Thursday, June 30, 2016

The Promise

I am going to take you back to Jeremiah in the 10th
year of an eleven year siege. The Prophet had been
confined, food was scarce, the leaders and people
were angry with him. He knew that the people
were going into captivity. He was not popular. It
was a terrible time when Jeremiah received a Word
from God. He was told to purchase land and to put
the deed into an earthenware vessel,
'that it might last for a long time.'
This deed was a promissory note, so to speak, a
guarantee that God would bring His people back
to that place.

'For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel:
Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be 
bought in this land.'

So, Jeremiah bought the land, and then this is what
he prayed:

'Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the 
heavens and the earth by your great power and by 
your outstretched arm. Nothing is impossible for 
you...O great and mighty God, whose name is the 
Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed.

Jeremiah finished up his prayer with a heartfelt plea,
filled with anguish. God then said this to him:

 'Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh.
Is anything too hard for me?'

(You will find this story in Jeremiah 32)

Reader, God is not hard of hearing; He is not absent;
He is not silent; He is not uncaring. He will fulfill
His promises, if not now, then later. The Israelites
were in captivity for 70 years. Most of those who
went into captivity did not live to see the promise ful-
filled, but their children and their grandchildren did.
Take heart: 
'Those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.' 
(Is 49:13)




  

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Wanderings

'God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells
in God, and God in him.' (1John 4:16)

This morning I opened to a hymn in an old
English hymn book given to me almost 50
years ago. It is in words, but not in notes.
It was translated from German into English
by John Wesley.

'Thou hidden love of God, whose
   height,
Whose depth unfathomed, no man
   knows,
I see from far Thy beauteous light,
   Inly I sigh for Thy repose;
My heart is pained, nor can it be
At rest, till it finds rest in Thee

Thy secret voice invites me still
The sweetness of Thy yoke to prove;
And fain I would; but though my will
   Seems fixed, yet wide my passions
     rove;
Yet hindrances strew all the way;
I aim at Thee, yet from Thee stray.

'Tis mercy all, that Thou has brought
   My mind to seek her peace in Thee;
Yet while I seek but find Thee not,
   No peace my wandering soul shall
     see.
O when shall all my wanderings end,
And all my steps to Thee-ward tend?

Is there a thing beneath the sun
   That strives with Thee my heart to
     share?
Ah! tear it thence, and reign alone,
   The Lord of every motion there;
Then shall my heart from earth be free,
When it hath found repose in Thee.

Each moment draw from earth away
   My heart, that lowly waits Thy call;
Speak to my inmost soul, and say,
   'I am thy Love, thy God, thy ALL!'
To feel Thy power, to hear Thy voice,
To taste Thy love, be all my choice.

Gerhard Terzsteegen 1697-1769

Reader, I read these old hymns and I ponder
this. When did we lose the depth of wonder
in our walk with Him? Surely wonder is tied
into longing, pursuing, yearning for 'Himself'
as our all in all.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

In a finished Work

I went back and read the previous posts. It appears
that I am repeating myself, but this subject keeps
coming up in my mind. So many miss the
marvelous truth of 'rest.'

God rested on the seventh day after six days of
        work.
Jesus said, 'It is finished,'
When He rose from the dead, He sat down.
We were in Him so when He sat down, we sat
      down.

Our rest of faith is in a finished work. When Christ
died, you died; when He was buried, you were
buried with Him; when He rose from the dead, you
rose to new life because you were in Him; when He
sat down at the right hand of God, you too entered
into rest. Our rest is made operational through faith.
(See Romans 6 for Paul's discussion on this.)

REST--
Cessation from motion, 
rest from labor, 
cease to be disturbed about anything, 
a state of reconciliation to God, 
quiet, repose

REPOSE--
To rest in confident trust, 
rest of mind, 
freedom from uneasiness, 
tranquility

I woke up this morning to anxiety. It is good to
pause and reflect on words like rest, repose.

'Come to me
all who labor and are heavy laden, and 
I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you, and 
learn from me, 
for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and 
you will find rest (repose) for your souls. 
For my yoke is easy and my burden is 
       light.  
Matthew 11:28-30

Reader, I do believe that some of the most
uptight people I know are the Christians who
work to please God! Some of the most
productive Christians I have met are those who
know the secret of trust, rest, abide. It is not that
they are resting outwardly, but inwardly.



