A brand new year begins. I have no idea what this year will bring, but I know that it will be attended by the goodness of God, just as this past year has been, though there was much difficulty, pain and sorrow. I died daily only to come to the Resurrected life over and over again — a journey of unveiling discovery of the fulness of the life of Christ, of entering more completely into the promise of God. There has been a widening view of heaven. There was no new life without old death; there was no fruit without dying; nor did death abide or reign. I look forward to what my God will do in the coming days. I do not expect them to be trouble free, nor do I anticipate traveling forward as a waif or an orphan. I am His dear child and His eye is always on me. He knows that way that I take, and I trust His love and wisdom at work in me. Somehow, at this point, everything seems more settled, more establised: though there yet be grief, fear is not king; Love is. Onward Christian, bolder. There is a Good to which we go that is so much higher than the evils of this life. Have faith in God.

I Will Heal All Your Wrong Ways

I was thinking over the need and quest to abandon everything for God. I was reminded of a song by a music group called Lamb. The song is entitled “Comfort Ye My People”, and it has a line in it in which the Lord is saying (totally in harmony with the scriptures — Hosea 14), “I will heal all your wrong ways, and I will love you so freely”. The Lord is doing a faithful work in us and will complete it. I just want to share a word which I hope will be an encouragement to other hearts. I have called upon the Lord for years, yet I have not always had a heart fixed only and entirely upon Him, even though my prayer has always been in that direction; and I certainly cannot say that I have yet arrived at a perfectly abandoned heart, only that through the years my heart has become more and more fixed on Him and on what He wants, being more mindful of His desires and will than all else. There is no other place for me to go anymore. I am stripped down to nothing; and I cling to no other thing. I continue to have my struggles against the un-welcomed intrusions from within and without, but my heart is fixed (the Lord will reveal any areas which I have not really yet mindful of Him, but it is joy to me to find myself in the place that I am in; and I cheer for the work that the Savior will yet do. He is the author and finisher of our faith, and He will do it! We used to say, I am not yet what I should be, but thanks be to God, I’m not what I used to be. I am saying now that I am closer to being what I should be, and what I used to be is falling aside and dropping off like dead skin. This is certainly not a boast in myself anymore than I can boast in my salvation or the righteousness given to me, but it is a boast in the work of the Lord which He has done in me. I rejoice in it as though I had no part in it, because when it comes to any accomplishment, I indeed had no part in it: I am only a happy recipient of the work which He has done. Again, I am saying this, not as any kind of boast (and my words are no doubt imperfect), but please hear the heart of what I am saying: we struggle and battle so much and we sometimes might feel that there is no light at the end of tunnel: I just want to testify, to bear witness to the Lord for His faithful word and work in us: He is doing it. Strengthen those feeble knees and rejoice in His promise. However grim and long the battle, He is faithful to do as He said He would do. He will perfect that which concerns us. It is His work, we just have to say “Yes” to Him.

yep, yeppers!

I was thinking over the need and quest to abandon everything for God. I was reminded of a song by a music group called Lamb. The song is entitled “Comfort Ye My People”, and it has a line in it in which the Lord is saying (totally in harmony with the scriptures — Hosea 14), “I will heal all your wrong ways, and I will love you so freely”. The Lord is doing a faithful work in us and will complete it. I just want to share a word which I hope will be an encouragement to other hearts. I have called upon the Lord for years, yet I have not always had a heart fixed only and entirely upon Him, even though my prayer has always been in that direction; and I certainly cannot say that I have yet arrived at a perfectly abandoned heart, only that through the years my heart has become more and more fixed on Him and on what He wants, being more mindful of His desires and will than all else. There is no other place for me to go anymore. I am stripped down to nothing; and I cling to no other thing. I continue to have my struggles against the un-welcomed intrusions from within and without, but my heart is fixed (the Lord will reveal any areas which I have not really yet mindful of Him, but it is joy to me to find myself in the place that I am in; and I cheer for the work that the Savior will yet do. He is the author and finisher of our faith, and He will do it! We used to say, I am not yet what I should be, but thanks be to God, I’m not what I used to be. I am saying now that I am closer to being what I should be, and what I used to be is falling aside and dropping off like dead skin. This is certainly not a boast in myself anymore than I can boast in my salvation or the righteousness given to me, but it is a boast in the work of the Lord which He has done in me. I rejoice in it as though I had no part in it, because when it comes to any accomplishment, I indeed had no part in it: I am only a happy recipient of the work which He has done. Again, I am saying this, not as any kind of boast (and my words are no doubt imperfect), but please hear the heart of what I am saying: we struggle and battle so much and we sometimes might feel that there is no light at the end of tunnel: I just want to testify, to bear witness to the Lord for His faithful word and work in us: He is doing it. Strengthen those feeble knees and rejoice in His promise. However grim and long the battle, He is faithful to do as He said He would do. He will perfect that which concerns us. It is His work, we just have to say “Yes” to Him.

