Our Strong Consolation…

 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.—Hebrews 6:17-20

I could read Hebrews 6:17-20 over and over...God is faithful and His promises are sure!  He cannot lie.  He changes not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He cannot act in a way that is contrary to His nature or His will. He is the God Who Sees, the God who remembers, the God who puts our tears in His bottle, and the God who is for us.  He encourages us earlier in this chapter to continue and not to become sluggish but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  

Beloved, the consolations of God are enough to get us through the very worst of trials.  He IS sufficient for all we face.  

Set Your minds then, on those things that are above.  Turn your heart upside down before Your God!  Go to Him who is meek and lowly in heart.  Go to Him in whom redemption and everlasting life are found.  Go to Him who is your hope....your anchor...that keeps you sure and steady...never ever lost or cast away.  Go to Him because in Him THERE IS comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection and mercy.  Go to Him whose lovingkindness is precious.  Go to Him in whom abundant satisfaction is found and in whose light you see light. Jesus is the Great I AM...the Becoming One...He Himself becomes for you whatever your need may be. 

1 God is our refuge and strength

A very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah—Psalm 46:1-7

My Help Comes From the Lord…

 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

Father…You are my help and my shield and my exceedingly great reward. I will walk safely in the way because You are the One who guards my feet.  When I lie down, I will not be afraid..my sleep will be sweet because You, my God, are my confidence.  It is You who keep me night and day, lest any hurt me.  You deliver me, because You delight in me. 

For You are: 

A strength to the poor

A strength to the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm,

A shade from the heat

For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

You will reduce the noise of aliens,

As heat in a dry place;

As heat in the shadow of a cloud,

The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.—Isaiah 25:4-5

I will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day. You who has mercy on me, leads me, even by springs of water You guide me. You, the Most High God, are my dwelling place, therefore, no evil will befall me. You give Your angels charge to keep me night and day.  Blessed am I as I go in and blessed am I as I go out. You, O Lord, preserve me and keep me alive…You will not deliver me to the will of my enemies.  I am blessed here on this earth.

I have set You always before me; because You are at my right hand, I will not be moved.  

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:9-11

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;  I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,

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

And He Heard Me…

 In my distress I cried to the LORD,

And He heard me.—Psalm 120:1

And He heard me.  What assurance and comfort in the midst of distress.  I can no longer even imagine the horror, desperation and helplessness of being forsaken by the Lord. My heart can’t even go there.  I am His, and He is mine.  He is always with me. He hears me when I cry, and I am always helped.  His grace covers me, and His lovingkindness surrounds me.  Empty, insufficient, helpless me is literally filled with the fullness of God.   

Yesterday when my heart began to suffer the grief of much long-term, ongoing hurt and loss, instead of taking it to my Father in heaven, I responded to its outward manifestation….a desire to control the immediate world around me by decluttering and cleaning…as if that would somehow stop the passage of time. As if I could just hit the reset button and be back when the ones I was missing were with me.  As if I could just clean my house enough to bring me back to 2001 when it all started.  Time, however, doesn’t go backwards.  It waits for no man. It marches on. Precious moment by precious moment. Each and every minute that passes is time lost that I can never get back. I saw clutter and dirt everywhere…but what I really saw was my home…my clean home where memories of the past lived and time passing was evident.  By God’s grace, instead of giving in to my fleshly desire to control, I recognized the truth and chose to walk through it with my God.  My own inability to fix it and the overwhelming grief that accompanied it humbled me, and in my emptiness and insufficiency, I cried out to God.  And He heard me.  I moved forward, no longer walking in the lies of my flesh but in His Spirit. My grief was still with me, but it was pure…I was able to laugh and smile with my loved ones who were with me and look forward and not back. I was able to leave all in God’s hands, knowing that He cares for me and that my future is and has always been in His control and not mine. And that is a good thing. 

Beloved…Cry out to Him in your sin, in your emptiness, in your weakness, in your grief, in your insufficiency, and in your desire to walk in His Spirit and be a help to those around you.  He will hear. He will answer. You will be helped. He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all will supply your every need in Christ. 

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:16–19)

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:14-16

Unite My Heart to Fear Your Name…

 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

In the day of trial in the wilderness,

9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,

And saw My works forty years.

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,

And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,

And they have not known My ways.’

11 So I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,—Hebrews 3:7-14

Father…Teach me Your statutes!  Unite my heart to fear Your name! Keep me from an erring, disbelieving heart. Help me to honor You with my faith.  May my heart be steadfast, O God, trusting You.  

Help me by Your gracious Spirit to hold on to my convictions and my confession of faith continually to the end despite the trials and tribulations that come. Open my eyes to see Your steadfast love and delivering grace all over my life. As I see it may it strengthen my faith and draw me into a closer relationship with You.  

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?—Jeremiah 32:27

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."—Matthew 19:26

Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."—John 6:28-29

Rest for Our Souls..

 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.—Psalm 25:1

I love Psalm 25 because in it I catch a glimpse of the heart of David, the man after God’s own heart. Truly, he is a man who desires to bring all of who he is…the good, the bad and the ugly..to his God for help, healing, peace and forgiveness.  I read it last night in the ESV and focused on verse 13 because it is so where I want to be always.  