Monday, June 27, 2016

The Rest of the Gospel

The phrase, the rest of the Gospel, can be viewed two
ways: First, that there is more to the Gospel than what
is penned in the Bible; or it can be viewed as kicking
off your shoes and leaning back on the chest of the
One who loves you most!

Some Christians still think of Sunday as a 'day of rest.'
Up until the 60's the country had 'Blue Laws,' which
forbid commerce on Sunday. It was a good plan in that
families went to church and then spent the rest of the
day with each other. Once these laws were removed,
one state at a time, Sundays became just as busy as the
rest of the week--to the detriment of most. Israel still
shuts down completely on the Sabbath and the whole
country rests.

'So, then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people 
of God...'
Hebrews 4:9)

The writer to Hebrews spends 15 verses on 'rest,' so this
is a very important subject from God's perspective. He
has given something to his people that is available 24/7
to us, whether it is a Mom with small children or a doc
who puts in a 60 hour work week.
I want to explore this further.




Friday, June 24, 2016

We Rest on Thee

Yesterday as I was pondering the subject of finished,
completion and rest, I 'stumbled' across a hymn that
says it all:

'We rest on Thee'--our Shield and our Defender!
We go not forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
'We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.'

Yea, 'in Thy Name,' O Captain of salvation!
In Thy dear Name, all other names above;
Jesus our righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of glory and our King of love.

'We go' in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know:
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing;
'We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.'

'We rest on Thee'--our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise
When passing through the gates of pearly
     splendour,
Victors--we rest with Thee, through endless days.
Edith G Cherry, 1872-1897--died at age 25

"Edith was on crutches most of her life due to Polio
as a child.  Her songs were mostly spontaneous,
whether she sang under dark clouds or soared above
them. Her only sister, 15 months younger, died at
age five. Edith often wondered how they would
meet each other, 'in the bright heavenly home.'
Most of her poems were written before the age of
fifteen."

The poem I penned above was the last hymn sung by
Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and the others the night before
they were martyred by the Auca Indians. Five men
died that day in the jungles of Ecuador in the 1980's.
If you have not seen the End of the Spear, see if you
can find it. It is one of the best documentaries I have
seen and covers the deaths, the why and the salvation
of those who killed.

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c1K8pmSdfk

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Finished; Complete

'And God saw everything that he had made and it 
was very good.' Genesis 1:31

God finished everything on the sixth day and He
declared it perfect. There was nothing more that
He could add to make it more perfect. The snake
told Eve that things were not perfect; that God was
holding out on her; she was missing out. The result
of this abominable deception can be observed
throughout history. Satan, through the sin of man,
has infiltrated all that God called very good.

One day God became Man, flesh and blood, in order
to reverse the curse that lay upon this earth. Jesus
was nailed to a cross and as He hung there,
He took into Himself--
Every sin you ever committed.
Every pain you have ever experienced.
Every sorrow and every grief weighing you down.
All of your transgressions.
All iniquities from the garden to the end of time.
Last of all, He took death itself into Himself.
He became united with us, our sin and shame, then
He said, 'IT IS FINISHED!'

Finished, complete, nothing left out, nothing lacking,
nothing left over. Do you hear this, reader? You can
add nothing. No good works, no longer prayer times,
no good behavior, no going to church, no reading the
Bible through each year--all in order to please God to
fill in that which was incomplete. Throughout the Age
of Grace the Snake has implied that this and that has
to be done, added, or you will miss out on God's
pleasure; even your salvation. So subtle.

God's part was to provide a complete, finished
     salvation.
Our part is to receive this salvation by faith.

When God finished His work on the sixth day, He
rested on the seventh day. When Jesus finished His
work on the cross, He rose into heaven and sat
down next to His Father and entered into rest. He
invites His kids to enter His rest.

'Whoever has entered God's rest has also rested
from his works as God did from His...strive to
enter His rest...  Hebrews 4:10,11

Well, reader, I would venture to say that learning
how to abide in His rest is one of the most difficult
things for us to grasp; the most difficult to walk
out, but, so important!


