Tuesday, June 28, 2011

PSALM 147:11

The LORD favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

This verse comes at the tail end of the Psalmist writing that God provides for all the earth and that He does not delight in the strength of things other than Himself.  This verse tells us that God favors those men who fear Him.  Those who, instead of giving in to sinful temptations, wait on God for deliverance from this evil found within that is waging war against our souls.  Instead of seeking solutions apart from God for all of life's problems, we wait on God for deliverance.  God's strength is the only strength that God is pleased with.  As men, all we are required to do is wait for His lovingkindness to come to our rescue, when God renews our strength with His strength.  The Lord favors those who fear Him, not those who run around trying to find solutions outside of God.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

PSALM 142-BEING LONELY IN A WORLD FULL OF PEOPLE

I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD; I make supplication with my voice to the LORD.  I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him.  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path.  In the way where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.  Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me;  No one cares for my soul.  I cried out to You, O LORD; I said,
“You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me."

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A QUOTE

“The more you know the more severely you will be judged. For that reason you should not be puffed up because you have learned something. Even though you may know much, it is very little when compared to what you do not know.” – Geert Groote (1340-1384)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

PSALM 140:13

"Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence."

As I read this passage this morning, I wondered what could be meant by the second half of the verse where it states that the upright will dwell in God's presence.  Knowing that God has an all-watching eye, how can anyone escape his presence anyways?  Recall the following passages:

         Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:70)
The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts (Proverbs 20:27).
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13).
If thought of this way, the words in verse 13 become meaningless because everyone is dwelling in his presence already whether or not one is aware of it.  And so I threw away this idea because I was certain that David did not write these words only to realize that the wicked will equally be dwelling in God's presence.  He must have meant something more.

I shortly realized that the passages quoted above were speaking of God's abilities and did not rely on man's actions to be realized.  Whether or not man does or fails to do anything, those truths are real.  They are simple facts that are true, always.  But not so in Psalm 140:13.  It appears that in order for man to dwell in God's presence in the way David is speaking, the man is required to do something here in order to attain this status or, at least, it is clear that not all will attain to this status and so what is it that makes all of the difference?  This, I do not know for sure yet.  I know that Psalm 140 is a psalm of David, where he is asking God to deliver him from evil men throughout most of it.  Verses 12 and 13 are the only verses where David speaks of what he knows God will do, namely, maintaining the causes of the afflicted or in general that God would do justly and that the righteous would be thankful for it.  I guess it would appear that being righteous in your actions and attitudes is what forms this special bond between the upright and God.

To dwell, means to sit quietly and I suppose this definition would fit.  A righteous man is righteous because he does just that.  He quietly waits for the Lord to move on his behalf and is this not what David is doing in this entire psalm?  Surely it is.  He is asking God to stop the evil men encroaching upon him and in doing so, David is waiting for God to move.  He does not take actions into his own hands, but waits for God to work, knowing that God is far wiser and more able than he.  And this, is indeed dwelling in his presence, especially upon the victories that God wins for you, which you waited for so long for.

There may be more to it than this and I will be thinking more on it.  If you have time, give some thought to it.  What can be more profitable than digging around truths that deal directly with living in God's presence?  Let me know what you find.

Friday, June 17, 2011

PRAYER

I'm tired of talking about prayer more than I actually do it.  I'm tired of reading about others who prayed often and fervently, feeling resolutions to do so myself rise up within me only to have them smothered out in a matter of days if not hours by my own business.  Please pray for me concerning this.

Resolved, to pray every day before I go to work and every night after I get home from work, regardless of how tired or late I am running until my life is extinguished or Christ returns.  2-minute, drive-by prayer does not count either.

Pray that God would give me the grace to obtain a real spirit of prayer that would take over my life in a way impossible if I were trying to do so with all of my might.

Friday, June 10, 2011

sPURGEON ON: SETTING YOUR FACE LIKE FLINT

We never do anything in this world until we set our faces thoroughly to it. The warriors who win battles are those who are resolved to conquer or die. The heroes who emancipate nations art those who count no hazards and reckon no odds, but are resolved that the yoke shall be broken from the neck of their country. The merchants who prosper in this world are those who do their business with all their hearts, and watch for wealth with eagerness. The halfhearted man is nowhere in the race of life; he is usually contemptible in the sight of others, and a misery to himself. If a thing be worth doing, it is worth doing well; and if it be not worth doing thoroughly, wise men let it alone.

Especially is this a truth in the spiritual life. Wonders are not done for God and for the truth by men upon their back asleep, or out of their beds, but still asleep. Souls are not saved by men who scarcely know or care whether they are saved themselves. Errors are not dashed from their pedestals by those who are careless concerning truth and count it of little value. Reformations have not been wrought in this world by men of lukewarm spirit and temporizing policy. One fiery Luther is of more value than twenty like the half hearted Erasmus who knew infinitely more than he felt, and perhaps felt more than he dared to express.

A man if he would do anything for God, for the truth, for the cross of Christ, must set his face and with the whole force of his will resolve to serve his God. The soldier of Christ must set his face like a flint against all opposition, and at the same moment set his face towards the Lord with the attentive eye of the handmaiden looking towards her mistress. If called to suffer for the truth, we must set our face towards this conflict as Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem. He who would conquer in this glorious war, and overcome the Lord at the mercy-seat, must be resolved! resolved with his whole soul, resolved after matured thought - resolved for reasons which are too weighty for him to escape - resolved that from the throne of grace he will not depart without the blessing. Never, never shall a man be unsuccessful in prayer who sets his face to win the promised mercy.


From a sermon entitled "The Dawn Of Revival, Or Prayer Speedily Answered" delivered February 10, 1867

Sunday, June 5, 2011

1 JOHN 2:6

"Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." 1JOHN 2:6

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

ADVICE FOR DEALING WITH PAST SIN

ANSWER TO PRAYER

The Lord works in ways unimaginable. Many prayers are answered in ways that we could not have imagined at the time we were praying them. This is the greatness of God's far superior, all-knowing mind. He does all things well. His sanctifying Spirit is always at work 'behind the scenes', conforming all believers to Jesus Christ. To our flesh, this is at times quite painful as it is being killed daily. It will result in things in our lives going terribly wrong as the world would see it, but in all these things, through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors.

3 days I ago I asked the Lord to humble me. Today, He did, and might I say with a mighty hand, he delivered a blow to me I will not soon forget.

"Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" - Genesis 18:25

PSALM 116:15-19
Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His godly ones.

O LORD, surely I am Your servant,
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
You have loosed my bonds.

To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the LORD.

I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,

In the courts of the LORD’S house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!