By E.M. Bounds
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.
What a comfort and what hope there is to fill our hearts when we think of One in heaven who ever lives to intercede for us, because "His compassion fails not!"
Jesus Christ was altogether man. While He was the divine Son of God yet at the same time, He was the human Son of God. Christ had a preeminently human side, and, here, compassion reigned. He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. At one time how the flesh seems to have weakened under the fearful strain upon Him, and how He must have inwardly shrunk under the pain and pull! Looking up to heaven, He prays, "Father, save Me from this hour." Only He can solve the mystery who has followed his Lord in straits and gloom and pain, and realized that the "spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
All this but fitted our Lord to be a compassionate Savior. It is no sin to feel the pain and realize the darkness on the path into which God leads. It is only human to cry out against the pain, the terror, and desolation of that hour. It is divine to cry out to God in that hour, even while shrinking and sinking down. "For this cause came I unto this hour." Shall I fail through weakness of the flesh? No. "Father, glorify thy name." How strong it makes us, and how true, to have one pole star to guide us to the glory of God!
From E. M. Bounds - The Essentials of Prayer, Chapter 10.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND
Exposition of Psalm 32:1-6 by Spurgeon from the Treasury of David
PSALM 32: 1-6
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
Verse 1. Blessed. Like the sermon on the mount, this Psalm begins with beatitudes. This is the second Psalm of benediction. The first Psalm describes the result of holy blessedness, the thirty-second details the cause of it. The first pictures the tree in full growth, this depicts it in its first planting and watering. He who in the first Psalm is a reader of God's book, is here a suppliant at God's throne accepted and heard. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. He is now blessed and ever shall be. Be he ever so poor, or sick, or sorrowful, he is blessed in very deed. Pardoning mercy is of all things in the world most to be prized, for it is the only and sure way to happiness. To hear from God's own Spirit the words, "absolvo te" is joy unspeakable. Blessedness is not in this case ascribed to the man who has been a diligent law keeper, for then it would never come to us, but rather to a lawbreaker, who by grace most rich and free has been forgiven. Self righteous Pharisees have no portion in this blessedness. Over the returning prodigal, the word of welcome is here pronounced, and the music and dancing begin. A full, instantaneous, irreversible pardon of transgression turns the poor sinner's hell into heaven, and makes the heir of wrath a partaker in blessing. The word rendered forgiven is in the original taken off or taken away, as a burden is lifted or a barrier removed. What a lift is here! It cost our Saviour a sweat of blood to bear our load, yea, it cost him his life to bear it quite away. Samson carried the gates of Gaza, but what was that to the weight which Jesus bore on our behalf? Whose sin is covered. Covered by God, as the ark was covered by the mercyseat, as Noah was covered from the flood, as the Egyptians were covered by the depths of the sea. What a cover must that be which hides away for ever from the sight of the all seeing God all the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit! He who has once seen sin in its horrible deformity, will appreciate the happiness of seeing it no more for ever. Christ's atonement is the propitiation, the covering, the making an end of sin; where this is seen and trusted in, the soul knows itself to be now accepted in the Beloved, and therefore enjoys a conscious blessedness which is the antepast of heaven. It is clear from the text that a man may know that he is pardoned: where would be the blessedness of an unknown forgiveness? Clearly it is a matter of knowledge, for it is the ground of comfort.
Verse 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. The word blessed is in the plural, oh, the blessednesses! the double joys, the bundles of happiness, the mountains of delight! Note the three words so often used to denote our disobedience: transgression, sin, and iniquity, are the three headed dog at the gates of hell, but our glorious Lord has silenced his barkings for ever against his own believing ones. The trinity of sin is overcome by the Trinity of heaven. Non imputation is of the very essence of pardon: the believer sins, but his sin is not reckoned, not accounted to him. Certain divines froth at the mouth with rage against imputed righteousness, be it ours to see our sin not imputed, and to us may there be as Paul words it, "Righteousness imputed without works." He is blessed indeed who has a substitute to stand for him to whose account all his debts may be set down. And in whose spirit there is no guile. He who is pardoned, has in every case been taught to deal honestly with himself, his sin, and his God. Forgiveness is no sham, and the peace which it brings is not caused by playing tricks with conscience. Self deception and hypocrisy bring no blessedness, they may drug the soul into hell with pleasant dreams, but into the heaven of true peace they cannot conduct their victim. Free from guilt, free from guile. Those who are justified from fault are sanctified from falsehood. A liar is not a forgiven soul. Treachery, double dealing, chicanery, dissimulation, are lineaments of the devil's children, but he who is washed from sin is truthful, honest, simple, and childlike. There can be no blessedness to tricksters with their plans, and tricks, and shuffling, and pretending: they are too much afraid of discovery to be at ease; their house is built on the volcano's brink, and eternal destruction must be their portion. Observe the three words to describe sin, and the three words to represent pardon, weigh them well, and note their meaning. (See note at the end.)
Verses 3-5. David now gives us his own experience: no instructor is so efficient as one who testifies to what he has personally known and felt. He writes well who like the spider spins his matter out of his own bowels.
Verse 3. When I kept silence. When through neglect I failed to confess, or through despair dared not do so, my bones, those solid pillars of my frame, the stronger portions of my bodily constitution, waxed old, began to decay with weakness, for my grief was so intense as to sap my health and destroy my vital energy. What a killing thing is sin! It is a pestilent disease! A fire in the bones! While we smother our sin it rages within, and like a gathering wound swells horribly and torments terribly. Through my roaring all the day long. He was silent as to confession, but not as to sorrow. Horror at his great guilt, drove David to incessant laments, until his voice was no longer like the articulate speech of man, but so full of sighing and groaning, that it resembled to hoarse roaring of a wounded beast. None knows the pangs of conviction but those who have endured them. The rack, the wheel, the flaming fagot are ease compared with the Tophet which a guilty conscience kindles within the breast: better suffer all the diseases which flesh is heir to, than lie under the crushing sense of the wrath of almighty God. The Spanish inquisition with all its tortures was nothing to the inquest which conscience holds within the heart.
Verse 4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. God's finger can crush us—what must his hand be, and that pressing heavily and continuously! Under terrors of conscience, men have little rest by night, for the grim thoughts of the day dog them to their chambers and haunt their dreams, or else they lie awake in a cold sweat of dread. God's hand is very helpful when it uplifts, but it is awful when it presses down: better a world on the shoulder, like Atlas, than God's hand on the heart, like David. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. The sap of his soul was dried, and the body through sympathy appeared to be bereft of its needful fluids. The oil was almost gone from the lamp of life, and the flame flickered as though it would soon expire. Unconfessed transgression, like a fierce poison, dried up the fountain of the man's strength and made him like a tree blasted by the lightning, or a plant withered by the scorching heat of a tropical sun. Alas! for a poor soul when it has learned its sin but forgets its Saviour, it goes hard with it indeed. Selah. It was time to change the tune, for the notes are very low in the scale, and with such hard usage, the strings of the harp are out of order: the next verse will surely be set to another key, or will rehearse a more joyful subject.
Verse 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee. After long lingering, the broken heart bethought itself of what it ought to have done at the first, and laid bare its bosom before the Lord. The lancet must be let into the gathering ulcer before relief can be afforded. The least thing we can do, if we would be pardoned, is to acknowledge our fault; if we are too proud for this we double deserve punishment. And mine iniquity have I not hid. We must confess the guilt as well as the fact of sin. It is useless to conceal it, for it is well known to God; it is beneficial to us to own it, for a full confession softens and humbles the heart. We must as far as possible unveil the secrets of the soul, dig up the hidden treasure of Achan, and by weight and measure bring out our sins. I said. This was his fixed resolution. I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. Not to my fellow men or to the high priest, but unto Jehovah; even in those days of symbol the faithful looked to God alone for deliverance from sin's intolerable load, much more now, when types and shadows have vanished at the appearance of the dawn. When the soul determines to lay low and plead guilty, absolution is near at hand; hence we read, And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Not only was the sin itself pardoned, but the iniquity of it; the virus of its guilt was put away, and that at once, so soon as the acknowledgment was made. God's pardons are deep and thorough: the knife of mercy cuts at the roots of the ill weed of sin. Selah. Another pause is needed, for the matter is not such as may be hurried over.
"Pause, my soul, adore and wonder,
Ask, O why such love to me?
Grace has put me in the number
Of the Saviour's family.
Hallelujah!
Thanks, eternal thanks, to thee."
Verse 6. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. If the psalmist means that on account of God's mercy others would become hopeful, his witness is true. Remarkable answers to prayer very much quicken the prayerfulness of other godly persons. Where one man finds a golden nugget others feel inclined to dig. The benefit of our experience to others should reconcile us to it. No doubt the case of David has led thousands to seek the Lord with hopeful courage who, without such an instance to cheer them, might have died in despair. Perhaps the psalmist meant for this favour or the like all godly souls would seek, and here, again, we can confirm his testimony, for all will draw near to God in the same manner as he did when godliness rules their heart. The mercy seat is the way to heaven for all who shall ever come there. There is, however, a set time for prayer, beyond which it will be unavailing; between the time of sin and the day of punishment mercy rules the hour, and God may be found, but when once the sentence has gone forth pleading will be useless, for the Lord will not be found by the condemned soul. O dear reader, slight not the accepted time, waste not the day of salvation. The godly pray while the Lord has promised to answer, the ungodly postpone their petitions till the Master of the house has risen up and shut to the door, and then their knocking is too late. What a blessing to be led to seek the Lord before the great devouring floods leap forth from their lairs, for then when they do appear we shall be safe. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. The floods shall come, and the waves shall rage, and toss themselves like Atlantic billows; whirlpools and waterspouts shall be on every hand, but the praying man shall be at a safe distance, most surely secured from every ill. David was probably most familiar with those great land floods which fill up, with rushing torrents, the beds of rivers which at other times are almost dry: these overflowing waters often did great damage, and, as in the case of the Kishon, were sufficient to sweep away whole armies. From sudden and overwhelming disasters thus set forth in metaphor the true suppliant will certainly be held secure. He who is saved from sin has no need to fear anything else.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
GOD ALMIGHTY - EL SHADDAI
So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth. Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land." Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. --Genesis 35:6-15
Jacob is once again in great distress and fearing for his life and that of his family's. Read Chapter 34 of Genesis for the very sordid...very vile details! In between anguish and fleeing is where God speaks to Him and tells him to go back to Bethel...to the place where he had gone when running from his brother, Esau...to the place where he had met His God face to face for the first time.
