Today I was reading in Ezekiel 43 and in verses 18-27 God instructs Ezekiel on how sacrifices should be made. The Lord goes into great detail and describes each step down to the smallest degree. But what I was really impressed with was the statement made at the end of God's instructions. After all of those details and requirements, the end of verse 27 says: '"Then I will accept you," declares the Sovereign Lord.'
Isn't the New Covenant glorious! We no longer are labored will all of these duties, all of these rituals that have to be performed just right, down to the smallest, most intricate detail. Any action that God has required, He has required of His Son, and we are counted as righteous! How amazing that God now accepts us, not on our own merits, for we have none, but on the merits of one who lived in sinless perfection, died to pay our penalty, and rose in victory.
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Hebrews 9:15
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Revival in the Congo
A friend of mine recently sent me this copy of an interview with Dr. Helen Roseveare, an English medical missionary to the Congo from 1953-1973. This interview provides accounts of the revival that took place in the Congo during her years of service there. I found it increadibly encouraging and hope that you will also find it a blessing.
What was your background before you went to Africa? I was saved when I was a medical student - I wasn't very bright, so medicine was a real slog! I did no reading apart from my Bible and the next thing I knew I was out on the mission field! I was a good solid Anglican type, totally unprepared for the revival that came.
What led up to the Congo revival? Basically, years of committed prayer that became increasingly desperate. Both senior local pastors and missionaries had been praying regularly with a real burden.
What can you remember of the first experiences you had of revival power? The first day revival came to Ibambi, the actual building shook. We were sitting in the Bible School hall. It was seven o'clock on a Friday night. Jack Scholes, our field leader, had just come back from a trip in the south and he had seen revival down there. He stood up to speak about the revival and started to read from scriptures. Suddenly we heard a hurricane storm. It was frightening!
And not what you expected? No! None of us stopped to think that this was strange because you don't get hurricane storms in July (we have them in February or March). We heard this hurricane coming and the elders began to take the shutters down - the shutters are not very strong and fall in and can hurt people. We looked out and it was moonlight and the palm trees were standing absolutely still against the moonlit sky. It should have been pitch-black and stormy. Then the building shook and the storm lanterns down the centre of the building moved around. There was a terrific noise and a sense of external power around. We were all frightened - there must have been about five whites and 95 Africans present. You could sense fear all around.
How did you respond? Jack stood at the front and said to us - "This is of God, just pray - don't fear and don't interfere." It was as if a force came in and we were shaking. There was no way you could control it and some were thrown to the ground off the benches as if someone had hurled them down! But no one was hurt. Everyone ceased to be conscious of anyone else.
What was the strongest sense you had around you at the time? Conviction of sin. People began to confess publicly what you might call 'big sin' (and these were all Christians). They spoke of adultery, cheating, stealing, deceit. One friend, whom I thought too good to be true, was crying out to God for mercy and confessing her sins. I couldn't imagine she'd done anything wrong!
Sounds amazing! How long did all this go on? We didn't leave the hall that whole weekend! Most of the time God was dealing with our sins. Some needed help from the pastors who moved around with much wisdom and encouragement. Then joy struck the repentant sinners and the pastors moved on. It was remarkable what discernment was given to these uneducated pastors. I remember they discerned that one lady's confession wasn't real and they urged her to confess what was really inside.
Anything else to note about the revival moving of power as God's work continued? Yes! There were amazing visions from people which were often based on Old Testament scriptures - even though they didn't have the Old Testament! I remember one woman standing up with her arms upraised and her face radiant, talking about wheels within wheels and eyes within the wheels and patterns and above it all a great rainbow. It was straight out of Ezekiel. She spoke of the glory and began weeping when she said she saw the glory was in the midst of the Bible School and then it went out of the hall, across the courtyard and into the forest. She broke down, crying, "It's because of our sin, our sin!"
How did you feel about this? The white people just sat back and watched at first and the Bible School students held back. It was all right for the village people, but not for us! But God broke into the Bible School. We were soon broken down as well.
It was irresistible! Yes! There were also amazing visions of hell and people would break down weeping because of unsaved relatives. They carried exhausting prayer burdens. What started off as a ten minute prayer meeting lasted three hours. We didn't discuss anything, we spoke with God. There were waves of outpoured prayer. Some went off at 4am on one occasion and walked twelve miles to a village, compelled by the Holy Spirit, to share the gospel. Many were saved as a result.
Did the revival continue after those early days of God's powerful presence? Yes, it was amazing. In the years following the initial work, revival blessing came in waves. But I still wasn't being revived myself! I was frantic - there was a coldness in my heart. I was saying the right things, doing the right things and being the right things, but somehow I was outside all that was happening.
So how did that change? I spent a long weekend crying out to God. There was little of victory in my life. I was frustrated, hurt and empty, knowing the right answers but getting nowhere. On the Saturday night I went to one of the pastors and his wife and said, "Please help me!" His response was clear although he was very gentle - "We can see so much Helen and we can't see Jesus. Everything revolves around your vision, your work, what you will do." I knew he was right. That was all he said, but somehow Jesus was there. I spent the following ten days in the presence of the Lord, broken. It was wonderful.
What else was special about the effect of God's workings in those days? One example. There were a number of what we called 'fixations'. During the rebellion of 1964, three rebel soldiers came to my house. The middle soldier was the commander and the one on the right had a spear and the other one had a gun slung over his shoulder.
They demanded money from me and when I refused, they got mad and the commander told the one on the right to strike me down. He raised his spear to drive it through me and I just put up an arm to ward off the blow.
Suddenly I realised that nothing had happened. The man's arm was raised and he was standing there a yard away from me with real hatred in his eyes - I've never seen such hatred, wanting to kill me. But he was rooted to the ground and couldn't move! The three were 'fixed' to the spot.
I said to them that my God in me is greater than their god in them. I then backed through the door and crumpled in a heap. But I pulled myself together and made them coffee and took them some John's gospels and talked to them about Jesus. They listened and then left.
And there were other miraculous signs and wonders? Yes. I remember one time I was visiting the sick wife of one of the evangelists. I was driving through a dirt track and came to the top of a hill and then suddenly saw this forest fire.
The fire was at the village where we were going and it lit up the whole sky. We walked the last few miles but as we got closer I was struck that there was no noise! That was strange. Forest fires have an enormous roar, louder than a plane.
As we got closer there was also no heat! As we entered the village one house was ablaze which was the pastor's house - but there were no people about. Again that was strange because everyone would have been out to beat the fire.
Suddenly, there was this terrifying sense of awe. We went into the 'blazing' house with flames everywhere but nothing was burned. The people inside were praising the Lord as the pastor's wife had died and gone to be with Jesus. The Shekinah glory had truly come down on them.
How did the rebellion in 1964 affect the movings of the Spirit? The rebellion came twelve years after the revival first hit us. It was a terrible and appalling time when a quarter of a million people were murdered out of a population of 15 million. Many of them were Christians. The revival made us ready for all this and carried us through the suffering. We didn't mind what happened to us because our hearts were so rooted in Jesus.
What do you feel caused the fervour of revival fire to cool down? I think over the years the effect of western materialism was damaging. We lived a very simple lifestyle. All the money that came to me as gift money I divided equally between the team - it made no difference whether it was my house boy who cleaned the house and cooked my meals or me who did the surgery and cared for the women having their babies or the motor mechanic who kept the ambulance. We were totally equal servants. But when they got radios they found out how the rest of the world lived and wanted more. Also, salaries with differential scales came in with independence.
Any big lessons for us to learn out of all this remarkable visitation of God? You can't live forever on the mountain top. You have to come down into the valley to do the work. You must never look back on the blessing - you must always look on. We contain the treasure of the Lord Jesus. It doesn't matter about the beautiful thin china ware or the cracked old earthen pot - what matters is the treasure within. The key thing is that God and God alone is glorified.
In a recent conversation with Jesus Life, Helen Roseveare added these few reflections on the revival, 40 years on:
What was your background before you went to Africa? I was saved when I was a medical student - I wasn't very bright, so medicine was a real slog! I did no reading apart from my Bible and the next thing I knew I was out on the mission field! I was a good solid Anglican type, totally unprepared for the revival that came.
What led up to the Congo revival? Basically, years of committed prayer that became increasingly desperate. Both senior local pastors and missionaries had been praying regularly with a real burden.
What can you remember of the first experiences you had of revival power? The first day revival came to Ibambi, the actual building shook. We were sitting in the Bible School hall. It was seven o'clock on a Friday night. Jack Scholes, our field leader, had just come back from a trip in the south and he had seen revival down there. He stood up to speak about the revival and started to read from scriptures. Suddenly we heard a hurricane storm. It was frightening!
And not what you expected? No! None of us stopped to think that this was strange because you don't get hurricane storms in July (we have them in February or March). We heard this hurricane coming and the elders began to take the shutters down - the shutters are not very strong and fall in and can hurt people. We looked out and it was moonlight and the palm trees were standing absolutely still against the moonlit sky. It should have been pitch-black and stormy. Then the building shook and the storm lanterns down the centre of the building moved around. There was a terrific noise and a sense of external power around. We were all frightened - there must have been about five whites and 95 Africans present. You could sense fear all around.
How did you respond? Jack stood at the front and said to us - "This is of God, just pray - don't fear and don't interfere." It was as if a force came in and we were shaking. There was no way you could control it and some were thrown to the ground off the benches as if someone had hurled them down! But no one was hurt. Everyone ceased to be conscious of anyone else.
What was the strongest sense you had around you at the time? Conviction of sin. People began to confess publicly what you might call 'big sin' (and these were all Christians). They spoke of adultery, cheating, stealing, deceit. One friend, whom I thought too good to be true, was crying out to God for mercy and confessing her sins. I couldn't imagine she'd done anything wrong!
Sounds amazing! How long did all this go on? We didn't leave the hall that whole weekend! Most of the time God was dealing with our sins. Some needed help from the pastors who moved around with much wisdom and encouragement. Then joy struck the repentant sinners and the pastors moved on. It was remarkable what discernment was given to these uneducated pastors. I remember they discerned that one lady's confession wasn't real and they urged her to confess what was really inside.
