Not just approved unto people; is the direction of this verse. We are to look to the eye of God as the one to whom we answer in our study.
If we accepted this advice from scripture, it would free our minds to soar in study. It would free our minds to soar in expression. We fear that scripture will not stand the test of this or that conflict. Are we the author of scripture? We are not. Are we the author of our faith? We are not. Our faith is penned by God Himself. Our scripture is penned by God Himself. When we siphon Him from education we are inviting confusion to follow and to dominate.
Blessed are the meek
Like children searching for the hidden pictures in a puzzle, we are to search for the invisible God, who lovingly shows himself to our watching gaze!
He cares and he pays attention to me.
He knows about my joys and pains,
What can I say about his stooping low to see me,
What can I say about his groans on my behalf,
He was on the cross and I was in His care
He was bruised and beaten to create a new spirit in me,
He had regeneration and redemption of my soul on his mind,
When He paid the price for me.
What a tremendous regard for the low estate.
Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.
I do love this Christmas hymn. It has so much blessed meditation to it. It seems to bid everyone to listen to the wonder of the condescencion of God to this fallen planet of earthlings.
Get ready! Prepare your heart to receive the reality of the personal nature of the message of salvation. It is to the whole earth, but it is a very personal relationship. Heaven and nature are singing about it. If you awake to the reality of Christ's invitation to abide in Him, you will join a song that will be yours forever. Keep singing, if you are a holy part of the Christian song!
I was struck afresh by the blinding power of pride, as we watched Great Expectations yesterday. Estella could no more see the blindness of unbelief, than the beauty that she projected in the mirror. Riches and beauty are a blinding source of unbelief, sometimes. Pip, who was struggling between two worlds, was the source of our eyes view of this close tendency in our own souls.
We watch this humble and stricken young orphan grow to desire the accomplishments and acquirements of wealth and beauty and the things that they afford. I love how there is no commentary to the book. The story speaks for itself. What does it profit, if we gain the whole world and lose our soul? Or, What will a man give, in exchange for his soul?
The Devil himself uses our own words to implicate and condemn us. Some of the danger of a Christian education is that our words and God's words overlap to strangle our faith. "Hath God not said?" The devil exalts us and the devil debases us and uses our excellence as his yoyo to drag us from self aggrandizement to complete exhaustion.
Sometimes I wonder if we are not the reincarnation of the worms that consumed Herod in the midst of his oration. Only eternity will say the veracity of that assumption. All I can say is that our words are very often more grand and exalted and we are not as guilty of giving God the glory as giving ourselves the glory. We use religion to justify our own pagan strongholds and we are sadly deficient in the graces and gifts that God has given us these words to develop.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews 2;3
My own heart aches when I read the actual cross examination of William Jennings Bryan in that beautiful expression of the spiritual struggle played out in the courts during the "Scopes Trial" which was dramatized in the movie and book Inherit the Wind.
Participation in the political process and the compromise of scruples is not a new phenomenon, I can see. I don't think we can tell our children this enough. If you are a person of Christian convictions, they will all be challenged, throughout your life. A great Christian example of this is William Jennings Bryan, the politician and author and lawyer. I am sorry that I didn't research him more before my children were mostly grown.
He seems an example of fighting the good fight in the forum of secular and political contentions. How much of the world are we allowing into our hearts is far more significant than that of what is outside? But if we represent God, He just may allow us to be as Daniel and the Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace of politics and public discussion. Help us to remember that God is greater than our fears. Cursed are we when we make our own flesh or any other, our arm. God give us grace to stand and having done all to stand, in Jesus' Name. Amen
Psalm 61:2
Hear my cry, O Lord, attend unto my prayer.
Sometimes, I am not overwhelmed as I ought to be about my sins. And then, all of a sudden the floodgates of memory of God's holiness and my continual circumstantial habits of flagrant sins sweep over me and I am overwhelmed. It seems like I am the only one in the universe and God's finger is sticking in my chest in condemnation for my own transgressions.
I remember my many penitential prayers. I remember that I promised God millions of times to stop it and here I am again engaged in the same muck and mire. I remember my catechism classes in second grade and third grade, learning "sin is any lack of conformity to or transgression of the law of God." I really thought I was going to forsake that sin altogether. I cried, I confessed to God. I went to confession. I had people and others praying with me about it. I told God, I love you more than this and I am finished with this sin. Just to be standing here again in the same problem. When will I be rid of this? When will the overwhelmingness that Your goodness and unfailingness has been spit upon in my stumblings? I can't get over it, Lord. I don't know whether to stop praying till I get this right or what? I know stopping praying isn't the problem. That is the lie of the enemy. It is the devil who tells me that. I know that it is not your finger in my chest that I feel. It is my own finger of condemnation and expectation of ascendancy to a "sinless existence".
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
When am I gonna be Saved? When am I gonna act SAVED?
