First Thoughts -- First Words - Eric Metaxas - From The Moon

From Eric Metaxas...

It's interesting to think that some of the first words ever spoken on the surface of the moon were those of Jesus.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. [Whoever] abides in Me...will bring forth much fruit...(John 15:5)

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin said that he'd intended to read this communion passage in his transmission back to earth, but at the same time, NASA was embroiled in a legal battle with Madalyn O'Hair, the outspoken atheist who was suing NASA because the Apollo 8 crew had read a few scriptures from Genesis when they orbited the moon on Christmas of 1968.

Aldrin had been asked not to read the scriptures over the radio, and he reluctantly complied, reading them quietly as he gave thanks to God.

"It was interesting for me think," he said some years later, "the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."

And interesting for us to think that the first symbolic act on the moon was a remembrance of a self-sacrificial act of grace made 2000 years earlier by the One who made the moon and the Earth and the stars.

                       --------------------------------------------

Buzz Aldrin had communion on the moon on July 20, 1969, before he and Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon's surface during the Apollo 11 landing. The chalice he used is on display at Webster Presbyterian Church in Webster, Texas.

I am a Christian - What does it mean?

When I say "I am a Christian," I am not shouting that
I live a godly life.

I'm whispering "I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say "I am a Christian," I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong.

I am professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success.

I am admitting that I have failed and need God to daily clean my messes.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say, "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches.

So I call upon His Name to comfort me and walk the journey with me.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not being 'holier than thou.'

I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace and am eternally filled with gratitude and praise.

We do have a choice!

 

If we feel we are being bombarded daily with messages contrary to God's Word (and we are) -- we can choose to bombard ourselves with messages from God's Word -- words that bring us closer to Him!

We can focus on words that fill our minds and hearts with His specific messages for us.

Philippians 4:8 tells us how to do that: "Whatever is true...noble...right...pure...admirable...excellent...praiseworthy...think about those things."

So just as we carefully choose to eat to nourish our bodies, we must also be intentional about what we consume spiritually and mentally.

It's all about our free choice! We must seek out what is noble and right and pure and praiseworthy. We must align our actions with God's righteous standard.

It is our choice. Let's choose to dwell on things that bring us closer to God and experience the abundant life that Christ offers us.

It's our choice -- good choices become good habits!

A sample -- Lamentations 3

"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning -- great is Your faithfulness."

There are hundreds more -- why not start a journal and write one down every day? Therefore we have hope....

How do I Best Show My Love for My Friends?

 

                                               How Do I Best Show My Love for My Friends?

From John Calvin --

            "Our prayer must not be self-centered.

            It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden which we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own.

            To make intercession for others is the most powerful and practical way in  which we can express our love for them."

From Alfred Lord Tennyson -- 

(Words from King Arthur as he said goodbye to his friends - from Idylls of the King)

        "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

        Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.

        For what men are better than sheep and goats that nourish a blind life within                the brain,

        If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer, both for themselves and those                who all them friend?

        For so the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet             of God."

      

The Promise of "Remember No More"

What does 'Remember no More' mean?

From Jerry Bridges --

"To remember no more is God's way of expressing absolute forgiveness.

In Hebrews 8:12 (which quotes Jeremiah 31:34) God says, 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'

And again in Hebrews 10:17-18, He says, 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.'

Psalm 130:3-4 states the same in a somewhat different way -- "If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who should stand? But with You there is forgiveness."

It is a rhetorical question -- God does not keep a record, instead, He forgives."

     __ From The Gospel for Real Life

If God did keep a record in His memory, we'd all be in trouble. The really good news is that He doesn't! All our sins -- past,  present, and future are paid for by Jesus --paid in full -- no balance left due -- forever!

And Jesus tells us we should also forgive each other, 'just as God in Christ has forgiven us' (Ephesians 4:32)

....and that raises the bar pretty high!

When the Bride Looks at the Groom

 A diving accident left Joni Eareckson paralyzed. Her handicap didn't keep her from marrying Ken Tada, but it almost kept her from the joy of the wedding. While waiting to go down the aisle, she discovered a big, thick, black grease mark, courtesy of her wheelchair. The bouquet of daisies on her lap slid off center, her paralyzed hands unable to arrange them.