Anything else to note about the revival moving of power as God's work continued? Yes! There were amazing visions from people which were often based on Old Testament scriptures - even though they didn't have the Old Testament! I remember one woman standing up with her arms upraised and her face radiant, talking about wheels within wheels and eyes within the wheels and patterns and above it all a great rainbow. It was straight out of Ezekiel. She spoke of the glory and began weeping when she said she saw the glory was in the midst of the Bible School and then it went out of the hall, across the courtyard and into the forest. She broke down, crying, "It's because of our sin, our sin!"
How did you feel about this? The white people just sat back and watched at first and the Bible School students held back. It was all right for the village people, but not for us! But God broke into the Bible School. We were soon broken down as well.
It was irresistible! Yes! There were also amazing visions of hell and people would break down weeping because of unsaved relatives. They carried exhausting prayer burdens. What started off as a ten minute prayer meeting lasted three hours. We didn't discuss anything, we spoke with God. There were waves of outpoured prayer. Some went off at 4am on one occasion and walked twelve miles to a village, compelled by the Holy Spirit, to share the gospel. Many were saved as a result.
Did the revival continue after those early days of God's powerful presence? Yes, it was amazing. In the years following the initial work, revival blessing came in waves. But I still wasn't being revived myself! I was frantic - there was a coldness in my heart. I was saying the right things, doing the right things and being the right things, but somehow I was outside all that was happening.
So how did that change? I spent a long weekend crying out to God. There was little of victory in my life. I was frustrated, hurt and empty, knowing the right answers but getting nowhere. On the Saturday night I went to one of the pastors and his wife and said, "Please help me!" His response was clear although he was very gentle - "We can see so much Helen and we can't see Jesus. Everything revolves around your vision, your work, what you will do." I knew he was right. That was all he said, but somehow Jesus was there. I spent the following ten days in the presence of the Lord, broken. It was wonderful.
What else was special about the effect of God's workings in those days? One example. There were a number of what we called 'fixations'. During the rebellion of 1964, three rebel soldiers came to my house. The middle soldier was the commander and the one on the right had a spear and the other one had a gun slung over his shoulder.
They demanded money from me and when I refused, they got mad and the commander told the one on the right to strike me down. He raised his spear to drive it through me and I just put up an arm to ward off the blow.
Suddenly I realised that nothing had happened. The man's arm was raised and he was standing there a yard away from me with real hatred in his eyes - I've never seen such hatred, wanting to kill me. But he was rooted to the ground and couldn't move! The three were 'fixed' to the spot.
I said to them that my God in me is greater than their god in them. I then backed through the door and crumpled in a heap. But I pulled myself together and made them coffee and took them some John's gospels and talked to them about Jesus. They listened and then left.
And there were other miraculous signs and wonders? Yes. I remember one time I was visiting the sick wife of one of the evangelists. I was driving through a dirt track and came to the top of a hill and then suddenly saw this forest fire.
The fire was at the village where we were going and it lit up the whole sky. We walked the last few miles but as we got closer I was struck that there was no noise! That was strange. Forest fires have an enormous roar, louder than a plane.
As we got closer there was also no heat! As we entered the village one house was ablaze which was the pastor's house - but there were no people about. Again that was strange because everyone would have been out to beat the fire.
Suddenly, there was this terrifying sense of awe. We went into the 'blazing' house with flames everywhere but nothing was burned. The people inside were praising the Lord as the pastor's wife had died and gone to be with Jesus. The Shekinah glory had truly come down on them.
How did the rebellion in 1964 affect the movings of the Spirit? The rebellion came twelve years after the revival first hit us. It was a terrible and appalling time when a quarter of a million people were murdered out of a population of 15 million. Many of them were Christians. The revival made us ready for all this and carried us through the suffering. We didn't mind what happened to us because our hearts were so rooted in Jesus.
What do you feel caused the fervour of revival fire to cool down? I think over the years the effect of western materialism was damaging. We lived a very simple lifestyle. All the money that came to me as gift money I divided equally between the team - it made no difference whether it was my house boy who cleaned the house and cooked my meals or me who did the surgery and cared for the women having their babies or the motor mechanic who kept the ambulance. We were totally equal servants. But when they got radios they found out how the rest of the world lived and wanted more. Also, salaries with differential scales came in with independence.
Any big lessons for us to learn out of all this remarkable visitation of God? You can't live forever on the mountain top. You have to come down into the valley to do the work. You must never look back on the blessing - you must always look on. We contain the treasure of the Lord Jesus. It doesn't matter about the beautiful thin china ware or the cracked old earthen pot - what matters is the treasure within. The key thing is that God and God alone is glorified.
In a recent conversation with Jesus Life, Helen Roseveare added these few reflections on the revival, 40 years on:
- "The revival was wonderful: I hope that I still live in the joy of it and that it burns for ever in me. It's true that the manifestations were there, even that they shocked us and changed us. But the lasting effect of revival was not to make us seek for more manifestations, but, rather, a deep desire for a holy life.
- "Revival gave us all an urgent desire for, a hunger to seek the fruit of the Spirit (rather than merely manifestations). The Spirit taught us to be more gentle, more patient, less judgemental. He worked in us a deep desire to manifest the fruit (Gal. 5:22) in our lives, and so to be more like Jesus. The gifts, in comparison, were a bit on the periphery."
Power and Majesty
"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40:25-26
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Underlying Theme
A little while ago Bob Jennings mentioned in a sermon something on how the scripture seems to just tie into itself time and time again. There are hundreds of examples I'm sure, but he specifically pointed out a pattern found in the life of Christ that relates back to the Old Testament. He talked about how the fall of man took place in a garden (Genesis chapter 3), Jesus was often found praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39), Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1), and Jesus was both crucified and buried in a garden (John 19:41). All of this just served to remind me that over the whole course of scripture the Bible points to one thing. From all of the laws of the Old Testament, to the gospels, and onward into the amazing truths found in the book of Hebrews, the underlying theme points to the work that Christ accomplished on the cross. Glorious redemption for a race of sinful, undeserving men! I wonder how old Jesus was when he realized that his own life was pointing towards the same thing that all of scripture points to--the Cross.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Widow's Oil
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves." Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil." Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full." So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not one vessel more." And the oil stopped. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest." 2nd Kings 4:1-7I was reminded of this passage today and how gracious God is to those in need. This widow had a debt that she could not pay and she was becoming desperate. All she had left were her sons, who were about to be taken from her, and a tiny jar of oil. I think it is to her credit that she carried out the instructions that Elisha gave her, because to me they would have seemed rather odd. But in faith, she did as she was told and God richly blessed her! He supplied all of her needs, even beyond what she needed because Elisha tells her that after paying off her debt she and her family would have enough to live on. This widow was placed in a position of total reliance upon God, and He was faithful to meet all of her needs. Why do we doubt Him when he is "able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think?"
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Streams in the Desert, December 10
Once I heard a song of sweetness,
As it filled the morning air,
Sounding in its blest completeness,
Like a tender, pleading prayer;
And I sought to find the singer,
Where the wondrous song was borne;
And I found a bird, quite wounded,
Pinned down by a cruel thorn.
I have seen a soul in sadness,
While its wings with pain were furled,
Giving hope, and cheer, and gladness
That should bless a weeping world;
And I knew that life of sweetness,
Was of pain and sorrow borne,
And a stricken soul was singing,
With its heart against a thorn.
You are told of One who loved you,
Of a Savior crucified,
You are told of nails that held Him,
And a spear that pierced His side;
You are told of cruel scourging,
Of a Savior bearing scorn,
And He died for your salvation,
With His brow against a thorn.
You "are not above the Master."
Will you breathe a sweet refrain?
And His grace will be sufficient,
When your heart is pierced with pain.
Will you live to bless His loved ones,
Though your life be bruised and torn,
Like the bird that sang so sweetly,
With its heart against a thorn?
~Author Unknown
As it filled the morning air,
Sounding in its blest completeness,
Like a tender, pleading prayer;
And I sought to find the singer,
Where the wondrous song was borne;
And I found a bird, quite wounded,
Pinned down by a cruel thorn.
I have seen a soul in sadness,
While its wings with pain were furled,
Giving hope, and cheer, and gladness
That should bless a weeping world;
And I knew that life of sweetness,
Was of pain and sorrow borne,
And a stricken soul was singing,
With its heart against a thorn.
You are told of One who loved you,
Of a Savior crucified,
You are told of nails that held Him,
And a spear that pierced His side;
You are told of cruel scourging,
Of a Savior bearing scorn,
And He died for your salvation,
With His brow against a thorn.
You "are not above the Master."
Will you breathe a sweet refrain?
And His grace will be sufficient,
When your heart is pierced with pain.
Will you live to bless His loved ones,
Though your life be bruised and torn,
Like the bird that sang so sweetly,
With its heart against a thorn?
~Author Unknown
Fearfully, Wonderfully Made
"You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..." Jeremiah 1:5
"For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him." Colossians 1:16
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Rocks Will Cry Out
"As soon as [Jesus] was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting: "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" Luke 19:37-40
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Person of Christ
I came across this picture on the internet and thought it was a really good reminder of the person of Christ. How amazing that He can be two things that are so very different!"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
"Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome..." Revelation 5:5
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." Revelation 5:12
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The King of Love, My Shepherd Is
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am His,
And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul He leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me;
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill,
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And oh, what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
~An Irish hymn by Henry W. Baker
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am His,
And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul He leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me;
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill,
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And oh, what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
~An Irish hymn by Henry W. Baker
Every Promise Fulfilled
"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9:13-16"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19
"...You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed." Joshua 23:14
What a comfort that we can lean on His promises forever and not one of them will fail!
Friday, December 5, 2008
"They Did Not Thirst..."
