Tag: scripture

Seashore

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Good morning, friends! A Monday dawns and light breaks upon us in waves and soon the heat shall follow and we shall be reminded that yes indeed, summer is in full bloom. I wish I could say I’m grateful for summer’s heat but I don’t know if my gratitude for creation’s glory can stretch quite that far. Ah I suppose I could talk myself into it somehow. Summer is a good and proper season and the heat does make one sigh with wistful longing in anticipation for autumn’s arrival, so there is that. Summer – it’s here. July is a month that we know is going to be hot and that is that and no use complaining about it, so I shan’t.

But instead what I shall I use these few minutes before work to talk about? I don’t know, really. I opened this page knowing I had a few minutes so why not write something? I suppose I could say I’m just grateful for the time I had this morning to read the Word and meditate on God’s goodness to me. Even with not quite enough sleep last night (watching the scintillating England/Mexico game – England pulled out an all-time classic win in Mexico City – on the Lions!), I still was able to roll out of bed prior to 5am and get a shower, make coffee and then sit myself down and give myself some nice uninterrupted time to read.

Psalm 46, Proverbs 6, a series of depressing but inspired chapters in Jeremiah – oh how convicting it is to read such and oh how it makes me feel I ought be praying more for mercy for myself and our community and nation – and then beautiful chapters in Luke on the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Got to read Luke 7 and the story of Jesus with the woman who was a sinner. One of my all-time favourite passages and one that never fails to bring me to a halt as I consider and ponder what my Lord has done for me. Oh how beautiful it is to think on the fact that Jesus has forgiven me all my sin. I have been forgiven much. I have been forgiven everything!! How great then ought be my love? Utterly convicting to feel how often my love is cold and dry and how often I fail to be constantly praising my Lord and God for what he has done for me. I need to spend more time meditating on the wonder that is my salvation and my forever communion with my God. What a glorious thing it is to consider that I am a child of God. I have life with God and I have it to the full. I abide in Christ and in him I find true rest. This yoke is indeed easy, this burden is indeed light. In Christ and in Christ alone do I have rest for my soul. It is good to sit at the feet of Jesus this day. Oh how I long for that someday far off trumpet call and that moment when the horizon blurs with light as I see the last dawning and behold the consummation of all things as creation is made new. Oh how I long for that day when the sky quivers and the clouds break and my Lord Jesus Christ stands before my resurrected frame. For now, I tremble in dust and ashes. Someday though, I shall see my Lord with my own eyes, even though now my flesh and my heart are oh so prone to failing. Thank you, Lord, for taking me by the hand each and every moment. Please Lord, lead me to glory.

Small Things

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Hello friends! Quick Wednesday morning post before work kicks up into high gear. Most grateful that my body was able to wake up so expeditiously this morning and I enjoyed a lovely long time of reading as I sipped my coffee. Read one of my all-time fav passages (Psalm 27! Always oh so encouraging) and also some beautiful words in Isaiah and Matthew. Bonus reading in John Owen Vol. 7 – still plugging away, I think I’m almost halfway done! Though the current material on apostasy isn’t quite as warming for my soul as some of the previous reading I’ve done in Owen, still good and needful words contained therein. Finally rolled on towards the office here and arrived only five minutes past six. I suppose that may be an absurd start time to some, but I do love mornings and getting an early start is never a bad thing. Now I take small sips of the slightly subpar work coffee and prepare for a busy day. I am tempted to sigh and fret as I consider what approaches, yet no. I lift my eyes to heaven and acknowledge the God who is and lift my voice to heaven and thank the God who cares. Let’s think on love and beauty this fine day. Have a lovely one, dear friends!

Hear Ye Now

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And behold, a violent storm developed on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
-Matthew 8:24-27

What words are these! Mightily struck by reading the above this morning and ever so encouraged. Who is Jesus? This passage forces us to grapple with the question. He is one who is human – he needs sleep! – yet also one who holds divine power. Who holds such power over the very forces of nature? No mere man. This passage also has moments of humor – Jesus asks the disciples why they are afraid. If I were them, I would simply point to the sea that is even now swamping their boat! But in this question, Jesus is also gently rebuking them. They have already submitted themselves to Him and acknowledged his authority. But clearly their faith is at a weak point here and their verbal acknowledgement of Jesus has not yet extended to full understanding of who He is and a simple trust that clears away the daily anxieties of life. So do we too fear and doubt and worry and fret each and every day, forgetting that Jesus holds our hand and is united to us in a reality too wonderful to imagine. And that leads us to the last question the disciples ask, which is the only appropriate one to ask here. The disciples ask, “What kind of a man is this?” Indeed. We are united to Christ and we can delight in that fact. But do we realize that Jesus is not a mere man or a wise counselor or good buddy but…in actuality God Himself, containing all the fullness of deity and lacking none of his glory? Consider Jesus.