Everytime they get to that part of the service, I am on one side or the other of the pendulum. I am either pacifying myself saying, I am glad I am not like those people and redemption seems like a wall between me and those others who are struggling. I am deceived in my self righteousness or I am grovelling in the pity of my continual condition of inability to help myself in this or that area of life.
Where will I find a modicum of stability in the spiritual realm?
My Heart is overwhelmed!I am in the condition that David found himself in Psalm 61, in his honesty before God. I am very aware of my sinful condition before God. I am very sorry, but where is the solace and when will there be freedom from this state?
Jesus PAID it all!
An even greater comfort than that which David knew in his inherited blessing is ours in Christ. He is the Rock that is higher than I. He extends a greater compassion for our failings that flailings. He is the payment and the full price for sins. I can take it to Him, time and time again and know that He is the balm for my putrid condition. He is healing me and drawing me closer to Him, as I reach for Him in my sensitive state. That is actually a more real condition than I am sensorious of. My emotions can stretch the gammut. A sense of closeness to God at times that I know that I am His to a sense of comradery with the devil, himself and the fear that is his eternal state. When I remember that the price for my soul is set in Christ and my trust is not in my own trust, but in His completed work? I can carry my crippled soul to the only real help.
My contrition is real and it is not just an act. It has become the cry of my heart. It is not something that they taught me. It is a prayer that I have owned as my own remembrance of my condition and Christ's finished work
Oh My God, I am heartly sorry that I have offended Thee! I truly do detest all my sins because they offend Thee, my God! Amen.
Ephesians 6:13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Whether the shot was a winner or a lob or into the net, the next thing to do is to go back to the center of the court.
Why? Where? What?
After we have fought and won or lost, we have to go back to the urgent call of service that is our lot in life. My call from God to care for my family is higher than any other attainment in this world.
When they placed that baby on my heart and I was aware that I was the mother in care for this new life, my ministry was confirmed. Many places along the way, God has placed a second wind into my loving promise to be what He has called me to be; their mother. Who am I when I win the highest prizes? Their mother. Who am I, when I lose the highest prizes? Their mother. After being a child of God and a human being and a woman and all of the other things that I am. I have seen this or these children from complete inability to the point where they are now. That is a really fulfilling accomplishment, whatever men or the world may relegate it to.
I can go back to the center of the court and look at my identity with the correct spectacles. I have accomplished alot in this world. God is pleased that I am going on from challenge to challenge with His help.
Debauched and deplorable information is projected across the airwaves. How significant is this for my perusal? How important is it to my soul in the light of eternity?
Can I pivot from these issues to more significant information? Sometimes I can't. Sometimes it is part of my job description to peruse the gossip columns and the banter of unethical querries. What do I do? Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray before you open that email. Pray before you open your mouth, in response to an accusation. Pray before you listen to that accusation about another. Ask God to give you, as it were, a way to say, I refuse to accuse someone who hasn't been tried in a court of law. Pray for a spiritual "nom de plume" a preface which covers the entire subject, like "I speak as a fool..." Give your soul a break from all speech and talk for a while and keep yourself in clear communication with your prayer partners for accountability sake.
ie.
"In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking"
I own that my wordiness in work convicts me, Lord! I am guilty. Cleanse and heal me, Lord! Help me to redeem the words for your glory and not to project myself as judge or jury. But to learn to debase self and self-serving speaking and postings and exalt you and your highest principles, using words. There but for the grace of God... In Jesus' name. Amen
There but for the grace of God is a great place to start.
As I was pondering my own experiences of falling short...
I could never hope to stand as a judge against these people, but thinking people must discuss these things, if we hope to rise from our current state of affairs...etc.
Just as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah, were the children of Israel in their vile intentions and actions, in secret; which rose to a riot of violence in the streets toward strangers. How could this be? They had instructions of the expectations of God and Judges to guide and protect. What was the difference between them and the pagans? There was none.
Every man did that which was right in his own eyes
A telling statement from the Bible to mark our estimations of this degradations. These people are barbaric, an entire city, given to take complete advantage of wayfarers.
We expect this when we go into Ninevah or Sodom, but in Israel? Even with light of God's Word to guide, when we get away from holding people accountable to the Word of God, chaos ensues and the most debauched kind of chaos is the lot of those whose minds have been enlightened to God to any degree. Rebelling against the goodness of God is certainly of greater consequence than never having been instructed.
Use Your Word, we pray, dear Lord! Make us clean and not just on the outside. In Jesus' name. Use Your church and Your people to grow our culture out of the debauchery of our day. Amen!
Pastor reminded us of the many ways and multiple expressions of self-dependence and self-aggrandizement that are part and parcel of our American experience. Are we really Christians, when we are so exalting of self, in our efforts and in our faith and in our labors? We did it! we say. We will get it done! we promote. No post scripts, no "Lord willings" to temper our pride.