She felt far from a picture-perfect bride. But as she looked down the aisle, she saw her groom. She says, "Grease stain? Flowers out of place? Who cares? The love in Ken's eyes washed it all away. That's what changed me!"

She forgot about herself. Everything changes when you look at your groom!

Isaiah gives us a picture of our future when the church becomes the Bride of Christ. In Isaiah 62:5 we read:

"As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over His bride, so will your God rejoice over you."

The Book of Revelation gives us more about the marriage ceremony and feast.

And I love this last verse of the hymn, "The Sands of Time are Sinking" 

"The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face;

I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace.

Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hands;

The Lamb is all the glory, in Immanuel's land!"

And "Turn your eyes upon Jesus -- look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in  the light of His glory and grace!"

Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

Who is Your Accuser?

 God tells us about him. He is often called "the accuser of the brethren."

We see him beginning his campaign against us in Genesis 3. Then witness him in action in Job. And finally see him destroyed forever in Revelation 20.

In some places he is called "Satan," the "adversary," "the enemy," the "serpent," "deceiver," and "tempter."

John gives us this picture of him in Revelation 12:

   "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.'"

Think of it...he is working against us 24 hours a day!

But we can, through Christ, defeat him!

He is described as "subtle" and "shrewd." We are told he keeps records of our shortcomings and anything he can use against us in order to dishonor and discredit us before God.

Remember the song we used to sing? -- "Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world!"

I remember my friend who told me that whenever Satan knocks at her door to tempt her, she turns her eyes on Jesus and says, "Jesus, could you get the door?"

Sounds like a good plan to  me!

He can't take away our salvation -- that is secured forever by Jesus Himself -- but he can tarnish our testimony, destroy our joy, and try to make us feel shame, guilt and condemnation...IF WE LET HIM!

Pour Out Your Heart!

"Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart to Him. God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:8).

"Every once in a while we just need to cry it out. Our heavenly Father is always there, watching and waiting for the opportunity to hold His children. His love is freely given and knows no bounds when it comes to those who seek Him for sanctuary."  Cindy Boyd

He is there - waiting to give comfort...and courage....

The prophet Zephaniah understood it. He know God as his loving Father, holding His child, quieting him and bringing him rest and peace during times of anxiety. As soon as we cry out, He is there -- already there -- watching over us as a parent watches over His beloved child.

"The LORD, your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

Make It A Better Day!

 This day is beginning as a perfect day!

I started it with this wonderful prayer hymn -- written by Kate Wilkinson 100 years ago! I highly recommend it to you -- just pray the words and feel God's love and joy and peace fill your heart.

   "May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day,
    by His love and power controlling all I do and say.

    May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,
    so that all may see I triumph only through His power.

    May the peace of God, my Father, rule my life in everything,
    that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

    May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the seas;
    Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory!

    May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,
    looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

    May His beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win 
    and may they forget the channel, seeing only Him!"

Best suggestion for sure -- ask your magic music box to play it for you - just ask for "May the Mind of Christ, My Savior" and be blessed!

Fretting and Worrying - Oswald Chambers

                                      

                                                 Fretting and Worrying 

                                                                        --   Words from Oswald Chambers

"Do not fret. It only causes harm " (Psalm 37:8).

"Fretting means getting ourselves 'out of joint' mentally or spiritually.

Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances, but on your relationship with God Himself. 

Worrying always results in sin.

We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is a much better indication of just how wicked we really are.

Fretting rises from our determination to have things our own way.

Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God's plans.

Fretting is wickedness for a child of God.

Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you.

All your fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God."

How Dark is the Darkness?

 

These are dark days.

Evil is called good and good is called evil. It feels like we've gone down Alice's 'rabbit hole'. Nothing is determined to be consistently true.

The New Testament asks us, "How should we live in these days?"

Here's Jonathan Cahn's answer:

   "Believers are called to respond to the darkness of their age by becoming the antithesis, its counterforce [opposite].

