Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.—1 Samuel 3:21
The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel by His word. One of the ways God reveals Himself to us is by His word, the Scriptures. I am so thankful for His word! One of the first things I can remember thinking only seconds after I got saved (I got saved as I was alone reading a newly purchased that day bible) was how awesome it was to have this book to guide me thru life. I truly did not know how lost I was until He found me. For a while...longer than I would care to admit, I lived like it would disappear. I slept with that Bible under my pillow, kept it on the desk in my office at work and took it to lunch with me daily. It was literally never more than an arm’s reach away from me at all times.
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged ourfn sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,—Hebrews 1:1-3
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4, ESV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17ESV)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31ESV)
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:23-25ESV)
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Coming to Him...
I love this quote from Spurgeon!
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.—John 6:35
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.—John 6:37
I love this quote from Spurgeon!
“Faith in Christ is simply and truly described as coming to him. It is not an acrobatic feat; it is simply a coming to Christ. It is not an exercise of profound mental faculties; it is coming to Christ. A child comes to his mother, a blind man comes to his home, even an animal comes to his master. Coming is a very simple action indeed; it seems to have only two things about it, one is, to come away from something, and the other is, to come to something.” (Spurgeon)
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.—John 6:35
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.—John 6:37
I love this quote from Spurgeon!
“Faith in Christ is simply and truly described as coming to him. It is not an acrobatic feat; it is simply a coming to Christ. It is not an exercise of profound mental faculties; it is coming to Christ. A child comes to his mother, a blind man comes to his home, even an animal comes to his master. Coming is a very simple action indeed; it seems to have only two things about it, one is, to come away from something, and the other is, to come to something.” (Spurgeon)
1 Samuel 12:17-25
1 Samuel 12:17-25
Israel had the God of the Universe ruling them with His perfect love and perfect justice, but they insisted on going after worthlessness and lies. They wanted to be like the world and specifically the other nations around them. God gave them what they wanted. A human king. Such blindness I might think. But who am I to judge! I read these words of Samuel and see my own discontented spirit in my complaining, my own lack of thankfulness or my dissatisfaction in the things the Lord has blessed me with. Truly only one thing profits both here and in eternity.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.—Matt 6:33
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal."—Mat 6:19
Nothing else matters.... “ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “ All is vanity.”.... Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil."
Israel had the God of the Universe ruling them with His perfect love and perfect justice, but they insisted on going after worthlessness and lies. They wanted to be like the world and specifically the other nations around them. God gave them what they wanted. A human king. Such blindness I might think. But who am I to judge! I read these words of Samuel and see my own discontented spirit in my complaining, my own lack of thankfulness or my dissatisfaction in the things the Lord has blessed me with. Truly only one thing profits both here and in eternity.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.—Matt 6:33
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal."—Mat 6:19
Nothing else matters.... “ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “ All is vanity.”.... Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil."
Hear My Cry O God....
So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.—2 Samuel 12:20
And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'—2 Samuel 12:22
My eyes filled my eyes with tears and my heart filled with hope as I read this verse early this morning. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. Each of us probably have petitions that we bring to the Lord daily...even hourly. Some of us may have been praying, pleading and earnestly desiring and waiting on the Lord’s timing to answer for years.
I am so thankful that we serve a gracious, kind, powerful and merciful God. His desire toward us (ME!) is good and His plans for us are from His heart of love. The Lord gives grace and glory; He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly.
Hear the cry of each of our hearts this morning, Father. Help us to persist in prayer...humbling ourselves under Your mighty hand...surrendering and submitting to Your will. Help us to place our hope and our confidence in You alone. While there is life, Father, there is hope...may our sorrow and discouragement never hinder our worship. Oh, help us to pray and may You be gracious to us. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Blessed is the man who makes You His trust. Blessed are all those who wait for You. Be gracious to us, Father, as we seek You.
And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'—2 Samuel 12:22
My eyes filled my eyes with tears and my heart filled with hope as I read this verse early this morning. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. Each of us probably have petitions that we bring to the Lord daily...even hourly. Some of us may have been praying, pleading and earnestly desiring and waiting on the Lord’s timing to answer for years.
I am so thankful that we serve a gracious, kind, powerful and merciful God. His desire toward us (ME!) is good and His plans for us are from His heart of love. The Lord gives grace and glory; He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly.
Hear the cry of each of our hearts this morning, Father. Help us to persist in prayer...humbling ourselves under Your mighty hand...surrendering and submitting to Your will. Help us to place our hope and our confidence in You alone. While there is life, Father, there is hope...may our sorrow and discouragement never hinder our worship. Oh, help us to pray and may You be gracious to us. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Blessed is the man who makes You His trust. Blessed are all those who wait for You. Be gracious to us, Father, as we seek You.