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Himself

He, Himself, bore our sins on the tree.
1Peter 2:24

For the past few days I have been pondering this
beautiful word, Himself. AB Simpson says:

'How often Himself comes out in His word. It is the 
person of Jesus we want. Plenty of people get the 
idea and do not get anything out of it. They get it 
into their head, and it into their consciousness, 
and it into their will. But somehow they do not get 
Him into their life and spirit...'

'After much struggle to make his Christian life work,
the Lord spoke to him and said, 'My child,just take 
Me, and let Me be in you the constant supply of all 
this. Myself.'

AB Simpson goes on to say, 'And when at last I got 
my eyes off all my sanctification, and my experience 
of it, and just placed Christ in me, I found, instead of 
experience, the Christ larger than the moments need, 
the Christ that had all that I should ever need. And 
when I saw Him, who was given to me once, and  it 
was all right, and right forever. For I had not only 
what I could hold that little hour, but also in Him,
all that I should need over all situations; I get a 
glimpse of what it will be a million years hence, and 
afterward. We will shine like the sun in the kingdom 
of our Father (Matt 13:43) and have all the fullness 
of God.'
A brief quote from HIMSELF by AB Simpson
(1843-1919)

Reader, here is one of the 'Great cloud of witnesses,''
who lived out the abiding life and went from
strength to strength until he moved on to glory. I
need all I can comprehend in order to come into
the simplicity of the Christian life.
Abide, abide, abide.
He, Himself is sufficient.

Our greatest need is have a far greater revelation of
Himself as our indwelling Lord.




Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The Suffering Bride

We are not of this world and what is planned for
us out of this world, but first...

'...greatly rejoice, though now for a season, ye are
in heaviness, through manifold temptations that 
the trial of your faith, being much more precious 
than gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire, 
might be found unto praise and honor and glory 
at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
1Peter 1:6

Greatly rejoice? Why? Because God is working
something into you that can come no other way.
Faith that goes through fire is more precious than
gold. These very trials will be manifested as glory
at his appearing. The world says, 'take what you 
can get.' God says, 'Lay it down, surrender to Me,
and later you will receive back unimaginable riches.'
Most of all it will result in praise, honor and glory
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us the
Trinity suffered, not just the Son. We are His bride.
How can we be equally yoked with Him without
walking the path of suffering? His suffering; our
suffering work together to make us deeply One,
now, and for all eternity.

Monday, June 20, 2016

A Badge of Honor

Reader, do you sometimes feel like a 'fish out of
water,' as you go about your daily tasks? Have you
heard words like, 'I don't feel like I belong any-
more, or, 'so many things seem upside-down.' We
have been in John 15 and as the discourse
continues, this is what Jesus says:

'If the world hates you, know it hated me before 
it hated you. If you were of this world, the world
would love you, but because you are not of this
world, but I chose you out of this world, therefore
the world hates you. (John 15:18)

I have not looked at this chapter as a whole before.
I thought Jesus changed the subject because of the
man made chapter heading! Jesus tells his disciples
and us that abiding, fruit bearing Christians who
love each other, will be persecuted.

Paul says to Timothy:

'...all who desire to live a godly life will be
persecuted. (2Tim 3:12)

It comes with the territory. It is a given.

'I chose you out of this world; you are not of 
the world.' We were chosen to be His. Jesus
suffered on the cross for us to make this happen,
not to make us happy.  When persecution comes
to us, it shows the world that we belong to Him
and He to us.

Wear it like a badge of honor. 

Friday, June 17, 2016

IF

'IF ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall 
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein 
is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall
ye be my disciples. (John 15:7,8)

This tremendous promise is made to those who abide in
Him and in His Word. You and your Lord become one in
vision and purpose, His will becomes your will, so that
whatever you ask glorifies the Father. These two verses
depict the walk of Jesus, for Jesus said,
'He only does what He sees the Father doing,'
and, His work on earth is
'to glorify His Father in heaven.'

I have heard sermons on the middle part of these verses
where men preach all kinds of nonsense. 'You can ask
for what you want in faith, and it will be given to you.'
Not so! The promise of Jesus is predicated on
relationship, so the asking is based on something very
sacred.

