Overwhelmed and Forgiven
"When we were overwhelmed by sin, You forgave our transgressions"
(Psalm 65:3).
It's all due to His grace. So how should we live?
How can we display His grace each day?
"Lord, because Your grace is underserved I should be humble; because it is costly I should be holy and loving; because it is unconditional I should be at peace...and through it all I should be supremely grateful every moment. Amen."
"Lord, help me be to others as You have been to me. Amen."
Thoughtful words from Jonathan Cahn --
According to biblical prophecy, the end times will be marked by the increase of evil, but also by the outpouring of God's Spirit. It will be marked by both great good and great evil.
Thus the end-time believers must aspire not only to goodness, but to greatness.
They must seek to become great in faith, great in love, great in righteousness, great in prayer, great in purity, great in worship, great in zeal, great in hope, great in goodness and great in God.
The end times will not only be marked by great evil but great good.
As evil moves from bad to worse, the righteous must move from goodness to greatness.
****************
[Are we there yet? I think it's about time we were getting ready!]
From C S Lewis --
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house.
At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you know that those jobs need doing and so you are not surprised.
But presently He starts knocking the house about in such a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.
What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here and putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.
You thought you were going to make it into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace.
He intends to come and live in it Himself."
"By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:14
What could be more amazing! God, because of the sacrifice of His perfect Son, declares us perfect forever.
The human priests had to stand in the temple and offer sacrifices regularly, even daily, to atone for their own sins and the sins of the people. But Christ's sacrifice was one time only and gave forever forgiveness!
Our debt -- PAID IN FULL!!!
At the cross, Jesus took all our sins, our filthy rags, and clothed Himself in them, but gave us His righteousness to wear!
He exchanged His perfection for our hideous evil. When God looks at us now, He sees us clothed in Jesus' own perfection. Literally, He sees no sin, only His Son's goodness. We have already been declared perfect in His sight.
As He looks at us and sees the righteousness of His Son, we will never be more perfect than we are now -- in position.
Now His intent is to lead us into righteous living, so our lives will reflect our royal position.
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we "are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord."
Josiah became King of Judah at age 8 -- officially his position with all that title and honor entailed, but he had to grow into kingship before he could reign.
That's like us --we have a lot of growing to do! Someday our lives will reflect our position -- what God has chosen us to be.
"He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy"!
....made perfect...being made holy...
Waiting for God's help in time of trouble is hard. We usually want to pursue our own solutions first, leaving God as Plan B! Even as we pray for God's will and help we are often already figuring out our own ways to proceed. Now that's really dumb! I should know!
The Israelites responded like that when they were threatened by their enemies. They sought help from the Egyptians instead of turning to God. Read about it in Isaiah 30.
"Woe to the obstinate children who carry out plans that are not Mine...who go down to Egypt without consulting Me..."
God tells them what to do instead in verse 15: "In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."
"In quietness and trust," God tells them.
Then Isaiah adds: "The LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, He will rise up to show you compassion...blessed are all who wait for Him."
Do we every consider that? Our Father wants -- longs -- to show us His grace and mercy. He is eager for us to come to Him!
BLESSED ARE ALL THOSE WHO WAIT FOR HIM!
Waiting is hard, but it is worth it, and it pleases God!
Father, help me learn to be patient. I know You are a good and loving God whose ways and timing are always perfect. How could I ever doubt Your love and faithfulness and wisdom? How could I ever forget that? Forgive me, my dear Father. Amen.
Here's another provocative thought from C S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia
From The Magician's' Nephew
In this passage Digory has just foolishly and disobediently helped the wicked witch to enter Narnia.
The Lion, Aslan, calls the Narnians together.
"You see, friends," Aslan says. "That before the new, clean world I gave you is seven hours old, a force of evil has already entered it, waked and brought about by this son of Adam."
They all turned their eye on Digory, till he wished the ground would swallow him up.
"But do not be cast down. Evil will come of that evil, and I will see to it that the worst falls upon Myself. In the meantime, let us make this a merry world. And as Adam's race has done the harm, Adam's race will help heal it."
******
I am so moved by these words from Aslan: "I will see to it that the worst falls upon myself." And He did. We see it pictured from the beginning of Genesis (re-read Genesis 3:15 - our protevangelium) all the way through the Bible to the closing chapters of The Revelation.
The worst fell on Him, by His choice.
He would rather die than live without us. And so He did. But we must help heal the damage while we are here. Someday, maybe soon, He will take us to our new home, where no damage can ever be done again. Maranatha!
Satan's work in the world today and in past history is no laughing matter! But as we see in Revelation, our God has the last word, and Satan is doomed!
But as a wild animal, dying from fatal wounds, uses all his strength to do as much destruction as he can, we see Satan still at work, causing as much damage and taking as many hostages as possible.
But when we see Satan at work in our own lives, we can find humor and ridicule his futile attempts to bring us down.
Imagine him now, the great "accuser of the brethren," before God. Maybe he is calling your name --
"This one you call your child. He is a failure. He is selfish. Goes for days without praying. Often his so-called good works are for show only. Even this morning he chose to ignore his time with you again!"