The believer who lives in an age of heresy must become a counterforce of faithfulness to God's Word. In a culture of immorality, a counterforce of purity and moral virtues. Those who live in a godless culture must become the counterforce of God's presence. And those who live in a culture of radical evil must become radically good..."

Living in darkness requires that we shine more brightly.

In the face of a radically evil society like ours, we must become radically good!

And in a godless society we must always display God in our lives - showing those around us that there is a God and He is always here - He is Immanuel....we are to be His eyes and heart and hands and mind...We are to show Him to the world!

We are to display the presence of God in our lives -- all the time!  Making Him visible!

The more radically evil the world around us - the more radically good we must become!

What I love about Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk

in the counsel of the wicked,

Or stand in the way of sinners,

Or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season,

And whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous,

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous

But the way of the wicked will perish.

I wonder -- who arranged the Psalms? Who decided this one should be first? Originally the Psalms were individual songs, or hymns, that were eventually collected into 5 books. All five of these Hebrew books make up our Book of Psalms today.

Most of the 150 psalms have titles from the Hebrew -- all but 34. Psalm 1 is one of these "orphan psalms."

Which Psalm came first? Probably Psalm 90, written by Moses.

But who arranged the collected Psalms in the order we read them today? Who numbered them?

I don't know. Maybe we will find out someday.

Anyway, it appears to me that Psalm 1 is the perfect way to begin to reading of the Book of Psalms. It is like a forward or a preface, or an introductory paragraph that leads right into the rest of the Book.

What I like about Psalm 1:

1. It is short and easy to memorize.

2. It is practical, reminding us that that should be our own mind-set as we read the rest of the Book so that God will achieve His purpose for our reading and studying His Word.

3. It reminds us that we have choices to make in this life. There are paths we should choose to follow God's plan. In this way it reminds me of Christ's Sermon on the Mount. At the closing He talked about contrasting ways to live: two gates and two roads, two trees and their two types of fruit, two houses and their foundations. All of these are about choices. A good thing to remember each day! Whose side are we on anyway?

4. About blessed... It means supremely happy or fulfilled. This is what James Montgomery Boice says:

In Hebrew the word is actually a plural, which denotes either a multiplicity of blessings or an intensification of them. The verse might correctly be translated, O the blessednesses of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

5. I love the way the contrast between God's people and Satan's is pointed out right at the beginning of the first verse -- exactly where we start out on our Christian journey. We know right at the beginning that there are two roads to choose from, and they lead to distinctly different destinations. The signs are clearly marked. There are no detours. There are no shortcuts.

6. I like the way the words are chosen -- I know the main characteristic of Hebrew poetry is its parallelism and the repetition of thoughts in various ways --and these verses illustrate it perfectly -- but I also think that the words are chosen deliberately -- (1) walk, stand, sit, (2) counsel, way, seat, (3) wicked, sinners, mockers.

If I am walking with someone I am likely talking about casual things, or in a casual way. If I am talking earnestly I am probably sitting. There is a progression here that helps me understand how I get off track so often! It is a downhill progression -- from walking and having conversation with ungodly people to actually sitting down, or settling down, with those who reject God.

7. Another thing I like is this: the ungodly people hang out with their ungodly friends and associates....and what do the godly people hang out with? God's Word! We don't just hang out with God and His Word -- we delight in it! We meditate on it and we prosper. God's Word tells us about God -- what pleases Him and how He provides for us and directs our paths -- how He loves us and calls us to join His family! God's Word makes us supremely happy -- blessed!

8. And I love the phrase He is like a tree planted by streams of water. The tree has been planted -- it did not just spring up. It was planted in a certain place so its roots could reach deeply into the soil and find moisture and nourishment -- so that it could thrive and yield its good fruit.

The Hebrews knew of many dry areas, many deserts, where plants could not thrive. Only some brush and certain seasonal plants could survive.

But this tree is not planted there -- it is planted by streams!

9. And the chaff! Chaff was useless and chaff was burned! This pictures the life of the ungodly -- it is futile and empty and unrewarding. And then there is the judgment!

And the wicked will not be able to stand -- they will fall down before God.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it
leads to death.
-- Proverbs 14:12

What Makes America Great?