"They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out." Isaiah 48:21While God did use water from the rock as a literal way to meet the needs of Israel, God continues to provide for His people in a more spiritual sense also. I've always found this verse to be very encouraging, because the desert is a perfect picture of some of the seasons that a Christian goes through. There are periods where each Christian may feel dry, not seem to experience much growth, and may get discouraged. But even though the season feels dry, the Christian does not wither. That's because he is rooted in the Lord, and his strength comes from a source that is deeper than himself! "He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither..." Psalm 1:3 The Christian is sustained through all things and eventually there comes an end to the dry season. How did God end the dry season for the Israelites? It says that water "gushed out" of the rock. This wasn't a trickle, or a little puddle. Their thirst was quenched and their needs met in an abundance! "...and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26 Not only that, but look at where the water came from--it came from the rock, which is often used to symbolize Christ. Any time there is a need met we should always remember the source, which is Christ. "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
Friday, November 28, 2008
Delight in the Lord
- "My soul so much delighted to continue instant in prayer, at this blessed season, that I had no desire for my necessary food: even dreaded leaving off praying at all, lest I should lose this spirituality, and this blessed thankfulness to God which I then felt. I felt now quite willing to live, and undergo all trials that might remain for me in a world of sorrow: but still longed for heaven, that I might glorify God in a perfect manner." ~David Brainerd
- "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2
- "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
- "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8
- "They seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, as a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, they delight in the nearness of God." Isaiah 58:2
- "If we do not rejoice in God - if God is not our treasure and our delight and our satisfaction, then He is dishonored. His glory is belittled. His reputation is tarnished." ~John Piper
Monday, November 24, 2008
Through a Glass Darkly
As through a glass darkly
I catch a glimpse of Him,
A shadow of His person
As through candlelight dim
There appears to be a mist
Like a veil that hides His face,
I cannot see Him well
But here and there a trace
I know Him to be real
And at times my eyes can see,
A vision clear of Jesus
And of His reality
His Spirit guides my footsteps
As on the way I tread,
A sort of fiery pillar
That points the way ahead
As through this world I go
He gently guides the way,
And though I cannot see Him
He leads me day by day
When my life begins to flicker
And my race is almost run,
At the end there lies a trophy
When the triumph all is done
The triumph is not mine
And neither is the praise,
They both belong to God
Who keeps me all my days
Then I shall see His face
No longer faint or dim or hid,
In clear and shining Glory
I shall see Him as He is
I catch a glimpse of Him,
A shadow of His person
As through candlelight dim
There appears to be a mist
Like a veil that hides His face,
I cannot see Him well
But here and there a trace
I know Him to be real
And at times my eyes can see,
A vision clear of Jesus
And of His reality
His Spirit guides my footsteps
As on the way I tread,
A sort of fiery pillar
That points the way ahead
As through this world I go
He gently guides the way,
And though I cannot see Him
He leads me day by day
When my life begins to flicker
And my race is almost run,
At the end there lies a trophy
When the triumph all is done
The triumph is not mine
And neither is the praise,
They both belong to God
Who keeps me all my days
Then I shall see His face
No longer faint or dim or hid,
In clear and shining Glory
I shall see Him as He is
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Praying for a Nation
Today I was reading in the book of Jeremiah. The prophet had sent a letter to the people of Israel who were taken into exile in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzer. In Jeremiah's letter I came across this verse: "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7)
We as Christians know that this world is not our true home, yet we are called to be here for a little while. What encouraged me about this verse is that we ought to be praying on behalf of our country and for it's welfare. There are many concerning things in a world-wide sense of course, but America is one of the most sinful countries in the world. I admit that praying for my country has not been a big priority until now, but I was greatly convicted by this verse. In Exodus 32 Moses made intercession to the Lord on Israel's behalf to keep the nation from being destroyed in God's anger. This demonstrates the power that effectual prayer can have on a nation and how important this type of prayer truly is.
We as Christians know that this world is not our true home, yet we are called to be here for a little while. What encouraged me about this verse is that we ought to be praying on behalf of our country and for it's welfare. There are many concerning things in a world-wide sense of course, but America is one of the most sinful countries in the world. I admit that praying for my country has not been a big priority until now, but I was greatly convicted by this verse. In Exodus 32 Moses made intercession to the Lord on Israel's behalf to keep the nation from being destroyed in God's anger. This demonstrates the power that effectual prayer can have on a nation and how important this type of prayer truly is.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Consider the Lilies
"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. " Luke 12:27-32I was thinking about how much God cares for His people and this verse came to mind. I know that it is usually used in the context of not worrying about anything, but I love so much the incentive behind that statement. "..how much more will he clothe you?" And later on in the passage "...your Father knows that you need these things." How encouraging that our Father knows us so well that He knows our needs even before we ask! Yet He sits and graciously listens to our requests, even encourages us to come to Him, and then blesses us richly and more abundantly than we could ever have hoped for. What glorious mercy and undeserved grace. After seeing Him clothe the lilies of the field, why do we doubt that He will give utmost attention to even our smallest need? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Where Self is on the Throne
The earth has seen the rise and fall of a vast number of empires since God set it turning in its place. With each new ruler there was a renewed lust for glory, power, and conquest. Each of these leaders searched with all his might for something to quench his worldly appetite, but no matter what lengths they went to, none found satisfaction in the end. Finally, after the people of the earth had seen troubles and tyrants, kingdoms and kings, rebellion and rulers, one rose up from among them to which no other ruler in history could be compared. His roots sprang up in the beginning of time, and over the years he became more powerful. Self would soon win the hearts of earth’s people.
While the peoples and powers of the earth were occupied in searching for something to satisfy themselves, Self stood by quietly biding his time. Eventually the earth began to wage open war on its people, and Self began to covertly gather a following around him. Among his followers were the filthy, the vile, the criminals, the wicked, and the ungodly. The more that the earth pretended to search for truth, meaning, and satisfaction, the more Self added to his own army. How did Self draw such a myriad around himself? He appealed to the nature of the people. “What are your impulses, wants, lusts, longings, idols, aspirations, goals, and cravings?” Self would ask. “Whatever your heart desires, I will deny it nothing! Only come to me and I will provide you with whatever you wish.” The people were charmed by his words and delighted with his pleasures. Whatever they wanted, Self had promised them.
When he had gathered enough around him, Self overthrew the rulers of the earth one by one and created an empire of his own. The peoples of the earth were captivated by his many promises to them. In the beginning Self’s reign seemed wonderful and all the people were happy because they got whatever they wanted. But after a time the people began to demand more from Self and more from each other. They were unwilling to yield to those around them and the nation quickly became selfish. In order to keep his people pleased, Self began making new decrees. Self decided to do away with the good, ancient laws and make new laws no matter how evil, immoral, and thoughtless they were. Also, to keep the people from arguing over truth, he declared that there was no such thing as right and wrong and that the people should practice and believe in whatever pleased them most.
After years under the reign of Self, where right and wrong were no longer acknowledged, the people became more wicked than any the earth had ever seen. Entertainment, passions, and gluttony were the favorite pastimes of the people, who had become lazy. No longer devoting themselves to work and providing for their families, they became idle and fell into all kinds of mischief. Murder, adultery, stealing, lawbreaking, and destruction were rampant among the people. They began to prey on the helpless, taking the lives of the innocent and unborn, and taking advantage of the weak. The people even began to ignore the natural and moral in regard to marrying one another. All of this took place because, blinded by charm and enticed by desires, the people worshiped Self instead of God.
The reign of Self probably sounds familiar--it closely resembles the condition of American culture today, where the people glory in wickedness and the existence of truth is denied. In order to restore the earth’s people to favor with God, Self must be overthrown by another ruler--one who would make a Way for them, hold Truth out to those in darkness, and raise the dead to Life. “…You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
A. Leiter 11/07/08
While the peoples and powers of the earth were occupied in searching for something to satisfy themselves, Self stood by quietly biding his time. Eventually the earth began to wage open war on its people, and Self began to covertly gather a following around him. Among his followers were the filthy, the vile, the criminals, the wicked, and the ungodly. The more that the earth pretended to search for truth, meaning, and satisfaction, the more Self added to his own army. How did Self draw such a myriad around himself? He appealed to the nature of the people. “What are your impulses, wants, lusts, longings, idols, aspirations, goals, and cravings?” Self would ask. “Whatever your heart desires, I will deny it nothing! Only come to me and I will provide you with whatever you wish.” The people were charmed by his words and delighted with his pleasures. Whatever they wanted, Self had promised them.
When he had gathered enough around him, Self overthrew the rulers of the earth one by one and created an empire of his own. The peoples of the earth were captivated by his many promises to them. In the beginning Self’s reign seemed wonderful and all the people were happy because they got whatever they wanted. But after a time the people began to demand more from Self and more from each other. They were unwilling to yield to those around them and the nation quickly became selfish. In order to keep his people pleased, Self began making new decrees. Self decided to do away with the good, ancient laws and make new laws no matter how evil, immoral, and thoughtless they were. Also, to keep the people from arguing over truth, he declared that there was no such thing as right and wrong and that the people should practice and believe in whatever pleased them most.
After years under the reign of Self, where right and wrong were no longer acknowledged, the people became more wicked than any the earth had ever seen. Entertainment, passions, and gluttony were the favorite pastimes of the people, who had become lazy. No longer devoting themselves to work and providing for their families, they became idle and fell into all kinds of mischief. Murder, adultery, stealing, lawbreaking, and destruction were rampant among the people. They began to prey on the helpless, taking the lives of the innocent and unborn, and taking advantage of the weak. The people even began to ignore the natural and moral in regard to marrying one another. All of this took place because, blinded by charm and enticed by desires, the people worshiped Self instead of God.
The reign of Self probably sounds familiar--it closely resembles the condition of American culture today, where the people glory in wickedness and the existence of truth is denied. In order to restore the earth’s people to favor with God, Self must be overthrown by another ruler--one who would make a Way for them, hold Truth out to those in darkness, and raise the dead to Life. “…You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
A. Leiter 11/07/08
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thomas Wilcox on the Righteousness of Christ
In reading tonight I came across this and was really refreshed by it. Any amount of self-sufficiency is clearly condemned by these truths found in Thomas Wilcox's tract, Honey Out of the Rock, where the focus is entirely on Christ. The first paragraph is found on page 5, the second is on page 7.
When you believe and come to Christ, you must leave behind you your own righteousness, all your holiness, sanctification, duties, tears, humblings, etc., and bring nothing but your sins, your wants and miseries, else Christ is not fit for you, nor you for Christ. Christ will be a perfect Redeemer and Mediator, and you must be an undone sinner, or Christ and you will never agree. It is the hardest thing in the world to take Christ alone for righteousness; that is, to acknowledge Him Christ.
Stand with all your weight upon Christ's righteousness. Take heed of having one foot on your righteousness, another on Christ's. Till Christ come and sit upon a throne of grace in the conscience, there is nothing but guilt, terrors, secret suspicions, the soul hanging between hope and fear, which is not an evangelical state. Whoever is afraid to see sin's utmost vileness, and confess the desperate wickedness of his heart, suspects the merits of Christ.
