Christ is All

"O LOVER TO THE UTTERMOST,

May I read the meltings of thy heart to me
in the manger of thy birth
in the garden of thy agony,
in the cross of thy suffering,
in the tomb of thy resurrection,
in the heaven of thy intercession.

Bold in this thought I defy my adversary,
tread down his temptations,
resist his schemings,
renounce the world,
am valiant for truth.

Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship to thee,
as spiritual Bridegroom,
as Jehovah's Fellow,
as sinners Friend.

I think of thy glory and my vileness,
thy majesty and my meanness,
thy beauty and my deformity,
thy purity and my filth,
thy righteousness and my iniquity.

Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,
may I love thee as I am loved;
Thou hast given thyself for me,
may I give myself to thee;
Thou hast died for me,
may I live to thee,
in every moment of my time,
in every pulse of my heart.

May I never dally with the world and its allurements,
but walk by thy side,
listen to thy voice,
be clothed with thy graces,
and adorned with thy righteousness."

(A Puritan Prayer from "Valley of Vision")

"A Spiritual Body"

What will it be like?

"But some will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?"
(1Cor.15:35)

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1Cor.15:42-44)

The earth is a garden sown with the seeds of God's people. One day those "seeds" will spring forth in glory and beauty as a perfected, sinless, spiritual host of the Lord.

What a day that will be when we are made like Him! What a day when we put off this vile body and are given a body like unto His glorious body!

This day is drawing closer every second that ticks by!

"The Things Concerning Himself"

"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." (Luke 24:44)

The scripture truly is a "Him" book and I noticed again a Psalm that was fulfilled in the life of Christ as He ministered with His disciples.

In Psa. 107:29-30 it says, "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven."

Then in John 6:15-21 there is the record of the disciples being caught up in a storm on the sea of Galilee and Jesus walking out to them, then in verse 21 it says, "Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went."

What an amazing unfolding of what was pictured by the psalm writer!

Certainly, the volume of the book is about Him!

"A Lively Hope"

Yesterday in our Sunday night Bible study we began looking at The First Epistle of Peter. We read and discussed some of the rich themes in verses 1-5. Peter opens this letter with these words:

"PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the stangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace be multiplied.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

What must these opening words have meant to the recipients of this letter? When I consider that they were Jewish Christians who were scattered among pagan Gentiles and also experiencing rejection from their own families I know these truths had to be a tremendous encouragement.

How wonderful to be reminded, as you endure rejection and persecution, that you are Elect, foreknown of God, sanctified, spinkled with the blood of Christ. That unto you grace and peace is multiplied. That you have been begotten again and therefore are the possessors of a living hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To know that you have an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled waiting for you in heaven and that you are being kept by the power of God till the day when your salvation is complete!

Is there any doubt that these opening lines reinvigorated these persecuted believers?

"Valley of Vision"

I was blessed this morning by a reading taken from the book of Puritan prayers and devotions called "The Valley of Vision"


LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee
in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold
thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from
deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter
thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.

"Uncertain Riches"

Our nation is currently consumed with the talk of economic stimulus packages, layoffs,and foreclosures. Our things and standards of living are in danger.
It seems that the gods of this world are stumbling once again. As a nation we have looked to this world system for our security and sustenance. We have forsaken the true and living God who owns all things and have worshipped the creature instead of the creator. We neglect to give God thanks for the abundance that we do enjoy and instead continually clamor for more, bigger and better. We are drunk with the wine of self-indulgence and excess and we cry out unashamedly "God Bless America"!
Can God be mocked? Will we not reap what we sow? It is evident what we treasure as a nation. We treasure the corruptible things of this temporal life. If we sow to the flesh will we not reap corruption?

What is the remedy for such a skewed worldview? Where would God have us look and where would He focus our attention?

There is an answer in 1Tim.6:17-19, here it says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distibute, willing to communicate;
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

Is this not our greatest need today? To seek God's ways, to be "rich in good works", to seek those things that have a bearing on eternal life. The emphasis must be on those things that are certain rather than uncertain. We, as a nation, have become so entrenched in the present and the perishing that we have lost sight of what really matters. We have forgotten the question posed by Jesus, "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Growing in Grace

"How are the graces of patience, resignation, meekness, and faith, to be discovered and increased, but by exercise? The Lord has chosen, called, and armed us for the fight; and shall we wish to be excused?
It is true that you feel contrary principles, that you are conscious of defects and defilements; but it is equally true that you could not be right if you did not feel these things. To be conscious of them, and humbled for them, is one of the surest marks of grace; and to be more deeply sensible of them than formerly, is the best evidence of growth in grace. But when the enemy would tempt us to doubt and distrust, because we are not perfect, then he fights, not only against our peace, but against the honour and faithfulness of our dear Lord. Our righteousness is in Him, and our hope depends, not upon the exercise of grace in us, but upon the fulness of grace and love in Him, and upon His obedience unto death."

(JOHN NEWTON)

"And God said...."

Some meditations on the power of God's word:

"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Mat.4:4)

In His words there is life:

"It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." (John 6:63)

The word of God that brought all things into existence originally and sustains it, creates anew:

"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (James 1:18)

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." (1Pet.1:23)

This word is Jesus:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1:1-4)

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
(1John 1:1-2)

And this same Jesus makes His abode with His newly created people. A people once dead but now alive forevermore!

"Sins of Ignorance"

I have been mulling over the matter of sin. In particular the difference between "sins of ignorance" and "willfull sins". I would appreciate your input on this study of mine as I seek to come to a clearer understanding of the scriptural teaching on this vital subject.
I have been considering various verses and I have listed them below rather than writing them all out in this post, they are:

Lev.4:2,13,22,27/5:15,18
Num.15:24-29
Deut.19:4
Acts 3:17/17:23,30
Rom. 10:3
Eph.4:18
1Tim.1:13
Heb.5:2
1Pet.1:14
2Pet.3:5

My questioning really revolves around the fact (correct me if I am wrong) that there are no sacrifices for "willful sin" in the Old Testament. There are only provisions made for "sins of ignorance". Therefore, how would this apply in the New Testament era? Can "ignorance" be claimed now as it was then? What is the definition of "willful sin"?

Also, I am considering these passages in light of the previous verses, Luke 23:34/1Cor.2:8/Heb.10:26

Any thoughts or observations?