Jacob obeys and finds God waiting for him at Bethel. Even when we walk away, our God waits for us to return...to come to our senses once again and remember that our help comes from Him. So Jacob comes back to the place where he met and wrestled with His God...to the place where his relationship with Him was personal. If you have walked away, return to Him...return to your first love. He is waiting patiently for you at the place you first met. It is there you will find Him again, just as Jacob did.
Jacob built an altar to God at Bethel and called it El Beth El. Bethel means house of God but El Beth El means God of the house. Ahh...Jacob's comfort came from His God! The building of the altar was not an empty ritual for him. God was in it! This was true worship...it was all substance. It was here that God so graciously renewed His covenant with Jacob.
And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."
When God calls Himself God Almighty or in Hebrew El Shaddai, He is literally saying I am the breasted one. The breast nourishes and sustains life. God is telling Jacob that He is not only the source of life but the nourisher and sustainer of it also. In Him, we, like Jacob, have everything we need. How comforting is that for us! Our God is the El Shaddai!
I have nursed children. Nursing is something that requires you to sit down and focus completely on your child. You really can't do much else. God designed it this way. It is where the infant meets you face to face for the first time and falls in love. It is where your personal relationship with your little one is established...as you hold him close and nourish and sustain his life. This is how my God wants me to think of Him...encompassed in His everlasting arms where every thought and intention of my heart is known by Him and every cry answered. When God is with us it is as if there is no one else and nothing else in the universe. He is intensely there...as a mom is with her nursing infant, to be in the presence of God is better than anything the world has to offer. He is our great High Priest who can sympathize with all our weaknesses. He bears our sorrows and trouble. He intercedes for us with the Father. He clothes us in His righteousness. He is our helper, our deliverer and our sustainer. His love and grace for each of us is without end. The height, breadth, width and depth of his love cannot be measured.
As a child is weaned and grows older, by necessity, he grows more independent of his parents. We tell our kids to grow up and behave like an adult. The Great El Shaddai tells us the opposite! He wants us to behave like a child...to depend on Him in everything and for everything! Jesus modeled this by living His life here on earth in total and utter dependence on His Father in Heaven. He said nothing and did nothing outside of His Father's will. If you are a parent, remember this desire of God's in your moment by moment relationship with your little one. Point Him to Jesus always. Having done that...you have done your job. Remember it in your own relationship with your Lord. Think back on the sweetness of the nursing period...think back to when your child was a toddler and was tired, or scared or hurt and how wonderful it felt when they ran to you and climbed into your lap for whatever it was they might have needed. Remember how wonderful it was to be able to fill that need for them. REMEMBER THIS AND GO TO HIM IN YOUR TIME OF NEED. Climb on His lap and allow His comfort to fill you! It is His joy to do this!! Your God will rejoice over you with singing and He will comfort and quiet you with His love.
Life is hard....full of difficulties and curve balls. It is too much for any of us. Jesus tells us He is the El Shaddai..."the breasted one". He does not want us to handle this life on our own. In fact...He does not want US to handle it at all. He says to come to Him...cry out to Him...run to Him. He is the God that performs all things for us. He is the God that perfects all things that concern us. We can trust Him. This is the attitude we need when we first enter God's kingdom....one of total dependence on the mercy of God. One that understands with heart knowledge, as a child does, that he is helpless and unable to save himself. This also needs to be the heart of a child of God throughout his journey here on earth. He walks with His God by faith, without fear, knowing that he is loved by his Father and that He will care for his every need. Revel in the moment. Walk by faith...cast your burdens upon the Lord...He cares for you. Know your God, the Great El Shaddai, is with you and will see you through!
Jacob is once again in great distress and fearing for his life and that of his family's. Read Chapter 34 of Genesis for the very sordid...very vile details! In between anguish and fleeing is where God speaks to Him and tells him to go back to Bethel...to the place where he had gone when running from his brother, Esau...to the place where he had met His God face to face for the first time.
Jacob obeys and finds God waiting for him at Bethel. Even when we walk away, our God waits for us to return...to come to our senses once again and remember that our help comes from Him. So Jacob comes back to the place where he met and wrestled with His God...to the place where his relationship with Him was personal. If you have walked away, return to Him...return to your first love. He is waiting patiently for you at the place you first met. It is there you will find Him again, just as Jacob did.
Jacob built an altar to God at Bethel and called it El Beth El. Bethel means house of God but El Beth El means God of the house. Ahh...Jacob's comfort came from His God! The building of the altar was not an empty ritual for him. God was in it! This was true worship...it was all substance. It was here that God so graciously renewed His covenant with Jacob.
And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."
When God calls Himself God Almighty or in Hebrew El Shaddai, He is literally saying I am the breasted one. The breast nourishes and sustains life. God is telling Jacob that He is not only the source of life but the nourisher and sustainer of it also. In Him, we, like Jacob, have everything we need. How comforting is that for us! Our God is the El Shaddai!
I have nursed children. Nursing is something that requires you to sit down and focus completely on your child. You really can't do much else. God designed it this way. It is where the infant meets you face to face for the first time and falls in love. It is where your personal relationship with your little one is established...as you hold him close and nourish and sustain his life. This is how my God wants me to think of Him...encompassed in His everlasting arms where every thought and intention of my heart is known by Him and every cry answered. When God is with us it is as if there is no one else and nothing else in the universe. He is intensely there...as a mom is with her nursing infant, to be in the presence of God is better than anything the world has to offer. He is our great High Priest who can sympathize with all our weaknesses. He bears our sorrows and trouble. He intercedes for us with the Father. He clothes us in His righteousness. He is our helper, our deliverer and our sustainer. His love and grace for each of us is without end. The height, breadth, width and depth of his love cannot be measured.
As a child is weaned and grows older, by necessity, he grows more independent of his parents. We tell our kids to grow up and behave like an adult. The Great El Shaddai tells us the opposite! He wants us to behave like a child...to depend on Him in everything and for everything! Jesus modeled this by living His life here on earth in total and utter dependence on His Father in Heaven. He said nothing and did nothing outside of His Father's will. If you are a parent, remember this desire of God's in your moment by moment relationship with your little one. Point Him to Jesus always. Having done that...you have done your job. Remember it in your own relationship with your Lord. Think back on the sweetness of the nursing period...think back to when your child was a toddler and was tired, or scared or hurt and how wonderful it felt when they ran to you and climbed into your lap for whatever it was they might have needed. Remember how wonderful it was to be able to fill that need for them. REMEMBER THIS AND GO TO HIM IN YOUR TIME OF NEED. Climb on His lap and allow His comfort to fill you! It is His joy to do this!! Your God will rejoice over you with singing and He will comfort and quiet you with His love.
Life is hard....full of difficulties and curve balls. It is too much for any of us. Jesus tells us He is the El Shaddai..."the breasted one". He does not want us to handle this life on our own. In fact...He does not want US to handle it at all. He says to come to Him...cry out to Him...run to Him. He is the God that performs all things for us. He is the God that perfects all things that concern us. We can trust Him. This is the attitude we need when we first enter God's kingdom....one of total dependence on the mercy of God. One that understands with heart knowledge, as a child does, that he is helpless and unable to save himself. This also needs to be the heart of a child of God throughout his journey here on earth. He walks with His God by faith, without fear, knowing that he is loved by his Father and that He will care for his every need. Revel in the moment. Walk by faith...cast your burdens upon the Lord...He cares for you. Know your God, the Great El Shaddai, is with you and will see you through!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
He Goes Before Us...
So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp. So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: "Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You." And when it rested, he said: "Return, O LORD, To the many thousands of Israel." --Numbers 10:33-36
Dear Girls,
I was actually reading through 1 Corinthians 9 and 10 this morning but was led by a cross reference to Numbers and happened to read these verses. They spoke to my heart and hope they will to yours also.
This cloud was a visible sign to Israel of God's special presence both night and day. At night the cloud over the tabernacle was a pillar of fire and by day a cloud. The cloud and the fire provided both guidance and protection. It is very important to note that the tabernacle was in the very center...the heart of the Israelite camp. God was their strength and He dwelt in the midst of His people! What a beautiful picture for them. When the cloud rested, the Israelites remained camped in that place. When the cloud was taken up, they broke camp...no matter how comfortable they might have been. There eyes needed to be on their God always. He led them and guided them through the wilderness. He went before them and searched out a resting place.
What a picture for us of how we are to live. He is to be the center of our life. He is to be who we look to in the morning, who we trust all the day long, and who we fellowship with before sleep closes our eyes. Live for Him and allow Him to lead and guide. Follow the leading of His Spirit in your life. Wait on Him...move at His command. Remember that He goes before you and is your resting place. Your eternal soul is your most precious possession and it belongs to God. Entrust it to His care. It came from Him and will return to Him. If it is well with your soul, all is truly well.
Wherever you find yourself, know that He has gone ahead and prepared it for you. A good shepherd will do this for the sheep of his fold. He goes before them and searches out the best tablelands for grazing. He clears out watering holes and notes dangerous places. He may spend days clearing out the poisonous plants that could make his sheep ill. The pasture chosen by the shepherd may not . have everything the sheep need to thrive so the shepherd will bring what it lacks upon his return. God is our Shepherd...how much more will he do for us...His weak and helpless sheep who have placed their trust in Him!
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Love
Mom
Dear Girls,
I was actually reading through 1 Corinthians 9 and 10 this morning but was led by a cross reference to Numbers and happened to read these verses. They spoke to my heart and hope they will to yours also.
This cloud was a visible sign to Israel of God's special presence both night and day. At night the cloud over the tabernacle was a pillar of fire and by day a cloud. The cloud and the fire provided both guidance and protection. It is very important to note that the tabernacle was in the very center...the heart of the Israelite camp. God was their strength and He dwelt in the midst of His people! What a beautiful picture for them. When the cloud rested, the Israelites remained camped in that place. When the cloud was taken up, they broke camp...no matter how comfortable they might have been. There eyes needed to be on their God always. He led them and guided them through the wilderness. He went before them and searched out a resting place.
What a picture for us of how we are to live. He is to be the center of our life. He is to be who we look to in the morning, who we trust all the day long, and who we fellowship with before sleep closes our eyes. Live for Him and allow Him to lead and guide. Follow the leading of His Spirit in your life. Wait on Him...move at His command. Remember that He goes before you and is your resting place. Your eternal soul is your most precious possession and it belongs to God. Entrust it to His care. It came from Him and will return to Him. If it is well with your soul, all is truly well.
