By Whom We Cry Out, “Abba, Father”

 

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified.—Romans 8:15-17

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.—Romans 8:18

In this world where evil seems to abound on every side and threaten all that is good and right and innocent and pure, these verses remind me that this world is not my home. God is my Father and I am His little child. I cry out to Him and He comforts me. His word here reminds me that I am not destined for wrath but for glory. 

Psalm 91:14-16 is inked in the margin of my bible next to these verses.  My early morning eyes, however, think they see Psalm 94:14-16.  I turn there and read exactly what I needed to regain my perspective in a world where evil and lawlessness rage.

Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,

And teach out of Your law,

That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,

Until the pit is dug for the wicked.

For the LORD will not cast off His people,

Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

But judgment will return to righteousness,

And all the upright in heart will follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.

Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,

Have fellowship with You?

They gather together against the life of the righteous,

And condemn innocent blood.

But the LORD has been my defense,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

He has brought on them their own iniquity,

And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;

The LORD our God shall cut them off.—Psalm 94:12-23

The Lord will not cast off His people.  The Lord is my help. His mercy will hold me up. His comforts will delight my soul. He is my defense and my rock of refuge. The wicked will be cut off in their own wickedness. The Lord our God shall cut them off.

Here are the verses from Psalm 91 (where I was suppose to turn)

"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.

With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation."—Psalm 91:14-16

What beautiful promises!  Beloved… God will see us through. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. 

Nothing can separate us (me) from His love.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:31-39

Rejoice Always, Pray Without Ceasing, in Everything Give Thanks…

 

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Very early on in my walk with the Lord, a beloved friend and sister in the Lord gave me a very simple, but for me, very powerful sermon on this verse. Here it is:

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for ME.

AND the changing of that one pronoun made all the difference to me.  It was the first time I had heard someone personalize the scriptures.  It hit home at that moment that all the words of God were for me.  Verses 16, 17 and 18 of 1 Thessalonians were His words to ME!

Beloved…Rejoice always because He is our source of hope and joy as believers.  His song in our hearts is the background melody of our life.  He never changes, is always with us and nothing…not even death…can separate us from Him.  We are His forever. 

Pray without ceasing because we need Him moment by moment and without Him we can do nothing good. 

In everything give thanks because all that we are and all that we have comes from Him.  The very breath that we take depends on Him.  The giving of thanks brings us back to rejoicing always because when we give thanks, we REMEMBER the GIVER.  AND, remembering the Giver, brings joy. Verse 16 then becomes to us a beautiful endless loop of grace that hedges us and enables us to walk in His love. 

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

On Finding Other-Worldly Comfort…

 

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.—Proverbs 3:3-4

Last night my daughter and I sat by side with our bibles gleaning comfort and assurance from the word and from the sharing of it with one another. She was reading Chapter 3 of Proverbs so I turned there, too.  My heart took immediate ease in verses 3 and 4.  There were no words just overwhelming consolation as the Spirit of God’s other-worldly comfort filled my heart. 

Beloved…whether your Bible is on your phone or on a nightstand make it a habit to keep it open during the day. Keep it close.  Bring your heart there often and allow His Spirit to guide you and comfort you as you walk through this world. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.—Psalm 119:105

As you do this may the qualities of mercy and truth begin to define who you are as a believer in Jesus Christ.  None of us is sufficient for this life.  God, however, is. He and He alone, is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  Circumstances change, emotions change, life changes but God does not. Jesus Christ the same today, yesterday and forever. Truth resides in the Bible. Mercy is on every page. Keep it close and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  As you do this you will find favor and high esteem with both God and man being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,—2 Corinthians 3:5

Mercy - is a form of love especially directed toward the needy and unworthy. It is the kind of love that God shows me every minute of every day I am alive. 

Truth - is defined as that which is trustworthy, genuine, conforming to reality. God’s word is truth. Christ is the Truth. 

The Greatest Commandment…Matthew 22

 

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."—Matthew 22:34-40

Jesus says to love God is the greatest commandment and to love your neighbor is the next greatest. On these two hang all the law and the prophets.  I was grateful for Jesus’ straightforward response to this question the first time I read it, and I continue to be to be grateful years later.  Sometimes I can get lost in the weeds. The Bible has a lot of details and as a new Christian I was having trouble keeping up. 

