fight, will You be my strength? Will You set me a table in the presence of my enemies? I shall not want, I shall not want, Oh, my soul's got a shepherd in the valley and I shall not want, I shall not want, I shall not want, 'Cause my cup's running over, running over and I shall not want, And I will lift my eyes to where my help comes from And I won't be afraid of the shadow, 'Cause I've seen the sun, No, I will not stop, when the way gets hard, 'Cause the green only grows in the valley And that's where You are (say).

I know you're tired, I know you're weak And all of that fighting's got you, Down on your knees, You're desperate for change, Desperate to know, There's a light, Still a light, Child lift up your eyes, For your help draws nigh, Child lift up your eyes, It'll be alright, Every tear you've cried, Let the sunlight dry, Every tear you've cried, It'll be alright, If you still have breath in your lungs, If you still have breath in your lungs, You're not done, I'll be your strength And I'll be your song, I'll be the solid rock, You can stand on, I'm with you always, You're never alone, 'Cause I'm right by your side.

The most beautiful way to start and end the day is with a Grateful Heart.

1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16-18: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4 verse 6: Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

John 16 verse 24:  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

1 Peter 2 verse 9:  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Matthew 13 verse 32: Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

John 14 verse 1: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me.

Psalm 51 verse 10: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Matthew 17 verse 20: He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Romans 10 verse 17:  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

In everything we see how God gives us a heart of multitude, gratitude, happiness, joy, love, peace, faith, we see how God turns the small things into greater blessings so that we may be able to have an abundance of hope that gives us understanding to know we can receive a message meant for us to hear and so that we may walk by Faith and not by Sight. In each scripture we see how this heart of multitude can develop into a better understanding of how we live in the heart of Christ and not in the heart of the Enemy. The Enemy would not want us to have a heart of multitude by a heart of despair. God doesn't want us to live in despair.

God wants us to live our lives to the fullest and we know this, we can seek out His unfailing and unwavering love that is so unconditional that God gives us an open mind, an open heart and eyes to see in how we can give thanks for all that He continues to do and how we can see in the heart of God, God loves us daily.

'Cause there's only love in the heart of God, No room for shame in His open arms, There's beauty from ashes, so come as you are And there's only love in the heart of God, Come, prodigal children, it's never too late, Run home to the Father, let Him clothe you with grace And bury your burdens, break free from your fear, Step out of the shadows, there's no judgment here, There's only love in the heart of God, No room for shame in His open arms, There's beauty from ashes, so come as you are And there's only love in the heart of God.

We see in this song that we can take everything in a heart of gratitude and turn it into a multitude in the things that give us the abundance of small blessings that turn into bigger blessings when we seek Him.

God calls us to be still, to listen, and to be in the waiting sometimes so that a Heart of multitude that may be small because we want what we think the plan should be to come quick but God has us wait and that Heart of Multitude can grow bigger and deeper into something that God shows and shines a light in, in our Faith.

What are you thankful in this heart of multitude in your season of life? Think of this reflection question as I share two final quotes and end on these two quotes tonight.

Dwight L. Moody: ''Faith makes all things possible. Love makes all things easy.''

Roy T. Bennett: ''When one has a grateful heart, life is so beautiful.''

New Year, New Season

 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

When you close your eyes, do you go back there, To a bended knee and a "Lord, I need you" whispered prayer? Remember the moment you let Jesus in Would you give anything to go back there again? You feel like a million mistakes and a million miles Away from the first time faith of a child, But oh, I want you to know

He's making you new, He's making you new, He's healing your heart right where you are If only you knew
He's lifting your shame, He's changing your name And when you look back, The only thing that you'll see is His grace, Has been making you brand new, He is making you brand new, When it just doesn't feel like the old you is gone, The shame keeps telling your heart that you should be further along, You can fix your eyes now on the truth you know That you are held by the hands of a savior that won't let go.

Ezekiel 34 verse 26 says: I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

We pray for blessings, We pray for peace, Comfort for family, protection while we sleep, We pray for healing, for prosperity, We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering And all the while, You hear each spoken need, Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things, 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?, What if Your healing comes through tears?, What if a thousand sleepless nights, Are what it takes to know You're near? And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?, We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near, We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love, As if every promise from Your Word is not enough And all the while, You hear each desperate plea And long that we'd have faith to believe.