When you believe and come to Christ, you must leave behind you your own righteousness, all your holiness, sanctification, duties, tears, humblings, etc., and bring nothing but your sins, your wants and miseries, else Christ is not fit for you, nor you for Christ. Christ will be a perfect Redeemer and Mediator, and you must be an undone sinner, or Christ and you will never agree. It is the hardest thing in the world to take Christ alone for righteousness; that is, to acknowledge Him Christ.
Stand with all your weight upon Christ's righteousness. Take heed of having one foot on your righteousness, another on Christ's. Till Christ come and sit upon a throne of grace in the conscience, there is nothing but guilt, terrors, secret suspicions, the soul hanging between hope and fear, which is not an evangelical state. Whoever is afraid to see sin's utmost vileness, and confess the desperate wickedness of his heart, suspects the merits of Christ.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Quotes on Missions
- "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19
- "I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light." -- John Keith Falconer, Arabia
- "God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supply." -- Hudson Taylor, China
- "To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map." -- William Carey, India
- "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." -- Jim Elliot, South America
- "If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" -- David Livingstone, Africa
- "Missions is the overflow of our delight in God because missions is the overflow of God's delight in being God." --John Piper, United States
- "You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." -- Amy Carmichael, India
- "People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." -- Nate Saint, South America
- "Today Christians spend more money on dog food then missions." -- Leonard Ravenhill, United States
- "Oh, that I had a thousand lives, and a thousand bodies! All of them should be devoted to no other employment but to preach Christ to these degraded, despised, yet beloved mortals." -- Robert Moffat, Africa
- "If God has fit you to be a missionary, I would not have you shrivel down to be a king." -- Charles Spurgeon, England
- "The primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ." -- Vance Havner, United States
- "I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!" -- Isobel Kuhn, China
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Branch and the Branches
"Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit." Isaiah 11:1
"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, 'The Lord our Righteousness.' (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
"In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth." Jeremiah 33:15
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." John 15:4-6
The three Old Testament passages that mention the "Branch" are of course referring to Christ and how God was planning to raise him up from the house of David to rule over Israel, the symbol of the Church or the elect. The John 15 passage is the one that we are most familiar with. Here Jesus is talking about how we as Christians are dependent on Him entirely. We can have no part of Him unless we bear the same fruit that He did. If we are rooted in Christ we cannot help but bear fruit because our roots are very much alive! This does not imply that fruit will come effortlessly, but what an encouragement it is that our life and fruit is not dependent on ourselves. I chose this picture because I think that it depicts perfectly the life that we have in Christ. This branch is flourishing because it is well rooted and nurtured.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tenderness in Refinement
He sat by a fire of sevenfold heat,
As He looked at the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Though we would have asked for delay,
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire-not the Master's hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o'er the fire, though unseen by us,
With a look of unspeakable love.
Should we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment's pain?
Not so! for He saw through the present cross
The joy of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure.
~Streams in the Desert, page 407-408
What I found so beautiful about this poem is the tenderness that can be found throughout the refining process that takes place in the life of the Christian. At the beginning the author admits that the nature of burning away the dross seems unpleasant and painful. Yet at the end of it all we see that Christ was there all along and He did not cause his child a needless tear. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4) How amazing that the Lord of Glory would regard us with such tenderness and mercy! Anything short of hell is an undeserved and extravagant grace.
As He looked at the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Though we would have asked for delay,
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire-not the Master's hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o'er the fire, though unseen by us,
With a look of unspeakable love.
Should we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment's pain?
Not so! for He saw through the present cross
The joy of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure.
~Streams in the Desert, page 407-408
What I found so beautiful about this poem is the tenderness that can be found throughout the refining process that takes place in the life of the Christian. At the beginning the author admits that the nature of burning away the dross seems unpleasant and painful. Yet at the end of it all we see that Christ was there all along and He did not cause his child a needless tear. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4) How amazing that the Lord of Glory would regard us with such tenderness and mercy! Anything short of hell is an undeserved and extravagant grace.
Monday, October 6, 2008
True Salvation
"Consider, the greatest sins may be hid under the greatest duties, and the greatest terrors. See that the wound that sin has made in your soul be perfectly cured by the blood of Christ! not skinned over with duties, tears, enlargements, etc. Apply what you will besides the blood of Christ, it will poison the sore. You will find that sin was never mortified truly, if you have not seen Christ bleeding for you upon the cross. Nothing can kill it, but beholding Christ's righteousness." Honey Out of the Rock, pg 3
Before I was a Christian my life was defined by duties. I would try my best to live every day perfectly so that I would have no need of God. Of course this was something I could not do, even at the age of 9 when the worst of sins usually are not yet practiced. Lying in bed at night I would recall the day to see if I had indeed lived it perfectly. There was always something that would come to my mind that I had done wrong, so I would purpose to try again the next day and surely I would get it right. Eventually, and very slowly the truth contained in the above quote dawned on me. I could do nothing to save myself because, try as I might, I could not live so much as one day in a sinless way so as to please God. Only the blood of Christ could satisfy an angry God whose hand was raised against me.
It is a common belief nowadays that works can save a person whether it's confirmation, taking communion, baptism, or even living a "mostly good life." Satan could not be happier with these false doctrines because they are industriously circulated through modern churches leading professing "Christians" to hell, all the while believing that trusting in self or works is good enough for God. If you are a professing Christian raised under this type of teaching I would recommend this message by Paul Washer entitled "How do I Know I am Saved?" where he speaks on the truths that define Christianity and supports them with plenty of biblical evidence. If there is any doubt in your mind, seek God without hesitation.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1050795550
"All that nature can do, will never make up the least particle of grace, mortify sin, or look Christ in the face. You may hear prayer, receive the sacrament, and yet be miserable, unless you see Christ superior to all other excellency and righteousness in the world, and all these falling down before the majesty of love and grace." ~Thomas Wilcox
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure." 2nd Peter 1:10
Before I was a Christian my life was defined by duties. I would try my best to live every day perfectly so that I would have no need of God. Of course this was something I could not do, even at the age of 9 when the worst of sins usually are not yet practiced. Lying in bed at night I would recall the day to see if I had indeed lived it perfectly. There was always something that would come to my mind that I had done wrong, so I would purpose to try again the next day and surely I would get it right. Eventually, and very slowly the truth contained in the above quote dawned on me. I could do nothing to save myself because, try as I might, I could not live so much as one day in a sinless way so as to please God. Only the blood of Christ could satisfy an angry God whose hand was raised against me.
It is a common belief nowadays that works can save a person whether it's confirmation, taking communion, baptism, or even living a "mostly good life." Satan could not be happier with these false doctrines because they are industriously circulated through modern churches leading professing "Christians" to hell, all the while believing that trusting in self or works is good enough for God. If you are a professing Christian raised under this type of teaching I would recommend this message by Paul Washer entitled "How do I Know I am Saved?" where he speaks on the truths that define Christianity and supports them with plenty of biblical evidence. If there is any doubt in your mind, seek God without hesitation.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1050795550
"All that nature can do, will never make up the least particle of grace, mortify sin, or look Christ in the face. You may hear prayer, receive the sacrament, and yet be miserable, unless you see Christ superior to all other excellency and righteousness in the world, and all these falling down before the majesty of love and grace." ~Thomas Wilcox
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure." 2nd Peter 1:10
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Streams in the Desert
He was better to me than all my hopes;
He was better than all my fears;
He made a bridge of my broken works,
And a rainbow of my tears.
The stormy waves that marked my ocean path,
Did carry my Lord on their crest;
When I dwell on the days of my wilderness march
I can lean on His love for the rest.
He emptied my hands of my treasured store,
And His covenant love revealed,
There was not a wound in my aching heart,
The balm of His breath has not healed.
Oh, tender and true was His discipline sore,
In wisdom, that taught and tried,
Till the soul that He sought was trusting in Him,
And nothing on earth beside.
He guided my paths that I could not see,
By ways that I have not known;
The crooked was straight, and the rough was plain
As I followed the Lord alone.
I praise Him still for the pleasant palms,
And the desert streams by the way,
For the glowing pillar of flame by night,
And the sheltering cloud by day.
Never a time on the dreariest day,
But some promise of love endears;
I read from the past, that my future will be
Far better than all my fears.
Like the golden jar, or the wilderness bread,
Stored up with the blossoming rod,
All safe in the ark, with the law of the Lord,
Is the covenant care of my God.
~page 364
He was better than all my fears;
He made a bridge of my broken works,
And a rainbow of my tears.
The stormy waves that marked my ocean path,
Did carry my Lord on their crest;
When I dwell on the days of my wilderness march
I can lean on His love for the rest.
He emptied my hands of my treasured store,
And His covenant love revealed,
There was not a wound in my aching heart,
The balm of His breath has not healed.
Oh, tender and true was His discipline sore,
In wisdom, that taught and tried,
Till the soul that He sought was trusting in Him,
And nothing on earth beside.
He guided my paths that I could not see,
By ways that I have not known;
The crooked was straight, and the rough was plain
As I followed the Lord alone.
I praise Him still for the pleasant palms,
And the desert streams by the way,
For the glowing pillar of flame by night,
And the sheltering cloud by day.
Never a time on the dreariest day,
But some promise of love endears;
I read from the past, that my future will be
Far better than all my fears.
Like the golden jar, or the wilderness bread,
Stored up with the blossoming rod,
All safe in the ark, with the law of the Lord,
Is the covenant care of my God.
