Grace Illuminated Truth...

The entrance of Your words gives light;

It gives understanding to the simple.—Psalm 119:130

This one is near and dear to my heart. The truth of it was manifested as each of my daughters, at very young ages began at mine and my husband’s behest, to memorize Scripture.  Their thought processes literally matured before our eyes.  It was so clear to me as I watched that there was something supernatural occurring in both their brains and in their hearts.  It was as if His wisdom was lighting up their thinking for the very first time. Beautiful, grace illuminated truth had been provided entrance and was igniting the synapses in their brain to fire and perform better.  I could almost see their brains growing...increasing in power and in wisdom just by repeating Scripture verses.  The Spirit of God was using the word of God to enlighten both their mind and their hearts....preparing them to, at a later date, receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My young daughters now had the wisdom, the understanding and the discernment that I did not have until I came to the Lord in my thirties!  It AMAZED me and SOOOO encouraged my faith to see the truth of God and the effect of His word do exactly what it says it does.  My daughters were living proof!  The best part was we knew that this truly was the LORD’s doing and it was marvelous in our eyes!  

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God.—Ps 43:3-4

Prayer through Psalm 119:114..

You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in Your word.—Psalm 119:114

Lord, truly You are my hiding place.  You preserve me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  You will command Your lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night Your song is with me.  I dwell in the secret place of the Most High and I abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."  

My Jesus is my shelter in the storm...He is for me as a river of water in a dry place and like the shadow of a rock in a weary land.   You , O Lord, are my shield... my glory and the One who lifts up my head.  You give grace and glory and no good thing do You withhold from Your servants who walk in Your truth. I will wait for You, my God...my soul also will wait and in Your word I will hope.  For with You, O Lord, there is mercy and with You, also, is abundant redemption.  Blessed am I and blessed is the man who trusts in You!

A Friend Loves at All Times...

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. 20 In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you."

21 But Ittai answered the king and said, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be."—2 Samuel 15:19-21

What a blessing a friend is who loves at all times...  Truly, Ittai the Gittite was this kind of friend and must have been a balm to David’s hurting heart.  Today’s OYB NT reading in John 18 highlighted Ittai’s fidelity to David for me in that it stood in such stark contrast with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and Peter denial of Him.   

Matthew Henry speaks to this perfectly. 

“And good men, when they themselves suffer, are anxious that others should not be led to suffer with them. He compelled none; those whose hearts were with Absalom, to Absalom let them go, and so shall their doom be. Thus Christ enlists none but willing followers. David cannot bear to think that Ittai, a stranger and an exile, a proselyte and a new convert, who ought to be encouraged and made easy, should meet with hard usage. But such value has Ittai for David’s wisdom and goodness, that he will not leave him. He is a friend indeed, who loves at all times, and will adhere to us in adversity. Let us cleave to the Son of David, with full purpose of heart, and neither life nor death shall separate us from his love.”

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews12:1-2

Staying in His Love...

John 15, verses 9 and 10 say this:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

If I obey my God’s commandments I abide...I dwell, I live, I stay...in HIS love!  My heart fills with utter gratitude at this thought.  When we obey, our reward is that we LIVE in His love. I cannot wrap my brain or my heart around the utter goodness of this.  How good is our God to give us such a reward for obeying His word.  

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord His trust and keeps His commandments!!  AND His commandments aren’t burdensome...they are for our good!  Beloved we truly cannot out-give our God. His goodness to those who fear Him is from everlasting to everlasting. 

Here are just a few of the promises found in Chapter 15 to those who “stay” in His love.  

First and foremost, God gives His Holy Spirit to those who believe.  The God of the universe comes and makes His home inside of us. He dwells in us and is with us.  His perfect peace is available to calm us in every circumstance and give us. courage and strength for every challenge. The love that died so we could live is poured out in our heart and enables us to walk in His love and by His power (the same power that raised Jesus from the dead) obey His commandments.  (John 14)

Promises to those abiding in a His love found in Chapter 15:

—You will bear much fruit 

—You will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you

—Your joy will be full

—You are Christ’s friend

I want theses precious promises in my life!  Teach me Your statutes!  Oh Father, abiding in Your love is where I want to be every moment of every second of every day.  Keep me in Your love!   I rejoice that in You, I can have confidence in all things knowing that You will complete the good work You began in me...For it is God which works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  

Teach Me Your Statutes!

