Do you have to be cajoled to read God's Word and to go to church? A couple of days ago, a friend posted a link which outlined several good reasons of why a person should go to church. My immediate reaction upon just reading that title was, "Why?!" Why does a person need to be apprised of these reasons for attending? Shouldn't it come naturally from a heart overflowing with gratitude for the Lord Jesus especially after all He's done for us?!
Don't people have that commitment and energy, that zeal, in their souls that propels them to read God's Word and to not be able to stay away from the place where God's people meet together to praise, worship and adore Him?
A worship leader was commenting that even when he chose songs/hymns from among the "lovely old pieces" of traditional 1700's and 1800's hymns, the congregation, made up mostly of those who were more used to those types of hymns, barely even sang them. The spiritual lethargy is very saddening to witness.
Where's the zeal? It makes one grieve for the state of things in some places. Can we recapture the zeal of the Psalmist as seen in Psalm 69:9 (ESV)?
"For zeal for your house has consumed me..."
As we read God's Word, let it seep into our souls and spirits and do it's good work. It's like water to a plant. The water goes down to the roots which helps the plant survive, grow and be pro-active to produce. Let God's Word awaken our hearts; revive the zeal for our Heavenly Father making us thirst for Him, to know Him. Let the Word galvanize us, igniting a consuming flame of zeal in our hearts, souls and minds with love, gratitude, service and worship; so much so, that we can't keep it to ourselves and therefore, yearn to be with God's people to share and give Him praise, with exuberant expression.
May we each come into His house with thanksgiving and praise so that we,
"...make a joyful noise to the LORD of all the earth" (Psalm 100)!
Father, God, Your Words are "pure...like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times" (Psalm 12:6 ESV). Thank-you for giving them to us so there will not be silence from heaven but we can dip and dig into them as often as we like. Any silence would be our own fault. Lord your desire is always towards us and we thank and praise You for that. Thank-you for Your Holy Spirit Who helps our human frailty. Father, we want more of You. We yearn for You. I'm going to borrow a few words from a song that the singer Don Moen sings, may we each have that zeal all our days and praise You "with all that is in our hearts because your Word is true" May that zeal for You and Your Word consume us and let us "shout to the Lord with a loud voice," together with other brothers and sisters in Christ who have mutual longing to be in attendance at church because of You, oh Father. After-all, we will meet YOU there too! In Jesus Name we ask,
Amen.
~ERC November 2019~
I Will Sing, Don Moen
Here We Are, also by Don Moen
You know the lovely old piece of traditional hymnery, the I Stand Amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and the part of the lyrics that says, "He took my sins and my sorrows"; well, that is the part that "spoke" to me this morning as we sang the words. Those of us who have lost loved ones recently will be able to relate. We sorrow, not as others sorrow, when our departed loved ones have known the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We know they have gone to be "with Christ". However, those whom we fear have never accepted Him, our sorrow is deeper with the added element of hopelessness, as we know they will suffer, excruciatingly, for all eternity to come.
How can one bear that kind of sorrow?!
It is beyond words and thoughts to figure it out.
There is some comfort in knowing that Jesus has taken those sorrows. He is at my side, holding them with me as I work through the thoughts. We will never likely be free of such thoughts though, until Jesus calls us up to be with Him; they will always be a part of us.
Yes, yes, some well meaning folks will tell us that you never know, that perhaps your loved one did accept but just never expressed it. Of course, I know that!! But there is the BIG QUESTION MARK always hovering! Yes, we have to let our Heavenly Father be the Judge that He is. Nevertheless, our humanness, will go through the mental torment. I don't cotton on to false senses of security.
I will grieve and I will mourn the double loss.
It is because I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of my life, I also accept, in theory, what is, is. I am thankful, that He not only died for my sins, but He also took my sorrows.
That is what I focused on this Lord's Day morning as the bread and wine were passed from one sister and brother, to the next.
May these words also be some sort of comfort in the inner being for someone else.
In the end, like Job, we have to be speechless in Almighty God's presence. He knows what He is doing and He is much BIGGER than us. (Read the book of Job in the Bible.)
How marvelous! How wonderful!
~ERC November 2019~
In tears of sorrow and gratitude sing along with the group, The Savior's Love performed by hymncharts
"Read your Bible, pray every day; and you'll grow, grow, grow..." So goes a familiar Sunday School song. I'd like to add, read and obey and pray. All that reading would give theory and a head full but putting what one reads into action will show the true "knowledge".
According to John 17:8, 11, 17 (ESV), the words of God can help make us "one with Jesus". They assist us to be "yoked" with Him.