Jesus’ answer helps us to see the big picture by zooming out and prioritizing. The first table of the Ten Commandments focuses on our relationship with God. The second part, our relationship with each other.  Love is the big picture. Love is the priority.  Love is the motivating force.  Love summarizes the law. 

The Gospel of Mark gives us more details:

So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

But after that no one dared question Him.

The word spoke to the scribe’s heart!  He started out his conversation with Jesus with the intent of getting evidence for the Pharisees against Jesus.  By the time his short conversation with Jesus had ended he was, as Jesus put it, “not far from the Kingdom.”   The truth had reached his heart and he was listening!  He ears were opened.  

What I saw in Jesus’ answer was kindness.  The Pharisees knew the law…the lawyer that asked the question was probably an expert in the Mosaic law. Jesus’ answer zeroed right in on the truth.  Anyone who was honestly listening would have been convicted. Laying the law of love over their lives, they would have had to admit how very far short they fell in obeying those two commandments. They would have had to admit in their heart their need for a Savior.  Even though these men were working “against” Him, Jesus graciously wanted them to see. He wanted them to walk in truth. He loved them and wanted them to someday live forever with Him. Sadly, maybe no one dared ask Him anymore questions because they didn’t want to honestly hear Jesus’ answers. 

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.—Romans 13:8-10

Those Who Trust in the Lord…

 

Those who trust in the LORD

Are like Mount Zion,

Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the LORD surrounds His people

From this time forth and forever.

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest

On the land allotted to the righteous,

Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

And to those who are upright in their hearts.

As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways,

The LORD shall lead them away

With the workers of iniquity.—Psalm 125

Righteous believers are secure in the Lord. God will not allow them to be shaken and will uphold them in His right paths.  The Lord surrounds His people and protects them on every side.  The rod of wickedness would not rest on the land allotted to righteousness, because He would not test them beyond what their trust in the Lord could endure.  

Beloved…God is our help, our security, our stability and our power.  He is our hope, our joy, and our praise.  In trusting Him we are like Mt Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever.  He will do good to those who are good…who are upright in their hearts. But our God will lead away those who turn aside in unbelief to their own crooked ways with the workers of iniquity. 

Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. Read the verses below and be encouraged, strengthened and blessed. 

Psalms 84:12 AMP - O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]! 

Proverbs 16:20 AMP - He who deals wisely and heeds [God’s] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord — happy, blessed, and fortunate is he. 
    
Jeremiah 17:7 AMP - [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. 
 
Psalms 31:19 AMP - Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men! 

Psalms 5:11 AMP - But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits. 

2 Samuel 22:31 AMP - As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried. He is a Shield to all those who trust and take refuge in Him. 
 
Psalms 18:30 AMP - As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. 

Psalms 91:4 AMP - [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 

Psalms 115:9 AMP - O Israel, trust and take refuge in the Lord! [Lean on, rely on, and be confident in Him!] He is their Help and their Shield. 

Psalms 7:1 AMP - O Lord my God, in You I take refuge and put my trust; save me from all those who pursue and persecute me, and deliver me, 

Psalms 91:4-7 AMP - [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. 

Psalms 4:8 AMP - In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. 
    
Psalms 37:3 AMP - Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. 
 
Psalms 125:1 AMP - Those who trust in, lean on, and confidently hope in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides and stands fast forever. 

Psalms 56:11 AMP - In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 

Psalms 91:5 AMP - You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, 
    
2 Timothy 1:7 AMP - For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
     
Isaiah 26:3 AMP - You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. 

Psalms 37:4-5 AMP - Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. 

Psalms 34:22 AMP - The Lord redeems the lives of His servants, and none of those who take refuge and trust in Him shall be condemned or held guilty. 

Psalms 9:10 NKJV - And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who

seek You

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

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 40:28-30

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.—Ephesians 1:3-14

On Being Faithful…

 

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'

"So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'—Matthew 20:1-15

Reading this parable was heartening. I may have gotten saved late in the game.  I may not have been given a big important job.  But I am not rewarded based on the amount of time served or the importance of the job that has been given to me.  I will be rewarded in accordance with my faithfulness to the task God has given to me to do.…no matter how small, how short or how insignificant it might seem to me or those around me. 