So, Reader, are you asking the question, 'How do I do
this?' For the next week or so take a couple of verses;
write them on a 3x5 card. Take it with you.
Read, ponder, listen.
Jot notes on the back. Then take another couple of
verses and do the same thing. By this time you might
need a notebook so you don't lose what the Lord is
showing you!
Let the Living Word become your dwelling place.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Beyond Understanding

Several of us gathered together this evening to watch a
video blog by Malcolm Smith that blew us away! The
picture Malcolm drew was of a God who loves from the
womb--before success. It is life changing. You see, most
Christians believe that God began to love them when
they repented and that God only loves them now when
they are making Him happy with good behavior.
Scripture after scripture denies this perspective. There
is no way I can landscape this for you. If you feel that
your life is simply a patch work quilt, with large empty
spaces of worthlessness and failure, then take an hour
and discover just how much God delights in YOU!
It is beyond understanding.

Retroactive Faith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8w2RejkBj4

Simplicity

Living out the Christian life can be summed up in one
word, 'abide.' In John 15 our Lord unpacks that word
using a simple visual, the vine and the branch.

'I am the true vine--not a vine but the vine--, and my 
Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that 
does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch 
that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more 
fruit...'--Jesus explains one reason why we suffer.

'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear 
fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can 
you unless you abide in me...'

'I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides 
in me and I in him,  he it is that bears much fruit, for 
apart from me you can do nothing...'
Get that? NOTHING!

'As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. 
Abide in my love...
These things I have spoken to you, that my 
joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.'

The word 'abide' is a fuller word than just resting or
dwelling. It encompasses health, joy, trust, love, depth,
conversation, intimacy, purity, gentleness, compassion,
fullness, contentment, fruitfulness.

Reader, John 15 is the core of the victorious, fruitful
Christian life. From God's perspective, 'no abiding, no
fruit.' Few get that! We rush to get through our 'to do'
list each day, and then fall exhausted into bed hoping
that somehow we have had a meaningful day, and we
have pleased God. My Dad had a favorite saying:
'Busyness is next to godliness.' His extended family
believed that also. They had no time for relationship
either with God or with each other. How sad.

Here is something to ponder this summer:
ABIDE, ABIDE, ABIDE.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Two Dogs

Yesterday we looked at 'flesh' and 'Spirit.' I find it easy to
look at myself when I read a letter from Paul. I look to
see how I measure up. This is akin to eating off of the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve
did not fare well in this regard. When one checks his
own behavior, it is invariably measured in light of other
Christians. Paul would say to me, "By no means do I
mean for you to look at how your flesh is doing!"
God wants us to ask Him for help to know what He
wants us to lose--like a habit.

'But I say, walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are 
against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are 
against the flesh and these are opposed to each other, 
to keep you from doing things you want to do. But if 
you are led by the Spirit you are not under law.'
Galatians 5:16-18

Back in my college days I read a little booklet called
Two of Me--the White Dog and the Black Dog. What
utter nonsense! I do not have a spirit of lust and a Spirit
of Life dwelling in me. The real me has become a new
Creation and is 100% righteous. (you doubt that?) The
HOLY Spirit INDWELLS me. However, when God
saved me, He did not save my flesh. Our flesh patterns
are developed as children and help us to cope with life,
stay safe, stay alive. Each of us has different flesh
patterns, some of which look pretty good. God, however,
wants to kill the flesh, and this is where the battle line is
drawn. The Christian is beset by 'the world, the flesh,
and the devil.' God uses these three things to bring us
into freedom!

Reader, the answer to a fruitful, dynamic, joy filled life
is very simple--but few 'get it.' 

Monday, June 13, 2016

Inner Peace or Turmoil?

All weekend I have been pondering the Christian life--
again. It was only ten years ago that I was told how
to live this life that is impossible, so I still run things
through my old grid of "ought and should."

There are only two ways to live the Christian life: We
can strive to live this life out of our flesh--what we do
out of our own resources, ourselves, in order to
perform well--or, we can choose to live the Christian
life out of the Spirit. The former brings confusion,
continuous turmoil inside, and pride. One moment we
are up, the next moment we are down, and it profits
nothing:

'...those who live according to the flesh set their minds
on things of the flesh, but those who live according to
the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the
mind on the Spirit is life and peace...
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.'
Romans 8:5-8

You see, when we live out of His Life instead of our
own efforts, the result is peace and much fruit. It is
ONLY by the Life of Jesus within that I can be kind,
loving, patient, joyful, content, and have self control.