~page 364
Friday, September 19, 2008
John Piper Quotes
"Striving to enter through the narrow door is only as hard as treasuring Jesus above all things. The battle is not to do what we don't want, but to want what is infinitely worthy of wanting. The fight is not the oppressive struggle to earn God's final rest, but the satisfying struggle to rest in the peace that Jesus freely gives. (Matthew 11:28-30) The demands of Jesus are only as hard to obey as his promises are hard to cherish and his presence is hard to treasure." In Our Joy, page 77
"Remember that forgiveness of sins and justification by faith are at the bottom of our striving. We do not strive for them. We strive because we have them...Our standing with God as forgiven and righteous is the ground of our striving, not the goal of our striving." In Our Joy, page 78
"Remember that forgiveness of sins and justification by faith are at the bottom of our striving. We do not strive for them. We strive because we have them...Our standing with God as forgiven and righteous is the ground of our striving, not the goal of our striving." In Our Joy, page 78
Life Verses
This sermon was preached by a man named Paul Washer, a friend of my father's and one of the most insightful men I've ever heard. He shares these verses as the ones that have most shaped his life and encouraged him in the Lord. This message has been a great encouragement to me and I hope it will be to you as well. It's 69 minutes long and is #3 on the list of sermons located at this link.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?keyword=paul%20washer&entiresite=true
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?keyword=paul%20washer&entiresite=true
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Bold as a Lion
When I found this picture it made me think of Proverbs 28:1. "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion." I spent a little while thinking on this verse and drew the conclusion that if you have nothing to hide, then there obviously is no reason not to be bold. I was especially thinking of this verse along the lines of approaching the "throne of Grace."In Hebrews 4:14-16 Paul talks about our Great High Priest, Jesus, through whom we can present all of our concerns to God. "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (verse 16)." The Christian should not hesitate to approach God-in fact we are encouraged to draw near and are told that we can do so with confidence! Philippians 4:6 says "...but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." How is it that we are able to do this? It is because when God looks at the Christian He does not see a sin-stained person. Our sins are forgotten because they have been covered over by the blood of Christ! Psalm 103:12 "...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." The wicked can certainly not lay claim to this. They would not dare approach the throne of Grace because their guilt would not allow it, nor would God.
To sum this all up, in Revelation chapter 5 Christ is referred to as the "Lion of Judah." I found it interesting that because of the Lion of Judah, the Christian can approach the throne of God with the boldness of a lion. Of course I believe that there is still reverence that must be maintained when dealing with a Holy God. But I also believe that there is far more liberty for the Christian in approaching God than he/she may realize. After all, we not only call him "God," we also call him "Father."
Streams in the Desert
Speak, Lord, in the stillness,
While I wait on Thee;
Hushing my heart to listen
In expectancy
Speak, O blessed Master,
In this quiet hour;
Let me see Your face, Lord,
Feel Your touch of power
For the words that You speak,
"They are life," indeed;
Living bread from Heaven,
Now my spirit feed!
Speak, Your servant hears You!
Be not silent, Lord;
My soul on You does wait
For Your life-giving word!
~page 356
I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me
~page 357
While I wait on Thee;
Hushing my heart to listen
In expectancy
Speak, O blessed Master,
In this quiet hour;
Let me see Your face, Lord,
Feel Your touch of power
For the words that You speak,
"They are life," indeed;
Living bread from Heaven,
Now my spirit feed!
Speak, Your servant hears You!
Be not silent, Lord;
My soul on You does wait
For Your life-giving word!
~page 356
I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me
~page 357
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Jeremiah Chapter 2
13: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
19: "Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
27: "They say to wood, 'Your are my father,' and to stone, 'You gave me birth.' They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble they say, 'Come and save us!'
In verse 13 the two sins that were committed here were (1) forsaking the spring of living water, and (2) digging other cisterns, which were broken and could not hold water. In other words, Israel had rejected the One True God and had turned to idols, which meant nothing, could do nothing for them, and ultimately would not hold up in the end.
Verse 19 talks about the consequences for the wicked actions of Israel and the tragedy of forsaking the Lord and having no awe of him (the exact words used to describe this are "evil and bitter"). This led me to a thought based on verse 27, which mentions again how Israel had forsaken the Lord in order to worship idols. Towards the end of the verse it says "...they have turned their backs to me and not their faces..." In looking to idols for satisfaction, they had turned their backs on God. And since their backs were turned to God, they clearly were not standing in awe of Him. It's kind of hard to stand in awe of something if you're not even looking at, much less facing in the right direction!
Imagine going to the museum and examining a piece of gum that was stuck to the floor and completely ignoring the spectacular crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. How ridiculous! Or picture taking a trip into space and ignoring the stars around you because you'd rather look at a comic book. What would possess you to do that? Yet these examples and the account in Jeremiah are so similar to things that happen every day! Millions of people are content to play around in meaningless things and occupy themselves with transient pleasures of this world when the Son of God died to offer the free gift of eternal life to mortal, sin-stained, hell-bound men. The world and it's contented lost people need our prayers and God's mercy now more than ever.
19: "Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
27: "They say to wood, 'Your are my father,' and to stone, 'You gave me birth.' They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble they say, 'Come and save us!'
In verse 13 the two sins that were committed here were (1) forsaking the spring of living water, and (2) digging other cisterns, which were broken and could not hold water. In other words, Israel had rejected the One True God and had turned to idols, which meant nothing, could do nothing for them, and ultimately would not hold up in the end.
Verse 19 talks about the consequences for the wicked actions of Israel and the tragedy of forsaking the Lord and having no awe of him (the exact words used to describe this are "evil and bitter"). This led me to a thought based on verse 27, which mentions again how Israel had forsaken the Lord in order to worship idols. Towards the end of the verse it says "...they have turned their backs to me and not their faces..." In looking to idols for satisfaction, they had turned their backs on God. And since their backs were turned to God, they clearly were not standing in awe of Him. It's kind of hard to stand in awe of something if you're not even looking at, much less facing in the right direction!
Imagine going to the museum and examining a piece of gum that was stuck to the floor and completely ignoring the spectacular crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. How ridiculous! Or picture taking a trip into space and ignoring the stars around you because you'd rather look at a comic book. What would possess you to do that? Yet these examples and the account in Jeremiah are so similar to things that happen every day! Millions of people are content to play around in meaningless things and occupy themselves with transient pleasures of this world when the Son of God died to offer the free gift of eternal life to mortal, sin-stained, hell-bound men. The world and it's contented lost people need our prayers and God's mercy now more than ever.
The Lamb of God
To continually behold this Lamb of God
is life to our souls, and death to our sins!
Sin cannot terrify with its guilt, nor prevail
in its power while the heart is looking to this Lamb!
~William Mason
"Behold the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
is life to our souls, and death to our sins!
Sin cannot terrify with its guilt, nor prevail
in its power while the heart is looking to this Lamb!
~William Mason
"Behold the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Clear View of Trials
I read this excerpt yesterday in Streams in the Desert and was encouraged by it. Just a little disclaimer, when the author talks about "getting out of a trial" and I don't necessarily agree with that phrase. I believe that we "get out of trials" on God's time and not ours, but I do agree with his idea that if we view trials properly they may cease to seem like a trial to us. It is much more becoming of the Christian to view trials as an opportunity to learn something of value and to grow in grace. This little paragraph sums it up beautifully.
"There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is simply to try to get rid of the trial, and then to be thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever before experienced and to accept it with delight as an opportunity of receiving a greater measure of God's divine grace. In this way, even the Adversary becomes a help to us and all the things that seem to be against us turn out to assist us along our way. Surely this is what is meant by the words In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)"
~A.B Simpson, Streams in the Desert, September 7th
"There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is simply to try to get rid of the trial, and then to be thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever before experienced and to accept it with delight as an opportunity of receiving a greater measure of God's divine grace. In this way, even the Adversary becomes a help to us and all the things that seem to be against us turn out to assist us along our way. Surely this is what is meant by the words In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)"
~A.B Simpson, Streams in the Desert, September 7th
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Two Types of Striving
Luke 13:24 says "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." This implies that a struggle must take place in order to enter through that door, and I think the verse is actually talking about professing Christians. Look at the parallel passage in Matthew 7:22-23 that says "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me you who practice lawlessness." It seems that Jesus was talking about those who would profess to be Christians and even do some superficial good works in the name of Christ, but in reality their hearts were not in the right place. They were trying to enter the kingdom of heaven through the wide gate so that they could hang onto their lawlessness, idols, and worldly practices (much like the rich young ruler who would not tear down his own idol, which was his riches). This dispels the theory of "Carnal Christianity" not only because the two terms completely contradict each other, but also because of the context of this passage. The narrow door with its eternal life, or the wide gate with its destruction; try as you might, it is impossible to have both.
In Hebrews 12:4 it says "You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin." This is a reprimand to those who are not waging war on sin within their lives as they should be. A true Christian must take radical measures to rid themselves of anything that would prove to be a hindrance in entering the kingdom of God, whether it be sin, the bad influences of certain friends, or even his own thought life. This made me think of an account in Pilgrim's Progress that I believe illustrates a Christian who is dealing violently with what is hindering him. The account begins with Pilgrim standing in front of the Palace Beautiful. A scribe is sitting outside the door to take down the name of anyone who would dare go in, but Pilgrim is afraid because of the armed men that stand guard at the gate. Then a braver man approaches and the following takes place...
"Now was Christian somewhat in amaze: at last, when every man started back for fear of the armed men, Christian saw a man of a very stout countenance come up to the man that sat there to write, saying, Set down my name, sir; the which when he had done, he saw the man draw his sword, and put a helmet upon his head, and rush towards the door upon the armed men, who laid upon him with deadly force; but the man, not at all discouraged, fell to cutting and hacking most fiercely. So after he had received and given many wounds to those who attempted to keep him out, he cut his way through them all, and pressed forward into the palace."
Then there is the matter of not only striving against sin, but also striving for righteousness. Paul speaks in 2nd Corinthians 6:7 of how the Christian ought to carry "the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left." No matter what realm of the Christian life we are talking about, it is clear that a violent struggle will be involved.
Matthew 11:12, in reference to the kingdom of God says that "violent men take it by force." This means that there is a mighty battle involved in entering the kingdom of God. But what does the non-Christian have to strive against? According to John Piper, "Our own sin is the greatest threat to entering the kingdom of God (In Our Joy, pg 48)." For any who are interested, I've got a link posted to a sermon entitled "Violent Men" that has been preached a number of times by my uncle, Charles Leiter. The sermon is about 51 minutes long and definitely worth the time. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=22308115198
In Hebrews 12:4 it says "You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin." This is a reprimand to those who are not waging war on sin within their lives as they should be. A true Christian must take radical measures to rid themselves of anything that would prove to be a hindrance in entering the kingdom of God, whether it be sin, the bad influences of certain friends, or even his own thought life. This made me think of an account in Pilgrim's Progress that I believe illustrates a Christian who is dealing violently with what is hindering him. The account begins with Pilgrim standing in front of the Palace Beautiful. A scribe is sitting outside the door to take down the name of anyone who would dare go in, but Pilgrim is afraid because of the armed men that stand guard at the gate. Then a braver man approaches and the following takes place...