You hang your head in shame. "Yes, I am guilty," you mumble.
Satan asks, "Okay, your honor, what is your sentence?"
The Judge answers, "The wages of sin is death. But that death has already occurred. For this, My child, died with Christ. My Son Jesus paid his debt. He is free from all penalties of sin! And that means ALL! Case dismissed!"
We need to get in the habit of laughing at Satan's attempts to trap us. See how pompous and arrogant he is.
Keep reminding him of what Jesus did...ignore him...and best yet, interrupt him and begin praising God, loudly and joyfully, for rescuing you and saving you from all his attacks!
Turn his attacks into victory cheers - God is on the throne! You are His beloved Child! Forever!
Remember what God said: you are "NOT GUILTY" - and He is the Sovereign Judge - He is the final word!
Is Satan hanging around looking for your weak spots? He usually is.
Getting ready to pounce? Probably. It's his strategy.
Satan is sowing seeds of shame and guilt -- often concentrating on sins that are most difficult for you to battle against, especially those you repeat the most.
Thoughts from Max Lucado --
"If he can't seduce you, he'll let you sink in your guilt. Nothing pleases him more than to see you cower in the corner, embarrassed that you are still battling some old habit. He's probably telling you 'God is tired of dealing with this,' or 'Your Father is weary of your petitions for forgiveness. He will shut the door this time. You'll never beat this!'
Maybe you are thinking, 'I must not be His child. I must be an orphan. I can't keep going to the well of grace so many times. I don't deserve to keep asking for forgiveness. He will shut the door this time.'
But now stop and think. Who told you you deserved forgiveness the first time?
When you came to Christ, did He already know all the sins you had committed? Yes.
Did He know the sins you would commit in the future? Yes.
So He saved you, knowing all the sins you would commit, every mistake you would ever make? YES.
Sounds like God has already proven His point. If your sins were too great for His grace, He would never have saved you in the first place!
Your sin does not surprise God. He saw it coming. And sees it coming.
Is there any reason to think that the One who saved you in the first place won't receive you every time?"
Remember - He promised to! And He knows you better than you even know yourself.
"If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
The fountain of grace is still full and flowing....
There is an ancient Japanese art of pottery repair called "kintsugi."
Sometimes the word is translated "golden journey."
The goal is not to repair the shattered pottery by hiding the cracks, but by highlighting them!
The artist uses a special lacquer to mend or seal the fractures and then he covers them with a fine gold or silver powder. The result is a unique and beautiful masterpiece, with gold and silver designs winding their way across the pottery. Each is truly unique - one of a kind!
The repaired piece announces to its admirers the story of its past -- with every crack and fracture, once hopelessly broken, now gloriously redeemed by the artist-potter!
We should let God do that to us. Don't hide your past faults and failures -- let the world see how He is changing you. Remind them that you are not what you used to be...and are not what you will be...but you are His Child...loved by Him! He loves us as we are, but He doesn't want us to remain the way we are...He has a higher goal for us. He wants us to be like Jesus!
Years ago we had a phrase we used often: Please be patient with me, God is not finished with me yet. We even had t-shirts imprinted PBPWMGINFWMY to remind ourselves of our godly make-over.
That was a good way to look at our mistakes. I think I need to find one of those old t-shirts - or make one to wear now!
PS Remember this song?
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.
Thank you, Dear Jesus!
Feel broken? Feel you are unfit for service for Jesus?
Max Lucado reminds us:
"God does great things through brokenness. Broken eggs give life. Broken skies give rain. Broken soil gives crops. Broken crayons still color. Broken alabaster jars give fragrance. The broken body of Christ on the cross is the light of the world.
Which is precisely the point. God does great things through the greatly broken. It's not the strength of the vessel that matters. It's the strength of the One who can use it.
You are not the sum of your sins. You are the sum of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. You are as righteous as Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:15 -- 'For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.')
You 'give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way to salvation -- an aroma redolent with life' (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Remember, God uses broken people to build His Kingdom! It's not the condition or strength of the vessel that matters -- it's the strength and power of the One who is using it!
(The Bible gives so many examples: David, an adulterer and murderer; Jacob, a liar and deceiver; Paul, a persecutor of the early Christians...and you can put your on this list, too! Not what I was, but who I am now and what I will be!)
We are in the life-saving business. We rescue people and bring them to Jesus.
What about this woman?
She was 70 years old when she came to Jesus. She lived in a small village in Africa. She was blind and uneducated, but wanted to do something to help other people come to Jesus.
She took her French Bible to her local missionary and asked him to underline John 3:16 in red. He did.
Then she took her Bible and a chair and sat each day in front of a boys' school.
When dismissal time came and the boys began leaving, she called out: "Please come here. Do you read French?"
As they approached she asked them, "Please read to me this passage underlined in red."
Then she would ask if they knew what it meant. She explained the verse and told them about Jesus and what He had done for them.
Due to the boldness and obedience of this aged blind woman at least 24 of those young men became pastors!
What's on your schedule today?
1 Peter 3:8-12, Paraphrase from The Message
"Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
That goes for all of you - no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm.
