At that time Jesus said, “I praise
You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that You have hidden these things from
the wise and intelligent and have
revealed them to infants. Yes,
Father, for this way was well-pleasing
in Your sight. All things have been
handed over to Me by My Father; and
no one knows the Son except the
Father; nor does anyone know the
Father except the Son, and anyone to
whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Come to Me, all who are weary
and heavy-laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For My yoke is easy
and My burden is light.”
-Matthew 11:25-30
Tag: scripture
A Most Extraordinary Grace
Happy Saturday, friends!!! I’m in Starbucks(please don’t act surprised) and have been getting various online boring tasks(like paying bills) done over the last few hours. I’ve also been spending an alarming amount of time on iTunes trying to sort out this most troublesome playlist for my next mix CD. I now think I finally have the right songs and almost in the right order. Except I’m 17 minutes over. Which means I need to figure out either four long songs or five short songs to cut. Most aggravating. I’ve got to the point where I’ve spent too long on it though and it’s starting to annoy me and seeing as it’s almost 2PM here, I think it’s high time I made my way home to get other chores taken care of!
Hm, what else? Well, I still do want to write a proper entry about my Scotland adventure at some point, but truly – it’s one of those times I don’t feel as I can do it justice via the written word, hence I’ve still not even tried yet. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe. I have had such a nice morning so far…woke up not too early and went over to help Earnie move. A relatively painless process(aided by consumption of kolaches, coffee and doughnuts!) and now I’ve been sipping my iced coffee for a few hours(yes, it is somewhat less iced at the moment). This past week has been full of work and stress and sadness(see my previous entry for more on that, which I won’t dwell on further here). I did get a nice midweek early morning coffee chat with Julie(she had just gotten back from her Idaho vacation the night before and we somehow thought that a 5:45AM coffee meetup was a good idea? Well, it was well worth it despite my initial sleepiness!!) and Tuesday night was a most glorious community group time. It was one of those times where even though I had done some prep on my text(Ecclesiastes 3:1-15), I still wasn’t quite sure how the group discussion time was going to go. Well, it was beautiful and God-glorifying and I felt most blessed by the Spirit in my words and felt so encouraged afterwards!! I really hope some of the people that were there were as encouraged as I was by discussing the enlivening truths of God’s sovereignty and His love. So so precious when God fills your heart with understanding of such wonderful truths. Blessed be God, forever and ever, amen!
Also…thought I’d just discuss(briefly) some most glorious and most sobering words I’ve been reading these past couple days in 2 Chronicles. I always forget about these chapters for some reason, then when I discover them anew, I’m blown away. Anyway – 2 Chronicles chapters 20 and 21. 2 Chronicles 20 – a beautiful story of man’s trust in God and God’s ultimate salvation. So – Judah gets invaded by a ton of enemies(“a great multitude”) and it says “Jehoshaphat was afraid.” As we all are at times, true? And we don’t even have to contend with kingdom crushing invasions! Anyway, what does Jehoshaphat do? He doesn’t make an unholy alliance or trust in his armies or his riches or even his own intelligence. He “turned his attention to seek the LORD.” And that, my friends, is what our first instinct in sign of trouble and fear should be as well. And so he proclaimed a fast throughout the land and the people flocked to Jerusalem to seek help from the LORD. They came from all the cities(!! Imagine that today!) and Jehoshaphat led them in public prayer in the court of the temple and cried out to the Lord in prayer. I’m not going to detail the full prayer here(go read the chapter for yourself!), but it is magnificent. He acknowledges his own powerlessness and God’s great sovereignty and appeals to the covenant God had made with His people. And as he prays, it mentions that “All Judah was standing before the LORD, with their infants, their wives and their children.” No one was left out, not even the tiniest baby! The people understood the gravity of the situation and that they had no hope of salvation in themselves. And so they sought and cried out before God Most High. And God heard them. The Spirit of the Lord came down on one of the Levites and he proclaims to the assembly that they need not fear. He tells them that God will fight for them. The people need not even fight! They are told simply to go down to where the enemy will be and watch the “salvation of the LORD.” And the response of the people? They fall down. And worship God Most High. And so the next morning as they march out to the site of the “battle”, Jehoshaphat again encourages the people, telling them to put their trust in God – in that will they be established. And then as they proceed through the wilderness, how do they array their forces? They don’t put the soldiers or strongest men in the front. No, their trust is so great that they put the singers in front where they praise the name of God – “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” And it says that even while they were singing and praising, “The LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mout Seir, who had come up against Judah; so they were routed.” The victory was the Lord’s. And the people praised His name. Such a glorious story and you should really read it for yourself…but I just am overwhelmed by the power and majesty of God. How should we respond to this? Well hopefully in whatever trouble we find ourselves, we remember that our God is sovereign and our God is faithful. And so should we cry out to Him, seek His face, trust in Him and rejoice in anticipation of seeing the works of the Lord in our lives. And He will work – of that let there be no doubt.