The disciples have weak faith and are feeble and frail in this passage, as so are we each and every day. Yet look at how they respond here. Despite their weakness, they respond just as we should. They go to Jesus, knowing that in him is their salvation. And then they consider the nature of Jesus and wonder. So too let us remember that only in Jesus is there any hope. The storms may rage and the seas may crash around us – as they so often do. Go to Jesus! And let us meditate more on Jesus, on who he is and what he has done for us who cry out to him. Oh how beautiful it is to think on Jesus and ponder His nature and wondrous glory. Jesus is our delight, our hope, our light and our song and our only salvation. We have salvation in nothing we have done. We have fullness of life and eternal delight only through Jesus. Who is Jesus? He is very God and very man, the way of salvation as eternally and divinely decreed in perfect wisdom and extravagant love. What makes our heart beat so in expectant hope and dawning joy? Consider Jesus.

The Shack Downtown

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Hello friends! A few words this evening before I turn my eyes to better things. It is good to rest this Sunday and consider the works and words of God. I am grateful for days of rest such as this one and even more grateful for the true eternal rest that is mine in my Jesus forevermore. This morning before church was able to find a few minutes to enjoy my coffee and read in the Scripture and was most blessed by my reading as I stepped through some of my favourite passages. Firstly, as of today I have begun the epic trek through Isaiah. Truly one of my favourite books and I’m so excited to read it these coming weeks!! I say weeks as I doubt it will be days – at least it certainly shouldn’t be as that would mean I’m reading it much too quickly. And I also read a bit in Matthew – been lingering in Matthew 5 these past few days, wondrous words from Jesus that he preached oh so many years ago yet still they ring strong and echo throughout the world in their beauty and their truth. Reading Isaiah and Matthew together? Perfectly marvelous and I’m most eager to see their resonance. Today as I read, was particularly struck by the authority and majesty of Jesus as he said words that could only be said by one who in himself held sovereign power. His words rang with authority and people marveled at them. Take in these words which he said – “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” That verse hit me hard today. As I now read through Isaiah I should not consider it full of dusty dry words that are now of no account because of the coming of Jesus who has made all new. No, instead I should read the words of this prophet and consider that they are words that are fulfilled and made all the sweeter in the full light of the mystery unveiled in Christ – the divine plan of salvation that is now revealed for the world to see. And consider the authority in that statement – “I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Not some wimpy statement indicating that perhaps some of his deeds would by chance fulfill a prophecy or two. No, Jesus came to fulfill in his very person and with full intentionality and in the fullness of his nature as God and in the fullness of his nature as man he came to bridge the gap that the grand story would come to its climactic moment in which God now offers full communion to fallen man. What a marvel, what a story!

And it is true and it is real. Jesus did not come to abolish all that has come before, even the words of God that rang throughout the millennia. Nay Jesus in and of himself came to fulfill. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of all the ages going back to the first echoing of the gospel as the serpent’s death was prophesied at the the bruising of the conquering Seed. Consider how this Jesus was bruised for me, for you. He was beaten and bruised and even for us was pierced, crushed, chastened and scourged as laid upon him were the iniquities of us all. Consider the blood that ran fresh from the cursed tree as this Jesus died for you and for me. Consider Jesus, the one of whom that spear was run through swift and true and of which the water and the blood testified that it was finished true. Consider Jesus, the one who bore the sin of many and who even now intercedes for us. Consider Jesus who did not come to abolish but who came to fulfill and now that it is finished sits at the right hand of the Father, the work done now and for all time, no more need of any further sacrifice. Consider Jesus and his blood which was given for you and me, for all who in him alone would bow the knee and only in him rest and believe. Consider Jesus, whose yoke is easy and burden is light, the one who offers rest to us because he knows our toils and our pains. Consider Jesus, he who died and rose again to life victorious, conquering death and its train forever as he trampled upon that cursed serpent’s head. Consider Jesus, our only hope in life and death. Consider Jesus.