I was both encouraged and strengthened by the reading from John Chapter 14 this morning.  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.—John 14:15-18

Oh, Father!  Teach me Your statutes!  Then with my obedience I will honor You and with my heart and my lips I will praise Your name forever!  You have given me Your Spirit of truth to be my Helper.  My heart is Your home!!  You have given me Your Spirit to help me in my weakness...I know Him because He dwells in me and is with me.  You have not abandoned me...You have come to me and have stayed with me.  You are my Comforter, my Advocate, my Intercessor, my Counselor, my Strengthener, and the One who stands by me and becomes for me whatever my need might be.  You are my Great I Am. Because You live, I will live also!  It is he who has and keeps Your commandments...it is him You love...it is him to whom You manifest Yourself.  Oh Lord...I want to SEE You..  Let me see Your lovingkindness before my eyes.  Oh, help me walk in Your truth!  Teach me Your statutes!

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,

And I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;

Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,

For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies,

And not to covetousness.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in Your way.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,

Who is devoted to fearing You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,

For Your judgments are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;

Revive me in Your righteousness.—Psalm 119:33-40

He Loved Them to the End....

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.  (emphasis mine)—John 13:1

John MacArthur says "He loved them to the end" means literally, He loved them to perfection...fervently...to the limits of love.  Oh Father, my love falls so very far short of the standards that you have not only laid out for me but also modeled for me!  This is how I want to love those you have placed in my life...to perfection!  Help me to love as You do.  Your love is NOT of me...Love is OF You.  We love, because You first loved us.  My love cannot love my enemies and do good to those who spitefully use me.  My love cannot love those who say all kinds of evil against me.  My love can only love me...my love is selfish and always seeks its own.  Your love is sacrificial...it is good and gracious to all!  You send rain on the evil and the good.  Your love was demonstrated toward me when I was still Your enemy.  When I was helpless, hopeless and against You, You died for me!  I cannot generate this kind of love on my own...it is a gift from You.  Your love sacrificed Your Son and made a way in the darkness for me.  Your love endured the cross and paid the price for my redemption.  

I surrender to You, Father and I invite Your Spirit to take control,  govern my heart and produce the fruits of righteousness to Your praise and glory!  Ministry apart from Your Spirit is empty, vain and meaningless.  Guard and clothe all my words, thoughts and actions with Your love.  Your goodness...Your active love toward me is what led me to repentance.  Help me to demonstrate that kind of love to those You place in my life.  

Let all I do be done in love!!

On Hating Your Life...

The one who loves his life [eventually] loses it [through death], but the one who hates his life in this world [and is concerned with pleasing God] will keep it for life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in heaven's glory], there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.—John 12:25-26

What a rich portion of Scripture!  Verse 25 and 26 in particular for me were so very convicting!  I am to be so devoted to living for Christ that I am to hate my own life by comparison. I must be willing not only to physically die for Christ, if in so doing that would bring Him glory; but I must also be willing to die to my own despotic self-rule.  I must, in effect, disown self and all the self-centeredness that comes with it and “allow” God free control of my heart and my life. That means laying aside my selfish ambitions, my fears, my desire for security, my desire for comfort, my desire for pleasure or anything else that does not conform to the will of my Father in Heaven. Even as I write this I am feeling discouraged by the sheer impossibility of me actually being able to do any of it.  To that I say, Amen!  That is the right feeling.  

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me—Galatians 2:20

My sufficiency is not from me...it is from God...it is only by the power of His Spirit that I can do anything good.  Philippians Chapter 2 gives us good advice on becoming like Christ.  Truly, He is our perfect example of selfless humility.  I really like the Amplified version:

“So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. 13 For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.—Philippians 2:12-13

Including one of my favorite worship songs that came to mind as I wrote this:

Shepherd of My Soul

Shepherd of my soul I give You full control

Wherever You may lead I will follow

I have made the choice to listen for Your voice

Wherever You may lead I will go

Shepherd of my soul I give You full control

Wherever You may lead I will follow

I have made the choice to listen for Your voice

Wherever You may lead I will go

Be it in a quiet pasture or by a gentle breeze

The shepherd of my soul is by my side

Should I face a mighty mountain or a valley dark and deep

The shepherd of my soul will be my guide

Song by Integrity's Hosanna! Music and Marty Nystrom

The LORD is For Me!!

