The Compassion of God

Yesterday in my reading I was covering Psalm 78. This Psalm begins as if an older, wiser man was telling the younger generation a story. He begins with the glory and might of the Lord, telling how He "established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel." (verse 5) He goes on to tell of the shortcomings of Israel in spite of God's goodness to them. They forgot His works, they sinned against Him repeatedly, they were terribly ungrateful, and they spoke against God. After a rather depressing start to the Psalm, a real blessing came to me when I reached a special phrase in verse 38. It says "Yet He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them..." It was a perfect reminder of two very important things. First it was a reminder of what every Christian deserves. We deserve to be eternally punished for our iniquity by an infinite stream of destruction. We had offended a righteous God by repeating offenses without remorse. Here is the second reminder: He chose to be compassionate! He took totally undeserving sinners and looked on them with compassion. That compassion compelled Him to send His only and dearly beloved Son to atone for our iniquity. The depth of that compassion and mercy should never cease to overwhelm us. It should compel us to spend the rest of our lives serving a merciful, compassionate God. It should also drive us to tell the coming generations of the unmerited mercy that we have received at the hand of God.

The Living God

While browsing on the national geographic website I saw this photo of a Buddhist man carving an idol for himself. These verses came to my mind..."What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork when he fashions speechless idols. Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, 'Awake!' To a mute stone, 'Arise!' And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all inside it." Habakkuk 2:18-19 "Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; violet and purple are their clothing; they are all the work of skilled men. But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King." Jeremiah 10:9-10 What a privilege it is that we are no longer in darkness and idolatry, but know and serve the living God!

"More," by Stephen Gates

"Self Control", Sermon Excerpt

"Show me a man who is unwilling to exercise self-control and I’ll show you a man who is striding towards ruin. Self-control is a matter of the will. You purpose you will or you will not. That’s the distinction between self control or lack of it. Young people, the sooner you can learn this lesson, the better. It’s a valuable lesson that I would have to rank in the top five maybe of lessons of life to learn: Someones gonna be in charge, someones gonna give the orders. Is it going to be your body or is going to be your spirit? That is the essence of self-control and if it’s your body, then I say you’re on the road to ruin.

The Apostle Paul he didn’t sugar-coat it. Has anyone written more New Testament Scripture than the Apostle Paul? He was responsible for forming and expositing the doctrines, and yet he leaves the possibility open that if he does not discipline his body and make it his slave, he’s going to be, in the end, cast away regardless of how much preaching he’s done to others. That is a weighty statement.

2nd Timothy 3 describes those who are without self control, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and in the end they perish. They might hold to a form of godliness, but there’s no power in it; we’re talking about self-control here. It’s such an imperative that Jesus said, “If you’re going to be my disciple you’re going to have to daily deny yourself.” The sins of the flesh kill their thousands, but lack of self-control kills ten-thousands. Lack of self control is like a fountain head from which all other sins flow out of."

~Clint Leiter

What Jesus is to Me

Jesus my Redeemer,

My Treasure above all things,

My Father, Brother, Savior,

My Lord, my Love, my King,

My Refuge and my Stronghold,

My Help, My Hiding Place,

My Joy and my Sustainer,

My source of Hope and Grace,

My Promised One, Defender,

My Messiah, Prince of Peace,

My Lion and Protector,

My Perfect Righteousness,

My Way, My Truth, My Life,

My Shepherd, El Shaddai,

My Priest, My Shield, My Light,

My Friend, the Crucified.

Jesus' Notes of Encouragement

Tonight I read this little excerpt from a book about Amy Carmichael. I am sharing this with you all for two reasons. The first is because at the recent conference in Denton, TX a message was preached by Ryan Fullerton about the "worth of sinful men." (greatly impacting, do whatever you can to find it and listen!) The message was meant to show the great value of lost souls and to compel Christians to seek out the lost, treat them as Christ would have, and show them the Gospel through Christian love. That was Amy Carmichael's life-work.

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"In Amy's Bible, on a card pasted inside the front cover, are these words: 'These children are dear to Me. Be a mother to them, and more than a mother. Watch over them tenderly, be just and kind. If thy heart is not large enough to embrace them, I will enlarge it after a pattern of My own. If these young children are docile and obedient, bless Me for it; if they are froward, call upon Me for help; if they weary thee, I will be thy consolation; if thou sink under thy burden, I will be thy Reward.' The words are followed by a picture of the Shepherd, reaching for a lamb while a vulture hovers overhead."

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The second reason I share this is because I absolutely love that the card sounds as if Jesus wrote it Himself. I can picture Him quietly making His way to Amy's room and slipping the card under her door while she slept, so that she would find it there in the morning. Of course that didn't happen; she wrote it herself because He had revealed His vision to her and showed her the India Mission work from His perspective. But isn't that just how it feels when you receive something like that from the Lord? Some new lesson or fresh perspective, especially when it comes from His Word. It's like He wrote it just for you and left it where He knew you'd find it.

Matthew Henry's Daily Thoughts, April 27th

"We are likely to seek and find when we seek with affection and seek in tears. But many believers complain of the clouds and darkness they are under, which are methods of grace for humbling their souls, mortifying their sins, and endearing Christ to them. A sight of angels and their smiles will not suffice without a sight of Jesus, and God's smiles in Him. None know, but those who have tasted it, the sorrows of a deserted soul, which has had comfortable evidences of the love of God in Christ, and hopes of heaven, but has now lost them, and walks in darkness; such a wounded spirit who can bear? Christ, in manifesting himself to those that seek him, often outdoes their expectations. See how Mary's heart was in earnest to find Jesus. Christ's way of making Himself known to His people is by His word; His word applied to their souls, speaking to them in particular."

"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:1

Building a Godly Life

"Godly life is not built in a day, a year, or a single event, but by the daily practice of prayer and renewing the mind in the Word of God." ~Paul Washer

We Have An Anchor

"We are in this world as a ship at sea, tossed up and down, and in danger of being cast away. We need an anchor to keep us sure and steady. Gospel hope is our anchor in the storms of this world. It is sure and steadfast, or it could not keep us so." ~Matthew Henry

Running the Race

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1st Peter 2:9

As the traveler, the racer, the warrior, and the laborer, gathered in their long and loose garments, that they might be ready in their business, so let Christians do by their minds and affections. Be sober, be watchful against all spiritual dangers and enemies, and be temperate in all behavior. Be sober-minded in opinion, as well as in practice, and humble in your judgment of yourselves. The best Christians have need to be exhorted to sobriety. These excellent Christians are put in mind of it; it is required of a bishop, of aged men, the young women are to be taught it, and the young men are directed to be sober-minded (Titus 2:4-6). A Christian's work is not over as soon as he has got into a state of grace; he must still hope and strive for more grace. When he has entered the strait gate, he must still walk in the narrow way, and gird up the loins of his mind for that purpose. A strong and perfect trust in the grace of God is agreeable with best endeavors in our duty. Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. It must be in all affairs, in every condition, and towards all people. We must especially watch and pray against the sins to which we are inclined. The written word of God is the surest rule of a Christian's life, and by this rule we are commanded to be holy every way. God makes those holy whom he saves.

~Matthew Henry's Daily Thoughts