That Old Story

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Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up in life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

-2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5

Hidden Places

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It is good to sit and be still this quiet Friday morning. Soon enough I’ll breathe deep and begin the work day and plunge into all its many fires that must be fought and conquered. But for now, I’ll relish the quiet of a day that has not yet fully awakened. I have had a few minutes to luxuriate in the quiet of our little flat and think on things that my mind can’t quite comprehend in all their glory. My coffee is still warm and its bitter loveliness is a little pleasure that brings me much joy. I think you know the feeling? I sigh. I wish I had more time to read and rest today, but the clock ticks relentlessly on. So grateful for the time I did have, reading one of my all-time favourite Psalms – Psalm 118 in all its comforting grace and profound prophetic majesty! I shall write more about this at a future time, but let it be said that there are few Psalms that speak as clearly of Jesus Christ and the salvation that he holds out to us. Also got a few moments in John 15 reading about what it means to rest and remain in Christ. Oh how sweet it is to be on that vine and know that I am united to Christ. What this fully means this feeble mind cannot quite grasp. But I know that I am one with Jesus and I cling ever more closely to the love that is my Lord’s. As I look upward and delight in the everyday obedience and faithfulness that comes in my union with Jesus, I rejoice. I rejoice for love unbounded.

Wedding Feast

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Good morning friends! A cold morning dawns here again and again I am most certainly not complaining. This December has been delightfully and most properly cold and my only regret is that I haven’t had more time to walk here and there and everywhere to enjoy it. Alas. Work is busy as always and it pains me that I also haven’t had more time for writing. Hopefully soon? Next week I have time off and so I do have hopes that there will be time for writing! And reading of course, always.

Speaking of reading, been enjoying a few minutes reading in my latest book – “The Everlasting Righteousness” by Horatius Bonar. Always love a good book by an old Scotsman. And this book is certainly a splendid one, encouraging and full of rich truths and oh so good for my soul. The chapter I read aided my reflections on the death of Christ and His work on the cross and the many staggering glories that are revealed therein. We do not consider enough the majestic beauty of the work of Christ! I wish I meditated more on such and hence it’s helpful for me to read books like this that draw my gaze upwards. Yes, it’s good to read books that are silly and fun and creative from time to time (trust me, I read plenty!), but do I also consistently and deeply drink from books that contain and proclaim the truth about God in all his manifold glory and beauty? I strive to. And so today as I must soon dash off to work and all its assorted stresses, I pause a moment and think on Christ. I consider Jesus and sigh in awe that he lived and died for me. I meditate on the fact that this same Jesus rose again in power and glory testifying to the finished work and the efficacy of such and the fact that the salvation I have is perfect and the inheritance I have will never tarnish nor fade and is kept in heaven for me forever and that one day I shall gaze upon this same Jesus with my own eyes and rejoice with thousands more as we sing glory glory glory to the Lamb!

Sidewalk Dreams

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For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened,
because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed,
so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God,
who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing
that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord
-for we walk by faith, not by sight –
we are of good courage, I say,
and prefer rather to be absent from the body
and to be at home with the Lord.
Therefore we also have as our ambition,
whether at home or absent,
to be pleasing to Him.
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ,
so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
-2 Corinthians 5:4-10

Love Unyielding

James HoganLeave a comment

A glorious morning is mine. It is but a simple Sunday morning, but already I feel the grace of the Lord this day as I have enjoyed so many fine little pleasures. Woke up at a nice and leisurely hour (comparatively to my normal) and as the sun was already peeking over the horizon, decided to get out of bed and enjoy a long pre-church time of rest and meditation. Well, I say that – but I also decided that a little errand run was important. Dashed off to bakery and got a fresh loaf of sourdough for the week and then went to grocery store for a few little items for macaroni salad contribution for tomorrow’s Monday Night dinner. Back home again, and back to reading and meditating.

How sweet have been these past few minutes. A good cup of strong black coffee. Listening to the ever lovely Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Reading in the Word – words of lamentation and of hope as I continue reading through Lamentations and relish the joy-streaked melancholy of Chapter 3 – surely one of the most beautiful chapters of Scripture there is. And then in Luke – onwards we march as we witness the continuing ministry of Jesus as he calls all to repentance. And then what an overwhelming story of love and compassion as he teaches in the synagogue and then notices a woman afflicted with a grievous ailment. She doesn’t say a word, she doesn’t cry out to him, she doesn’t put herself forward. Jesus looks, Jesus notices, Jesus calls to her to come. She comes to him and what does he do? Jesus places his hands on her and pronounces her free from her pain and suffering, free from the chains with which she was bound by Satan. Glory glory – hallelujah and all praise to Jesus King of kings and Lord of lords who is our Sovereign who also has the hands that heals. It is almost too much to consider this Jesus who looks to us and sees us suffering and calls us to him that we might know his healing hands. See those hands marked by the scars of mercy? Look upon Jesus, the one who calls to us to come to him and be forever free from our chains. I love to ponder and meditate on such. Balm for my soul this Sunday to consider the Jesus who has saved me from all my sins and called me into communion with God.

Ascendant

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But I am afflicted and in pain;
May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
The humble have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart revive.
For the Lord hears the needy
And does not despise His who are prisoners.
-Psalm 69:29-33