What has made America so great?

A question that has tormented the world for over 200 years.

In the 1830's the French government sent their acclaimed political thinker and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville, to examine the progress Americans had made in the 50 years since their revolution. 

France's revolution had deteriorated into a blood bath, a nightmare of executions and suffering,  political anarchy, and had lost all pretense of freedom and democracy for the people.

But the US had flourished and enjoyed unprecedented success, growing in wealth and democratic advances each year.

De Tocqueville marveled at what he saw happening here. He couldn't find enough ways to express his words of praise for what Americans had accomplished, producing on his return to France, his now-classic two-volume work, "Democracy in America."

Documents about the US are replete with de Tocqueville quotes. Here is one often quoted by leaders like Eisenhower, Reagan and Clinton. It sums up what de Tocqueville found in the US and spoke of often:

"Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

There is also the obvious historical conclusion: The French revolution was started and supported by atheists and agnostics who did not believe in God nor recognize His sovereignty and their accountability to Him.

 The American revolution was the product of believers in the Judeo-Christian worldview that recognized the importance of righteousness pleasing to God and His sovereign rule, the establishment of His kingdom on earth, and our accountability to Him. God created mankind to reflect His image. The exact opposite of the founders of the French revolution!

PS Remember FDR's D-Day prayer? "We know that by Thy grace, and the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph..."

And our national anthem..."Then conquer we must when our cause it is just...and this be our motto, 'In God is our trust'....

We were not (and are not) perfect, but striving to be better stewards of what God has blessed us with...

 

The Wisest Decision

What was the message the LORD gave His prophet Zechariah to announce to His people?  

The LORD told him: "You must say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of Hosts: Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you'" (Zechariah 1:2-3).

There is an astonishing truth here. God's people, after pledging themselves to follow Him, to honor and glorify Him, to love Him above all else, rejected and scorned Him!

But instead of punishing them and destroying them, He graciously offers to restore them to a loving relationship with Him -- forgiving forever their sin!

It's an incredible and gracious offer!

In verse 6 we see that the people accepted this offer -- a very wise decision.

Our God is the same today...AND THE OFFER STILL STANDS!

Focus on 1 John 1:9 -- "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

That brings us back into a full relationship with Him....no walls between us, no barriers to keep us away. Forgiven of ALL unrighteousness!

Have you accepted the offer?

It would be a very wise decision...it's for forever...

You can begin right now!

As they used to say, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

And it can be the first day of your forever life...

How Do We Display Love?

 How do we show our love? There is a lot of practical advice in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. He tells them: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking" (read the whole list in 1 Corinthians 13).

He reminds them that when we love each other, we don't discount them, we give them the benefit of the doubt. We put them in a favorable position. We make sure they are seen in the best light.

I remember once when we were looking for a special painting for our living room -- we needed something perfect to be a focal point for a grand entry.

We found what we thought would be the ideal piece for the space. And we eagerly brought it home.

We considered several possible positions on the main wall so that it would be seen immediately by guests entering the room. We adjusted the lighting, angling spotlights to capture the magnificent colors in the landscape. We added a couple  more tract lights and tried different slants to make certain our expensive painting would be seen in its best light. We had to accommodate the natural light in the room and also the added artificial illumination.

Yes, we were showing it off!

I think that is what Paul is talking about here. We don't seek to make ourselves look good -- we seek to make others look good. To display them in the best light. To make allowances for them. To enhance their special gifts. Even if  it diminishes our importance!

We seek their good, not our own!

Isn't that what Jesus did for us? He humbled Himself so that we could be  exalted. He took our place so that we could could share His...forever!

Is that the picture of love we are to follow?

What did Simeon Do the First Time He Saw Jesus?

Luke tells us in chapter 1:

Simeon was a righteous and devout man. He was eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah, the 'consolation of Israel.'

The Holy Spirit of God revealed to him that he would be able to see the Messiah before he died. And he got even more! 

"Moved by the Holy Spirit, he went into the temple courts." When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple, the Spirit told Simeon who the Child was and Simeon took Him in his arms." He not only got to see Jesus, he was able to touch Him and bless Mary and Joseph!