There is certainly something to be said of children who are taught to have holy reflexes at the name of Jesus. Bow the head. Bow the knee. Whatever can remind you that you are not your own is a good thing to learn.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart...be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, we seek Thy face;
Within the veil we bow the knee;
O let Thy glory fill the place,
And bless us while we wait on Thee.
We thank Thee for the precious blood
That purged our sins and brought us nigh,
All cleansed and sanctified to God,
Thy holy Name to magnify.
Shut in with Thee, far, far above
The restless world that wars below,
We seek to learn and prove Thy love,
Thy wisdom and Thy grace to know.
The brow that once with thorns was bound,
Thy hands, Thy side, we fain would see;
Draw near, Lord Jesus, glory-crowned,
And bless us while we wait on Thee.
Like the people of Judah, we
the people of the United States do not deserve even a modicum of God's mercy,
and so we do not deserve an honest, good, principled leader of our government.
At this point, it certainly does not look like we will get one this year. But
if God could bring Manasseh to repentance, He can bring to repentance any
American president; if God could destroy His own temple and bring down the
kingdom called by His Name, He can bring down in judgment the United States of
America; and if God could restore His people, showing mercy that they did not
deserve, and raise up from a descendant of this very Manasseh the Savior of the
world, then God can bring a sinful and rebellious nation today to repentance,
and use it for His good and wise purposes to bring about the final culmination
of His great plan.Father, in Your mercy, would
you would grant such repentance?
Build Your church, Dear
Lord.Draw people to Yourself in humble
supplication for Your intercession.Answer the prayers that we pray for the uplifting of our hearts and not
just our pocketbooks. Grant safety and peace, ethics and heart religion to the leaders of
our nation and give the young people something to reach for.Use Your Word to cleanse and heal and
transform.In wrath remember mercy! In Jesus' Name, Amen
As I stood beside my son and felt vicariously the pulling squeak of the rods from his tiny bones, I thanked God for the precision and great time that we live in to have his arm reset in such a way. My heart hurt with every squeak of the pull. There were 3 rods and they worked to hold the arm in place while the body pulled those bones back permanently.
When I see him do a push-up or hit a backhand, my heart leaps that healing can happen in such a way that is so internal and so unseen, by anyone but the mother.
I am praying for the cry of Egypt in Ezekiel. God show yourself as the greater love than a mother. Show that You do not forget Your own promises and oaths. Turn that oath to the salvation of souls from the top to the bottom. As You have healed my Ethy's Arm, show that broken arm cry for salvation and the love of Christ results in true reconciliation. Help us over the generations to have renounced the pride that made us crushed in the Red Sea. Meet us in the flood of Your salvation and redeem to the utmost.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
Ezekiel 31:11
I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
When I have raised my hands in victory, I give God the glory.
His is the glory.His is the victory.His is the honor because He alone is worthy.
When I have enjoyed the smell of sweet success,I give to God the glory.
Vain and putrid is the pride of man.Sinful and selfserving is all acceptance of accolades on earth.
I won’t be satisfied with earthly achievements until my soul is satisfied in Jesus.If you are not with me in my victories it is no victory.If you are not with me in my completions the action is not complete.
Lord, Your help alone is right thinking.I know that Your spirit is there, wherever I go.Let Your Spirit catch me and hold me, even when my heart is rising and exalting.Let Your Spirit catch me lest I fall into the pit, in my despair.
You are the fairest and most beautiful.You are the exalted and mighty king.Give grace to see the exaltation of Your attributes in the good times and the dark.I love You Lord for all Your graces and help.
Ezekiel 30:19
Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 30:20
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 30:21
Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.
Ezekiel 30:22
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.
Ezekiel 30:23
And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
Ezekiel 30:24
And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.
Thank You Lord for the fruition of your commitment to turn our mourning into dancing. As we learn to love you and to put away our idolatry and live for the glory of God, it is wonderful to see you making these judgments of the Old Testaments an expression of your loving deliverance of our cultures from the sins and curses of our past idolatries. As we throw the vestiges off, you use our cries of brokenness to cries of worship and praise. You inhabit our praises to Your name and give us a glimpse of Your glory and wonder on the earth. Thank you, Lord for your commitment to give us joy in our sorrows and hope in the midst of our sorrowful spirits. We trust You to continue building Your church for Your glory and using it to fight the warfare of the spirit in our generation and sharpening the tools of our warfare for the next generation. Halleluia that you are doing new things in each season. Morning by morning, new mercies I see! Thank you for those mercies! Thank you for the opening of our eyes to the importance of praise and worship in the spiritual and emotional battles of faith. O for faith to trust You more... amen. Psalm 61
This is the degrading of Bryan in the media of 1900, as he is seen as a clown who tries to glue church and state to eachother.{a new phenomenon? No}