The word "yoke" always conjures up for me the image of two perfectly yoked oxen, working together in harmonious tandem allowing the farmer's work to be done as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
There's a lady, whom my siblings and I knew from our younger days, who's husband is very much into oxen pull's competitions. She is also very enthusiastic about them. These matches of strength ascertain whose yoke of oxen can pull the heaviest load and for what distance? Amazing what those beasts of burden can accomplish whether for work or for 'sport'.
The oxen don't emerge with such teamwork overnight though. They had to be patiently trained into their "oneness". Oneness with each other and their yoke of oxen trainer who was more than likely their owner.
All sorts of hiccups could crop up in the process. One of the oxen may be temperamental with a mind of its own; not feeling well; injured; or perhaps one is stronger or bigger or a quicker learner than the other.
The master trainer would need to figure out how to overcome these challenges and discover how best to take advantage of the individual ox's, ahem, strengths. All this to the best possible outcome of teamwork working as one, in sync.
You can probably catch the analogy here. With God's Words working within us, and His indwelling Holy Spirit enabling us to obey, we become more in tune with Christ; with His will and ways.
I like what Jesus asked His Father, in His prayer as recorded in John 17:11 (ESV)...
"...that they may be one, even as we are one..."
God's Word yokes us to Christ. Verse 8 of John 17 (ESV) shows what else Jesus talked about with His Father,
"...I have given them the Words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know the truth..."
Given...received...know.
As we read God's Word, receive and know His Word for yourself. In verse 17, again from John 17 (ESV), we discover what else Jesus asked from His Father,
"Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth."
Read. Obey. Pray. Be sanctified.
These actions will train and mold us to our Heavenly Father's will and yoke us to Jesus Christ to our best possible outcome. Just think, Jesus lets us be yoked together with Him!
He is the stronger and bigger Person on this "team" yet He compensates for our humanness and picks up the slack empowering us to move forward with the tasks and burdens of life. A true Yokefellow!
Jesus invites us to the alliance,
"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 in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV).
Accept this invitation to be yoked in oneness with Christ.
Pull in unison...
~ERC November 2019~
I often think of God's amazing grace. It has been changing "wretches such as me" since God began"Time". John Newton, the 'wretch' (his words) who wrote the now very well-known song, "Amazing Grace," was one such who was notably changed.
Incidentally, I just heard the song hummed by a family member of another patient in the palliative care ward, yesterday. What a comfort.
No doubt many of you know the story behind those lyrics. Newton had been the captain of a slave ship plying the waters between England and America carrying his "cargo" to new masters awaiting at voyage end.
You can imagine the ill-treatment perpetrated upon those poor souls, chained below decks, as if they were some sort of ferocious, jungle beasts or notorious criminals. Perhaps Newton even had a "hands-on" input in directly heaping extra misery upon their heads.
To make a long story short, he was converted during a storm at sea which had nearly shipwrecked all aboard. He had a gradual transformation (progressive sanctification) and eventually became an Anglican minister who eventually renounced his "slaving" days in general, and the practice of enslaving folks, in particular.
He influenced the renown Wilbur Wilberforce, a member of British parliament, who was the driving force behind the abolishment of slavery in Britain. All this, by God's grace being instrumental in the life of John Newton.
Thus, somewhere along the line, Newton, grateful and amazed by God's grace in his life, penned the now very familiar song, "Amazing Grace".
God is in the business of changing lives. He changed a wild man such as Newton to be his instrument of grace. God still changes and transforms lives.
There's a list that the apostle Paul enumerated in one of his letters, telling the recipients they were once such wretches who were once engaged in such as:
"...sexually immoral...idolaters, adulterers...men who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards...swindlers..." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV).
Praise God, they were then,
"...washed...sanctified...justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV).
Transformation by the amazing grace of God! We can experience such change too. A teenage student and her sister were recently commended to their father at a parents' - teachers' day, with the comment, "You have good girls". The elder teen grinned and said, "When we came to this school we were quite the opposite." The grace of God had been at work in their lives. What an Almighty God to serve, worship and honor!
As we remember Jesus each Lord's Day morning, think on His grace and how it has been at work in your life as the bread and wine are passed from one sister and brother to the next. It is because of His sacrifice for you. Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Grace does have an amazingly sweet sound.
~ERC November 2019~
Here's a very interesting story about Amazing Grace as told and sung by Wintley Phipps, at a Bill and Gloria Gaither gathering.