Luke tells us, "Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God saying, 'Sovereign Lord, as You promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people, Israel.'''

Simeon understood what Jesus' birth meant -- Probably better than anyone else around. And so he proclaimed it!

We should be like Simeon -- tell people loudly and joyously what really happened when Jesus came!

Because most of them don't know!

(Every night is Christmas -- every morning is Easter -- and every day is Thanksgiving!)

A Very Special July 4th Hymn

 

                                 A Very Special July 4th Hymn

Just before he died, Moses spoke to his people to remind them to always trust God when facing their enemies.

He said, "Do not be afraid...the LORD your God who is going before you, He will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until the day you reached this place" (Deuteronomy 1:31).

In 1876, an Episcopal priest in Vermont wrote a famous hymn titled "God of Our Fathers" to help celebrate the July 4th centennial of our Declaration of Independence. 

It was later chosen as the theme hymn for the celebration of the centennial of the adoption of the US Constitution.

His name was Daniel Roberts. He was born in 1841 and served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Our country's devotion to God and God's devotion to us (as our Father) is what inspired him to write this wonderful hymn for July 4, 1876. 

I remember our bicentennial on July 4, 1976...sadly I don't remember a special hymn written for that occasion, do you? What about for today? 

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand leads forth in beauty all the starry band of shining worlds in splendor through the skies, our grateful songs before Thy throne arise. 

Thy love divine hath led us in the past. In this free land by Thee our lot is cast. Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay. Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way. 

From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence, be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense. Thy true religion in our hearts increase, Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.

Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way Lead us from night to never-ending day. Fill all our lives with love and grace divine. And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.

God Bless the USA!

 

How long have we called our country the USA?

Almost from the beginning. Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, completed June 28, 1776, was titled, "A Declaration of the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled..."

So that's 250 years at least!

Freedom still means a lot to us, and we know from history that 'Freedom isn't free!'

But what about our spiritual freedom? Free for us, because of God's grace, costly beyond imagination for the Giver.

A good day to recall these words from Charles Wesley, written about the same time Jefferson wrote our national document of independence and freedom:

     "Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night.

     Thine eye diffused a quickening ray.

     I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.

     My chains fell off, my heart was free,

     I rose, went forth and followed Thee!

     I rose, went forth, and followed Thee!"

And, friends, that's real, everlasting freedom! Chains off - free heart -- following Jesus!

No such freedom anywhere else!

Summer Christmas Gift - - The Gift of Becoming

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
          -- Romans 6:23

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions... For it is by grace you have been saved through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...
          -- Ephesians 2:4-8


It was the first thing we learned as we came to Christ: it is because of God's grace we are saved. It is a gift of God -- completely free and unfettered-- completely unaffected by our own works -- because of God's grace we receive the free gift of His love and salvation.

The Rest of the Story

Then what happens?

Once we receive the gift we become the gift!

See these verses from John 17 (Christ's prayer for His disciples and for us who follow):

Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you have granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him (verses 1-2).

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me...(verse 6).

I pray for them...for those you have given me (verse 9).


Once we receive the gift we become the gift!

The gift God the Father joyfully gives His Son: we are that gift!

(But first we have to receive the gift!)

Why did He do this? this rescue mission to earth to
bring His disobedient children back into His family -

We are told in Hebrews 12:2:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God...