"Now was Christian somewhat in amaze: at last, when every man started back for fear of the armed men, Christian saw a man of a very stout countenance come up to the man that sat there to write, saying, Set down my name, sir; the which when he had done, he saw the man draw his sword, and put a helmet upon his head, and rush towards the door upon the armed men, who laid upon him with deadly force; but the man, not at all discouraged, fell to cutting and hacking most fiercely. So after he had received and given many wounds to those who attempted to keep him out, he cut his way through them all, and pressed forward into the palace."
Then there is the matter of not only striving against sin, but also striving for righteousness. Paul speaks in 2nd Corinthians 6:7 of how the Christian ought to carry "the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left." No matter what realm of the Christian life we are talking about, it is clear that a violent struggle will be involved.
Matthew 11:12, in reference to the kingdom of God says that "violent men take it by force." This means that there is a mighty battle involved in entering the kingdom of God. But what does the non-Christian have to strive against? According to John Piper, "Our own sin is the greatest threat to entering the kingdom of God (In Our Joy, pg 48)." For any who are interested, I've got a link posted to a sermon entitled "Violent Men" that has been preached a number of times by my uncle, Charles Leiter. The sermon is about 51 minutes long and definitely worth the time. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=22308115198
Monday, September 1, 2008
In Our Joy
I am in the middle of a small booklet written by John Piper called In Our Joy. The book is based on the parable Jesus told about the treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44) and it deals with the magnificence of the treasure, the great cost it took to gain that treasure, and also the great joy of its reward. The chapter I read today dealt with how the world, and even Christians at times, are so easily pleased in petty, meaningless things while the Savior of the World holds out eternal life and with it, eternal joy. It also spoke of how self-denial adds greatly to the joy of the Christian by refusing the transient joys of the world, and instead looking to Christ as the ultimate source of joy. Here are some quotes that I found to be a real encouragement along those lines.
"Before the new birth happens and repentance occurs, a hundred other things seem more important and more attractive: health, family, job, friends, sports, music, food, sex, hobbies, retirement. But when God gives the radical change of new brith and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our supreme treasure."
~John Piper
"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." ~C.S. Lewis
"The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire." ~C.S Lewis
"Self-denial will also be reckoned amongst the troubles of the godly...But whoever has tried self-denial can give in his testimony that they never experience greater pleasure and joys than after great acts of self-denial. Self-denial destroys the very root and foundation of sorrow, and is nothing else but that lancing of a grievous and pailful sore that effects a cure and brings abundance of health as a recompense for the pain of the operation." ~Jonathan Edwards
"Before the new birth happens and repentance occurs, a hundred other things seem more important and more attractive: health, family, job, friends, sports, music, food, sex, hobbies, retirement. But when God gives the radical change of new brith and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our supreme treasure."
~John Piper
"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." ~C.S. Lewis
"The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire." ~C.S Lewis
"Self-denial will also be reckoned amongst the troubles of the godly...But whoever has tried self-denial can give in his testimony that they never experience greater pleasure and joys than after great acts of self-denial. Self-denial destroys the very root and foundation of sorrow, and is nothing else but that lancing of a grievous and pailful sore that effects a cure and brings abundance of health as a recompense for the pain of the operation." ~Jonathan Edwards
Saturday, August 30, 2008
August 29, Streams in the Desert
Once again, I was greatly uplifted by this small, but incredible book. Today's entry was a perfect picture of how the cross that we are made to bear in this life is tailored for each individual person by the hand of God. The story was about a worn out woman who thought the cross that she was made to bear surely was heavier than the crosses of others, so she wished that she could carry the cross of another instead of her own. The account that follows is from a dream that the woman had...
She was taken to a place where there were many different crosses from which to choose. There were various shapes and sizes, but the most beautiful one was covered with jewels and gold. "This I could wear with comfort," she said. So she picked it up, but her weak body staggered beneath its weight. The jewels and gold were beautiful, yet they were much too heavy for her to carry.
The next cross she noticed was quite lovely, with beautiful flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely this was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were large thorns that pierced and tore her skin.
Finally she came to a plain cross without jewels or any carvings and with only a few words of love inscribed on it. When she picked it up, it proved to be better than the rest, and the easiest to carry. And as she looked at it, she noticed it was bathed in a radiance that fell from heaven. Then she recognized it as her own old cross. She had found it once again, and it was the best of all, and the lightest for her.
She was taken to a place where there were many different crosses from which to choose. There were various shapes and sizes, but the most beautiful one was covered with jewels and gold. "This I could wear with comfort," she said. So she picked it up, but her weak body staggered beneath its weight. The jewels and gold were beautiful, yet they were much too heavy for her to carry.
The next cross she noticed was quite lovely, with beautiful flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely this was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were large thorns that pierced and tore her skin.
Finally she came to a plain cross without jewels or any carvings and with only a few words of love inscribed on it. When she picked it up, it proved to be better than the rest, and the easiest to carry. And as she looked at it, she noticed it was bathed in a radiance that fell from heaven. Then she recognized it as her own old cross. She had found it once again, and it was the best of all, and the lightest for her.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Shining as Stars
Today I was thinking about the image that the Christian should give off to the world around them and I was reminded of these verses, which I found very convicting. "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." Philipians 2:14-15I think that some of the easiest things to fall into, even for Christians, are complaining and arguing. I know I struggle with these a lot. And the may seem like small things to worry about compared to other sin problems, but they can ruin a Christian's testimony just as easily as anything else. It is certain that the world is always watching and waiting for the Christian to slip up; nothing goes unnoticed or without criticism. So if a Christian shows humility through not complaining and arguing, an unconverted person notices this right away because it is so completely different from what the world is used to. They may begin to wonder what this Christian has that makes them respond so differently from the way the rest of the world would. "Shining like stars" is a powerful term, but in overcoming these two little traps of complaining and arguing there also lies a powerful witness that could open up an opportunity to "hold out the word of life."
The Character of Christ
"Christ is the Father's fulness of grace and glory. He must have the pre-eminence. He alone is worthy, who is to build the spiritual temple of the Lord and to bear the glory. Every vessel of this temple, from the cups to the flagons, must all be hung on Christ. He, by his Father's appointment, is the foundation-stone, corner-stone, top-stone."
~Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock
~Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Isaiah 54:10
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." I read this verse a while ago and have been thinking about it quite a bit. In the context that it is written, God is talking to His people Israel and making a covenant with them. But as we know, what pertains to God's literal "chosen people" Israel often pertains to His spiritual "chosen people" the Christians as well.
Isn't it amazing to think that we are loved by a God so mighty that even the most powerful forces on earth have no effect on his love and compassion for us? It made me think of Paul's declaration in Romans 8:38-39..."For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." How could God's love for us ever be changed if it is based on the redemptive work of His own Son? What a blessing to know that none of this is based on our own worth, but on the merits of Christ and His shed blood.
Isn't it amazing to think that we are loved by a God so mighty that even the most powerful forces on earth have no effect on his love and compassion for us? It made me think of Paul's declaration in Romans 8:38-39..."For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." How could God's love for us ever be changed if it is based on the redemptive work of His own Son? What a blessing to know that none of this is based on our own worth, but on the merits of Christ and His shed blood.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
August 20, Streams in the Desert
In today's entry there is a story that depicts Sorrow and Joy as characters in a fictional story. It was a wonderful reminder of how closely the two seem to follow one another and how they are of equal value in our lives to bring out the righteousness and contentment that God desires. I will not give the whole story word-for-word because it is rather long, but here is the general setting...both Sorrow and Joy are beautiful in their own way: Sorrow with moonlight and mystery, Joy with sunshine and smiles. The two long to be together, but it seems they cannot because they are so very different from each other. In mourning the fact that they will never be united, they are visited by Jesus Christ. Here is the story from that point on...[Sorrow] and Joy became aware of someone standing beside them. In spite of the dim light, they sensed a kingly Presence, and suddenly a great and holy awe overwhelmed them. They then sank to their knees before Him. "I see Him as the King of Joy," whispered Sorrow, "for on His head are many crowns, and the nailprints in His hands and feet are the scars of a great victory. And before Him all my sorrow is melting away into deathless love and gladness. I now give myself to Him forever." "No, Sorrow," said Joy softly, "for I see Him as the King of Sorrow, and the crown on His head is a crown of thorns, and the nailprints in His hands and feet are the scars of terrible agony. I also give myself to Him forever, for sorrow with Him must be sweeter than any joy I have ever known." "Then we are one in Him," they cried in gladness, "for no one but He could unite Joy and Sorrow." Therefore they walked hand in hand into the world, to follow Him through storms and sunshine, through winter's severe cold and the warmth of summer's gladness, and to be "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
God's Will and Promises
I've been thinking about God's promises to the Christian that He will never leave us or forsake us, and how He works everything for our good. How can God say no to something He has promised? He can't without making himself out to be a liar, which God obviously could never do. Even in placing the Christian in undesirable circumstances, He is working out good in his/her life and fulfilling His own promises. At the same time, God often places certain desires in our hearts to point us in the right direction. How does the Christian discern the desires of his own heart and possible ulterior motives from the actual will of God?
I've heard it said that in praying and trying to determine the will of God, the Christian should also appeal to the promises of God. Even though this may not make the choice clearer or provide any greater sense of direction, it is hard to go wrong in appealing to the promises of God. It seems that the two can hardly be separated when trying to determine the will of God for our lives. No matter where you are at in your Christian walk, I believe that it is certain that God has a purpose for placing you exactly where you are and exactly at this time, even though you may not know where you are going next. I discovered these poems a few days ago and found them very encouraging on that note.
Go the the depths of God's promise,
And claim whatsoever you will;
The blessing of God will not fail you,
His word He will surely fulfill.
~Author unknown
In the center of the circle
Of the will of God I stand:
There can come no second causes,
All must come from His dear hand.
All is well for it's my Father
Who my life has planned.
Shall I pass through the waves of sorrow?
Then I know it will be best;
Though I cannot tell the reason,
I can trust, and so am blest.
God is Love, and God is faithful,
So in perfect Peace I rest.
With the shade and with the sunshine,
With the joy and with the pain,
Lord, I trust You! both are needed,
Each Your wayward child to train,
Earthly loss, if we will know it,
Often means our heavenly gain.
~I.G.W.