4 Let those who fear the LORD now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

5 I called on the LORD in distress;

The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

6 The LORD is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;

Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.

8 It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in man.

9 It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in princes.—Psalm 118:4-9

I read these words this morning and as the Psalmist did, praised God for His everlasting, undeserved mercy toward me. When I first came to the Lord, I was told that verse 8 was the center verse of the Bible.  I don’t know if that is true, but it impressed me then, and impresses me even more now because I have experienced the truth of these words.  The Lord IS my strength and my song and He has become my salvation. I CAN trust Him. Psalm 40 comes to mind. 

I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth--

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.—Psalm 40:1-3

The LORD is on my side!  The LORD is among those who help me!  How can I be afraid of anything knowing that??  In my distress, HE ANSWERS ME!!  He sets me in a safe, roomy place and eases the concerns of my heart.  I look backward and I see His  sovereign, providential hand of comfort.  I look forward and my sure and certain Hope is before me.  I look to Him in the moment and my face is radiant and unashamed. God is with me and God takes care of me.  His Presence is my peace.  Oh Father, may I live to declare Your works and encourage others to place their trust in You 

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!—Romans 11:33

John 12...

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.—John 12:3

In Scripture, we can invariably find Mary of Bethany, Lazarus’ sister at the feet of Jesus.  In Luke 10 we find her at His feet for instruction...choosing as Jesus said the better part...the part that would not be taken from her. In John 11 we find her at His feet for comfort after Lazarus had fallen ill and died.  And finally, here in John 12, for service.  

Lord...Fill my house with Your fragrance...the fragrance of surrender and dying to self. Help me to live as Mary, totally devoted to Her Jesus and very grateful....

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?—2 Cor 2:14-16

Lord, Behold, He Whom You Love is Sick..

Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."—John 11:3

How beautiful is this verse.     "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."   He whom you love...I LOVE THAT!!   The sisters felt it was enough just to inform Jesus that HIS beloved (Lazarus) was sick.  They trusted Him.  They knew he loved them. They had experienced His tender-heart of love and compassion. They were confident that Jesus would care and come.  They trusted that Jesus was good and would do what was good.  The Scripture doesn’t say it, but I believe they wanted Jesus to come not just to heal Lazarus, but to comfort and strengthen their own fearing and grieving hearts.  What an indescribable gift we who believe have in Jesus.  We are never alone and never without recourse.  He is our refuge...our strong habitation to which we can continually resort.  Jesus loves me and Jesus loves you.  We are His Beloved and are accepted in the Beloved.  Praying today that I can place my own loved one in the hands of my Almighty God, who loves us and does all things well.  

Closing with a portion of Bebo Norman’s song, “I Will Lift My Eyes.”

God, my God, I cry out:

Your beloved needs You now

God, be near; calm my fear

... And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

[Chorus]

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

Of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

Of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

Of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You...

'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever

The Lover I need to save me

'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God

So hold me now...

A Prayer through Psalm 116

1 I love the LORD, because He has heard

My voice and my supplications.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

I will love You, O Lord my strength, because You HEAR me...You incline toward me...

3 The pains of death surrounded me,

And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;

I found trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:

"O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!"

I will love You O Lord my strength because You CARE for me and about me.  You are with me in sorrow and in trouble.  Your heart is full of compassion. You, Lord are kind...You are good and You do good!

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The LORD preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

I will love You O Lord my strength because You preserve me!  Who am I that a You are even mindful of me?? I am brought low and You hear, You care, and You save me!

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

I will love You O Lord my strength because You have dealt bountifully with me!  I can rest easy because You are mine and I am Your beloved.  You care for my soul.  Great is Your mercy toward me... Oh, how many times have You in Your compassionate kindness delivered me and kept my feet from falling into wrong reactions and wrong responses. When my foot slipped, Your mercy O Lord has held me up.  It is You who bring me down right paths and it is You who teach me Your ways.

9 I will walk before the LORD

In the land of the living.