"For the joy set before him...."  We are the cause of that joy -- because we are God's gift to our Savior.

~~~~~~~~~~

How to receive the gift?

He [the jailer] brought them [Paul and Silas] out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."
                     -- Acts 16:23

The Purpose-Driven Porpoise

From Psalm 104 - A Hymn of Creation:

How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.   Psalm 104:24-26


The leviathan - giant sea creatures, like whales and dolphins and porpoises - which He formed to frolic there!

Frolic - to make merry - to have fun - to be playful!

That's the job -- the purpose -- of the sea creatures -- to play and frolic in the oceans!

The psalmist pictures the great sea creatures as large and sportive animals whose very existence glorifies and delights the Creator!

They gladden the heart of God.


May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works...
Psalm 104:31


And then we look at the closing verses of the Psalm:


I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  Psalm 104:33

That's our job -- to proclaim His praise!

The sea creatures exist to frolic and bring joy to God.
That's their response to His goodness!

We exist to praise and glorify Him.

That's our proper response!

What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.....says the Westminster Catechism.

I want to do as good a job at achieving God's purpose for me as the sea creatures do at theirs!

I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live....

and that's forever!



And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems....and God saw that it was good.
                           -- Genesis 1:20-21 - The 5th day.....

But God Gives A Song!

God leads His dear children along.  Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song -- in the night seasons, and all the day long...

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You" (Psalm 143:8).

"As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning, and noon  I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice" (Psalm 55:16). 

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8).

"The  whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You call forth songs of joy" (Psalm 65:8).

         In the night seasons...and all the day long!     Praise Him forever! 

Life Stinks!? - Max Lucado

"Yes, life stinks. But it won't forever.  As one of my friends likes to say, 'Everything will work out in the end. If it's not working out, it's not the end.'

  In the meantime, don't overreact. Psalm 37:7 says, 'Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper, or fret about their wicked schemes.'

  This is a toxic world. But neither do we want to join the Chicken Little chorus of gloom and doom: 'The sky is falling! The sky is falling!'

  Somewhere between Pollyanna and Chicken Little, between denial and blatant panic, stands the levelheaded, clear-thinking, still-believing follower of Christ.

  Psalm 27:3 says, 'My heart shall not fear -- though war arises against me, yet I will be confident!'

  Confident in Him!"

Reshaping the Pot

 "The pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hand; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him"(Jeremiah 18:4).

God sent Jeremiah to watch the potter reshape a marred pot, carefully handling the material and reforming it "as seemed best to him" into a new, better pot!

The prophet reminds us that God is the skillful potter and we are the clay.

He is sovereign and can use what He creates to both destroy and create beauty in us. He, the Master Potter, can, and is wiling to create new and precious pottery from our shattered pieces. He doesn't look at our scarred broken lives and discard them as waste!

He picks up our pieces and lovingly reshapes them as He sees fit.

Even in our scarred brokenness we have value to our Master Potter.

In His hands the broken pieces of our lives can be reshaped into beautiful vessels to be used by Him for Hs glory!

                         Something beautiful, something good

                             All my confusion He understood

                    All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

                       But He made something beautiful of my life

What is Jesus doing right now?

What Is Jesus Doing Right Now?

One of the things He is doing right now is:

1. He is praying for us

Jesus' prayers for us assures the security of our salvation.


If  He were not effective in His role as our mediator/advocate we could lose our salvation.

Jesus Christ who died -- more than that, who was raised to life -- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  (Romans 8:34)

Therefore He is able to save forever those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.  (Romans 7:25)

-- He is in the Presence of God right now -- at the right hand of God. In Scripture God's  right hand is the symbol of His unique and almighty  power and authority.


-- His intercession is continual and intentional - He lives to intercede for us! - Present tense!


 Jesus' prayers for us restores us to fellowship with God when that fellowship is broken by sin.


Christ is called our "Advocate," like our "defense attorney."
When we sin He is there interceding for us before God - being our Advocate - every day - all the time.


"It's me, it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer!"

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.

(1 John 2:1)

He's not just praying for us.  He is also -

2. Jesus is preparing our heavenly home for us

The picture is of a wealthy father who adds additional rooms to his home to accommodate his married children and their families. Much like the Amish farmer in earlier days. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, but also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms...I am going to prepare a place for you; I will come back and take you to be with Me...

(John 14:1-3)

There's room for all!

And He is also....

3. Jesus is producing fruit in the lives of believers