Wherever you find yourself, know that He has gone ahead and prepared it for you. A good shepherd will do this for the sheep of his fold. He goes before them and searches out the best tablelands for grazing. He clears out watering holes and notes dangerous places. He may spend days clearing out the poisonous plants that could make his sheep ill. The pasture chosen by the shepherd may not . have everything the sheep need to thrive so the shepherd will bring what it lacks upon his return. God is our Shepherd...how much more will he do for us...His weak and helpless sheep who have placed their trust in Him!
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Love
Mom
Friday, August 19, 2011
MY HELP COMES FROM HIM!
In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me.--Psalm 31:1-3
Dear Girls,
David knew where to go in times of trouble. Job 5:8 tells us this:
"But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause--
Job's "comforters" did not give him much good advice...this was the exception though. This is good advice! In times of trouble go to Him who does great and unsearchable things...marvelous things without number. Why would you go anywhere else? Let the storms rage, our refuge is in Him...to Him do I run.
The psalm starts off with David doing just this. David knows where to go. He flees to His God and begins his trial and his prayer with an avowal of faith. What a great example for us. Start off strong and place your trust in Him, knowing that He will work in it for your good and His glory. Declare your trust in Him, BEFORE you are in the midst of the really deep waters and forget His promises. Cry His promises aloud...Remind your troubled heart that He has been there in the past and will see you through even this! Remind your heart that God does not forsake those who place their trust in Him and depend on Him alone. He is a God of truth and will honor His word. Trust in God must bring consolation and deliverance because He says it will! Your faith will not be in vain! He will not deliver us because we are anything, He will deliver because of who He is. He will be true to His name. He will be true to His promises.
"Thou are not unjust to desert a trustful soul or to break thy promises." --Spurgeon
Look to the cross. Behold Him who died for you. The promise of the Father is yea and amen through the Son and stands revealed in Jesus crucified.
In verse 2 we find David asking God to bow down His ear to him and to deliver him speedily. He asks Him to be his rock of refuge and a fortress of defense to save him. I so love David and am forever grateful for the psalms! David is spoken of in the Word as a man after God's own heart. David's flesh might have been weak at times but his Spirit desired always to follow his Lord. It is so helpful to me to pray and speak to God as David does. It personalizes my relationship and draws me nigh unto Him. My God graciously and kindly comes down to me!!! TO MY LEVEL AND STOOPS TO LISTEN ATTENTIVELY AS ONE WHO REALLY DESIRES TO HEAR MY EVERY WORD!!!! Meditate on that!!! David asks for speedy deliverance...what I always want in a trial but feel I shouldn't ask. David did, so I will also. Yes, I must wait on His timing but there is nothing wrong with praying for swift deliverance and abundant mercy. Lord, you know my frame...I am but dust is a frequent prayer of mine.
David asks God to be his rock of refuge....his large, immovable, impenetrable fortress. It is here that he wants to abide continually and not just in times of trouble, but always. God is a fortress of defense to save us...He is our eternal refuge. Resort to Him continually throughout your day with whatever you are facing. Allow Him always to be at your right hand. Allow Him always to uphold you. He has become such a comforting presence in my life! So much so that when the moments come that I forget and am walking without Him, so to speak, I feel as one does who is walking along a steep precipice with no guard rails. This place of comfort did not come easy. It came through going through very high waters and allowing Him to be my support. It came from placing my trust in Him continually and learning with heart knowledge as David did that He is faithful!
Because David placed his trust in His God, He would lead and direct his path. Again not because David was anything but because God is true to His word. Those who trust in Him will not perish! Lead speaks to his hand as you walk through your journey here on earth. Guide speaks more to His word that will be a light to your path and His provision for you as you walk in the way. He not only shows you the way but provides all you need as you journey along it.
David knew all this about his God. Why? Because David had spent time with His God. He knew his character. He remembered that His God was gracious, abounding in lovingkindness, tender and faithful. He had trusted Him to deliver him in the past and was trusting Him again. Do what David did all his life. Look to Him always but especially when your eyes fill with tears and trouble. He will not forsake you. He is faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If you don't feel His presence today, recall that He was with you yesterday. Remember his favor toward you in the past. Stay in His presence, meditate on His character and dwell in His mercy. Our help comes from Him. Wait for it.
He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.--Job 5:19
Love
Mom
Dear Girls,
David knew where to go in times of trouble. Job 5:8 tells us this:
"But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause--
Job's "comforters" did not give him much good advice...this was the exception though. This is good advice! In times of trouble go to Him who does great and unsearchable things...marvelous things without number. Why would you go anywhere else? Let the storms rage, our refuge is in Him...to Him do I run.
The psalm starts off with David doing just this. David knows where to go. He flees to His God and begins his trial and his prayer with an avowal of faith. What a great example for us. Start off strong and place your trust in Him, knowing that He will work in it for your good and His glory. Declare your trust in Him, BEFORE you are in the midst of the really deep waters and forget His promises. Cry His promises aloud...Remind your troubled heart that He has been there in the past and will see you through even this! Remind your heart that God does not forsake those who place their trust in Him and depend on Him alone. He is a God of truth and will honor His word. Trust in God must bring consolation and deliverance because He says it will! Your faith will not be in vain! He will not deliver us because we are anything, He will deliver because of who He is. He will be true to His name. He will be true to His promises.
"Thou are not unjust to desert a trustful soul or to break thy promises." --Spurgeon
Look to the cross. Behold Him who died for you. The promise of the Father is yea and amen through the Son and stands revealed in Jesus crucified.
In verse 2 we find David asking God to bow down His ear to him and to deliver him speedily. He asks Him to be his rock of refuge and a fortress of defense to save him. I so love David and am forever grateful for the psalms! David is spoken of in the Word as a man after God's own heart. David's flesh might have been weak at times but his Spirit desired always to follow his Lord. It is so helpful to me to pray and speak to God as David does. It personalizes my relationship and draws me nigh unto Him. My God graciously and kindly comes down to me!!! TO MY LEVEL AND STOOPS TO LISTEN ATTENTIVELY AS ONE WHO REALLY DESIRES TO HEAR MY EVERY WORD!!!! Meditate on that!!! David asks for speedy deliverance...what I always want in a trial but feel I shouldn't ask. David did, so I will also. Yes, I must wait on His timing but there is nothing wrong with praying for swift deliverance and abundant mercy. Lord, you know my frame...I am but dust is a frequent prayer of mine.
David asks God to be his rock of refuge....his large, immovable, impenetrable fortress. It is here that he wants to abide continually and not just in times of trouble, but always. God is a fortress of defense to save us...He is our eternal refuge. Resort to Him continually throughout your day with whatever you are facing. Allow Him always to be at your right hand. Allow Him always to uphold you. He has become such a comforting presence in my life! So much so that when the moments come that I forget and am walking without Him, so to speak, I feel as one does who is walking along a steep precipice with no guard rails. This place of comfort did not come easy. It came through going through very high waters and allowing Him to be my support. It came from placing my trust in Him continually and learning with heart knowledge as David did that He is faithful!
Because David placed his trust in His God, He would lead and direct his path. Again not because David was anything but because God is true to His word. Those who trust in Him will not perish! Lead speaks to his hand as you walk through your journey here on earth. Guide speaks more to His word that will be a light to your path and His provision for you as you walk in the way. He not only shows you the way but provides all you need as you journey along it.
David knew all this about his God. Why? Because David had spent time with His God. He knew his character. He remembered that His God was gracious, abounding in lovingkindness, tender and faithful. He had trusted Him to deliver him in the past and was trusting Him again. Do what David did all his life. Look to Him always but especially when your eyes fill with tears and trouble. He will not forsake you. He is faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If you don't feel His presence today, recall that He was with you yesterday. Remember his favor toward you in the past. Stay in His presence, meditate on His character and dwell in His mercy. Our help comes from Him. Wait for it.
He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.--Job 5:19
Love
Mom
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wrestling with God...Genesis 32
Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." --Genesis 32:24-28
To My Daughters,
Jacob was left alone...Solitude for some is the last place they want to be. Solitude means being alone with yourself...alone with your thoughts, fears and anxieties. This is where we find Jacob, alone and probably filled with anxiety and fear. Perhaps understanding with heart knowledge for the first that he was not in control...that no amount of deceiving and conniving would save him or his family from harm. It is here, at his point of need, where His God met him.
Hosea 12:4 identifies this Man with whom Jacob wrestled as the Angel of the Lord. He is also identified as God, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 30 Jacob names the place of his struggle as Peniel which means literally the face of God. Jacob wrestled and struggled with God Himself!
Most of us can relate to Jacob. Our own self-will keeps us from God's best and away from the right path. God wanted to do a work in Jacob, but Jacob was not in a place of surrender. For in God's world the way into His presence and to victory is in surrender. Jacob did not surrender...not until God crippled him. God did not want to cripple him, but sometimes (okay, most times) God has got to weaken us to enable us to see ourselves for the miserable, weak, helpless sinners that we are. A good shepherd will break a wandering lamb's leg to save its life. He will then carry that lamb on his shoulders until its legs heal. By the time the healing occurs the lamb has grown to love the shepherd and wants to remain close to his side.
This is what God did to Jacob. Jacob had a tendency to stray, go his own way and do things in his own strength. There is a way that seems right to man, the bible says, but its end is destruction. Jacob's limp would always remind him of his weakness...it was a wound from a Faithful Friend who loved Him, wanted the best for him and most importantly did not want to see him perish. Jacob now understood as the apostle Paul did that when he was weak, he was strong.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.--2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
God had blessed Jacob materially..now He wanted to bless Him even more abundantly. He wanted to fill Jacob with Himself and place His desires on His heart. This is what Jacob wanted...this is what he desired.
And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
Jacob's struggle, as ours are til the day we die, was with himself. His spirit was willing but his flesh was weak. We are our own worst enemy...me, myself and I always get in the way of the work God wants to do in our lives.. The Angel of God responds to Jacob's demand for a blessing by asking him what his name was. Now God did not ask him his name because he did not know it. He asked him his name because he wanted Jacob to face who he was in his flesh...a deceiver and a heel catcher. If Jacob wanted to be blessed by God he needed to admit who he was and allow His God to change Him. Upon this admission, Jacob got a new name. Israel....which literally means ruled by God or God empowered prince. God cannot trust us with His work and His power unless we are under His authority...surrendered to His will. Jacob was crippled in the battle but victory was his because now instead of being ruled by self...He was ruled by God and became one of the patriarchs of God's chosen people.