Reader, ponder this:
Jesus is all these things and He lives in you! The
Christian life can be lived out by the weakest among
us--physically, mentally, emotionally. This has to be
so or God would be unjust. In fact I would venture to
guess that the weakest are better able to live a fruitful
life because they recognize more easily that they can
do nothing on their own.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Inner Vigilance

'...perfecting holiness in the fear of God.'
2 Corinthians 7:1

"Christ always maintained an inner vigilance to
continually submit His spirit to His Father. I also
have the responsibility of keeping my spirit in
agreement with His Spirit. And when I do, Jesus 
gradually lifts me up to the level where He lived--
level of perfect submission to His Father's will, 
where I pay no attention to anything else." OC

Paul speaks of godliness in his first letter to Timothy,
nine times. In chapter 6:11, Paul says:

"...But flee from these things, you man of God; and 
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of 
faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were 
called..."

Reader, the Christian life is not a passive thing, not
then; not today. Chambers says to 'maintain an inner
vigilance and to submit to the Father.'

(Sometimes my blogs cut me. This is one of those.)

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Remember

'Remember Lot's wife. 
Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it.' 
Luke 17:32

'Had Lot's wife not left Sodom? Indeed she had. But 
her flesh still fed on Sodom's sweets, and so her heart 
had not left it, had not lost it.'

'To God, Sodom was only fit to be turned into a cinder;
to Lot's wife it was still worth saving. She still sought
to save her "life" from the falling fire--not her bodily
life--for she was already outside the city; but the things
of her desire, the things of the world that remained in
Sodom.'

'She so loved that life and longed for it that she looked
back and lost it all--her life in Sodom and indeed, her 
bodily life; her all. There she stood, a pillar of salt, an
external warning to those who long after the flesh.'

My friend, the Lord is coming. What is your life? Is it
lived in the Spirit? Oh the power of the cross to sever
every relationship that would bind us to the flesh! We 
are debtors only to the Holy Spirit. Give the cross full 
place in your life; abandon yourself recklessly to the 
Crucified, for over His crucified life the flesh has not 
one speck of power. Let the cross seize you and sever 
you from that enthrallment with the flesh.

It's been said that "Every strong conviction ends by 
taking possession of us; it overcomes and absorbs us,
and tears us ruthlessly from everything else."
     
'Has the cross so seized upon your life?'

'If it has, you can live for self nevermore. Rather, you 
will cry out with a determined saint of yore, "Oh my 
God, hear the cries of one on whom Thou has had 
mercy and prepare my heart to receive whatever 
Christ has purchased for me. Allow me not to rest 
short of it."'
LE Maxwell (1895-1984)

'The most miserable person on the face of the earth is 
the Christian who is trying to enjoy both worlds.'
Edward Dennett (1831-1914)

'I am most joyously content that Christ would break all 
my idols to bits. It renews my love for Christ to see he 
is jealous of my love, and will have all to Himself.'
Samuel Rutherford. (1600-1661)

Reader, sometimes it is worthwhile to hear from those
who have lived before us. (I checked out the biographies
of these men, all prolific writers from Scotland, England
and Canada.)

It bothers me greatly that in Matt 25 there are ten virgins
but only five are able to go into the kingdom. All of them
are Christians, that is clear in the text, but five were not
ready to receive their Bridegroom. We are nearing the
midnight hour, are you ready?


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Dismay

As they followed Jesus they were afraid
Mark 10:32

'There is an aspect of Jesus that chills even a
disciples heart to its depths and make his entire
spiritual life gasp for air. When the darkness of
dismay comes, endure until it is over, because
out of it will come the ability to truly follow
Jesus, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy.'
(OC)

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Aspen Trees

When I lived in Colorado I loved to go into the
mountains in early fall and walk through the Aspen
groves. The round leaves turned early to a golden
color and they would twirl in the wind. What I did
not know then was that each of the trees was tied
together by the same trunk. The trees grew from
the trunk not from a seed. None of the trees looked
the same. Some were large and healthy and some
were small and spindly--but each was attached to the
other and were of the same source. The large healthy
looking ones, however, were the ones that tended to
fall in the high winds. They fell and became food
for the deer and a place of safety for the small
animals.