As the branch  is connected to the vine and draws its life and nourishment to sustain life and produce fruit, so the believer is grafted into spiritual union with Christ to draw spiritual nourishment from Christ.

Spiritual fruit is the result.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener....every branch that does bare fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...Remain in Me and I will remain in you. I am the vine and you are the branches. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me...Without Me you can do nothing...This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. 

(John 15:1-7) 

We were grafted into Christ and now we are being nourished and pruned so we can produce abundant fruit for Him!

A friend in California owns many acres of farmland and they produce a great harvest of citrus fruit.

She mentioned once they were expanding their acreage and citrus planting  to produce more.  I asked her if they were  planting lemons or oranges or grapefruit.

She answered, "We just buy citrus, and then we graft the little plants into what we need. In one greenhouse we will make them into lemon trees. In another we make them into oranges. What we graft on them determines what kind of  tree and fruit we will get!"

Since we are grafted  into Jesus, our fruit should be those listed in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Our fruit should reflect our Root - our true Vine   - Jesus!

Great Words from Philip Yancey - The Sermon on the Mount

In The Jesus I Never Knew Philip Yancey exposes his own puzzlement with the Sermon on the Mount -- especially the Beatitudes.

Here are some of his thoughts regarding how the sermon describes Christ's dual message: absolute Ideals and absolute Grace.



  

     For years I had felt so unworthy before the absolute ideals of the Sermon on the Mount that I had missed any notion of grace.

     Once I understood the dual message, however, I went back and found the message of grace gusts through the entire speech.

     It begins with the Beatitudes--Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek; blessed are the desperate--and it moves toward the Lord's Prayer-- Forgive us our debts...deliver us from the evil one.

     Jesus began this great sermon with gentle words for those in need...and continued on with a prayer that has formed a model for all twelve-step groups. "One day at a time," say the alcoholics in AA; "Give us this day our daily bread," say the Christians. Grace is for the desperate, the needy, the broken, those who cannot make it on their own. Grace is for all of us.


     For years I had thought of the Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for human behavior that no one could possibly follow. Reading it again, I found that Jesus gave those words, not to cumber us, but to tell us what God is like.

     The character of God is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount.

     Why should we love our enemies? Because our merciful Father causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good. Why be perfect? Because God is perfect. Why store up treasures in heaven? Because the Father lives there and will lavishly reward us

     Why live without fear and worry? Because the same God who clothes the lilies and the grass of the field has promised to take care of us.

     How could I have missed it? Jesus did not proclaim the Sermon on the Mount so that we could furrow our brows in despair over our failure to achieve perfection.

     He gave it to impart to us God's Ideal toward which we should never stop striving, but also to show us that none of us will ever reach that Ideal...it forces us to recognize the great distance between God and us, and any attempt to reduce that distance by somehow moderating or watering-down its claims misses the point altogether.

     ...The Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and covetous. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace.

Discarding the Valuable, Keeping the Worthless

                                                          Holding on to the Worthless

The weight of gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents [about 25 tons], not including the revenues from merchants and traders from all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas [7 1/2 pounds] went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold with three minas [3 3/4 pounds] of gold in each shield.

Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with gold...all King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.

The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along the coasts of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons....

Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift -- articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, and spices and horses and mules....

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings.... 
                           1 Kings 10:14-25



Later, after Solomon's death, his son, Rehoboam, ascended to the throne.


Here's what happened:


After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he became strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD.

Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem...and told them, "This is what the LORD says, 'You have abandoned Me; therefore I now abandon you to Shishak.'"


Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.


With 1200 chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem....

When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried all the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace.

He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made.

So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.

Whenever the king went to the LORD's temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterwards they returned them to the guard room.

    -- 2 Chronicles 12:1-11