I've heard it said that in praying and trying to determine the will of God, the Christian should also appeal to the promises of God. Even though this may not make the choice clearer or provide any greater sense of direction, it is hard to go wrong in appealing to the promises of God. It seems that the two can hardly be separated when trying to determine the will of God for our lives. No matter where you are at in your Christian walk, I believe that it is certain that God has a purpose for placing you exactly where you are and exactly at this time, even though you may not know where you are going next. I discovered these poems a few days ago and found them very encouraging on that note.
Go the the depths of God's promise,
And claim whatsoever you will;
The blessing of God will not fail you,
His word He will surely fulfill.
~Author unknown
In the center of the circle
Of the will of God I stand:
There can come no second causes,
All must come from His dear hand.
All is well for it's my Father
Who my life has planned.
Shall I pass through the waves of sorrow?
Then I know it will be best;
Though I cannot tell the reason,
I can trust, and so am blest.
God is Love, and God is faithful,
So in perfect Peace I rest.
With the shade and with the sunshine,
With the joy and with the pain,
Lord, I trust You! both are needed,
Each Your wayward child to train,
Earthly loss, if we will know it,
Often means our heavenly gain.
~I.G.W.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Isaiah 53-For the Glory of God
Today I was reading this passage and was struck by the great affliction that Jesus endured leading up to and during the Crucifixion and the vivid language that Isaiah uses to describe the scene. First of all, Jesus died for a people who were not interested in a Savior. Verse 2 says "...He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." Indeed, we not only had no desire for him, but prior to salvation, we hated him. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not," verse 3. But in spite of all this, Christ died for our sins. He could have avoided the cross if he had wanted to; in power he could have slain his captors, resisted arrest, and triumphed over his enemies, but he chose to die for them instead.Verses 4-9 describes the pain of affliction, the shame of torture, and the horror of the cross, all of which were endured without a word. But I think verses 10-11 really were the most encouraging to me. "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. (v11) After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities." These verses tell us that it was the Lord's will that Jesus suffer and die on the cross; why? Because in fulfilling God's will there lies an incredible amount of glory for God, which is the whole purpose of our existence, and Jesus' experience at the cross. And though Christ was crucified, he was raised to life and now sees the "offspring" of his redemptive work-Christians bought with a price and serving God to increase His glory.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
August 10, Streams in the Desert
I have been through the valley of weeping,
The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the "God of all comfort" was with me,
At hand to uphold and sustain
As the earth needs the clouds and sunshine,
Our souls need both sorrow and joy;
So He places us oft in the furnace,
The dross from the gold to destroy
When He leads through some valley of trouble,
His omnipotent hand we trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us,
Are part of His lessons in grace
Oft we run from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Gardener knows
That the deeper the cutting and trimming,
The richer the cluster that grows
Well He knows that affliction is needed;
He has a wise purpose in view,
And in the dark valley He whispers,
"Soon you'll understand what I do"
As we travel through life's shadowed valley,
Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our sorrows and losses,
Are blessings just sent in disguise
So we'll follow wherever He leads us,
Let the path be dreary or bright;
For we've proved that our God can give comfort
Our God can give songs in the night
The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the "God of all comfort" was with me,
At hand to uphold and sustain
As the earth needs the clouds and sunshine,
Our souls need both sorrow and joy;
So He places us oft in the furnace,
The dross from the gold to destroy
When He leads through some valley of trouble,
His omnipotent hand we trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us,
Are part of His lessons in grace
Oft we run from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Gardener knows
That the deeper the cutting and trimming,
The richer the cluster that grows
Well He knows that affliction is needed;
He has a wise purpose in view,
And in the dark valley He whispers,
"Soon you'll understand what I do"
As we travel through life's shadowed valley,
Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our sorrows and losses,
Are blessings just sent in disguise
So we'll follow wherever He leads us,
Let the path be dreary or bright;
For we've proved that our God can give comfort
Our God can give songs in the night
Friday, August 8, 2008
August 7, Streams in the Desert
Oh, the Spirit-filled life; is it thine, is it thine?
Is your soul wholly filled with the Spirit Divine?
As a child of the King, has He fallen on thee?
Does He reign in your soul, so that all men may see?
The dear Savior's blest image reflected in thee?
Has He swept through your soul like the waves of the sea?
Does the Spirit of God daily rest upon thee?
Does He sweeten your life, does He keep you from care?
Does He guide you and bless you in answer to prayer?
Is your joy to be led of the Lord everywhere?
Is He near you each hour, does He stand at your side?
Does He clothe you with strength, has He come to abide?
Does He teach you to know that all things may be done
Through the grace and the power of the Crucified One?
Does He witness to you of the glorified Son?
Has He purified you with the fire from above?
Is He first in your thoughts, does He have all your love?
Is His service your choice, and your sacrifice sweet?
Is your doing His will both your drink and your meat?
Do you run at His calling with glad eager feet?
Has He freed you from self and from all of your greed?
Do you hasten to comfort your brother in need?
As a soldier of Christ does your power endure?
Is your hope in the Lord everlasting and sure?
Are you patient and meek, are you tender and pure?
Oh, the Spirit-filled life may be thine, may be thine,
Ever in your soul Shechinah glory may shine;
It is yours to live with the tempests all stilled,
It is yours with God's blest Holy Spirit to be filled;
It is yours, even yours, for your Lord has so willed
Is your soul wholly filled with the Spirit Divine?
As a child of the King, has He fallen on thee?
Does He reign in your soul, so that all men may see?
The dear Savior's blest image reflected in thee?
Has He swept through your soul like the waves of the sea?
Does the Spirit of God daily rest upon thee?
Does He sweeten your life, does He keep you from care?
Does He guide you and bless you in answer to prayer?
Is your joy to be led of the Lord everywhere?
Is He near you each hour, does He stand at your side?
Does He clothe you with strength, has He come to abide?
Does He teach you to know that all things may be done
Through the grace and the power of the Crucified One?
Does He witness to you of the glorified Son?
Has He purified you with the fire from above?
Is He first in your thoughts, does He have all your love?
Is His service your choice, and your sacrifice sweet?
Is your doing His will both your drink and your meat?
Do you run at His calling with glad eager feet?
Has He freed you from self and from all of your greed?
Do you hasten to comfort your brother in need?
As a soldier of Christ does your power endure?
Is your hope in the Lord everlasting and sure?
Are you patient and meek, are you tender and pure?
Oh, the Spirit-filled life may be thine, may be thine,
Ever in your soul Shechinah glory may shine;
It is yours to live with the tempests all stilled,
It is yours with God's blest Holy Spirit to be filled;
It is yours, even yours, for your Lord has so willed
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Praise Changes Things
Nothing pleases God more than praise as part of our prayer life, and nothing blesses someone who prays as much as the praise that is offered. I once received a great blessing from this while in China. I had recently received bad news from home, and deep shadows of darkness seemed to cover my soul. I prayed, but the darkness remained. I forced myself to endure, but the shadows only deepened. Then suddenly one day, as I entered a missionary's home at an inland station, I saw these words on the wall: "Try giving thanks." So I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, never to return. Yes, the psalmist was right: "It is good to praise the Lord." Psalm 92:1
~Henry W. Frost
~Henry W. Frost
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A Heartfelt Prayer
Father, here I bow before you
Accept my humble plea
Take this soul I'm praying for
And save it mightily
Lord, if it would please you
Rescue by your might
The lost sheep that's far away
And ever hold it tight
Indeed, I pray with fervent heart
For the salvation of a friend
I ask you Lord to bring, at last
Sin's power to an end
So many times I've asked you
With tears in the dark of night
To mercifully redeem and turn
This dark heart into light
And Father when I cease to trust
In your great power to save
Lift my eyes from my doubts
To the Son you gave
Oh help me e'er to find in you
Comfort when needed most
Enable me to wait on grace
Great Shepherd and Lord of Hosts
Greater faith please give to me
And more trust in your will
Grant me the perseverance
To keep on praying still
And when an answer to my prayers
May sometimes doubtful prove
By your words remind me
You work all things out for good
But Father God, above all things
When my prayers reach your throne
If you choose to answer me
Let the glory be yours alone
Accept my humble plea
Take this soul I'm praying for
And save it mightily
Lord, if it would please you
Rescue by your might
The lost sheep that's far away
And ever hold it tight
Indeed, I pray with fervent heart
For the salvation of a friend
I ask you Lord to bring, at last
Sin's power to an end
So many times I've asked you
With tears in the dark of night
To mercifully redeem and turn
This dark heart into light
And Father when I cease to trust
In your great power to save
Lift my eyes from my doubts
To the Son you gave
Oh help me e'er to find in you
Comfort when needed most
Enable me to wait on grace
Great Shepherd and Lord of Hosts
Greater faith please give to me
And more trust in your will
Grant me the perseverance
To keep on praying still
And when an answer to my prayers
May sometimes doubtful prove
By your words remind me
You work all things out for good
But Father God, above all things
When my prayers reach your throne
If you choose to answer me
Let the glory be yours alone
Friday, August 1, 2008
July 31, "Streams in the Desert"
As moves my fragile boat across the storm-swept sea,
Great waves beat o'er her side, as north wind blows;
Deep in the darkness hid lie threat'ning rocks and reefs;
But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows.
Sometimes when darkness falls, and every light's gone out,
I wonder to what port my frail ship goes;
Although the night be long, and restless all my hours,
My distant goal, I'm sure, my Pilot knows.
~Thomas Curtis Clark
Great waves beat o'er her side, as north wind blows;
Deep in the darkness hid lie threat'ning rocks and reefs;
But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows.
Sometimes when darkness falls, and every light's gone out,
I wonder to what port my frail ship goes;
Although the night be long, and restless all my hours,
My distant goal, I'm sure, my Pilot knows.
~Thomas Curtis Clark
Thoughts from Isaiah
"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." Isaiah 44:3"You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it..." Isaiah 45:8
A few days ago it began raining in the morning and continued to rain fairly hard for most of the day. These verses got me to thinking...wouldn't it be wonderful if the heavens truly did rain down righteousness? Or if pools of salvation sprung up from the ground and caused righteousness to grow in us? We would all be saturated with righteousness and our salvation would cause righteousness to grow all the more in our hearts! But the Christian life would not, could not be that easy. God means for us to learn lessons in all that He prepares for us and does not just hand a Christian his righteousness all at one time on a silver platter. God works sanctification in our hearts and lives continually over the span of the whole Christian life, making us perfect in the end when we reach Heaven. However, to balance this idea, I believe that we are responsible to strive toward this growth and righteousness as much as we can, rather than saying that God will sanctify us when he is ready with no effort on our part.