Psalm 116:12-13
The universe is our God’s dwelling place. The only thing we can give Him as finite human beings is the only thing that He desires from us. He wants us to take the cup of salvation He offers and obey Him as an expression of our love for Him. This is expressed beautifully in Psalm 116.
What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD. --Psalm 116:12-13
What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD. --Psalm 116:12-13
Finding Yourself in a Place Where You Thought You would Never Be....
David had backslidden and found himself in a place where he thought he would never be. He was among the ungodly Philistines and preparing for war against God's people. By God's grace he was rejected by the Philistines. He goes back to his city and finds that the Amalekites had attacked and burned it with fire. They had also taken their wives, sons and daughters captive. 1 Samuel 27 tells us that David had done much worse to those cities he had attacked....in comparison to David, the Amalekites were merciful.
David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, "Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did.' " And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.—1 Samuel 27:11
David was distressed and the people thought of stoning him because their souls were so very grieved at their loss. David has reached his lowest point but what an example he is for us! What do we read that David does? He turns to God for strength...
"But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."
AND GOD IN HIS MERCY AND GRACE GIVES DAVID THE GUIDANCE HE NEEDED! God in his mercy allowed David to hit rock bottom. He knew what it would take for David to turn back to Him...God does the same for us. He removes those things we are trusting in instead of Him until we have no other place to turn. I am very thankful for the trials my God has brought me because in them and through them the Lord has turned my heart towards Him. My trials have made me look up. O Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. Trust in him at all times you people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, "Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did.' " And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.—1 Samuel 27:11
David was distressed and the people thought of stoning him because their souls were so very grieved at their loss. David has reached his lowest point but what an example he is for us! What do we read that David does? He turns to God for strength...
"But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."
AND GOD IN HIS MERCY AND GRACE GIVES DAVID THE GUIDANCE HE NEEDED! God in his mercy allowed David to hit rock bottom. He knew what it would take for David to turn back to Him...God does the same for us. He removes those things we are trusting in instead of Him until we have no other place to turn. I am very thankful for the trials my God has brought me because in them and through them the Lord has turned my heart towards Him. My trials have made me look up. O Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. Trust in him at all times you people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Ending with Psalm 118:
I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.—Psalm 118: 5-6;8-9
Two more….
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:29-31
but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength]—2 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMPLIFIED VERSION
One Desire...
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."—John 12:21
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.--Jim Elliot
So often we cry, Lord, who will show us any good? Even those of us who are saved look to the wrong things to bring us peace and satisfaction. Beloved, seek after the One who desires only your good...Seek after the One who is only good. Seek His kingdom and all else will be added. Give Him the pre-eminence! Delight yourself in your God and He will give you the desires of your heart!! Blessed is the man whose God is the Lord!!
Spurgeon says it beautifully...
"Hast thou but one desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou art not far from the kingdom of heaven....Then, despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free."
Praying today that I would seek His face...that my desire would be for Him, knowing that He is the source of my hope...knowing that He is the Great I Am...the "Becoming One"...the One who becomes to me just what I need.
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
—Isaiah 55:1-3
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.--Jim Elliot
So often we cry, Lord, who will show us any good? Even those of us who are saved look to the wrong things to bring us peace and satisfaction. Beloved, seek after the One who desires only your good...Seek after the One who is only good. Seek His kingdom and all else will be added. Give Him the pre-eminence! Delight yourself in your God and He will give you the desires of your heart!! Blessed is the man whose God is the Lord!!
Spurgeon says it beautifully...
"Hast thou but one desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou art not far from the kingdom of heaven....Then, despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free."
Praying today that I would seek His face...that my desire would be for Him, knowing that He is the source of my hope...knowing that He is the Great I Am...the "Becoming One"...the One who becomes to me just what I need.
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
—Isaiah 55:1-3
Cast Your Burden on the Lord....
"And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness."—2 Samuel 3:39
David’s kingdom was new and not yet established. Exacting justice for Abner might jeopardize his command. David understood who he was and who His God was (is). He admitted his weakness not only to His God but to the people as well. I believe it is this kind of humility of heart exampled here by David that made the people love him.
It is so good to know that when we feel weak and overwhelmed, we too, can do as David did. We can turn it all over to our God who is never overwhelmed and allow Him to handle it. David's trust in God and his humility were truly the secret of his greatness.
Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.—Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)
David’s kingdom was new and not yet established. Exacting justice for Abner might jeopardize his command. David understood who he was and who His God was (is). He admitted his weakness not only to His God but to the people as well. I believe it is this kind of humility of heart exampled here by David that made the people love him.