Their king had abandoned the law of the LORD (the text says, the king "and all Israel with him") and so lost his country's priceless heritage...all that Rehoboam's grandfather, King David, had set aside for the temple and royal treasuries, and all that his father, King Solomon, had later acquired...all gone...in the fifth year of his reign...what several generations accomplished was squandered in just a few years...

And those solid gold shields....

It's fascinating to imagine -- the guards probably polished the bronze to shining perfection -- but they were still bronze, not gold!

Who were they trying to fool?

So the guards, who had previously carried solid gold shields to escort their King, now carried cheap imitations!




Do we do this? Let what is priceless slip through our fingers and hold on tenaciously to what is without value? Polish it up and try to make it look good?

Not acknowledging that what we are grasping is only a substitute, a counterfeit, not the real thing!

Letting go of the important and holding on to the trivial.

It's time to reverse that - right now!

Mid-way to Christmas!

Six months from today is Christmas  - the happiest, most glorious time of the year!

I think I "Need a little Christmas now!"

Yes, right now!

I am putting on my Christmas music and singing loudly - and remembering that old wonderful Christmas carol, "What Child is this?"




Remember that 2nd verse:

 Why lies Him here in such mean estate

Where ox and ass are feeding

Good Christians fear:

For sinners, here, the silent Word is pleading.

I had two thoughts:

(1) the glorious fact of our rescue plan...

designed by God before the creation of the world...

described to mankind at the beginning of history...

reminded to mankind continually throughout history....

revealed to mankind in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Word....

explained to mankind through the

written record of the New Testament...

and finally, totally, accomplished through the coronation of Jesus Christ as Lord of all.

Then "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord." (Philippians 2)

When Mary laid Him there in that manger, when the shepherds came to worship, when Joseph stood by to protect Him, in that tiny Body God's grace was already being worked out.

(2) God loves to surprise us!

Think of it!  The Creator--God--King arriving in Bethlehem of Judea in a stable! Who would ever make up a story like that!

And then in the last days John sees the throne of God and the elders call, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed."

And what does he see: "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as it it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne" (Revelation 5).

Not a fearful mighty Lion, but a wounded Lamb....the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world (Revelation 13).

God's amazing rescue plan -- wrapped in a surprise package -- and so we can now begin to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

May the awe and wonder of Christmas astonish us every day!

Babette Prepares a Feast!

Babette Hersant, in 1871,  flees a terrifying life of violence in a French commune.  She finds herself in a small village in north Denmark.

The villagers, hardened by hypocrisy and self-centeredness,  experience a loveless, cheerless religion.

She takes up residence in the home of two woeful sisters, Martine and Filippa, daughters of the founder of their bleak religious order.

Babette suddenly becomes the winner of a lottery,
(10,000 francs) and keeping her winnings a secret,
decides to offer her community an extravagant French dinner.

The lottery ticket is her only tie to her previous life in Paris -- a gift from a friend who keeps renewing it every year.

She could have used the money to return to her life in Paris, escaping from the joyless existence of her village life. She had been there 14 years and certainly going back to Paris must have had some appeal.

But, instead, she decides to gift the entire community with a fabulous meal, one that they would never have had occasion to experience.

(Babette had been a master chef during her earlier life in Paris).

Using her new wealth, she has all the necessary items shipped in by boat: ice, dishes, fine linen, cheeses and meats, cases of wine, and a very large turtle--destined for the soup pot.

The opulent dinner scene reminds us of the splendor of a wedding banquet, an image also presented for us in the Bible to describe God's fellowship with his people, when we are brought, with great rejoicing, safely into His heavenly kingdom.

The extravagant richness and joy of the meal transforms the guests from gloomy and petty souls into people who have tasted divine mercy.


Their eyes and now open, realize they are the recipients of an experience they could never have imagined.

They are changed, transformed at the magnificent display of Babette's feast.

One guest, General Lowenhielm, says, "The moment comes when our eyes are opened, and we see and realize that grace is infinite. Grace, my friends, demands nothing from us but that we shall await it with confidence and acknowledge it in gratitude...grace takes us all to its bosom and proclaims general amnesty."

God's grace is seen, by most in the room, for the first time, as God who reveals His love, even partially, in a meal prepared with love and sacrifice.

Babette's Feast was movie produced in 1987, based on a screen play written by Isak Dinesen.

What more joyous words than from the General: Grace is infinite....demands nothing from us but that we await it with confidence and acknowledge it with gratitude....

"So what", we might say, "It was just meal!"

Perhaps.

But it is a reminder of another meal, two thousand years ago, in an  upstairs room, when Jesus had dinner with His disciples....

When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It's the last one I'll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God."

Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory."

He did the same with the cup, after supper, saying, "This is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you."
 (Luke 22)


God's infinite grace...explained at a simple meal, a meal prepared with love and sacrifice.