Ask God to rule in your life. Lay down your will and accept His. Look at yourself...really look. Admit your need and God will meet you. Even if you have been walking with the Lord a long time there will be much you will find as the Lord peels away the "you" layers that you have not laid down. Ask God to show you these. Know that as you lay them down, you are not laying down anything that is good for you. You are laying down those things that interfere with all that God has for you...the things that interfere with the work He wants to do in you and through you. As you surrender to Him by faith and allow Him to rule your life, His grace will be there and His goodness and mercy will abound.
Love
Mom
To My Daughters,
Jacob was left alone...Solitude for some is the last place they want to be. Solitude means being alone with yourself...alone with your thoughts, fears and anxieties. This is where we find Jacob, alone and probably filled with anxiety and fear. Perhaps understanding with heart knowledge for the first that he was not in control...that no amount of deceiving and conniving would save him or his family from harm. It is here, at his point of need, where His God met him.
Hosea 12:4 identifies this Man with whom Jacob wrestled as the Angel of the Lord. He is also identified as God, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 30 Jacob names the place of his struggle as Peniel which means literally the face of God. Jacob wrestled and struggled with God Himself!
Most of us can relate to Jacob. Our own self-will keeps us from God's best and away from the right path. God wanted to do a work in Jacob, but Jacob was not in a place of surrender. For in God's world the way into His presence and to victory is in surrender. Jacob did not surrender...not until God crippled him. God did not want to cripple him, but sometimes (okay, most times) God has got to weaken us to enable us to see ourselves for the miserable, weak, helpless sinners that we are. A good shepherd will break a wandering lamb's leg to save its life. He will then carry that lamb on his shoulders until its legs heal. By the time the healing occurs the lamb has grown to love the shepherd and wants to remain close to his side.
This is what God did to Jacob. Jacob had a tendency to stray, go his own way and do things in his own strength. There is a way that seems right to man, the bible says, but its end is destruction. Jacob's limp would always remind him of his weakness...it was a wound from a Faithful Friend who loved Him, wanted the best for him and most importantly did not want to see him perish. Jacob now understood as the apostle Paul did that when he was weak, he was strong.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.--2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
God had blessed Jacob materially..now He wanted to bless Him even more abundantly. He wanted to fill Jacob with Himself and place His desires on His heart. This is what Jacob wanted...this is what he desired.
And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
Jacob's struggle, as ours are til the day we die, was with himself. His spirit was willing but his flesh was weak. We are our own worst enemy...me, myself and I always get in the way of the work God wants to do in our lives.. The Angel of God responds to Jacob's demand for a blessing by asking him what his name was. Now God did not ask him his name because he did not know it. He asked him his name because he wanted Jacob to face who he was in his flesh...a deceiver and a heel catcher. If Jacob wanted to be blessed by God he needed to admit who he was and allow His God to change Him. Upon this admission, Jacob got a new name. Israel....which literally means ruled by God or God empowered prince. God cannot trust us with His work and His power unless we are under His authority...surrendered to His will. Jacob was crippled in the battle but victory was his because now instead of being ruled by self...He was ruled by God and became one of the patriarchs of God's chosen people.
Ask God to rule in your life. Lay down your will and accept His. Look at yourself...really look. Admit your need and God will meet you. Even if you have been walking with the Lord a long time there will be much you will find as the Lord peels away the "you" layers that you have not laid down. Ask God to show you these. Know that as you lay them down, you are not laying down anything that is good for you. You are laying down those things that interfere with all that God has for you...the things that interfere with the work He wants to do in you and through you. As you surrender to Him by faith and allow Him to rule your life, His grace will be there and His goodness and mercy will abound.
Love
Mom
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
WHEN IN DOUBT...SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. --1 Corinthians 8:1-3
To My Daughters,
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. This is such a wonderful principal to apply in all the decisions we make. The bible says that without love we are nothing and whatever we might do...even those things that look good and right from the outside are in vain. Love is always needed to see the whole picture.
Knowledge leads to pride, thinking we know better we run ramrod over other people's beliefs and feelings. We run ahead of God and their conscience and weaken their faith. In fact, a know-it-all really just advertises his ignorance because someone who really does know a lot also realizes how very little he really does know. Knowledge, Paul said, puffs up, but love edifies.
Today, as in the Corinthian church there are many situations in our lives that are not black and white. Thou shalt not kill...pretty black and white. Do not be drunk with wine...but a little is good for the stomach. Not so black and white. How much can you drink then and still be in God's will??? Here is where the rubber really meets the road. Paul says not to use just your knowledge in such matters but use your love. Consider not only what is lawful for you...but what would be the best for others.
Chapter 8 of 1 Corinthians speaks to the larger issue of our liberty in Christ. Paul urges us not to put a stumbling block in front of our weaker brethren. He is speaking in regard to the eating of meat that was sacrificed to idols. I will speak to the drinking of alcohol...an example that is easier for us to understand in today's world. Having a glass of wine in front of a brother who has struggled with alcohol abuse in the past is not loving. He might use your liberty in Christ to go against his conscience, be emboldened to drink and could, therefore, be adversely affected by your liberty.
Each one of us have weak areas where it is easy for Satan to gain a foothold. For one it might be alcohol, for another lust, for another greed...I could go on but I will spare you. I might have a personal conviction that I will not do this or that because I know the end of doing this particular thing would lead me down a path where I know I am weak and sin would most likely result. It would not be a good thing for me to go against my conscience in this. It is kind of similar to someone who is on a diet and going against their conscience eat a small piece of cake. Harmless, right...a few spins on the exercise bike and the effects are mitigated. Unfortunately, food is a weak area for them and because they now feel they have blown their diet consume the entire cake. NOT SO EASILY MITIGATED. I do not want to do this to another brother or sister in Christ. God places various convictions on our hearts to hedge us behind and before from ourselves...from our own flesh. Talking someone out of a conviction that God has placed on their heart is never a good thing.
How do we know then when to bear with the infirmities of our brethren in love and when to speak the truth to them in love. (notice that the word love is used in both instances...love is always needed) Here is what I do...I pray...I ask God what to do in all the different situations I face. I ask for His wisdom which is peaceable, pure, gentle and willing to yield. And here is the most important part of my message...WHEN IN DOUBT...I SHUT MY MOUTH. I trust that the Lord will lead them...just as He does me.
A relationship with Jesus is moment by moment surrender to the prompting of His Spirit in your life. It is not a set of rules and regulations. It is asking Him what to do and how to handle each situation you face. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Put Him first. Love those around you with the love He has shed abroad in your heart. Immerse yourself in His word. It will right your thinking, align your will with His, and correct what misunderstandings you might have. God will guide you in all situations and if He is leading you will be walking in love and building up the faith of those around you.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct your paths.-- Proverbs 3:5-6
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.--1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Love
Mom
To My Daughters,
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. This is such a wonderful principal to apply in all the decisions we make. The bible says that without love we are nothing and whatever we might do...even those things that look good and right from the outside are in vain. Love is always needed to see the whole picture.
Knowledge leads to pride, thinking we know better we run ramrod over other people's beliefs and feelings. We run ahead of God and their conscience and weaken their faith. In fact, a know-it-all really just advertises his ignorance because someone who really does know a lot also realizes how very little he really does know. Knowledge, Paul said, puffs up, but love edifies.
Today, as in the Corinthian church there are many situations in our lives that are not black and white. Thou shalt not kill...pretty black and white. Do not be drunk with wine...but a little is good for the stomach. Not so black and white. How much can you drink then and still be in God's will??? Here is where the rubber really meets the road. Paul says not to use just your knowledge in such matters but use your love. Consider not only what is lawful for you...but what would be the best for others.
Chapter 8 of 1 Corinthians speaks to the larger issue of our liberty in Christ. Paul urges us not to put a stumbling block in front of our weaker brethren. He is speaking in regard to the eating of meat that was sacrificed to idols. I will speak to the drinking of alcohol...an example that is easier for us to understand in today's world. Having a glass of wine in front of a brother who has struggled with alcohol abuse in the past is not loving. He might use your liberty in Christ to go against his conscience, be emboldened to drink and could, therefore, be adversely affected by your liberty.
Each one of us have weak areas where it is easy for Satan to gain a foothold. For one it might be alcohol, for another lust, for another greed...I could go on but I will spare you. I might have a personal conviction that I will not do this or that because I know the end of doing this particular thing would lead me down a path where I know I am weak and sin would most likely result. It would not be a good thing for me to go against my conscience in this. It is kind of similar to someone who is on a diet and going against their conscience eat a small piece of cake. Harmless, right...a few spins on the exercise bike and the effects are mitigated. Unfortunately, food is a weak area for them and because they now feel they have blown their diet consume the entire cake. NOT SO EASILY MITIGATED. I do not want to do this to another brother or sister in Christ. God places various convictions on our hearts to hedge us behind and before from ourselves...from our own flesh. Talking someone out of a conviction that God has placed on their heart is never a good thing.
How do we know then when to bear with the infirmities of our brethren in love and when to speak the truth to them in love. (notice that the word love is used in both instances...love is always needed) Here is what I do...I pray...I ask God what to do in all the different situations I face. I ask for His wisdom which is peaceable, pure, gentle and willing to yield. And here is the most important part of my message...WHEN IN DOUBT...I SHUT MY MOUTH. I trust that the Lord will lead them...just as He does me.
A relationship with Jesus is moment by moment surrender to the prompting of His Spirit in your life. It is not a set of rules and regulations. It is asking Him what to do and how to handle each situation you face. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Put Him first. Love those around you with the love He has shed abroad in your heart. Immerse yourself in His word. It will right your thinking, align your will with His, and correct what misunderstandings you might have. God will guide you in all situations and if He is leading you will be walking in love and building up the faith of those around you.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct your paths.-- Proverbs 3:5-6
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.--1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Love
Mom
Monday, August 15, 2011
IN HONOR OF A LITTLE ONE WHO SHARES HER LOVE...
There is a little girl that walks pass my house with her mom a few times a week. I have never met her personally but when she sees me, she never fails to wave and to keep waving until I am no longer in her sight. This little girl's kindness never fails to comfort my heart and remind me of God's unfailing love. She ALWAYS looks for me when she passes and keeps looking until she cannot see my house anymore. I know, I have watched her without her knowing it. She continues to turn around and look toward my back door hoping I will appear so she can wave. And you know I do whatever I can do to get to the back door so she can see me and I can wave back. Forgetting herself, this little one loves those in her path. She shares the love God has placed in her heart like you might share an ice cream cone. She makes my life kinder just by her being in it.
