Psalm 46:4-6
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered: He raised His voice, the earth melted."
For the people who lived in Israel at the time of OT, the sea was something of danger, wrath, and death. They connected it to storms and destruction. A river, on the other hand, was seen as a source of life. The Jordan river was the main source of water for the nation of Israel. That truth sheds some light on the significance of this text.
However, the part of this passage that struck me so hard was the end. "...He raised His voice, the earth melted." The nations around Israel were in an uproar against Israel. They had stood opposed to it since the time they came into the land. This was nothing new. What is incredible is that God simply had to raise His voice and the earth melted before it! What power exists in a voice that the earth melts and falls away before it!
Here I am today, frustrated over money, worried over an economy, irritated by fighting and whining, and with a headache to top it off. I gripe and complain to God and rage at God for the things in my life that I am frustrated with. God, who raises His voice and the earth melts! First off, what am I thinking! A God with that kind of power ought not be at the receiving end of my anger! Secondly, a God with that kind of power can handle my issues. My problems seem so small in comparison.
God forgive my anger and my frustration. Help me to leave my concerns in your hands.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Redemption
Redemption
What a fearfully wonderful gift of love
to serve the one true living God above
To have been chosen by Him before time
Free of any merit or choosing of mine.
To be chosen merely by His own delight
to receive the gift of new life by His might.
What a blessed change occurred in me
when my nature and will were forced to see
What a blessing that I did not get my way
that God pulled me back and had the last say
For death was the choice of my own way
but life was given to me on that day
God loved me in His infinite mercy
and in grace did He send Jesus for me.
Grace obtained through Jesus obedience and death
Faith was granted to us who have believeth
His grace, through the faith given us that day
resulted in redemption so we could say,
Glory to God in the Highest!
Holy, Holy, Holy is God the mightiest!
To Him be praise and glory forevermore
all things begin and end with God at the core.
What a fearfully wonderful gift of love
to serve the one true living God above
To have been chosen by Him before time
Free of any merit or choosing of mine.
To be chosen merely by His own delight
to receive the gift of new life by His might.
What a blessed change occurred in me
when my nature and will were forced to see
What a blessing that I did not get my way
that God pulled me back and had the last say
For death was the choice of my own way
but life was given to me on that day
God loved me in His infinite mercy
and in grace did He send Jesus for me.
Grace obtained through Jesus obedience and death
Faith was granted to us who have believeth
His grace, through the faith given us that day
resulted in redemption so we could say,
Glory to God in the Highest!
Holy, Holy, Holy is God the mightiest!
To Him be praise and glory forevermore
all things begin and end with God at the core.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Romans 1:9-12
For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the others faith, both yours and mine.
For God, whom I serve in my spirit...
Spirit (4151) – In Greek; Pneuma – It is used the following ways in scripture:
Primarily denotes the wind, related to the Greek word Pneo which means to breathe, blow. Breath; the spirit which like the wind is invisible, immaterial, and powerful
The immaterial part of man
the element in man which perceives, reflects, feels, desires
Purpose, aim
The character
The moral qualities and activities
The inward man (an expression used only of the believer)
In other words, Paul serves God with the deepest part of Himself. With the very part of his being that makes him who he is. He serves with the deepest, most intimate part of himself. He served from deep integrity and Godly motivation. He serves God with his most heartfelt desires and drives. This is no mere outward activity. This is the kind of dedication that would hold up in the face of persecution and hard times. In fact, did. Paul often suffered persecution for preaching the gospel of Christ. This was his deep and abiding passion, task, drive. And he did it with utmost diligence and faithfulness.
So much of what I do is only superficial. So much of what I do, I would willingly change when the going gets tough and the hard times comes. God, I do not serve you with my spirit. I do not serve you with my deepest, most heartfelt desires and motivations. So little of what I hold dear runs that deep in me. I lack that depth of conviction and motivation. God forgive me for living a shallow, empty life of activity for activity sake. Help me to pursue a life of Godly devotion that runs to my core, that takes root in the deepest part of my being; the kind that causes one to give his very life for it.
Paul calls upon God as his witness for how often Paul made mention of these believers. He was committed to these believers whom he had never met. He had a God given burning desire to see them, to be with them, and to mutually encourage each other. And isn't that the way it ought to be? Should we not have a deep, burning desire in our hearts to encourage and be encouraged by other believers? Are we not to be about the ministry of uplifting and edifying one another? Yet, so often in my life I am so wrapped up in my own little world that it is an inconvenience to do a simple task of taking a meal to friends when they are sick or simply incredibly busy. How often do we miss opportunities to encourage one another because we are too busy. Busy...doing what? I have no excuse, no legitimate reason for my busyness. I allow too many trivial things into my life. Again, God forgive me for lacking in love and concern for your saints; my fellow brethren. Remove the callous from my heart and burn your love in its place. Fill my heart with love and concern that runs so deep I can hardly stand it! Burn a passion and purpose in the very fibers of my being and fill me with the grace and mercy to bear it! Help me to love someone other than me.