Would you care to allow someone to read a scrolling print-out of all your innermost thoughts? Once again, we turn to the Psalms and King David. He always spoke with the LORD with shameless audacity which the uninitiated may believe to be akin to arrogance. Yet, as you read many of David's Psalms, you'll get a feel for his sincerity and his overwhelming confidence in the LORD, enough for Him to undisguisedly see such a list of David's misdemeanors.
The first three verses of Psalm 26 (ESV) give just such a snapshot...
"Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness."
David declares he's "walked in integrity" and in God's faithfulness, trusting the LORD "without wavering". He dares to write that knowing full well that the subjects in his kingdom knew he had made a mammoth mistake!
Actually, much more than a mistake....it was in direct opposition to the Ten Commandments. He did covet his neighbor's wife and committed adultery with her, and he had someone "murdered" (the neighbor's wife's husband, in fact)! (2 Samuel 11 & 12).
He did repent and God forgave him yet he had to bear the consequences for those terrible offenses.
Now he asks the LORD to vindicate him. Maybe there were accusers trying to bring him down; to "impeach" him. He requests God to "prove...try...test..." his heart and mind. What a tally some of us would have! David was game for God to probe him.
David bathed securely in the knowledge that God loved him. "Steadfast love" was the description he gave. Love that held, no matter what he did or did not do. David counted on God's love. He said it was "before his eyes".
This is something good for us to focus on too. God's love. God's care. God's understanding of His human beings. David was secure in this love: it made him "at home" with his LORD, and be willing to let, indeed, invite, Him to test what was in his heart and mind.
All was right with David's world as he communed with his LORD and blessed Him (verse 12).
Let the LORD train His "microscope" on you. Let Him "'Xamine" your heart and mind, and bring forth your repentance, confession, integrity and grow an open and honest relationship with Him. (He knows it all anyway.) Be sensitive to His Holy Spirits's guidance in your life.
A person would pretty well have to be an open book and that could leave one vulnerable to false accusers. In God we can trust to have our back, to be gracious and merciful. David understood this and opened himself wide to Him. He was in good hands
For instance, think of the time David took punishment from God for doing a census of the people (1 Chronicles 21; 2 Samuel 24). He didn't want the judgment and sentencing to come from the hands of men. He knew men's hearts . God far outclassed man. In God he could trust without wavering.
God will treat His other children the same; with graciousness, faithfulness and with a heart full of love for us...for the individual. Bless His holy Name.
~ERC November 2019~
Glen Payne and George Younce sing, Cleanse Me under the Gaither's
"Did you hear about the semi-colon that broke the law?"
He was given two consecutive sentences.
The Law's the law and if you break it you have to bear the consequences. Therefore, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime"! That is fair warning.
Even in sports like badminton, basketball or floorball, there are rules and regulations governing play. There must be order in the 'court'. You go outside those boundaries, there are penalties.
The rules and regulations are in place to keep the game from chaos and injustice in the heat of the game. They warn and instruct the team players of what they can and can't do.
The Psalmist makes similar mention of God's laws, statutes, decrees, precepts and commands. If you read Psalm 19 you'll see all about those. In particular is the key verse of the day, verse 11 (ESV);
"Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them is great reward."
God's Word is there for us, NOT as a stern authoritarian taskmaster, but more like a Referee to guide us and to keep us from making a mess of our life and from dishonoring our "Captain," Jesus. He loves us and wants the best outcome for us; He wishes for us to "win".
To be warned is to be forewarned. Read and heed God's Word. Let the Holy Spirit help teach you. Be observant of His "legislation" for you and bring glory to God by your obedience; keeping within the boundaries of His will and ways.
All this by God's gift of grace coursing through our "new life in Christ" veins.
~ERC November 2019~
We were talking about World War 1 and World War 2; all the horribleness of them and that of subsequent wars. In them, hundreds of thousands lost their lives: soldiers and civilians alike. Hundreds of millions, too, of Holocaust Jews.
We learned that one of the bloodiest battles of WWI was on Flanders' Fields. Blood of wounded and killed soldiers; disturbance of ground; lime from shots fired all littered and soaked into the soil. Poppy seeds, long dormant in the ground, awakened by it all, germinated and grew and were resplendent in the field.
Canadian physician, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, viewed the sight of a poppy filled field where his friend had given his life on behalf of freedom and peace. He was inspired to write the poignant poem in 1915, In Flanders' Fields,
"In Flanders' Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead, short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders' fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe; To you from failing hands we throw The torch, be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders' fields."
Eventually, the spark of those words took hold and folks have taken up the "torch" in the form of a poppy, wearing them in lapels the world over, symbolizing those soldiers who died and veterans who served. We are grateful for their courageous service and sacrifice. Madmen, tyrants, HAD to be stopped.