We never really know what someone might be facing or going through. There is much grief and sorrow in this life. FOR THIS REASON AND THIS REASON ALONE...BE KIND. This little girl as she passes my house leaves a rainbow in her wake. The air is fresher...the grass greener...the sky more blue. Put on the love and kindness of Jesus every day. Be unexpectedly kind and loving to those God has put in your path. Make the moment a better place to be for your family...for your husband...for your wife....for your children...for your mom and your dad...for your friends...for the strangers you meet daily. Forget yourself and remember love.
I close with some of the most beautiful exhortations in Scripture...
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.--Colossians 3:12-17
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Lord is Gracious - Spurgeon
1 Peter 2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
You are depressed with heavy grief. Things have gone amiss. You do not prosper in business, or you are sick, or a loved one lies ill. No wonder you feel exceedingly burdened. Passing through this thick darkness, you will be strongly tempted to think badly of God and to blame Him for the troubles that surround you. This will only make matters worse and increase your sin and your sorrow.
You are ready to despair. You say, "There is no hope. I am caught in a net. There is no escape." You are ready to try some wrong method of help. Satan will suggest dishonest, impure, or reckless courses that seem to offer some shadow of relief.
The Lord assures you that there is a far wiser course: just turn to Him. When He hears your cry, He will be gracious. He will answer you. There is help in your present trial. Infinite wisdom understands it, and infinite power can help you through it. God can remove your suffering, or He can prevent the occurrence of what you dread.
Or if in His divine wisdom He sees fit to lay the rod on, He can enable you to bear it and make it turn to your everlasting good. Be well assured, "He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men" (Lam 3:33). There is a need for the heavy trial that weighs you down. The Lord is not visiting you in wrath, for there is kindness in His severity. Your strength, your comfort, and your ultimate deliverance will come from knowing that this is true. Yield to God. Trust Him in your affliction and you will obtain deliverance.
You are depressed with heavy grief. Things have gone amiss. You do not prosper in business, or you are sick, or a loved one lies ill. No wonder you feel exceedingly burdened. Passing through this thick darkness, you will be strongly tempted to think badly of God and to blame Him for the troubles that surround you. This will only make matters worse and increase your sin and your sorrow.
You are ready to despair. You say, "There is no hope. I am caught in a net. There is no escape." You are ready to try some wrong method of help. Satan will suggest dishonest, impure, or reckless courses that seem to offer some shadow of relief.
The Lord assures you that there is a far wiser course: just turn to Him. When He hears your cry, He will be gracious. He will answer you. There is help in your present trial. Infinite wisdom understands it, and infinite power can help you through it. God can remove your suffering, or He can prevent the occurrence of what you dread.
Or if in His divine wisdom He sees fit to lay the rod on, He can enable you to bear it and make it turn to your everlasting good. Be well assured, "He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men" (Lam 3:33). There is a need for the heavy trial that weighs you down. The Lord is not visiting you in wrath, for there is kindness in His severity. Your strength, your comfort, and your ultimate deliverance will come from knowing that this is true. Yield to God. Trust Him in your affliction and you will obtain deliverance.
The Sweetness in Knowing Him...
A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
To My Precious Daughters...
Oh God, You are my God. David always personalizes his relationship with his God! I, following his example, do the same. He is my God. How sweet these words are to me when I say them. I belong to Him...He belongs to me. All His promises are mine. All His love and care are mine. I have the richest of what heaven and earth have to offer even now! I have HIM!! He has redeemed me and called me by name. Hour by hour He supplies my needs. He guides and upholds my every step. When I rest on Him, He does not fail. When I trust in Him, my trust is not in vain. He delivers me out of all my troubles...He does not leave me in deep waters, nor do the flames that surround, burn me. He is always with me. No one, not even me, can snatch me out of His hands. Nothing..NOTHING... can separate me from Him. He is my treasure. In Him I live and move and have my being. He is my all sufficient God. Sufficient for my every need. He keeps me as a King keeps His jewels...My God, will never for a moment forget me.
David sought God early and always. His thirst like a physical thirst would be heard. He was in a weary land and had a weary heart...His desire was to be in the presence of His God. He looked for Him in the sanctuary. He looked for Him everywhere and would not be distracted. He followed hard after Him, knowing His lovingkindness was better than life itself. David followed at His God's heels...he did not let him out of his sight. The withdrawal of the light of His countenance was as the shadow of death to David. He knew that without the hand of His God upholding him, he would soon fall. He knew that everything he needed was in Him!
I want to long after God as David did. I want to follow hard after Him...to look for Him everywhere and to have eyes to see His hand in everything! Life here on earth is temporary...our God and His mercy are from everlasting to everlasting. I want my soul to be satisfied feasting, as David did, on the marrow and fatness of my God. I want His shade to be my sweet, sweet resting place. As I meditate on Him in the night, I pray that He brings to mind all the times He has delivered and that in my weakness I will remember that in Him who is sufficient, I have everything I need.
Sadly, however, David knew that because he did follow closely after God that there would be people who would want to destroy God's work of grace in His life. As David sought His God, they earnestly sought his ruin. David was a man with many enemies. But he knew that his enemies would fade and he would flourish. He knew that they would fall and be victims of their own wicked schemes. The pit dug for David, they themselves would fall into. The hell they prepared for David would swallow them up. He knew they were destined for destruction so he would continue then to rejoice in His God. It is so important to remember this. We do not war against flesh and blood, but against prinicipalites and powers. When you follow hard after God, there will be some that will follow just as hard after you in an attempt to destroy your witness for Him...to ruin His work of grace in your life. THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED. The Lord looks at them and laughs...He holds them in derision. He sees there end. Know that God has His banner of love on you. His mercy to you will not fail. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day! I love what Spurgeon notes here: The mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped but the mouth that speaks praises to God will sing forever!
Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
Love
Mom
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
To My Precious Daughters...
Oh God, You are my God. David always personalizes his relationship with his God! I, following his example, do the same. He is my God. How sweet these words are to me when I say them. I belong to Him...He belongs to me. All His promises are mine. All His love and care are mine. I have the richest of what heaven and earth have to offer even now! I have HIM!! He has redeemed me and called me by name. Hour by hour He supplies my needs. He guides and upholds my every step. When I rest on Him, He does not fail. When I trust in Him, my trust is not in vain. He delivers me out of all my troubles...He does not leave me in deep waters, nor do the flames that surround, burn me. He is always with me. No one, not even me, can snatch me out of His hands. Nothing..NOTHING... can separate me from Him. He is my treasure. In Him I live and move and have my being. He is my all sufficient God. Sufficient for my every need. He keeps me as a King keeps His jewels...My God, will never for a moment forget me.
David sought God early and always. His thirst like a physical thirst would be heard. He was in a weary land and had a weary heart...His desire was to be in the presence of His God. He looked for Him in the sanctuary. He looked for Him everywhere and would not be distracted. He followed hard after Him, knowing His lovingkindness was better than life itself. David followed at His God's heels...he did not let him out of his sight. The withdrawal of the light of His countenance was as the shadow of death to David. He knew that without the hand of His God upholding him, he would soon fall. He knew that everything he needed was in Him!
I want to long after God as David did. I want to follow hard after Him...to look for Him everywhere and to have eyes to see His hand in everything! Life here on earth is temporary...our God and His mercy are from everlasting to everlasting. I want my soul to be satisfied feasting, as David did, on the marrow and fatness of my God. I want His shade to be my sweet, sweet resting place. As I meditate on Him in the night, I pray that He brings to mind all the times He has delivered and that in my weakness I will remember that in Him who is sufficient, I have everything I need.
Sadly, however, David knew that because he did follow closely after God that there would be people who would want to destroy God's work of grace in His life. As David sought His God, they earnestly sought his ruin. David was a man with many enemies. But he knew that his enemies would fade and he would flourish. He knew that they would fall and be victims of their own wicked schemes. The pit dug for David, they themselves would fall into. The hell they prepared for David would swallow them up. He knew they were destined for destruction so he would continue then to rejoice in His God. It is so important to remember this. We do not war against flesh and blood, but against prinicipalites and powers. When you follow hard after God, there will be some that will follow just as hard after you in an attempt to destroy your witness for Him...to ruin His work of grace in your life. THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED. The Lord looks at them and laughs...He holds them in derision. He sees there end. Know that God has His banner of love on you. His mercy to you will not fail. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day! I love what Spurgeon notes here: The mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped but the mouth that speaks praises to God will sing forever!
Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
Love
Mom
Friday, August 12, 2011
FACING REJECTION...
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah --Psalm 32:7
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life. --Psalm 42:8
Mikayla faced rejection this week and much disappointment. She did not face it alone, however. She faced it in Him and as a Mom looking on it was a beautiful thing to behold. Sadly, through no fault of her own, she has faced much grief, sadness and rejection in her short life from people who, by all rights, should love her. Truly, she has learned to run with the horses.
"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?"--Jeremiah 12:5
On Tuesday morning I saw the results of a child who has taken her trials and hurts to Jesus for most of her life. As disappointments go, this was pretty big for Mikayla. It was something that she looked forward to all year. Sadly, she was turned away at the door. She kept her tears in check until we got home. I held her for a while and attempted to comfort her. She looked up at me through tears and asked me something she hasn't asked me since she was small. "Mom, can I go upstairs to my room and cry all I want." Holding back my own tears, I said that she could. She picked her bible up off the steps as she climbed them and for a while I heard wails from her room. About 10 minutes into it, however, I heard something different. I heard her voice singing a made up song to Jesus. She was pouring out her heart to Him in song...turning it upside down before Him. A short while later, she came down smiling...ready for the day.
Mikayla had walked through a dry and thirsty land that morning that had forgotten spiritual things...her rejection had come from people who had claimed to know Jesus. Her faith, however, was not shattered by all of this...it was strengthened. In her sorrow and grief, she went to the right place knowing that only God could satisfy the thirst she had...her heart was weary...she wanted to be in His presence. Mikayla looked up and found all she needed! By His Spirit she was able to understand that this rejection was not aimed at her personally and that sometimes hearts are crushed by those who even have the best intentions. She did not blame God either. She understood that He was sovereign and that this was part of His perfect plan for her. He had allowed it and she would accept it.