Oh God, how short I fall! Thank you very sending your son to bridge the gap. Thank you for your mercy, so undeserved. Thank you so much for your grace, so unearned! Thank you for your forgiveness, so....amazing and incredibly undeserved. I am a product of your grace...nothing more, nothing less. I deserve none of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
For God, whom I serve in my spirit...
Spirit (4151) – In Greek; Pneuma – It is used the following ways in scripture:
Primarily denotes the wind, related to the Greek word Pneo which means to breathe, blow. Breath; the spirit which like the wind is invisible, immaterial, and powerful
The immaterial part of man
the element in man which perceives, reflects, feels, desires
Purpose, aim
The character
The moral qualities and activities
The inward man (an expression used only of the believer)
In other words, Paul serves God with the deepest part of Himself. With the very part of his being that makes him who he is. He serves with the deepest, most intimate part of himself. He served from deep integrity and Godly motivation. He serves God with his most heartfelt desires and drives. This is no mere outward activity. This is the kind of dedication that would hold up in the face of persecution and hard times. In fact, did. Paul often suffered persecution for preaching the gospel of Christ. This was his deep and abiding passion, task, drive. And he did it with utmost diligence and faithfulness.
So much of what I do is only superficial. So much of what I do, I would willingly change when the going gets tough and the hard times comes. God, I do not serve you with my spirit. I do not serve you with my deepest, most heartfelt desires and motivations. So little of what I hold dear runs that deep in me. I lack that depth of conviction and motivation. God forgive me for living a shallow, empty life of activity for activity sake. Help me to pursue a life of Godly devotion that runs to my core, that takes root in the deepest part of my being; the kind that causes one to give his very life for it.
Paul calls upon God as his witness for how often Paul made mention of these believers. He was committed to these believers whom he had never met. He had a God given burning desire to see them, to be with them, and to mutually encourage each other. And isn't that the way it ought to be? Should we not have a deep, burning desire in our hearts to encourage and be encouraged by other believers? Are we not to be about the ministry of uplifting and edifying one another? Yet, so often in my life I am so wrapped up in my own little world that it is an inconvenience to do a simple task of taking a meal to friends when they are sick or simply incredibly busy. How often do we miss opportunities to encourage one another because we are too busy. Busy...doing what? I have no excuse, no legitimate reason for my busyness. I allow too many trivial things into my life. Again, God forgive me for lacking in love and concern for your saints; my fellow brethren. Remove the callous from my heart and burn your love in its place. Fill my heart with love and concern that runs so deep I can hardly stand it! Burn a passion and purpose in the very fibers of my being and fill me with the grace and mercy to bear it! Help me to love someone other than me.
Oh God, how short I fall! Thank you very sending your son to bridge the gap. Thank you for your mercy, so undeserved. Thank you so much for your grace, so unearned! Thank you for your forgiveness, so....amazing and incredibly undeserved. I am a product of your grace...nothing more, nothing less. I deserve none of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Why Christmas is so important
I was listening to "Born Tonight" sung by Denver and the Mile High Orchestra in the van today as I running some errands and it got me to thinking...which is always a dangerous thing to do. :) Anyway, it got me to thinking about why Christmas is so important. If you will, allow me to paint a picture and build the case for why it is so important.
It all has to do with the sinfulness and depravity of men. Since the time of Adam and Eve's sin, we have been in a downward spiral of sin and depravity. In the course of human history, we have managed to fall into every sin imaginable. Let me build you a list of the filth that we have partaken in:
Lies
Disobedience
Murder
Adultery
Prostitution
Masturbation
Homosexuality
Beastiality
Thievery
Abortion
Incest
Gossip
Hate
Greed
Lust
Coveteness
Idolatry
Dishonesty
Disrespect
Rebellion
Complaining
Fighting
Whining
Pornography
Child Sacrifices
Cutting of self
Cannibalism
Child pornography
Rape
Child Rape
Orgies
Legalization of same sex marriages
and the list goes on
To add to this, the sin that caused God to destroy the earth by flood the first time was that he Sons of God (Angels) were sleeping with the daughters of men.