Thus, Remembrance Day, or in some places, Veteran's or Armistice Day, dawned. At least one day a year; the 11th day of the 11th month of the year; a day to stop and consider those husbands, fathers, sons, and dedicated women; perhaps at 11 AM on that day. Some of those who survived, suffer still, from aftermath which in older days was termed, "shell shocked".
It's actually difficult to get a 'real' life feel of the whole picture of the many who served and of what they endured, whether in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, or elsewhere. Thank God if you didn't have to experience it first hand!
Yet we can imagine it some by viewing footage or reenactments. Recently, I watched the USS Indianapolis (granted it was a movie likely with added 'salt' and 'pepper') which had been commissioned to a secretly, enshrouded mystery mission now known to have transported some of the atomic bomb parts destined for Hiroshima, from California to Tiniah, one of the Mariana Islands in the Pacific.
Due to the "stealth" mode, this ship did not travel with an escort or convoy. It was 'do or die' either way. They did accomplish this task, however, and even avoided the Japanese kaiten suicide craft attempt to ream into and destroy the heavy cruiser.
It's onward journey, again ordered to maintain radio silence, was to make its way to the Philippines. What a travesty that ended in!
This time, the lurking Japanese subs launched their torpedoes and found their mark, destroying the USS Indianapolis beyond salvage. There was no time to lose...
"Abandon ship!" commanded Captain Charles McVay. Later, he unjustly got a bad rap for that, being accused of not saying it in a timely manner. He, himself had gotten blown overboard by an explosion.
Men were eaten alive and/or had large chunks taken out of them by sharks, and succumbed to blood loss and fear and despair. By the time the blokes at the Philippine headquarters realized there was an SOS, only about 300 of the 860 sailors that were thrown by explosions or had jumped overboard, were plucked out of the sea, traumatized beyond the beyond. Survivors talk about it.
This was tragic, to say the least, but gives a fragment of an idea of what soldiers went/go through over and above the actual bloodbath of combat. Stories of trench conditions, disease, homesickness; the list could, no doubt, go on. Just reading about it makes one very uncomfortable and unsettled.
The army, navy and air force of many allied countries gave their lives for many. We do well to pause and remember and be thankful. One of the ways of expressing our gratitude is to wear a poppy on our lapel and recall the military personnel who gave their service and their lives for others. Thank a veteran you know.
This puts me in mind, of course, of Jesus' sacrifice for all mankind. Each Lord's Day is a time of remembrance of His death and resurrection which He did for us, earning atonement for our souls. Satan, the merciless, evil tyrant enemy of God, and by association, the followers of Jesus Christ, had thought he'd gotten the upper hand on God and His creation by perpetrating The Fall of the first Adam, and ever after of the human race.
God rescued us from Satan and the seeming perishing end in Hell, for all eternity to come. The bread and wine we believers partake of remind us of that deliverance; Jesus Christ and His shed blood.
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He come" (1 Corinthians 11:26 NKJV).
Another excellent way of showing our appreciation to God is to live a holy life, following Jesus's perfect example and remembering that when we make our mistakes that He will be,
"...faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
when we confess them to Him.
As you can read in Lord's Day Devotion - Wave After Wave, Jesus suffered greatly for us; for our freedom from eternal punishment and to give us peace within our hearts and a future in His Heaven, forever. Read this bit,
Jesus suffered severely on our behalf; "all the waves and billows had gone over Him" (Psalm 42:7 KJV). Think of how He was treated during His earthly walk: scoffed at; NOT believed in despite all the prophesies pointing to Him and being fulfilled by Him; despite the many miracles and His compassion and kindness to the crowds in general and the individuals in particular, and so on.
Betrayal. Arrest. Insults mounted against insult. False accusations. Beatings. Mockery. The final coup d'etat, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God's Son. God's Son! All this at the hands of mankind to whom He had come to save.
Let us never forget what others have done for us, those who've gone to war for us, and of the everlasting consequence of what Jesus has done for us.
Give thanks with a grateful heart and...
remember.
~ERC November 2019~
Here's something that has happened for homeless veteran's in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Tiny Home Village.
Have you ever witnessed, in real life or viewed a movie, where there's a violent storm out at sea? The ships are assailed and tossed wildly about with waves smashing into them and onto them. Wave after wave relentlessly crashing and crashing. If anyone must venture out on deck, he must cling for dear life not to be treacherously flung overboard to a most likely untimely fatal fate. The sailors brace themselves, doing their utmost to keep their boat afloat and themselves on board; some cursing, some praying, or a little bit of both, for calmer seas.