And I really almost want to end this entry here, but a quick few words on 2 Chronicles 21. One of the most sobering chapters in the Bible. Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, and a witness to the deeds of the Lord, succeeds his father as king. And is he a good king in the image of his father? Sadly and most tragically he is not. His first act as king is to murder all of his brothers and assorted others to consolidate his rule. And it is said, “he did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Oh horror. And yet! It is said God was not willing to destroy the house of David because of His covenant. What extraordinary grace. Yet Jehoram is not spared the consequence of his sins and bold-faced mockery of God Most High. It is said that Elijah the prophet sent him a letter(Elijah didn’t even do him the honor of speaking to him in person!) strongly condemning him for his sins(as the leader of his people, he had led them astray, and for that great crime he is judged) and detailing the consequences of his sins. He is told that “behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.” Well then. Again. Horror. God does not suffer lightly those who set their faces against him in rebellion and disobedience. And so it all came to pass. And it is said, in some of the saddest words in Scripture…”…and he died in great pain….and he departed with no one’s regret.” So is the judgment of God. Read the chapter yourself to see in starkest detail the sins of Jehoram and the consequences he suffered and the disdain that was afforded him by his people because of his utter failure as king. So, consider Jehoram. Consider Jehoshaphat. Which should we be? One so self-righteous and confident in ourselves that we lay waste to all around us and live for our own pleasure and pride? Or one who unceasingly – day and night – cries out to the Lord and falls down before Him in prayer and worship? One who may be afraid and terrified of what surrounds us, yet we trust in God? May that be said of us, that we trust in God. And Him alone.
Now – that is far too many words and I should most likely edit it down a bit(or remove it entirely!!), but I’ll leave it for now. Read the chapters for yourselves, because the words of Scripture are far better than any of mine. And whatever you are going through in your own life right now, whatever trials and tribulations you’re suffering…fall on your face before God and cry out to Him and seek His face. Trust in God. And rejoice as you see the works of the Lord in your life!
Too many words. Far too many. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far? Peace and love. Always.
Ascendant
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
Forever Tilts the Sky
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to
you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If
we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not not practice the truth; but if we walk in
the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with
one another,and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all
sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make
Him a liar and His word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you
may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for
those of the whole world. -1 John 1:5-2:2
Such beautiful words, are they not? I could verily quote the whole book of 1 John, such encouraging and comforting words it does contain, but I shall not this morning. Read it for yourselves and be delighted! Have a most beautiful day, dear friends, and be thankful to God for all His most wondrous works. This is the day our Lord God has made – let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Communion
What a lovely lovely day. And shall I waste it adding words to the ever growing clouds of data spinning through this world? May it not be so! So briefly….
A day of rest, a day of joy. Finally home with my Bethel church family, loving each other and loving God, lifting our voices in worship sweet and listening to the Word expounded. And lunch with friends(chicken curry is always a quality meal, more so when eaten over good chat and sweet communion with my dear friends). Back at my flat and poring over the Word for community group(Colossians 3:15-17…)…And then vacuuming and a quick workout and then out into glorious brilliant afternoon sunshine reading The Silver Chair by the side of the pool…And back inside and now potato is in the oven and I will soon enjoy it hot and freshly buttered along with some plump turkey burgers and green beans but now I sit on this couch and read a bit of Owen’s Communion With God and while I could say that there is nothing more to be said, suffice it to be said that my heart is full this day. Afternoon sweetly passing by, eyes brighten, lips part, heart sigh. A touch of honey on the bread, one last morsel achingly read, truly nothing more to be said.
Tears of Grace
Hello friends!! I write this from Starbucks this happy Saturday afternoon and while I shall not write long, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to put a few words to page. Today has been a somewhat productive day so far(got my car’s oil changed, some errands, etc!) and it will continue once I get back home – need to do some cleaning of my apartment! Fun times eh? Now though, just been reading a bit in preparation for Tuesday night’s study(“Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.” How often do I fail at that. How much do I need to be reminded!) and also sending a few emails out. Also a very nice benefit to having internet access here…downloaded a bunch of Dominic’s sermons from SermonAudio and I shall later on burn these to CDs for commute listening. I am very pleased with my many new sermons and the much encouragement and conviction I’m sure they will provide. Again from Colossians – may the Word of Christ richly dwell within us.