The question I am asking myself is whether or not
I would be willing to fall, fail, if it meant that others
would find life? The trees had no choice in this, and
really, neither do I.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Anguish

In the last blog we looked at King David and how he
wrote out six verses that have brought comfort to the
suffering over thousands of years. Today I want to
look at a prophet called Jeremiah who is known as the
'weeping prophet.' Had he known what was ahead,
would he have signed up? Whatever he said was
ignored and whatever he said came true which got
him into more trouble! He had a bad reputation and
suffered along with his people in the time of famine.
The famine, the sword, the wasting away came to
his people because they failed to hear the word God
was saying to them through the prophets. We can see
the heart of Jeremiah in the book of
Lamentations:

'I have become the laughingstock of all
      peoples,
   the object of their taunts all day long.
He has filled me with bitterness;
     he has sated me with wormwood.
He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
     and made me cower in ashes;
my soul is bereft of peace;
     I have forgotten what happiness is;
so I say, "My endurance has perished;
     so has my hope from the Lord."'

The groaning of Jeremiah goes on for five chapters.
But right in the midst the prophet pens these words:

'But this I call to mind,
     and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
     his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
     great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
     "therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for
     him,
   to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
     for the salvation of the Lord.'
(Lamentations 3)

Reader, all of us want to please God. So, what really
pleases our Dad? It pleases Him to see His sons
and daughters worshiping Him in the night seasons.
Say what you feel in the anguish, but always come
back to the place of truth. Put that "thing" at the
feet of Jesus--over and over until you come to the
place of peace.

(This blog was tested in my very own crucible!)

'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnOFh9WFe6k


Thursday, June 2, 2016

The Hound of Heaven

Psalm 23 was penned at a time in David's life when he
was 'penned' in and helpless. His son, Absalom, had
taken the throne so David was forced to flee for his life
into the desert. No grass, no quiet waters, but there was
the deepest valley without light or end. David was not
even sure if it was not because of his sin that events
had gone south. It was a terrible time; one of the worst
for this king. Alone and forlorn David writes:

'The Lord is my shepherd...
Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house 
of the Lord forever.'

SURELY: a solid word that can be translated as
'ONLY.' this and nothing else
GOODNESS: in the widest sense, beautiful, favor, glad,
merry, welfare, joyful kindness, loving, bountiful favor.
LOVING KINDNESS: strong affection toward,
tender regard.

In this verse God is the initiator. You are His prize.
This is the way God is.
He is only goodness and loving kindness toward you
always.
Nothing depends on your good behavior.

Let me write it out for you:
'Surely or only His goodness--bountiful favor--and
loving kindness--strong affection, tender regard--
shall follow me--pursue me--through all my days
and His presence shall be my dwelling place forever.'

Reader--this verse has been getting into my very soul
over the past few days. The writer was in a very
difficult place but he did not write words of despair
and self-pity. He did not make silly statements:
'God does not love me.'
'God has forgotten me.'
'God is is angry with me.'
David does so in other psalms he wrote but not this
one. Perhaps it was because David had walked so
closely to God for many years. The king recognized
God's bountiful favor, strong affection for him, His
ongoing pursuit--the hound of heaven-- no matter what
and the delight of His presence!

If you want to dig deeper into this verse, check out this
video and watch how Malcolm Smith unpacks it. I only
hit the highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeKp1iXaTo0








Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Oneness

'...after Moses was grown...he went out to his 
brethren and looked on their burdens.'
Ex 2:11

'In the beginning Moses had realized that he was
the one to deliver the people, but he had to be
trained and disciplined by God first. He was
right in his individual perspective, but he was
not the person for the work until he had learned
true fellowship and oneness with God.' (OC)

Individual discouragement blossoms into personal
growth as we lean into Him and surrender. Moses
spent 40 years on the backside of the desert. By
the time God called him, he was probably so
content that it was an effort to walk back into
Egypt and lead God's people!

Reader, we live in the culture of 'instant;'
God lives outside of time.