What a blessing we are to God and to others when we worship Him in the night seasons of our lives. When we sing praises to Him in times of grief and trouble. I had trouble letting go of my anger at her rejection until I heard her sing and was reminded of this verse:
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God AND THE PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM. (emphasis mine)
I was imprisoned before I heard Mikayla singing...imprisoned by my own anger and unforgiveness. Her singing reminded me that our God is sovereign and that He does all things well. Worship always changes our attitudes and perspectives. Problems diminish...the mood is lightened and our focus is back where it should be...on our God. Singing in this fallen world of ours is an act of faith. Mikayla sang by faith...Her childlike faith penetrated my heart and by God's grace, I was able to forgive those who had unintentionally caused her such misery.
Our God is always faithful to give us a song. Psalm 149:5 says this:
Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds.
I end with Psalm 42...
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life. --Psalm 42:8
Mikayla faced rejection this week and much disappointment. She did not face it alone, however. She faced it in Him and as a Mom looking on it was a beautiful thing to behold. Sadly, through no fault of her own, she has faced much grief, sadness and rejection in her short life from people who, by all rights, should love her. Truly, she has learned to run with the horses.
"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?"--Jeremiah 12:5
On Tuesday morning I saw the results of a child who has taken her trials and hurts to Jesus for most of her life. As disappointments go, this was pretty big for Mikayla. It was something that she looked forward to all year. Sadly, she was turned away at the door. She kept her tears in check until we got home. I held her for a while and attempted to comfort her. She looked up at me through tears and asked me something she hasn't asked me since she was small. "Mom, can I go upstairs to my room and cry all I want." Holding back my own tears, I said that she could. She picked her bible up off the steps as she climbed them and for a while I heard wails from her room. About 10 minutes into it, however, I heard something different. I heard her voice singing a made up song to Jesus. She was pouring out her heart to Him in song...turning it upside down before Him. A short while later, she came down smiling...ready for the day.
Mikayla had walked through a dry and thirsty land that morning that had forgotten spiritual things...her rejection had come from people who had claimed to know Jesus. Her faith, however, was not shattered by all of this...it was strengthened. In her sorrow and grief, she went to the right place knowing that only God could satisfy the thirst she had...her heart was weary...she wanted to be in His presence. Mikayla looked up and found all she needed! By His Spirit she was able to understand that this rejection was not aimed at her personally and that sometimes hearts are crushed by those who even have the best intentions. She did not blame God either. She understood that He was sovereign and that this was part of His perfect plan for her. He had allowed it and she would accept it.
What a blessing we are to God and to others when we worship Him in the night seasons of our lives. When we sing praises to Him in times of grief and trouble. I had trouble letting go of my anger at her rejection until I heard her sing and was reminded of this verse:
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God AND THE PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM. (emphasis mine)
I was imprisoned before I heard Mikayla singing...imprisoned by my own anger and unforgiveness. Her singing reminded me that our God is sovereign and that He does all things well. Worship always changes our attitudes and perspectives. Problems diminish...the mood is lightened and our focus is back where it should be...on our God. Singing in this fallen world of ours is an act of faith. Mikayla sang by faith...Her childlike faith penetrated my heart and by God's grace, I was able to forgive those who had unintentionally caused her such misery.
Our God is always faithful to give us a song. Psalm 149:5 says this:
Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds.
I end with Psalm 42...
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?[b]
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.[c]
6 O my God,[d] my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?[b]
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.[c]
6 O my God,[d] my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Lord's Slave...
But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called. --1 Corinthians 7:17-24
To My Daughters,
BE CONTENT! LIVE AS CHRIST CALLED YOU. Our status in the world is not important...it only has meaning in the context of how God wants to use it in your life for your good and His glory. Abide where He has placed you...live as He has called you. As the Lord's freed man, we are bond servants of Christ. And what a wonderful, kind, loving Master He is! His mercy is boundless and eternal in the Heavens. He sent His Son to willingly die for our sins so that we could become His true children. He draws us to Himself...calling us by name. When we respond, He showers us with His grace and enables us to believe and walk with Him by faith. He rewards us according to our works...this sounds like justice but really think on it. He gives us all we need to accomplish these works He has prepared for us and then He graciously rewards us for our very feeble, imperfect attempts. He does not require us to walk on hot coals or make bricks without straw... He does not give us anything we can't handle and gives us enough strength to get through each day. He promises never to leave us or forsake us. If all this were not enough, He is the one that does the work and our very faith is a gift from Him! LET ME BE CHRIST'S SLAVE ANY DAY....and that is where my heart and my study focus today.
Verse 22 says this:
For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave
Some of the Christians in Paul's day were slaves. Paul is saying that although they were slaves to human beings they were the Lord's freed man and if they were called while free they were now Christ's slave. They had been set free from power of sin in their lives. Before we commit our lives to Christ, we are dead in trespasses and sin. We are slaves to sin. We cannot do good...we cannot NOT sin. When Christ enters our hearts, we are freed from both the penalty and power of sin. His truth sets us free from guilt, sin and misery! As I surrender to Him by His Spirit and obey, His grace is poured out and I am free from ME!! and filled with Him! I am not at liberty to sin and do my own will...but free to do HIS! Just as a slave owner no longer has power over a slave he no longer owns, sin no longer has power over a believer. We are now bond servants of Christ. Victory is ours in Him!
We belong to God! We have been bought with the precious blood of His Son. God investment in us is incalculable! He is the Good Shepherd. He will care for us well and will ensure that all that happens in our lives is according to His perfect plan of love laid out for us before our days even began. We can rest knowing that He will complete the good work He started in us and that all He does in us and through us will be for our good and for His glory!
And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. --Romans 6:18-23
Love
Mom
To My Daughters,
BE CONTENT! LIVE AS CHRIST CALLED YOU. Our status in the world is not important...it only has meaning in the context of how God wants to use it in your life for your good and His glory. Abide where He has placed you...live as He has called you. As the Lord's freed man, we are bond servants of Christ. And what a wonderful, kind, loving Master He is! His mercy is boundless and eternal in the Heavens. He sent His Son to willingly die for our sins so that we could become His true children. He draws us to Himself...calling us by name. When we respond, He showers us with His grace and enables us to believe and walk with Him by faith. He rewards us according to our works...this sounds like justice but really think on it. He gives us all we need to accomplish these works He has prepared for us and then He graciously rewards us for our very feeble, imperfect attempts. He does not require us to walk on hot coals or make bricks without straw... He does not give us anything we can't handle and gives us enough strength to get through each day. He promises never to leave us or forsake us. If all this were not enough, He is the one that does the work and our very faith is a gift from Him! LET ME BE CHRIST'S SLAVE ANY DAY....and that is where my heart and my study focus today.
Verse 22 says this:
For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave
Some of the Christians in Paul's day were slaves. Paul is saying that although they were slaves to human beings they were the Lord's freed man and if they were called while free they were now Christ's slave. They had been set free from power of sin in their lives. Before we commit our lives to Christ, we are dead in trespasses and sin. We are slaves to sin. We cannot do good...we cannot NOT sin. When Christ enters our hearts, we are freed from both the penalty and power of sin. His truth sets us free from guilt, sin and misery! As I surrender to Him by His Spirit and obey, His grace is poured out and I am free from ME!! and filled with Him! I am not at liberty to sin and do my own will...but free to do HIS! Just as a slave owner no longer has power over a slave he no longer owns, sin no longer has power over a believer. We are now bond servants of Christ. Victory is ours in Him!
We belong to God! We have been bought with the precious blood of His Son. God investment in us is incalculable! He is the Good Shepherd. He will care for us well and will ensure that all that happens in our lives is according to His perfect plan of love laid out for us before our days even began. We can rest knowing that He will complete the good work He started in us and that all He does in us and through us will be for our good and for His glory!
And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. --Romans 6:18-23
Love
Mom
Christophobia: Work and Labor of Love
Christophobia: Work and Labor of Love: "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints,..."
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
YET WILL I TRUST HIM...
SPURGEON...
A child of God is not expected to be stoic, for God's grace takes away the heart of stone. When we endure trials, we feel the pain. Do not ask to be made hard and callous, for this is not how grace works. Grace makes us strong to bear trials, but we still have to bear them. Grace gives us patience and submission, not stoicism. We feel, and we benefit by the feeling. There are some who will not cry when God chastens, and there are some who will not yield when God strikes. Do not be like them! Be content to Job's suffering heart. (Job 1:21) Feel the bitter spirit and the anguish of soul which racked that blessed patriarch.
My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there! Remember David's words, "Pour out your heart." But do not stop there; finish the quotation. "Pour out your heart before Him." Turn your heart upside down, and empty it, and let every drop run out." (Ps 62:8)
When you are bowed down beneath a heavy burden of sorrow, worship and adore God there. In full surrender to His divine will, say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15) This kind of worship subdues the will, arouses the affections, stirs the whole mind, and presents you to God in solemn consecration. This worship sweetens sorrow and takes away its sting.
A child of God is not expected to be stoic, for God's grace takes away the heart of stone. When we endure trials, we feel the pain. Do not ask to be made hard and callous, for this is not how grace works. Grace makes us strong to bear trials, but we still have to bear them. Grace gives us patience and submission, not stoicism. We feel, and we benefit by the feeling. There are some who will not cry when God chastens, and there are some who will not yield when God strikes. Do not be like them! Be content to Job's suffering heart. (Job 1:21) Feel the bitter spirit and the anguish of soul which racked that blessed patriarch.
My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there! Remember David's words, "Pour out your heart." But do not stop there; finish the quotation. "Pour out your heart before Him." Turn your heart upside down, and empty it, and let every drop run out." (Ps 62:8)
When you are bowed down beneath a heavy burden of sorrow, worship and adore God there. In full surrender to His divine will, say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15) This kind of worship subdues the will, arouses the affections, stirs the whole mind, and presents you to God in solemn consecration. This worship sweetens sorrow and takes away its sting.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Tender Mercies of our God!