Instead - bless. That's your job - to bless. You'll be a blessing as well as get a blessing.
Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here's what you do: say nothing evil or hurtful, snub evil and cultivate good, run after peace with all you're worth.
God looks on all this with approval."
[That's the kind of life I want, so I guess that's the kind of person I want, and need, to be!]
The New Testament gives us great insight on how to pray for our friends -- especially in the epistles where the writers record exactly what they are praying for when they are praying for their friends.. .
Consider these words from Paul and Timothy in the letter to the Colossians:
"Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to His will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.
We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work.
We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul -- not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us." (Colossians 1:9-12).
Lots of ideas here of how we should pray for each other. I love especially the glory-strength that spills over into joy petition, and also the idea that as we learn how God works we can learn to do His work ourselves!
And that He can make us stronger so we can take part in all the glorious things He has prepared for us!
Who was the Prodigal?
The story about the prodigal son (Luke 15) touches so many hearts.
A self-centered boy, asking for his inheritance early, runs away and squanders all of it, sinks lower than imaginable, desperately returns home to face the consequences of his prodigal lifestyle....
He expects to be treated as a slave and punished. But he is joyously received, forgiven and restored.
What does 'prodigal' mean? The dictionary tells us it means to spend your money or resources freely and recklessly, with wasteful extravagance; to distribute lavishly and without thought for the future; overly generous to people you hardly know; to be careless with your money without considering what will happen when it is all gone. What a short-sighted fellow! How foolish! Did he really think he was making true loyal friends with his conduct? Who was he impressing?
He ended up alone and desperate with no place to go but to crawl home and beg a crumb of bread!
But maybe the real prodigal was not the son -- but the father. Didn't he give of his love with reckless abandon? Probably his neighbors considered him foolish to waste his love on his ungrateful son? He was lavish and extravagant with his grace and forgiveness. He didn't even stop to consider if he should welcome his son home - just impulsively received and forgave him - and then restored him to his original position. Extravagant generosity! Talk about being 'prodigal'!
But, wait -- isn't that the picture of our heavenly Father?
Maybe we should change the name of the story of "The Prodigal Son" to "The Prodigal Father"?
Have you come home?
There are four things out of place in the universe.
The church is out of place. She ought to be in heaven.
Israel is out of place. She should be in the land that has been sworn to her and possess every part of it.So here in the vision (Revelation) we begin to see all of these things that are out of place being put in their rightful place.
The devil is out of place. He ought to be in the lake of fire, but he's still roaming free.
And Christ is out of place. He should be through with intercession and seated on His throne, reigning, instead of upon His Father's throne interceding.
The church is in heaven.
Israel is about to be given back her kingdom and her land and salvation.
The devil is going to be bound and cast into the lake of fire.
And Christ is about to reign.
Everything looks so broken now...seems beyond repair! Such wreckage everywhere ...politics, people, families.
We caused it ourselves through our own disobedience to our Father, our stupid selfishness, our poor thoughtless choices.
Remember what Aaron said to Moses when he came down from the mountain with God's Law in his hands and encountered the Hebrews in their acts of idolatry? Aaron said, "I told you these people were prone to evil!"
Looks like nothing has changed. But in spite of the wreckage and ruin we have caused through our sin, God's promise of ultimate restoration still stands.
In Revelation 21 we read about Jesus at His Throne saying, "Behold, I am making all things new!"
How we yearn for that day.
It is coming!
In the meantime we have the unique privilege of partnering with God -- co-workers with the Almighty Creator -- in the beginning of that renewal of creation...starting today. We can help mend what is broken, promote what is good, restore what is missing, and lead the challenge to resist evil.
We can work on that today! And that means we are partnering with God in bringing His Kingdom to earth. We are helping to answer Jesus' prayer, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth, as it is in heaven."
Then when Jesus comes back as the rightful Sovereign King of all creation, His Kingdom will arrive in its ultimate eternal glory!
As we spread the gospel we are recruiting His subjects all over the earth!
A King needs territory and subjects. And we are His subjects and our hearts are His territory.
Until then, we can help get ready for that day! We can start the process!
I am not what I ought to be; I am not what I want to be; I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.
God sometimes does His work with gentle drizzles, not storms.
If we seem to get no good by attempting to draw to Him, we may be sure we will get none by keeping away from Him.
This is faith: a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness and intercession of Jesus.
Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.
"For we are God's handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).
Certainly one of the most amazing verses in scripture! We are saved by grace, not by our good works -- but we are saved so we can do God's good works and glorify Him!
We are here for a reason. So we can do the service He designed specifically for us to do and bring glory to Him.
(Remember the Westminster Catechism -- Q: What is the chief end of man? A: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever)
Otherwise He would have just beamed us up immediately the moment He saved us!
(Sort of like what happened to the repentant thief on the cross! Wow...imagine the relief...from the torture of the cross to the unspeakable splendor of paradise!)
Though, I admit, there are times being beamed up immediately sounds like good option!
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?
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."
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!
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!
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!
"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)
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.
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
-- 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."
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!
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.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it
leads to death.
-- Proverbs 14:12
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...
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 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?
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
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.