Now, I’m off, mostly because I want to get home and start my chores. Also need to start dinner at some point – tonight’s a chicken parm night…just been craving that this morning, so suppose I shall make it(complete with tomato salad *of course*). I have far more I could write about, but for now, just grateful for a day of rest that my God has granted me. May I spend it pondering the goodness and glories of my God and meditating on the beauties and wonders of knowing Christ. I do not want to waste this day or this life thinking about that which does not matter. Peace and love, my friends – hope you have a beautiful day and are as encouraged as I am!
Melchizedek
I forgot how much I love reading Hebrews. I really did mean to post a proper entry today as I sip on my extra-chocolatey mocha, but alas, my time has run out and I need to start on work momentarily. And so I’ll just post a small portion of what encouraged me today…
For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former
commandment because of its weakness and uselessness(for
the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a
bringing in of a much better hope, through which we draw near to God.
And inasmuch as it was not without an oath(for they indeed
became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the
One who said to Him,
“The Lord has sworn
And will not change His mind,
‘You are a Priest forever'”);
so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a
better covenant.
The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater
numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,
but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever,
holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to
save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He
always lives to make intercession for them.
For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy,
innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the
heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to
offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the sins of
the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up
Himself.
For the Law appoints men as high priests who are
weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law,
appoints a Son, made perfect forever. – Hebrews 7:18-28
Peace and love, my friends – have a most wonderful Monday!
So Let It Be Done
I love this passage so much…have faith, my friends, and believe.
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the
doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and
stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had
had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with
you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this,
He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the
sins of any, they have been retained.”
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the
Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails,
and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I
will not believe.”
After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said,
“Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger,
and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do
not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, have you
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
Love Story
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.
My heart faints within me!
In Memoriam
This has been a rich morning. And can I describe it all to you here, dear readers? Well, maybe not sufficiently, and most likely no one will care to read this quite as much as I am enjoying remembering it, but it is my journal and so I will make full use of those inherent rights and privileges as I ramble a bit this morn…about small and sundry things that won’t mean as much to you, but have been gifts to my soul this morning.
As I sat on my couch this morning, with my honey-sweetened coffee in hand(always a good way to start the morning, no?), I got to read so many sweet sections of scripture. Starting with Psalms 115 and 116(two of my favorites, bliss! Not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth”) and then after reading Proverbs 29(also containing some sweet wisdom which I will not delve into further here) I continued in my journey through Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a very strange and wonderful and dangerously sobering book. And today I read what I still maintain is one of the most chillingly frightening chapters in all of scripture – Ezekiel 22. “‘…and they have forgotten Me,’ declares the Lord GOD.” So after reading in graphic detail the sins of the people of God and of the grave seriousness with which the Lord took the affront to His name, I then turned to Romans, which I’ve just started. Romans is always a perfectly delightful book to read and I’ve really enjoyed the first couple chapters already. So today read chapters 3 and 4, with a very little bit of 5(because really – the first few verses of 5 are just marvelous!! I can’t remember them off-hand, which means you get to look them up). But my reading today(which I seldom describe, but again, I will indulge myself today!) took me from from the depths of despair that is our sin against God…to the heights of glory upon realizing the grand plan of God which encompasses both Jew and Greek – salvation for all who have faith in Him. Faith alone – naught of what we’ve done! This salvation through Jesus Christ, because of His propitiation for our sins – oh beautiful thought! And so I really can’t think of a more perfect combination of chapters than Ezekiel 22 and Romans 3-4…and God granted me such a gift by allowing me to read them this day. And so as my heart was lifted and my spirit enlivened and my soul strengthened from above, I drove off to work…and fortuitously enough, my current CD ended and I popped the next one in – which happened to be the Oh Hellos “Through the Deep Dark Valley”…very possibly my current favorite album and a masterpiece of emotion and grace and joy and light. And I had no doubt as I continued to be encouraged by their music as I drove through the slowly lightening Houston morning that God had given me yet another gift…listening to such sweet music that encourages me so. And now this rambling paragraph must draw to a close, I know this. And all these thoughts that I write – they are for my memory and for me to look back on in times of darkness and doubt…so that I will remember the things the Lord has done for me. So that I will see the many beautiful blessings of God that I have been given. I have been given much and thus do I love much. Be deeply encouraged this day, every one of you – rejoice in the knowledge of your salvation and dance in the light of the gospel of God. Peace and love.
Something Weird 