The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. --Psalm 103:8-19
To My Daughters,
The tender mercy of our God. I LOVE dwelling on that picture. Our omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God is also KIND and TENDERHEARTED. God's mercy proceeds from His heart of love toward us. Our God embodies love. He embodies mercy. He embodies gentleness. Here is how Jesus describes Himself:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." --Matthew 11:28-29
Our God is gentle and lowly in heart...It is in Him that we find rest for our soul. Our God is so great, so powerful and so wonderful and yet so FULL of compassion and mercy. The King of all Kings cares about me! A bruised reed He will not break and a smoking flax He will not quench. Here is the definition I found for mercy in my Thompson Chain Reference Bible:
A form of love, especially directed toward the needy or unworthy. I love that...the needy and the unworthy...that would be us! God's mercy is also described as eternal, everlasting, boundless, prolonging life, encouraging penitence, forgiving sin, making salvation possible and is most vividly seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
The bible says that the earth is full of His mercy. Ask the Lord to make you aware of the multitudes of His mercies to you each and every day. Ask Him to open your eyes to the many many blessings He sends your way. Dwell on His mercy. DWELL IN HIS MERCY. See His power but look with what gentle cords He draws you to Himself. When you are feeling burdened, He will give you rest. When you are weak or afraid you have no need to fear, He will stoop down and help you. When you are downcast or desperate or depressed...His tender mercies will revive you. They will renew a right spirit within and minister to your heart in such a way that beauty will come from ashes.
As Jesus ministers to my heart in trials, I so want to minister the lovingkindness He has shown me to others. I fail miserably and often, but it is a beautiful thing, when, by the power of His Spirit, I surrender and allow His love to rain down on those He has placed in my path. Love and mercy are weapons...they never fail and affect not only the temporal but the eternal. Jesus did the will of His Father in heaven. His agenda was not His own, but His Father's. His mind was always set on the eternal and His heart's focus was others. He did nothing through selfish ambition or conceit and always esteemed others as better than Himself. Look for His mercy in your life and as you do allow your heart to so overflow with His mercy and goodness that you just can't keep it to yourself. Put off your own selfishness, striving and sin and put on Jesus. Walk in mercy and love and be a breath of heavenly air to those the Lord has placed in your path.
Love
Mom
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.--John 3:16
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.--Ephesians 2:4-7
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.--Psalm 86:5
To My Daughters,
The tender mercy of our God. I LOVE dwelling on that picture. Our omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God is also KIND and TENDERHEARTED. God's mercy proceeds from His heart of love toward us. Our God embodies love. He embodies mercy. He embodies gentleness. Here is how Jesus describes Himself:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." --Matthew 11:28-29
Our God is gentle and lowly in heart...It is in Him that we find rest for our soul. Our God is so great, so powerful and so wonderful and yet so FULL of compassion and mercy. The King of all Kings cares about me! A bruised reed He will not break and a smoking flax He will not quench. Here is the definition I found for mercy in my Thompson Chain Reference Bible:
A form of love, especially directed toward the needy or unworthy. I love that...the needy and the unworthy...that would be us! God's mercy is also described as eternal, everlasting, boundless, prolonging life, encouraging penitence, forgiving sin, making salvation possible and is most vividly seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
The bible says that the earth is full of His mercy. Ask the Lord to make you aware of the multitudes of His mercies to you each and every day. Ask Him to open your eyes to the many many blessings He sends your way. Dwell on His mercy. DWELL IN HIS MERCY. See His power but look with what gentle cords He draws you to Himself. When you are feeling burdened, He will give you rest. When you are weak or afraid you have no need to fear, He will stoop down and help you. When you are downcast or desperate or depressed...His tender mercies will revive you. They will renew a right spirit within and minister to your heart in such a way that beauty will come from ashes.
As Jesus ministers to my heart in trials, I so want to minister the lovingkindness He has shown me to others. I fail miserably and often, but it is a beautiful thing, when, by the power of His Spirit, I surrender and allow His love to rain down on those He has placed in my path. Love and mercy are weapons...they never fail and affect not only the temporal but the eternal. Jesus did the will of His Father in heaven. His agenda was not His own, but His Father's. His mind was always set on the eternal and His heart's focus was others. He did nothing through selfish ambition or conceit and always esteemed others as better than Himself. Look for His mercy in your life and as you do allow your heart to so overflow with His mercy and goodness that you just can't keep it to yourself. Put off your own selfishness, striving and sin and put on Jesus. Walk in mercy and love and be a breath of heavenly air to those the Lord has placed in your path.
Love
Mom
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.--John 3:16
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.--Ephesians 2:4-7
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.--Psalm 86:5
Monday, August 8, 2011
POUR OUT YOUR HEART...
Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.' " --Genesis 32:11-12
Dear Girls,
Here is Jacob laying it all out for God. Jacob is afraid and he goes to the right place and pours his fear out to God. His honesty and straightforwardness are refreshing as honesty and straightforwardness always are. God...I am afraid my brother Esau will attack me and the mother with the children. HA...he is first in that sentence...he is afraid for himself first and then his wives and children. He does not hide his heart from God...he lays it bare. He knows God already knows everything, anyway. There is no true relationship without honesty. The foundation of any relationship must be truth. Jesus is the truth...the very Word of God. He is the Alpha and the Omega...the One who is and was and is to come. If you are not being honest in your relationship with the God of the Universe, you are not being honest with yourself or anyone else in your life. If your relationship with Him is not based on truth all of your relationships are, in one way or another, a lie.
Jacob not only pours out his heart here to His God, but he also holds Him to His word. Our God is a refuge for us. A very present help in time of trouble. Jacob reminds God of what He promised.
For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.' "
I can't die yet, Lord...you promised you would treat me well and make my descendants as the sand of the sea...so they can't die now either!
Now God did not need a reminder, but I am pretty sure Jacob did. I am always so encouraged when I pray the promises in the Word.because I am reminded of who God is. He is faithful and true. Not a jot or a tittle of His word will pass away til all is fulfilled. My God will hear me! He keeps His promises, He has a plan, His strength is perfected in weakness and His presence goes before me and is with me always.
READ THE PSALMS...THEY ARE FILLED WITH THE ASSURANCES OF OUR GOD and there is one sufficient for OUR every feeling and OUR every need. Pour out your heart to Him. Come to Him as the poor and helpless sinner you are in great need of His grace and allow Him to minister as only He can. He uses our most difficult times to yield great blessings and brings beauty from ashes. Surrender to Him and allow Him to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think!
Love
Mom
Dear Girls,
Here is Jacob laying it all out for God. Jacob is afraid and he goes to the right place and pours his fear out to God. His honesty and straightforwardness are refreshing as honesty and straightforwardness always are. God...I am afraid my brother Esau will attack me and the mother with the children. HA...he is first in that sentence...he is afraid for himself first and then his wives and children. He does not hide his heart from God...he lays it bare. He knows God already knows everything, anyway. There is no true relationship without honesty. The foundation of any relationship must be truth. Jesus is the truth...the very Word of God. He is the Alpha and the Omega...the One who is and was and is to come. If you are not being honest in your relationship with the God of the Universe, you are not being honest with yourself or anyone else in your life. If your relationship with Him is not based on truth all of your relationships are, in one way or another, a lie.
Jacob not only pours out his heart here to His God, but he also holds Him to His word. Our God is a refuge for us. A very present help in time of trouble. Jacob reminds God of what He promised.
For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.' "
I can't die yet, Lord...you promised you would treat me well and make my descendants as the sand of the sea...so they can't die now either!
Now God did not need a reminder, but I am pretty sure Jacob did. I am always so encouraged when I pray the promises in the Word.because I am reminded of who God is. He is faithful and true. Not a jot or a tittle of His word will pass away til all is fulfilled. My God will hear me! He keeps His promises, He has a plan, His strength is perfected in weakness and His presence goes before me and is with me always.
READ THE PSALMS...THEY ARE FILLED WITH THE ASSURANCES OF OUR GOD and there is one sufficient for OUR every feeling and OUR every need. Pour out your heart to Him. Come to Him as the poor and helpless sinner you are in great need of His grace and allow Him to minister as only He can. He uses our most difficult times to yield great blessings and brings beauty from ashes. Surrender to Him and allow Him to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think!
Love
Mom
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Spurgeon on Psalm 62:9
Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter than vapor.--Psalm 62:9
Surely men of low degree are vanity. Here the word is only again; men of low degree are only vanity, nothing more. They are many and enthusiastic, but they are not to be depended on; they are mobile as the waves of the sea, ready to be driven to and fro by any and every wind; they cry "Hosanna" today, and "Crucify him" tomorrow. The instability of popular applause is a proverb; as well build a house with smoke as find comfort in the adulation of the multitude. As the first son of Adam was called Abel or vanity, so here we are taught that all the sons of Adam are Abels: it were well if they were all so in character as well as in name; but alas! in this respect, too many of them are Cains. And men of high degree are a lie. That is worse. We gain little by putting our trust in the aristocracy, they are not one whit better than the democracy: nay, they are even worse, for we expect something from them, but get nothing. May we not trust the elite? Surely reliance may be placed in the educated, the chivalrous, the intelligent? For this reason are they a lie; because they promise so much, and in the end, when relied upon, yield nothing but disappointment. How wretched is that poor man who puts his trust in princes. The more we rely upon God, the more shall we perceive the utter hollowness of every other confidence. To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Take a true estimate of them; judge them neither by quantity nor by appearance, but by weight, and they will no longer deceive you. Calmly deliberate, quietly ponder, and your verdict will be that which inspiration here records. Vainer than vanity itself are all human confidences: the great and the mean, alike, are unworthy of our trust. A feather has some weight in the scale, vanity has none, and creature confidence has less than that: yet such is the universal infatuation, that mankind prefer an arm of flesh to the power of the invisible but almighty Creator; and even God's own children are too apt to be bitten with this madness.
Surely men of low degree are vanity. Here the word is only again; men of low degree are only vanity, nothing more. They are many and enthusiastic, but they are not to be depended on; they are mobile as the waves of the sea, ready to be driven to and fro by any and every wind; they cry "Hosanna" today, and "Crucify him" tomorrow. The instability of popular applause is a proverb; as well build a house with smoke as find comfort in the adulation of the multitude. As the first son of Adam was called Abel or vanity, so here we are taught that all the sons of Adam are Abels: it were well if they were all so in character as well as in name; but alas! in this respect, too many of them are Cains. And men of high degree are a lie. That is worse. We gain little by putting our trust in the aristocracy, they are not one whit better than the democracy: nay, they are even worse, for we expect something from them, but get nothing. May we not trust the elite? Surely reliance may be placed in the educated, the chivalrous, the intelligent? For this reason are they a lie; because they promise so much, and in the end, when relied upon, yield nothing but disappointment. How wretched is that poor man who puts his trust in princes. The more we rely upon God, the more shall we perceive the utter hollowness of every other confidence. To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Take a true estimate of them; judge them neither by quantity nor by appearance, but by weight, and they will no longer deceive you. Calmly deliberate, quietly ponder, and your verdict will be that which inspiration here records. Vainer than vanity itself are all human confidences: the great and the mean, alike, are unworthy of our trust. A feather has some weight in the scale, vanity has none, and creature confidence has less than that: yet such is the universal infatuation, that mankind prefer an arm of flesh to the power of the invisible but almighty Creator; and even God's own children are too apt to be bitten with this madness.