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

13 His soul shall abide in well-being,

and his offspring shall inherit the land.

The word abide in verse 13 literally means to lodge, (usually overnight)…so to spend the night…SLEEPING.  As opposed to…you know…fretting.  I don’t know about you, but I would love to get to that place where I can be at peace or even sleep despite the trials and troubles that might be going on around me.  

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.—Psalm 4:8

How do we get to that place of peace?  The answer is found in verse 1.

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

Beloved…Every trial, every trouble, every situation has the same solution. With God it is one stop shopping. David casts himself on the One who will by no means cast him off.  To God David lifts up his soul and to God David pours out His heart.  The “inside” calm each of us desires does not come from trying to control the outside world around us.  Rest for our souls is found in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 

My eyes are ever toward the LORD,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.—Psalm 25:15

The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,

Who shelters him all the day long;

And he shall dwell between His shoulders."—Deuteronomy 33:12

26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

Who rides the heavens to help you,

And in His excellency on the clouds.

27 The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He will thrust out the enemy from before you,

And will say, 'Destroy!'—Deuteronomy 33:26-27

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

4 Trust in the LORD forever,

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

Consider My Affliction…

153 Consider my affliction and deliver me,

For I do not forget Your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me;

Revive me according to Your word.—Psalm 119:153-154

These words of God this morning through David brought much comfort to my heart.  What a great prayer to pray when in deep trial and trouble. 

I asked myself why should God consider my affliction.  Why mine?  Why David’s?  The answer I came up with is because it has nothing to do with me or with David, but everything to do with who God is. He is merciful, kind and slow to anger. He is lowly and gentle in heart. For as the heavens are high above the earth so great is His mercy toward those who trust Him. As a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. 

The same God who died for us when we were still His enemies 

Who forgives all our iniquities

Who heals all our diseases

Who redeems our life from destruction

Who crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies

Who satisfies our mouth with good things

Who gives power to the weak

Who executes righteous and justice for all who are oppressed 

This is the same God to whom David asks and whom I will do likewise, to consider his affliction.  To plead his cause and redeem him and revive him according to His word. 

Father…May I never doubt Your word.  In the midst of turmoil and affliction may my soul dwell on You and who Your word tells me You are. Your word is truth. You are good and do good. You are merciful and kind. In all my afflictions, You also are afflicted. You bear my burdens with me. Nothing enters my life that has not passed through Your loving hands first. Your face looks upon mine with pity and care. Your powerful hand is always ready to help me. What a comfort for me also, Father, to have You as my advocate.

"Strive my strife, and redeem me" -- that is, stand in my stead, bear my burden, fight my fight, pay my price, and bring me out to liberty.—Alexander

My sufficiency is from You, Father.  You are the defender of the weak…the helpless commits themselves to You. Thank you that you are on my side.  What a comfort, Father, to know that You see and consider my affliction. I do not suffer alone. You are forever with me. 

16 But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defense,

My God of mercy.—Psalm 59:16-17

Beloved…

Draw strength from your oneness with Jesus. You are no longer alone. No longer isolated. When you sin, don’t give up. Let him pick you up and put you on your feet again with fresh dignity. He lifts your chin, looks you in the eye, and defines your existence: “you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).—from Dane Ortlund’s book Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners.  

Remembering the Lord in Uncertain and Fearful Times…

 19 Remember my affliction and roaming,

The wormwood and the gall.

20 My soul still remembers

And sinks within me.

21 This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”—Lamentations 3:19-24

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.

6 O my God, 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.—Psalm 42:5-8

Father…Thank you for Your steadfast love and faithful provision, protection and care over every aspect of my life.  I confess that of late there has been so much in my circumstances that cause my soul…as Jeremiah puts it…to sink within me.  My equilibrium is thrown and my aging body is affected by fear and anxiety about circumstances and situations that I can, in my own strength, do nothing about.  

Oh, Father…unite my heart to fear Your name. How much better is it for me to remember like Jeremiah does in these verses, who You are.  You are faithful. Your compassions fail not.  They are new each and every morning. You are my all knowing, all powerful and everywhere present God, and I will praise You.  My times are in Your kind and loving hands.  By Your gracious Spirit who lives within me and never leaves me, I will walk through these uncertain times being anxious for nothing.  I will pray leaving all my concerns with You…the God of my life…knowing that You CARE for me. You will command Your lovingkindness in the daytime and at night Your song shall be with me.  I will not fret knowing that You will perfect that which concerns me. I will hope in You for I will yet praise You, the help of my countenance and my God!  