So I began to wonder what I could do to strive more after righteousness in my own life. The Lord gave me a lot of things that I could begin doing and a lot that I could stop doing, or certainly do less of. I'm sure if we each made a list there would be certain things that would be individual, but there are a lot of things that we might also have in common. I'll leave that to you to decide what changes need to take place in your own life, but it certainly is good to think about these things. In reality, righteousness does not rain down from the sky or well up from the ground- it has to be whole-heartedly desired, striven for, a frequent request in prayer, and finally granted by God in the Christian life.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Quotes from David Brainerd
I am currently reading "The Life and Diary of David Brainerd," which was edited by Jonathan Edwards after Brainerd's death. The following are quotes taken from the pages of Brainerd's diary that I found very compelling and convicting.
"I felt my ingratitude, because I was not wholly swallowed up in God." pg 52
"Longed with intense desire after God; my whole soul seemed impatient to be conformed to him, and to become "holy, as he is holy." pg 55
"My soul seemed so to reach and stretch towards the mark of perfect sanctity, that it was ready to break with longings." pg 57
"My soul delighted to be a stranger and pilgrim on the earth; I felt a disposition in me never to have anything to do with this world." pg 58
"My soul felt a pleasing, yet painful concern, lest I should spend some moments without God. O may I always live to God!" pg 59
"But of late, God has been pleased to keep my soul hungry, almost continually, so that I have been filled with a kind of pleasing pain. When I really enjoy God, I feel my desires of him the more insatiable, and my thirstings after holiness the more unquenchable, and the Lord will not allow me to feel as though I were fully supplied and satisfied, but keeps me still reaching forward. I feel barren and empty, as though I could not live without more of God." pg 60
"I felt my ingratitude, because I was not wholly swallowed up in God." pg 52
"Longed with intense desire after God; my whole soul seemed impatient to be conformed to him, and to become "holy, as he is holy." pg 55
"My soul seemed so to reach and stretch towards the mark of perfect sanctity, that it was ready to break with longings." pg 57
"My soul delighted to be a stranger and pilgrim on the earth; I felt a disposition in me never to have anything to do with this world." pg 58
"My soul felt a pleasing, yet painful concern, lest I should spend some moments without God. O may I always live to God!" pg 59
"But of late, God has been pleased to keep my soul hungry, almost continually, so that I have been filled with a kind of pleasing pain. When I really enjoy God, I feel my desires of him the more insatiable, and my thirstings after holiness the more unquenchable, and the Lord will not allow me to feel as though I were fully supplied and satisfied, but keeps me still reaching forward. I feel barren and empty, as though I could not live without more of God." pg 60
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." From what I have heard, the first portion of this verse is intended to relate to Israel being led out of Egypt across the red sea and the last half is referring to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the furnace. However, I think this verse could have a broader application in addition to the traditional interpretation.
Trials come at any time, with any severity, and in any number. The flames of my trial may be hotter than yours; the waters of your trial may be deeper than mine. But God has promised to keep us through them all. Read the verse again the see how many promises you can find. 1) He will be with us through the waters, 2) the rivers will not sweep over us, 3) we will not be burned in the fire, and 4) the flames will not set us ablaze. But this raises a few questions: how literally can we take this verse and when we say that God will keep us, what does that really mean?
Roman Emperor Diocletian appeared on the scene in AD 303 and conducted one of the most bloody persecutions in Christian history. The Reformation, which began in 1517 sparked a new wave of persecution in Europe. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were martyred in 1847 while endeavoring to reach the Indians of the Oregon Territory. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and their fellow missionaries died on the beaches of Ecuador on January 8, 1956. Graham Staines, a missionary to India and his two sons were burned to death in their Jeep, 1999. Did God keep all of these people? At first, it may not seem like it; these Christians were brutally killed for their faith. But what about their souls? The Christian's soul is not affected by what is done to his body. I think this is what is meant when we say that God "keeps us." He does not promise that we will never face trials; that life will not be hard; that we will not be persecuted or killed for the sake of Christ. But he does promise that no matter what trials he has for us, our soul is eternally secured. This is far more reassuring than a promise of a life without difficulty. Some of the most precious lessons are learned through trials. Along that same note, The Voice of the Martyrs has written a book called Hearts of Fire that I would highly recommend. It is about eight Christian women who were persecuted for their faith and about the lessons that they learned through trials. One of the women is Sabina Wurmbrand, another is Gladys Staines, wife of the formerly mentioned Graham Staines. This book was a real blessing to me in putting trials in perspective.
Trials come at any time, with any severity, and in any number. The flames of my trial may be hotter than yours; the waters of your trial may be deeper than mine. But God has promised to keep us through them all. Read the verse again the see how many promises you can find. 1) He will be with us through the waters, 2) the rivers will not sweep over us, 3) we will not be burned in the fire, and 4) the flames will not set us ablaze. But this raises a few questions: how literally can we take this verse and when we say that God will keep us, what does that really mean?
Roman Emperor Diocletian appeared on the scene in AD 303 and conducted one of the most bloody persecutions in Christian history. The Reformation, which began in 1517 sparked a new wave of persecution in Europe. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were martyred in 1847 while endeavoring to reach the Indians of the Oregon Territory. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and their fellow missionaries died on the beaches of Ecuador on January 8, 1956. Graham Staines, a missionary to India and his two sons were burned to death in their Jeep, 1999. Did God keep all of these people? At first, it may not seem like it; these Christians were brutally killed for their faith. But what about their souls? The Christian's soul is not affected by what is done to his body. I think this is what is meant when we say that God "keeps us." He does not promise that we will never face trials; that life will not be hard; that we will not be persecuted or killed for the sake of Christ. But he does promise that no matter what trials he has for us, our soul is eternally secured. This is far more reassuring than a promise of a life without difficulty. Some of the most precious lessons are learned through trials. Along that same note, The Voice of the Martyrs has written a book called Hearts of Fire that I would highly recommend. It is about eight Christian women who were persecuted for their faith and about the lessons that they learned through trials. One of the women is Sabina Wurmbrand, another is Gladys Staines, wife of the formerly mentioned Graham Staines. This book was a real blessing to me in putting trials in perspective.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Hezekiah's Prayer
The other day I was reading a passage in Isaiah about King Hezekiah. At that particular time in history Sennacherib was breathing out threats and was assembling the Assyrian army to take over Jerusalem. This was a very frightening time for Israel no doubt, but probably much more frightening for King Hezekiah, who was responsible for the people of Israel. What I was really impressed with was Hezekiah's reaction to the seemingly impending doom. Isaiah 37:14-15 says this: "Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord..." Directly following is one of the most beautiful prayers in all the Bible. The attitude that King Hezekiah assumes is one of total humility and dependence upon God. And you will notice that he did not turn to the prophets, or to his military officials, or to the opinions of other political powers that surrounded him-he turned to his God. When we are faced with hard times, difficult decisions, and pressing issues who do we turn to? What do we do? I hope that this passage will encourage us not to run first to other sources and save God for last, but to immediately turn to the one who holds our lives in his hands. I hope that we will learn to "spread it out before the Lord" in prayer and wait in humility and complete reliance for His sovereign answer.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Blood of Christ
Today I was thinking about the blood of Christ and all that it represents. What do we know about his blood? We know that the blood he shed on the cross was symbolized in the Old Testament account of the Passover (Exodus chapter 12). "...and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." Exodus 12:13 We know that the wine given at the Lord's Supper was a symbol of the blood that he was about to shed on the cross. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:28 We know that his blood atoned for our sins and also justified us. "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood..." Romans 3:25 "Since we have now been justified by his blood..." Romans 5:9 We know that his blood has redeemed us. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace..." Ephesians 1:7 We know that his blood reconciled us and brought us peace with God. "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19 We know that the book of Hebrews deals extensively with all of the ways that blood mentioned in the Old Testament rituals symbolizes New Covenant fulfillment. We know that Peter speaks of how precious that blood is and how, since we are redeemed by that blood, we ought to be spurred on to a greater level of holiness and obedience. 1st Peter 1:13-25 We know that the book of Revelation, however mysterious it may be, mentions the blood of Christ several times. But I think that the verse I have gained the most encouragement from is found in Ephesians 2:13. It says this: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." This sums it all up. All of the previously mentioned verses talk about the characteristics of the blood and what it accomplishes for the Christian, but this verse is so straightforward. It is by the blood of Christ that we are brought near. And what a marvelous thing it is!
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains
~There is a Fountain, by William Cowper
Bearing shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned he stood
Sealed my pardon with his blood
Hallelujah, what a Savior
~Man of Sorrows, by Philip Bliss
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in my Savior's blood
Died He for me who caused His pain
For me who Him to death pursued
~And Can it Be, by Charles Wesley
Nothing of merit possessing
All helpless before Him I lay
But in the precious blood flowing
He washed all my sin stains away
~His Grace Aboundeth More, by Kate Ulmer
Lord Jesus for this I most humbly entreat
I wait blessed Lord at thy crucified feet
By faith for my cleansing I see thy blood flow
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow
~Whiter Than Snow, by James Nicholson
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured
There were the blood of the Lamb was spilt
~Grace Greater Than Our Sin, by Julia Johnston
For nothing good have I
Whereby His grace to claim
I'll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary's Lamb
~Jesus Paid it All, by Elvina Hall
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains
~There is a Fountain, by William Cowper
Bearing shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned he stood
Sealed my pardon with his blood
Hallelujah, what a Savior
~Man of Sorrows, by Philip Bliss
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in my Savior's blood
Died He for me who caused His pain
For me who Him to death pursued
~And Can it Be, by Charles Wesley
Nothing of merit possessing
All helpless before Him I lay
But in the precious blood flowing
He washed all my sin stains away
~His Grace Aboundeth More, by Kate Ulmer
Lord Jesus for this I most humbly entreat
I wait blessed Lord at thy crucified feet
By faith for my cleansing I see thy blood flow
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow
~Whiter Than Snow, by James Nicholson
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured
There were the blood of the Lamb was spilt
~Grace Greater Than Our Sin, by Julia Johnston
For nothing good have I
Whereby His grace to claim
I'll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary's Lamb
~Jesus Paid it All, by Elvina Hall
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