It is so good to know that when we feel weak and overwhelmed, we too, can do as David did. We can turn it all over to our God who is never overwhelmed and allow Him to handle it. David's trust in God and his humility were truly the secret of his greatness.
Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.—Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)
His Desire Toward Me is Good...
So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.—2 Samuel 12:20
And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'—2 Samuel 12:22
My eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with hope as I read this verse early this morning. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. Each of us probably have petitions that we bring to the Lord daily...even hourly. Some of us may have been praying, pleading and earnestly desiring and waiting on the Lord’s timing to answer for years.
I am so thankful that we serve a gracious, kind, powerful and merciful God. His desire toward us (ME!) is good and His plans for us are from His heart of love. The Lord gives grace and glory; He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly.
Hear the cry of each of our hearts this morning, Father. Help us to persist in prayer...humbling ourselves under Your mighty hand...surrendering and submitting to Your will. Help us to place our hope and our confidence in You alone. While there is life, Father, there is hope...may our sorrow and discouragement never hinder our worship. Oh, help us to pray and may You be gracious to us. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Blessed is the man who makes You His trust. Blessed are all those who wait for You. Be gracious to us, Father, as we seek You.
"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.—Ps 91:14-15
For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.—Ps 9:10
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!—Ps 27:13-14
And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'—2 Samuel 12:22
My eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with hope as I read this verse early this morning. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. Each of us probably have petitions that we bring to the Lord daily...even hourly. Some of us may have been praying, pleading and earnestly desiring and waiting on the Lord’s timing to answer for years.
I am so thankful that we serve a gracious, kind, powerful and merciful God. His desire toward us (ME!) is good and His plans for us are from His heart of love. The Lord gives grace and glory; He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly.
Hear the cry of each of our hearts this morning, Father. Help us to persist in prayer...humbling ourselves under Your mighty hand...surrendering and submitting to Your will. Help us to place our hope and our confidence in You alone. While there is life, Father, there is hope...may our sorrow and discouragement never hinder our worship. Oh, help us to pray and may You be gracious to us. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Blessed is the man who makes You His trust. Blessed are all those who wait for You. Be gracious to us, Father, as we seek You.
"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.—Ps 91:14-15
For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.—Ps 9:10
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!—Ps 27:13-14
How Precious Are Your Thoughts to Me....
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who willfn believe in Me through their word;—John 17:20
I have never gotten past the awe and wonder that I felt as a new believer when I first read these words. I wasn’t sure I was reading it correctly so I reread it a few times. My heart still bursts with joy each time I read it again. I was thought of....I was considered...I was prayed for in the upper room after the last supper was finished. Jesus’ intercessory work for me started thousands of years before I was born.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!—Psalm 139:17
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.—Romans 8:34
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.—Hebrews 7:25
Now to Him who is able to establish and strengthen you [in the faith] according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [of the plan of salvation] which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now has been disclosed and through the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the commandment of the eternal God, leading them to obedience to the faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forevermore! Amen.—Romans 16:25-27 AMPLIFIED.
Search Me O God...
What hit my heart as I read 2nd Samuel 13 this morning was how grieving it is to see your own sin reproduced in your child. Been there and seen that. Truly there is no greater joy than to see your children walk in truth, but oh, what heartbreak for the parent when he sees his own sin mirrored back to him in his child. Worse, to be in David’s position, and have to bear the shame that comes when a parent must submit to the Lord by correcting the sin of his child that he is conscious of in himself. David failed as a father here with Amnon and again with Absalom. 2 Samuel 13 tells us David was angry, but the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Justice was not meted out by David and his anger served to only harden his sons further. Ecclesiastes speaks well to this:
Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.—Ecclesiastes 8:11
The consequences of sin are endless. Reading through this chapter felt like sinking in the mire. We live in a fallen world, and it is inevitable that sin and hurt and offenses come. Yet the person who leads a little one into sin initiates an instance or a pattern of sin that corrupts their innocence. (Or whatever innocence they may have had). They are guilty before God and without excuse. Praying that God gives each of us hearts and wills that desire to be ruthless with our sin.
Father....I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.—Ecclesiastes 8:11
The consequences of sin are endless. Reading through this chapter felt like sinking in the mire. We live in a fallen world, and it is inevitable that sin and hurt and offenses come. Yet the person who leads a little one into sin initiates an instance or a pattern of sin that corrupts their innocence. (Or whatever innocence they may have had). They are guilty before God and without excuse. Praying that God gives each of us hearts and wills that desire to be ruthless with our sin.
Father....I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
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