Beloved…be faithful. 

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.—Colossians 3:22-24

The matter of rewards is under the sovereign control of God, the “Landowner” in the parable. In the final analysis, it is God’s accounting and only God’s accounting of our life that is important. I don’t know about you, but I love that. I can rest in that. 

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

The LORD preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.—Psalm 116:5-7

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him—Colossians 3:17

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.—2 Chronicles 31:20-21

but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.—Romans 2:29

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.—1 Corinthians 4:1-5

But "he who glories, let him glory in the LORD." For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.—2 Corinthians 10:17-18

His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'—Matthew 25:23

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.—Philippians 2:14-16

My Heart is Overflowing with a Good Theme…

 

 Intro to Psalm 45 by John Courson…

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.

“Shoshannim means “lilies,” which seems to indicate this was a springtime psalm dealing with the Passover season. It’s a beautiful love song about a mighty king and his passionate love for a queen. Many commentators believe it was a psalm written by Solomon concerning a queen he took as his bride, Pharaoh’s daughter from Egypt. Others say it is connected to Psalms 44 and 46 through 48, and, therefore, deals with Hezekiah, who also took for himself a bride (2 Kings 21:1). While we don’t know the exact setting or author, this we do know: Ultimately, the psalm before us speaks of the King of kings, Jesus Christ, and us as His bride.”

With that said…

I LOVE this Psalm…it always gives me pause. I am the Bride of Christ. He is my King, my Husband and my God. Today, I want to think on Him so that my own heart, like the writer’s here, bubbles over with the glories of the Son of God.  In verses 1-9 the psalmist writes of the grace, beauty and majesty of our King Jesus. 

My heart is overflowing with a good theme;

I recite my composition concerning the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

You are fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Your lips;

Therefore God has blessed You forever.

Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,

With Your glory and Your majesty.

And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;

And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.

Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies;

The peoples fall under You.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

You love righteousness and hate wickedness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,

Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

Kings' daughters are among Your honorable women;

At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.—Psalm 45:1-9

In the next verses we now see the queen, the Bride of Christ. You and me as believers!  Listen to the advice the psalmist gives us as we wait in the palace chambers to be brought to our King. 

Listen, O daughter,

Consider and incline your ear;

Forget your own people also, and your father's house;

So the King will greatly desire your beauty;

Because He is your Lord, worship Him.—Psalm 45:10-11

Those are some very strong words.  I love them more for that reason. They are definite.  They leave no room for equivocation. Jesus says this in Luke

“If any man come after Me, he must hate his mother, father, brother, and sister or he cannot be My disciple”

Seek Him first!  Our love for Jesus our King should far surpass and eclipse any and all of our earthly relationships.  We are, as His Bride, to give Him all the honor and the pre-eminence. He is to whom all our worship and adoration belong. As we enter this relationship, we are to forget our past, submit to Him as our Husband and our King and seek to please Him in all things. As we love Jesus more and more, we will begin to love those around us in His greater and more perfect way. 

Beloved…Our God LOVES us. He SEES our beauty and desires us!  The word for desire here means “longs for” or is “enthralled with”!  Jesus WANTS to spend time with us. He WANTS “ME” to come into His chambers and rest in His Presence.  One commentator points out that the Lord doesn’t rest in our love for Him but in His own love for us.

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.—Zephaniah 3:17

The Amplified says it this way…

The LORD your God is in your midst,

A Warrior who saves.

He will rejoice over you with joy;

He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins],

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Stealing from John the Apostle…I am not the woman who loved Jesus; I am the woman whom Jesus loved.(s)  He chose me before the foundation of the world, clothed me in His righteousness and sacrificed His very life so that I could live with Him forever in the place He has lovingly prepared for me.  There He will rejoice over me with joy and joy over me with singing. Because He has done this…Because He has chosen me to be His Bride…I will give Him all glory, all honor and all thanksgiving forever and ever.

We love, because He first loved us.—John 4:19

as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.—1 Peter 3:6

Addendum…as I meditated on on the first 9 verses of this psalm, the aspect of Christ that came to mind as dearest to my own heart and the one that also makes me most thankful as I walk through this world is this one:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,—Romans 8:1a