The Consolation of Israel..
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." --Luke 2:25-35
To My Daughters,
I loved reading these verses last night. So much in the news, today, and well...really every day, that is not good. We live in a fallen world, among fallen human beings where sin abounds. BUT where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. AMEN! What a wonderful example Simeon is always looking for the Consolation of Israel.
Simeon was just and devoted...a man upon whom the Holy Spirit rested. A man who listened to the voice of His God and believed that he would not die until he saw His Lord's Messiah. How excited and watchful he must have been after John the Baptist came on the scene! Thinking more on this, Simeon own personal expectation for the Messiah was probably not one of a tiny, helpless baby. Nevertheless, he believed God's Spirit when He spoke to his heart and was able to see beyond what his own desires and expectations were, embrace God's plan and speak words to Joseph and Mary! WOW!
Simeon's prophetic words in verse 35 really spoke to my heart as a mom and as a believer. Truly a sword did pierce this woman's heart (see Luke 2:49, Matthew 12:48, John 19:26) as well as revealing the hypocritical hearts of many in Israel. Jesus is the very Word of God...The following are His words to us, while He was here on earth.
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW'; and 'A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Hebrews 4 says this:
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Simeon prophesied of Jesus' paradoxical effect. With Jesus there is no neutral ground! If you do not accept Him, then you totally reject Him. The Light had come into the world but many loved darkness rather than light. The same is true today. We, like Mary, are sorrowful at times...yet always rejoicing. We are poor and yet rich. We have nothing and yet possess all things. In fact, we are only restricted by our own darkness...our own selfish affections. More of Jesus sets us free from ourselves and allows us to live as He created us to live...for Him.
As believers, we all will face the sword of rejection and persecution, but we do not lose heart even though our outward man may be perishing our inward man is being renewed daily and we are filled with JOY unspeakable. Follow Simeon's example and look to your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our expectation is from Him alone and as a friend reminded me today...People get ready, Jesus is coming!!!
Over the past few days the Lord keeps bringing me back to 2nd Corinthians 4...I end with the entire chapter.
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 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. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED AND THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Love
Mom
To My Daughters,
I loved reading these verses last night. So much in the news, today, and well...really every day, that is not good. We live in a fallen world, among fallen human beings where sin abounds. BUT where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. AMEN! What a wonderful example Simeon is always looking for the Consolation of Israel.
Simeon was just and devoted...a man upon whom the Holy Spirit rested. A man who listened to the voice of His God and believed that he would not die until he saw His Lord's Messiah. How excited and watchful he must have been after John the Baptist came on the scene! Thinking more on this, Simeon own personal expectation for the Messiah was probably not one of a tiny, helpless baby. Nevertheless, he believed God's Spirit when He spoke to his heart and was able to see beyond what his own desires and expectations were, embrace God's plan and speak words to Joseph and Mary! WOW!
Simeon's prophetic words in verse 35 really spoke to my heart as a mom and as a believer. Truly a sword did pierce this woman's heart (see Luke 2:49, Matthew 12:48, John 19:26) as well as revealing the hypocritical hearts of many in Israel. Jesus is the very Word of God...The following are His words to us, while He was here on earth.
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW'; and 'A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Hebrews 4 says this:
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Simeon prophesied of Jesus' paradoxical effect. With Jesus there is no neutral ground! If you do not accept Him, then you totally reject Him. The Light had come into the world but many loved darkness rather than light. The same is true today. We, like Mary, are sorrowful at times...yet always rejoicing. We are poor and yet rich. We have nothing and yet possess all things. In fact, we are only restricted by our own darkness...our own selfish affections. More of Jesus sets us free from ourselves and allows us to live as He created us to live...for Him.
As believers, we all will face the sword of rejection and persecution, but we do not lose heart even though our outward man may be perishing our inward man is being renewed daily and we are filled with JOY unspeakable. Follow Simeon's example and look to your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our expectation is from Him alone and as a friend reminded me today...People get ready, Jesus is coming!!!
Over the past few days the Lord keeps bringing me back to 2nd Corinthians 4...I end with the entire chapter.
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 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. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED AND THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Love
Mom
Friday, August 5, 2011
TO GOD BE THE INCREASE AND THE GLORY!!!
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. --1 Corinthians 3:5-9
To My Girls,
If you ever get the idea that you are something or that your ministry is special remember how Paul spoke of himself and his fellow workers in Christ...Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Truly he saw himself as an instrument used by God...nothing more. Paul was a bond servant for Christ's sake, preaching not himself but Jesus.
For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bond servants for Jesus' sake. 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.--2nd Corinthians 4:5
One plants...One waters...God gives the increase. The power and growth are from God. We are simply His workers performing our assigned tasks. It is God who gives our efforts life.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. --1 Corinthians 15:10-11
God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
Remembering that I am nothing and can do nothing outside of Him is very helpful because it reminds us to relax and enter into His rest. 1 Corinthians 4 tells us that ministers or stewards of God are required to be faithful to their Master. We do not have to be rocket scientists....we don't even have to be successful...we are just required to be faithful to carry out the responsibilities the Lord gives us. No striving required. His Spirit brings life to our efforts as we surrender and obey. We all have different gifts but the same Spirit and the same purpose...to glorify our Father in heaven and carry out the work that He has given us to do. Work hard knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, be faithful knowing that He who called you is faithful and will complete the good work He began in you, promote unity in the body of Christ and keep your eye on the prize!
Closing with one of my favorite verses in Scripture...
Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.--Psalm 127:1
Love
Mom
To My Girls,
If you ever get the idea that you are something or that your ministry is special remember how Paul spoke of himself and his fellow workers in Christ...Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Truly he saw himself as an instrument used by God...nothing more. Paul was a bond servant for Christ's sake, preaching not himself but Jesus.
For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bond servants for Jesus' sake. 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.--2nd Corinthians 4:5
One plants...One waters...God gives the increase. The power and growth are from God. We are simply His workers performing our assigned tasks. It is God who gives our efforts life.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. --1 Corinthians 15:10-11
God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
Remembering that I am nothing and can do nothing outside of Him is very helpful because it reminds us to relax and enter into His rest. 1 Corinthians 4 tells us that ministers or stewards of God are required to be faithful to their Master. We do not have to be rocket scientists....we don't even have to be successful...we are just required to be faithful to carry out the responsibilities the Lord gives us. No striving required. His Spirit brings life to our efforts as we surrender and obey. We all have different gifts but the same Spirit and the same purpose...to glorify our Father in heaven and carry out the work that He has given us to do. Work hard knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, be faithful knowing that He who called you is faithful and will complete the good work He began in you, promote unity in the body of Christ and keep your eye on the prize!
Closing with one of my favorite verses in Scripture...
Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.--Psalm 127:1
Love
Mom
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Trust in Him at all Times...Spurgeon
From Spurgeon's Treasury of David: Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Faith is an abiding duty, a perpetual privilege. We should trust when we can see, as well as when we are utterly in the dark. Adversity is a fit season for faith; but prosperity is not less so. God at all times deserves our confidence. We at all times need to place our confidence in him. A day without trust in God is a day of wrath, even if it be a day of mirth. Lean ever, ye saints, on him, on whom the world leans. Ye people, pour out your heart before him. Ye to whom his love is revealed, reveal yourselves to him. His heart is set on you, lay bare your hearts to him. Turn the vessel of your soul upside down in his secret presence, and let your inmost thoughts, desires, sorrows, and sins be poured out like water. Hide nothing from him, for you can hide nothing. To the Lord unburden your soul; let him be your only father confessor, for he only can absolve you when he has heard your confession. To keep our griefs to ourselves is to hoard up wretchedness. The stream will swell and rage if you dam it up: give it a clear course, and it leaps along and creates no alarm. Sympathy we need, and if we unload our hearts at Jesus' feet, we shall obtain a sympathy as practical as it is sincere, as consolatory as it is ennobling. The writer in the Westminster Assembly's Annotations well observes that it is the tendency of our wicked nature to bite on the bridle, and hide our grief in sullenness; but the gracious soul will overcome this propensity, and utter its sorrow before the Lord. God is a refuge for us. Whatever he may be to others, his own people have a peculiar heritage in him; for us he is undoubtedly a refuge: here then is the best of reasons for resorting to him whenever sorrows weigh upon our bosoms. Prayer is peculiarly the duty of those to whom the Lord has specially revealed himself as their defence. SELAH. Precious pause! Timely silence! Sheep may well lie down when such pasture is before them.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Faith is an abiding duty, a perpetual privilege. We should trust when we can see, as well as when we are utterly in the dark. Adversity is a fit season for faith; but prosperity is not less so. God at all times deserves our confidence. We at all times need to place our confidence in him. A day without trust in God is a day of wrath, even if it be a day of mirth. Lean ever, ye saints, on him, on whom the world leans. Ye people, pour out your heart before him. Ye to whom his love is revealed, reveal yourselves to him. His heart is set on you, lay bare your hearts to him. Turn the vessel of your soul upside down in his secret presence, and let your inmost thoughts, desires, sorrows, and sins be poured out like water. Hide nothing from him, for you can hide nothing. To the Lord unburden your soul; let him be your only father confessor, for he only can absolve you when he has heard your confession. To keep our griefs to ourselves is to hoard up wretchedness. The stream will swell and rage if you dam it up: give it a clear course, and it leaps along and creates no alarm. Sympathy we need, and if we unload our hearts at Jesus' feet, we shall obtain a sympathy as practical as it is sincere, as consolatory as it is ennobling. The writer in the Westminster Assembly's Annotations well observes that it is the tendency of our wicked nature to bite on the bridle, and hide our grief in sullenness; but the gracious soul will overcome this propensity, and utter its sorrow before the Lord. God is a refuge for us. Whatever he may be to others, his own people have a peculiar heritage in him; for us he is undoubtedly a refuge: here then is the best of reasons for resorting to him whenever sorrows weigh upon our bosoms. Prayer is peculiarly the duty of those to whom the Lord has specially revealed himself as their defence. SELAH. Precious pause! Timely silence! Sheep may well lie down when such pasture is before them.
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