It's like it was yesterday, I was a praying for a miracle, Scared to have a little hope And now looking back today, Seeing all the things You've done, I can't even add them up, One, two, three up to infinity, I'd run out of numbers, Before I could thank You for everything, God, I'm still counting my blessings, For all that You've done in my life, The more that I look in the details, The more of Your goodness I find, Father on this side of heaven, I know that I'll run out of time, But I will keep counting my blessings, Knowing I can't count that high. 

I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing, Letting go and trusting when I cannot see, I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing, Surely every season You are good to me.

Count your blessings, name them one by one;, Count your blessings, see what God hath done;, Count your blessings, name them one by one;, Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Galatians 6 verse 9 says:  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Well, you got a smile that could light up all New York City, When life comes at you hard, you make it look so easy, No matter what you're facing, You are my inspiration, yeah, That's what you are, You're the fighter that doesn't know how to back down. You-u-u-u-u, Never ever give up, You-u-u-u-u Hold on no matter what, You show the world your face of brave, You-u-u-u-u, Never ever give up, Oh-oh-oh-oh (never ever give up), Oh-oh-oh-oh (never ever give up), You've had your share of life ain't fair, but you won't tap out, My money says you'll still be swinging 'til the last round, When they odds say you should quit, well, you do the opposite, yeah, That's what you are.

Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1:  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

I will bring praise, I will bring praise, No weapon formed against me shall remain, I will rejoice, I will declare

God is my victory and He is here And this is my prayer in my battle, When triumph is still on its way, I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ, So firm on His promise I'll stand, I will bring praise, I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain, I will rejoice, I will declare, God is my victory and He is here

All of my life, In every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.

Genesis 8 verse 22: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness, To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

What's your impossible? Your "I need a miracle", What's got you barely hanging by a single thread?
What looks so hopeless now? What weighs down your heart with doubt? You beg for a breakthrough, but no sign of breakthrough yet, When you've cried, and you've cried 'til your tears run dry, The answer won't come, and you don't know why And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time, Don't stop praying, Don't stop calling on Jesus' name, Keep on pounding on Heaven's door And let your knees wear out the floor, Don't stop believing, 'Cause mountains move with just a little faith And your Father's heard every single word you're saying, So, don't stop praying.

Jeremiah 29 verse 11:  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

… Scared, oh, I thought I knew scared, But I'm so filled with fear, I can barely move … Doubt, I've had my share of doubt, But never more than right now, I'm wondering, where are You? … Here on the edge of fall apart, Somehow Your promises, Find my troubled heart … This is the truth I'm standing on, Even when all my strength is gone, You are faithful forever And I know You'll never Let me fall … Right now, I'm choosing to believe, Someday soon, I'll look back and see, All the pain had a purpose, Your plan was perfect all along, This is the truth I'm standing on … Good, I believe You're still good, Even when life's not good, I will not lose this hope, … That the God who parts the sea, Promises He's gonna Make a way for me.

Romans 8 verse 28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We see in a lot of these scriptures and song lyrics that in this new year that we are in, that there will always be a season that sometimes God can leave us in to just be with Him, we could be having a season of Hope, Joy, a season of Peace that leaves us to know God is in control.

We may have a season where it's a new direction to try new things like food, or an adventure that might be zip lining or learning to ride a bike or drive a car.

Whatever it is, we know who holds tomorrow, our future, and we know who is in control.

If we were to give up, where would we be right now? What would we do if we just gave up?

I want you to think of those reflection questions for a moment, while I share something.

We Look Back And Thank God. We Look Forward And Trust God.

The Lord bless you and keep you, Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace, The Lord bless you and keep you, Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace.

We see here that no matter what the New Year brings or what New Season we are in, that God will continue to bless us and as we look back at past years, we thank Him and as we look forward, we trust Him. Why do we trust Him? Well, we trust Him because He is ruler of all the Earth and we know we are Christians by His Love and because of that, sure we may not always get it right, but in this New Year and New Season of trying things that take us away from our comfort zone a little, we realize to take a leap of Faith, a leap of Gratitude, a leap of Joy, and first and foremost, we take a leap of Courage to do His Will.

May This New Year be a time of fresh beginnings and renewed spirit.

Our Hope is not in the new year... but in the One who makes all things new.

Let us remember these things as we go about our week, and let us remember all of this as I end on these three scriptures with all of you as I feel it is important to end on this scripture to help motivate us to do well.

2 Timothy 4 verse 2 says:   Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

Acts 1 verse 7: He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

Genesis 1 verse 14: And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,