There seems to be no end to the end of our depravity. When God established the Law for the Nation of Israel, it was for several purpose. Not the least of which was to show the Holiness and glory of God. It was also to show the justice of God and His intolerance of sin! God demands that sin be punished and the law clearly revealed this truth. The Law also showed that no matter what they did, man could never fulfill the demands of the law, nor could they live a perfect life. They cried out in hopelessness and for one greater than them who could fulfill the Law and save them. God answered this prayer in Christ. This is what the birth of Christ meant. It meant the salvation and Hope that they had longed for. It provided Hope for them, for us. We have someone who stands in the gap for us, making amends for our sins and providing justice and redemption.
As you enter this Christmas season, do not let the familiarity of it reduce the importance and significance of it. My prayer for myself and for you is that God will shake us to the core with the incredible gift that it is! Search your own heart with brutal honesty and openness. You know the depth of your depravity and sin. You know where you would be today if not for the forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy of God. You know where you would be today if not for the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. Feel the weight of your sin. For only by feeling the weight of your sin will you feel the weight of God's glory, justice, power, love, and forgiveness. We are so undeserving. It is important for us to feel this and to keep this ever before us for it makes the gift and sacrifice of God all that more important!
It all has to do with the sinfulness and depravity of men. Since the time of Adam and Eve's sin, we have been in a downward spiral of sin and depravity. In the course of human history, we have managed to fall into every sin imaginable. Let me build you a list of the filth that we have partaken in:
Lies
Disobedience
Murder
Adultery
Prostitution
Masturbation
Homosexuality
Beastiality
Thievery
Abortion
Incest
Gossip
Hate
Greed
Lust
Coveteness
Idolatry
Dishonesty
Disrespect
Rebellion
Complaining
Fighting
Whining
Pornography
Child Sacrifices
Cutting of self
Cannibalism
Child pornography
Rape
Child Rape
Orgies
Legalization of same sex marriages
and the list goes on
To add to this, the sin that caused God to destroy the earth by flood the first time was that he Sons of God (Angels) were sleeping with the daughters of men.
There seems to be no end to the end of our depravity. When God established the Law for the Nation of Israel, it was for several purpose. Not the least of which was to show the Holiness and glory of God. It was also to show the justice of God and His intolerance of sin! God demands that sin be punished and the law clearly revealed this truth. The Law also showed that no matter what they did, man could never fulfill the demands of the law, nor could they live a perfect life. They cried out in hopelessness and for one greater than them who could fulfill the Law and save them. God answered this prayer in Christ. This is what the birth of Christ meant. It meant the salvation and Hope that they had longed for. It provided Hope for them, for us. We have someone who stands in the gap for us, making amends for our sins and providing justice and redemption.
As you enter this Christmas season, do not let the familiarity of it reduce the importance and significance of it. My prayer for myself and for you is that God will shake us to the core with the incredible gift that it is! Search your own heart with brutal honesty and openness. You know the depth of your depravity and sin. You know where you would be today if not for the forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy of God. You know where you would be today if not for the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. Feel the weight of your sin. For only by feeling the weight of your sin will you feel the weight of God's glory, justice, power, love, and forgiveness. We are so undeserving. It is important for us to feel this and to keep this ever before us for it makes the gift and sacrifice of God all that more important!
God - Lover of Mercy, Giver of Grace
Allow me to explain. As I was studying Romans 1, I was trying to wrap my head around the fact that God is the giver of all things. I was trying to visualize the doctrines of salvation, grace, mercy, love, faith, and how life fits into all of this. As I struggled to do so, God gave me this visual image.
Lets begin with God. The outer circle is God...Eternal, with no beginning and no end. As He looked down on creation, He loved us in His mercy (pity for the consequences of our sin) and gave us His Son. Through Christ's obedience in life and death on the cross, Grace was obtained for us. God then gave us the faith that we needed to accept His grace in order to do four things (according to this chart): Through the Grace that was obtained by Christ on the cross and the faith that was given to us by God, we believed unto salvation. By that same grace we are enabled to obey God, serve God, and by the same grace God holds our salvation until He comes back to take us home. As a result of God loving us in Mercy, giving us His Son, obtained grace for us, giving us grace through the faith that he also gave us, and through the grace that saves, preserves, enables for obedience and ministry, God (as the giver of all) gets the glory. There is no room for us to even pretend that we are due glory. The mercy, grace, and faith for salvation, obedience, ministry, and that secures us all comes from God. In this way, God and God alone gets the glory. My prayer is that we never forget this. My prayer is that we never take this for granted.
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