Elijah has fled from the wrath of Jezebel. I am very encouraged by what is happening here with him, though he is in deep distress. First of all, I am encouraged by the fact that such a situation has occurred in his life. I have often had the sense that I was expected, as a servant of God, to never have a down moment in my life, but I find that the prophets came to places of very deep perplexity and grief – as did also Jesus. Job too worshiped, but I do not think that he was full of mirth in his suffering. So I feel like I’m in good company when the bottom falls out of everything in my life; and I can go on through the fog without the added weight of condemnation for not smiling every step of the way. I have found too, that the Lord will not leave us comfortless in such times, but will encourage us in them; but that He might not do it the same way all the time. Sometimes, a person can encourage himself in the Lord, as David did, by taking knowledge of the God’s faithfulness and the hope there is in the Lord. Other times, in distress, a friend will come alongside to hold us up (I have had dear friends hold me up when I was at some of the lowest points in my life – when I could not lift my head and felt that there was nothing else to live for). Both these ways of encouraging are of the Lord. But there is a another way, which is seen here in the life of the prophet. Elijah is hiding in a cave for fear and is distraught; but it is the Lord Himself who comes alongside and encourages Elijah (1 Kings 19). Elijah felt that it was all over, he was at his end, but the Lord not only stirred Elijah up but He had more for the prophet to do. We might feel, in time of deepest distress, that our life is through, or that there is no more for us to do, not direction we can take – Elijah was very downcast, but the Lord still had significant things for His servant to do. I can’t help but think that our distresses are a part of the preparation for what lies ahead. There is nothing which comes into our live that God doesn’t use for good in us. He is ever faithful, even through the deepest sorrows and the darkest skies.

Do not fear the aging of your body — the dimming of eyesight, the stiffening of bones, the loss of various capacities, the failing of physical strength and fading of outward beauty. These are mere inconviences. What one really should be careful of is arriving at the country of old with a hard heart. That would be true misery. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Aquaint yourself with your Maker while you are young. The dying of the body is only to make way for a better resurrection.

 2 Samuel 11

I must say that I have not anticipated studying this chapter with joy; for David has been such a great man in the sight and service of the Lord, and here he falters – it is the one thing that David did that God said He was displeased with. Yet this  study does stand as somewhat of an encouragement, as well as warning, in that it shows that even the greatest of men can fall. There is none that sins not. I don’t speak in terms of relaxing our standard, nor of excusing sin, but only to promote understanding and compassion: godly life is not easy. The battle rages, varying sometimes in intensity, but always ongoing. Note how often we have been encouraged by the life of Peter, whose impulsiveness and short comings has been as a grace to the rest of us who are also flawed. A good godly example often seems so difficult to come by – so many in the scriptures failed; so many around us have fallen – even some of God’s best men. The pendulum swings from one end to the other. Saul’s life made me sad and afraid (afraid that I might follow his course); but Samuel’s life encouraged me greatly (though he himself was not perfect); and now David, a man that I have come to hold in great esteem, is about to seriously falter. I certainly have no place to look down on any other soul – my own life is not exactly a poster child for perfection, or anything near it. In the end the grace of God is all that we have (and that is quite and fully sufficient) – that is what we must look to – we have all sinned, we all need grace, and should extend that grace to others. Wounded soldiers should not be destroyed by their own comrades, but picked up and restored. I think it is important to set such forth for the sake of those who are stumbled by the behavior of godly men. Some people become disillusioned when they see those professing godliness, fall (others take it as an excuse to not follow God); for those who are sincerely hurt by the sins of those who have gone before them, I can only seek to promote the understanding of our common human frailty and weakness. Those who stumble others will be held accountable before God, but those who have been offended need healing, and I think that part of that healing is to know that, and to take into account in ourselves, that there but for the grace of God, go I. If we think that we are above others, that we could never do such and such, be careful: remember Peter, who said, I will never deny you – but he did. The one who falters needs to be forgiven and restored, and done so in a spirit of meekness and love. We must not take the “high” road of self-righteousness, but rather the lowly path of humility and grace and godly knowledge – and most of all, love. The blood of Christ is sufficient to cleanse the sins of others – as well as our own.

There is no point, need, good, or sense in our constructing or putting forth an image of ourselves whereby we might impress others. It is altogether vain — it is emptiness. “All” glory belongs to God alone; and in the end, every heart perfected in His love, will declare it.