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The LORD preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,

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

By the Grace of God…

 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.—Titus 3:1-7

As I read the verses above one of my mom’s favorite sayings came to mind.  “But for the grace of God, there go I!”  I  really didn’t understand as a child what it meant, but I know that it did always remind me to be grateful.  Today, I prefer Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am…

Amen!  I am what I am by the grace of my God!  There is nothing good about me for which I can take the credit. All my boasting is in God.   I have been saved not by my own “works of righteousness” but according to His mercy.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:1-10

Father…Thank you for the exceeding riches of Your grace toward us in Your Son. Thank you for the kindness and love of Jesus, my Savior. Thank you for giving us Your Spirit to empower us, help us, dwell in us, bring us comfort, and abide with us forever. Search our hearts, Father, and show us any wrong attitudes. Grant us Your gentleness and humility in our dealings with others, especially those who do not yet believe, that perhaps they might come to the truth.  Help us to be like You were in this world…to make Your Son’s footsteps our pathway. You, God, are merciful, gracious, patient and kind.  Your sacrificial love speaks to all saying:

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 11:28-30

Beloved... By His precious Spirit then, be imitators of God..be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. It is the kindness, grace and love of Christ through the Spirit that has the power to change hearts and bring sinners to repentance. 

My soul shall make its boast in the LORD!  May the humble hear of it and be glad. In You I will boast all day long and I will give thanks to Your name forever. 

Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift...

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,—Titus 2:11-13

God doesn’t just give fallen man grace...He gives us grace incarnate...the indescribable gift of His Son, who not only frees us from the penalty of sin but gives us the power to NOT to sin.  With lives freed from the presence of sin, we can, by His gracious Spirit, become God’s earthly witnesses and help bring both His plan and purpose of salvation to its desired end.  We live no longer in the flesh for the lusts of men, but in the Spirit, doing the will of God from our heart.  We become His living epistles...a testimony of Christ to a lost and dying world. 

Praying today that I can live in complete dependence on His all sufficient grace which sanctifies and allows me to live a godly life in His Son. 

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.  And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.—2 Corinthians 3:2-6

And I Will Walk at Liberty...Psalm 119:45

 And I will walk at liberty,

For I seek Your precepts.—Psalm 119:45

The words at liberty literally mean in a wide place.  I will walk in a wide place...my manner of life will be of one that is free from hinderances and snares. These words describe someone who can lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares and run the race before them with endurance.  How?  By seeking His precepts...by keeping their heart, mind and soul focused on Jesus who is the very Word of God...  

Beloved, the truth of God’s word liberates us to walk in this world undefiled from the lies and deceit that abound in our own thinking and also in the world at large. Treasure it!   Surrender to it and allow yourself to be guided by it day by day!  Commit yourself to Him who judges righteously.  Your defense is of God who saves the upright in heart.  

The enemy of our souls wants to confine us, but God by His truth, sets us free and enlarges the very path under our feet.  The world would have us believe that obeying His laws keep us from enjoying our life.  But His word reminds us that commandments are NOT burdensome...they are for our good.  Obeying them brings blessing!  Obeying them sets us free to be more like who He created us to be.  Obeying them enables us to fulfill every purpose He has for our life. Moment by moment, we can and will run the way of His commandments, for He, by His Spirit who dwells in us, will give us hearts that are willing. 

When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,

And when you run, you will not stumble.—Prov 4:12

God Keeps His Promises…

  “God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will He not do?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;

He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.—Numbers 23:19-20

Here in the context of book of Numbers, God is reaffirming His faithfulness to the Abrahamic Covenant and his purpose to bless Israel. (Genesis 12:1-3). For us today it is a reminder that our God always keeps His word. All of the promises of God, the Bible tells us, are yes and amen in Jesus, His Son.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of God will by no means pass away. It abides forever.  

As I read verse 19 then, my heart was glad!  God is NOT a man! I am a human and without the Spirit of God in my heart, I am full of every manner of sin...unreliable, insufficient, weak, hopeless and helpless.  

Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (KJV). 

The Hebrew word for  “desperately wicked” can be translated “incurably sick”.  We are totally depraved...Romans illustrates this point well. 

“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”—Romans 1:29-32

“What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”—Romans 3:9-18

Are you beginning to see why my heart rejoiced as I read Numbers 23:19?  God, in stark contrast to us, is holy.  He is faithful...even when we are not.  He cannot lie and He does not change. He is the SAME...yesterday today and forever.  How comforting is that!!  What He says, ALWAYS comes to pass.  We can trust Him.  

Beloved, the condition of our human heart is without an earthly remedy.  God’s supernatural intervention is needed...without it we are destined for an eternity in hell. 

For the wages of sin is death—Romans 6:23a

The Lord, in His love, mercy, justice and grace, however, has provided a way for us to be healed and to live forever with Him in heaven.

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 6:23b

Because of His great love, I stand before Him justified and forever grateful. He has shown me the path of life. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand pleasures forevermore. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:1-10

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

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

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,

And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works

Which You have done;

And Your thoughts toward us

Cannot be recounted to You in order;

If I would declare and speak of them,

They are more than can be numbered.

6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;

My ears You have opened.

Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

7 Then I said, "Behold, I come;

In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,

And Your law is within my heart."—Psalm 40:1-8

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.—Jeremiah 31:33

20 Our soul waits for the LORD;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.—Psalm 33:20-22

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.—Romans 8:1-11