I will love love You O lord my strength because You are WORTHY!  You are the Almighty God, and  I desire to devote my heart to You.  You are my strong habitation to whom I can continually resort. I will set You always before me...I will not be greatly moved. 

10 I believed, therefore I spoke,

"I am greatly afflicted."

11 I said in my haste,

"All men are liars."

I will love love You O lord my strength because when my faith fails, there is forgiveness with You.  AND not only forgiveness but also abounding grace.  Your goodness and mercy follow me and overtake me.  I cannot outrun them. 

12 What shall I render to the LORD

For all His benefits toward me?

13 I will take up the cup of salvation,

And call upon the name of the LORD.

14 I will pay my vows to the LORD

Now in the presence of all His people.

I will love love You O lord my strength because Your gift of salvation to me is free.  I will accept and render to You the only acceptable gift...my honor, my obedience and my thanksgiving.  I will, by Your Holy Spirit who dwells in me, accept the “cup” You have for me, trusting that You will be with me through all.  

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

Is the death of His saints.

I will love love You O lord my strength because You are my guide even unto my death.  I am precious in Your sight.  

16 O LORD, truly I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;

You have loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And will call upon the name of the LORD.

18 I will pay my vows to the LORD

Now in the presence of all His people,

19 In the courts of the LORD's house,

In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD!

I will love love You O lord my strength because You have set me free.  I choose to be Your willing bondservant.  In the presence of the people, I will name Your name.   I will call upon You and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. As the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress; so my eyes will look unto Jehovah my God.  He will have mercy upon me.  He will show me the path of life.  In His Presence is fullness of joy and His right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Praise to my God!  

The Lord Judge Between Me and You...

Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand."—1 Samuel 24:15

David appeals here to God as the righteous judge...He commits himself to Him who judges righteously. The Lord judge between me and You.  If you have ever been in this position, then you know what comfort it brings to know that You can leave judgment and vengeance in His hands.  

If men wrong us, God will right us.—Matthew Henry

Like David, leave your cause with God and rest.  The Lord has and will deal bountifully with You.  

Having then Gifts...

Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.  And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.”—1 Samuel 23:16-17

What a gift Jonathan is to David!  His encouragement in the Lord must have seen David through so much!  I was reading Romans 12 last night before bed and camped out on the gift of exhortation.  As I read this passage this morning in 1 Samuel 23, I realized that Jonathan had the gift of exhortation and David the gift of leading.  Someone with the gift of leadership is usually in front...in the limelight so to speak.  In contrast, an exhorter is in the background...a backstage helper so to speak, who by the very nature of his role, doesn’t get much recognition.  Nevertheless, both jobs are important. Both gifts are needful. The leader should not think more highly of himself than he ought to think and the encourager less of himself because of the lack of temporal appreciation.  God has a purpose for both and has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. —Romans 12:4-5

I loved how Strongs defined exhortation because it brought the ultimate Consoler and Comforter to mind, Christ. 

Exhortation - imploration, hortation, solace: — comfort, consolation, exhortation, intreaty. More on exhortation...thus of the Messianic salvation (so the Rabbis call the Messiah the consoler, the comforter)

Jonathan’s heart was for God, for Israel, and for David, and probably in that order. He saw the big picture.  He put his own needs and desires aside and encouraged David in the Lord and in so doing furthered God’s plan for the nation of Israel. When we use the gifts God has blessed us with, we do the same and become Christ’s heart, hands or feet to the body of Christ.  

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them—Romans 12:6a

One Thing I Know....

He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."—John 9:25

I love this man’s answer here to the religious authorities.  It brought Psalm 131 to mind:

1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.

LORD, my heart is not haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me.

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time forth and forever.

This man may not have known why or how he was healed, but he did know that his life had been changed miraculously and he was not afraid to tell the truth. I had a similar experience when I came to Christ.  I had no idea of the hows or the whys of my conversion, I just knew that something inside of me had dramatically changed and there was no going back. I could almost feel the synapses in my brain connecting...it was as if His wisdom was lighting up my thinking for the very first time.  Beloved, we don’t need to know all the answers to share Christ with someone.  We can, however, with or without words tell or show them how Jesus, God’s Son, has changed our life and trust Him to use that testimony to bring them to His throne.  

3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.—2 Corinthians 4:3-7

16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:16-18

Beloved, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever more!