Life can be much like this. No sooner is one trial or temptation seemingly overcome, then another arises in its place. Some of these are great and furious 'waves' which roil over us; tsunamis which take the wind right out of our sails. Wave after gigantic wave of trial and tribulation smashing and clutching at us.
"Oh Lord, why me!?" Or "Not again!" we cry out to God. "Where are You? My God of compassion? Don't You care?" we may implore.
The Psalmist pleads,
"O my God, my soul despairs within me...deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls, all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me..." (Psalm 42:6 & 7 Berean Study Bible).
Cry out in our desperation, to Him.
We don't always know the why's and wherefore's of our trials and difficulties of life but we need to hang on and cling to Jesus as those 'waves' pound over us, hanging tight in faith, that He is doing some good work in our life; even if just to sure up or expand our faith. Will we trust Him in the bad times as well as the good? This may sound cliche, but I have personally found that He will find a way to commune with us.
Jesus suffered severely on our behalf; "all the waves and billows had gone over Him" (Psalm 42:7 KJV). Think of how He was treated during His earthly walk: scoffed at; NOT believed in despite all the prophesies pointing to Him and being fulfilled by Him; despite the many miracles and His compassion and kindness to the crowds in general and the individuals in particular, and so on.
Betrayal. Arrest. Insults mounted against insult. False accusations. Beatings. Mockery. The final coup d'etat, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God's Son. God's Son! All this at the hands of mankind to whom He came to save.
In addition to the the physical punishment at the hands of men, God placed all the condemnation and punishment for sins upon Jesus, that actually belonged to each and every one of us who believe. That was pure agony for Him as our sin separated Him from His Father, God. This was God's Way of atonement for our sin; the incessant waves and billows upon Jesus, for our sake.
This is what we commemorate each Lord's Day. Atonement and forgiveness of sins. No more condemnation. No longer guilty in God's eyes. Followers of Jesus, thank Him every time you partake of the bread and wine, pause and consider as you pass them along to one another.
Like God's promise to Noah and the generations who came afterwards,
"For this is like the days of Noah to me, as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you..." (Isaiah 54:9-10 ESV).
No more condemnation. How sweet the sound.
Keeping this in mind, realize that wave after wave of full-force trouble may come, not as punishment, but with a mind set free from the guilt of our previously lost condition, our heart, soul, strength and mind can fix steadfastly upon Christ and His Word. 'Grip him' resolutely so we can triumphantly withstand the gale force winds and waves our lives repeatedly encounter.
~ERC November 2019~
A traditional hymn When Upon Life's Billows
Shout to the Lord; Hillsong sung by Darlene Zschech
It's really difficult to know what is true and what is false at times. It is hoped that people such as judges and lawyers, will truly want to know the truth about a defendant. What is the evidence for or against him or her? Can it be verified? A person of integrity will search and excavate for that truth.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the prophets prophesied many things, many of which came to pass. This can especially apply to the prophesies about Jesus. Jesus fulfilled so many of them. (In this website link they reveal about forty of them.)
Other prophesies such as Pharoah's dreams about the skinny cows eating up the fat cows (Genesis 41), were interpreted by Joseph, with God's help. Sure enough, seven years of severe famine followed on the heels of seven years of abundant harvest.
Jeremiah prophesied that the children of Israel would be taken into captivity to Babylon and beyond (Jeremiah 29:10). Despite the no repentance-"business as usual"-attitude of the people, what was prophesied, did happen. They were trussed up for seventy years. (Ezra and Nehemiah, two other prophets, with books of the Bible named after them, report of happenings once they were released at the conclusion of those seventy years, to return to their homeland.
It's been said that to be able to identify whether a prophet is a true prophet or not, you must wait and see if what they prophesied comes true (Deuteronomy 18:22). If it does, then that man or woman must be telling the truth. The experience verified the proclamation.
Peter has a go on this subject. He writes the following in 2 Peter 1:12-21 (NIV),
"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have...For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him fro the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Peter announces that he, along with others, were "eyewitnesses'" (vs 16) of Jesus; all He'd done and the hearing of God's voice. He was explaining that what prophets of ancient yore spoke about, came to pass. He saw it. He experienced it. The experience verified the words but the words also lent truth to the experience.
Peter and cohorts had known the words. The words "played out" before their very own eyes. There was even more credence because the words that men (the prophets) had uttered, came straight from God to begin with!
Do we believe this? This is not talking about "seeing is believing" to override faith. However, God, being His ever gracious Self, gives us His Words and experience, as He wills, to verify our human, hard-to-believe-minds, to help us understand those Words.
That's a verified fact.
~ERC November 2019~
