Faith exists the truly held, felt, smelled, and shelled nugget of gold — the one of my hopes and dreams — but comes by hearing, and the spiritual sense of hearing can only come by the Word of God.. Yes, God’s Word, God Himself, and our participation in that Nature, becomes our way, our truth, and our life. How? I must get near Him and when I do, like the Shulamite woman of Song of Solomon, Chapter 3, hold Him and never let go — “until I had brought Him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.” The Pulpit commentary explains: “ecstatic and intense as her devotion is, it is not the lawless affection of a concubine, but the love of a noble wife. The religious emotions are always presented to us in Scripture, not as wild fanaticism or superficial excitement, but as pure…
Healing at the Cross Posts
Not always, but occasionally, “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go,” sadly detours us onto unfamiliar routes. Sometimes these alternate routes are well marked and eventuate easily to the more familiar paths — But then, maybe not. We wish for a safe and clearly defined trail, one with landmarks along the way. However, this day we go down a ‘never-before’ gone road, and to add to the suspense, it is turning twilight, soon to be fully dark. Apprehension bids us: should we stop, ask for directions, pray, or all of the above? We may find ourselves just short of panic. Let’s pause. As much as we disdain the thought of these real-life detours, they occur. Jesus teaches his disciples in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many…
The Christmas Cross Some aspects of Christmas disclose themselves covertly: The Christ-child, tiny babe, was also Mankind’s Savior and continues our Personal Defender. You see, justice precedes love in God’s saving scheme, and we must see this. Justice and judgment must factor in, or we lose realness. Without grounds for judicial release in the objects of love, love has not much meaning. But what gets judged? Moses, in Exodus 15, led Israel three days without water toward Mara. The waters there were bitter and the people shrieked. Who could blame them, but was there a meaning? Moses begged an answer from God, crying with body prostrated. God showed him a tree and Moses threw the tree into the water, and the waters were made sweet. First thought is: God, using God’s man, leads them, but they hate the bluntness of circumstance. Number two, God wants to demonstrate justice and truth,…
The truth revealed in the real world has not yet come completely. The thoughts and intents of men’s hearts and minds provide an unparalleled guessing-game to the rest. We grope for understanding yet are thankful for the hiding place for our own inadequate understanding. In short: Romans 8:19 tell us “…the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.” And also ” …we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.” verse 22 The metaphor is of a mother in labor with child; father and siblings wait expectantly to see the baby. Mother is patient but anxious perhaps. The birth will be painful, traumatic, revolutionary. A big event. In the mean time, the creature views life through a glass darkly and only then, face to face. We must be honest, only those who have the earnest of the Spirit…
Psalm 85:10 teaches, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. ” Here are some definitions from G. Campbell Morgan: Mercy — the tenderness which bends over in love. Truth — integrity and uprightness, that which is stable and builds Righteousness — a straight line without deviation. Peace — absolute safety. Because of man’s sin, a reconciliation becomes necessary. The nature of God’s reconciliation is “unto Himself.” Colossians 1:20 Reconciliation has this meaning: “an exchange; change in relationship; the bringing into fellowship things that have opposed.” “The reconciliation of things on earth is that of their restoration to the government of God, and the consequent restoration of a perfect order throughout the world, of man, and of all that is beneath him in the scale of being; “Healing of the wound. Closing of the breach. The gathering together into one of all things that have…
Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells us of a great problem, “It is nothing less than the problem of living the Christian life, the problem, if you like, of dealing with sin.” For this problem Lloyd Jones shares this verse from the epistle of Paul to the Romans: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 God’s answer for the bondage that fear brings is simply adoption. Two spirits are revealed in the verse. one of bondage, one of adoption — these diametrically oppose one another, but, “The (Holy) Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” ESV Adoption is the antidote and Paul again speaks of the Adoption in his epistle to the Ephesians : “According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of…
” Contrary to popular expectation, Christianity offers no simple solution to man’s problems or to the integration of his personality; it does promise the abiding presence of Christ…..There is no offer of ease, but the promise of grace for the experience.” Morris A. Inch from his book, “Psychology in the Psalms.” As an illustration of this premise I thought of the story of Jesus, walking on the water. Matthew 14 records this for us. “Immediately (Jesus) made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.” “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, “ The disciple were sent on ahead. The crowd which Jesus had been teaching were dismissed. Jesus went alone to be with His Father. The excitement of being with Jesus…
On one occasion when Samuel Brengle was introduced as “the great Dr. Brengle,” he noted in his diary: “If I appear great in there eyes, the Lord is most graciously helping me to see how absolutely nothing I am without Him, and helping me to keep little in my own eyes. He does use me. But I am so concerned that He uses me and that it is not of me the work is done. The axe cannot boast of the trees it has cut down. It could do nothing but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, and he used it. The moment he throws it aside, it becomes only old iron. O that I may never lose sight of this.”. Quote is from J. Oswald Sanders in his book, “Spiritual Leadership.” The name “Paul” meant “small” and “Peter” was the “rock.” Both Men were given new…
“The world always has had a cross between two thieves for the one who comes to save it.” And yet: ” If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 “The graceful gait of virtue is always followed by and scoffed with grimace and travesty.” And yet, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32 ” …as long as there are virtue and righteousness in the world, there will be something for iniquity to grin at.” And yet, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies.” Romans 8:33 “All along the line of the ages, and in all lands, the cry has been, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas.’” And yet, Who is he that condemns? It is Christ…
“One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’” John 1:40-41 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). Then, Jesus… found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” How do you know me?” says Nathaniel. “Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” And he said to him,…