Month: November 2015

A JOURNAL ENTRY

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AMY MORE NEED FOR HARD BACK BOOKS?

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“…the love which Christ has [for me] presses on me from all sides, holding me to one end and prohibiting me from considering any other, wrapping itself around me in tenderness, giving me an impelling motive,…” (2 Corinthians 5:14) [The New Testament, An Expanded Translation, by Kenneth S. Wuest, p424].

The Bible, GOD’s revelation of Himself, has the ability to change me with His words. This is how the GOD of heaven and earth has chosen to reveal Himself—through words. Therefore, for me written words are of utmost importance.

Today marks my two months of engaging in social media. In that time I have read many, many, many, MANY, words—endless words… Does anyone ever get to the end of his or her newsfeed or personal blog rolls everyday?

One problem I’ve found is reading something one day and trying to find it the next. ‘Tis lots of good words but they don’t reside in a place I can be assured of accessing them in the future—especially the far future.

On my living room bookshelf I have certain volumes that I periodically reread as the years go by. I remember they influenced me once and I look to be influenced again.

I recall when movies were first offered on DVD’s. People said the new technology would close movie theaters. Are e-books and search engines going to close libraries? Or will there always be a place for hard-back, hold-in-your-hand, books?

Using e-words or hardcopy words…which method is easier for you to pause enough to get words from your brain to your heart where they have opportunity to change how you do life?

Social media definitely has its advantages. Yet I cannot put my bookshelf behind me and move forward solely with computer words. What do you think?

SUPPLICATION

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THE SPIRIT’S COMFORT IN AFFLICTION

Screen Shot 2015-10-12 at 1.18.00 PMFATHER, as ____ goes through life the consolations of Your HOLY SPIRIT are useful and necessary to (him/her). The SPIRIT comforts (his/her) in afflictions. These afflictions are a provision that You have made for (him/her) (Heb 12:5,6) (ref#35, p405).

____’s natural spirit will struggle with afflictions. (He/She) will try to relieve (himself/herself) by any means. In a display of pride (he/she) will despise the chastising affliction or in dejectedness of spirit, (he/she) will sink under the weight of (his/her) troubles (ref#35, p406).

How easily ____ will look for second causes (causes other than You, FATHER) in (his/her) affliction. (He/She) will try to fix it (himself/herself). Keep (him/her) FATHER, from this for (he/she) will lose all the benefits and advantages of this affliction that You have bestowed upon (him/her) (ref#35, p406).

FATHER, keep (him/her) also from sinking under the trial. If You do not teach (him/her) to consider deeply Your chastisements and dealings with (him/her), (he/she) will find the season of afflictions many as (he/she) goes through life (ref#35, p406).

Only the SPIRIT can manage (his/her) soul in affliction so that You, FATHER, have the glory of it and (he/she) be benefited. Affliction gives (him/her) a chance to glory in (his/her) tribulations (Rom 5:3). Send the SPIRIT, FATHER, to ____.

“…there is no management nor improvement of any affliction, but merely and solely by the consolations of the Holy Ghost” John Owen (ref#35, p407).

THANKSGIVING

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YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH ME!

Screen Shot 2015-10-12 at 1.08.28 PMFATHER, love is “an affection of union and nearness…” (ref#35, p113). The result of our union raises my level of love to You—it increases my faith. Because of our union I observe Your kindness, tenderness, unchangeableness, etc, which brings rest to my soul, and rest is my most prized possession (ref#35, p114).

O LORD, I desire to search out continually Your beauty for I am always seeking rest for my soul. This rest is a quiet joy that fills me completely so I find no need to roam unsatisfied. To be a doorkeeper in Your house, to get as close as I can to You is my desire, for a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps 84:10) (ref#35, p113).

“The union…of likeness, is the cause of the love of another” John Owen (ref#35, p113).

You rejoice over me with joy and rest in silent satisfaction. You are held still by the very depth of Your love for me—resting with contentment. You are delighted when You think of me—with deep and tender yearning love You hold me to Yourself. Your love for me so engulfs You, You leap for joy; every inward and outward expression or token of love is heaped together to express Yourself. You sing—Your contentment is expressed in singing—I cause the jubilee in Your heart (Zeph 3:17).

Thus, Your love animates me; it makes me fully satisfied with You so I will not seek further for another to love. Your love is a joy past belief, past utterance, past thought. I am motionless as I experience Your love but then must exult in an outward demonstration of my delight. Singing and praise is the result of my great enjoyment and pleasure in You. Your love is so surprising I must leap for joy or cry or do something that would embarrass even Michal, King David’s wife (2 Sam 6:16). Michal would think, “This is not normal.”  It may not be normal but how thankful I am it is real.

CONFESSION

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PARDON IS NOT TO MAKE ME MORE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

Screen Shot 2015-10-12 at 12.29.54 PMLORD, as I approach Your throne, my natural reaction is to cry out like Isaiah, “I have unclean lips” (Isa 6:5), and so desire to spill out my confessions of sin before I come close to You.

In the prayer JESUS taught His disciples, the first half of it is words of worship and honor to You. Confession of sin is toward the end of the prayer and then takes up only ½ a sentence.

Remind me FATHER, You do not throw the robe of CHRIST upon me so You can tolerate looking at me. You do not demand I confess my sin before You let me approach You. You know my frame (Ps 103:14) and my sinfulness does not give You pause.

A woman may forget she is nursing a child, but You will never forget me. You engraved me on the palm of Your hands (Isa 49:15,16) before I did anything right or wrong (Rom 9:11).

You seek and solicit my love constantly. You love me at the expense of Your Son’s blood—at the expense of condescending to beseech me (ref#18, [1 John 4:18]). Have You not rend the heavens and come down to be constantly beside me (Isa 64:1)? You are willing to call me Your bride even when I am unfaithful to You (Hosea 3:1).

I have mistaken thoughts about confession! My natural thought is to dwell on Your assurance of pardon to convince myself that I am now good enough to come into Your presence. FATHER, remind me once again that I am good only because CHRIST has made me His own, not because I have confessed my sins and received Your pardon.

Isn’t this what Job was so upset about—justifying himself before You? Job wanted You to speak to him about his sin—or lack thereof. Did You do that? No, You instead overwhelmed Job with Your majesty (Job 38:1-41:34).

Astonish me like You did Job. I want to spend the majority of my time with You losing myself in Your love.

“…if the heart be…much taken up with…the eminency of the Father’s love, it cannot choose but be overpowered, conquered, and endeared unto him” John Owen (ref#35, p128).

ADORATION

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Prayer Facts:

Screen Shot 2015-10-12 at 12.20.42 PM“Satan dreads nothing but prayer—The church that lost its Christ was full of good works….Souls may be lost in good works, as surely as in evil ways. The one concern of the devil is to keep the saints from prayer….He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray” E. M. Bounds (ref#54, p186).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because Your mercy and lovingkindness endure forever (Ps 118:29), I will wait for You.

Because You will be gracious to the sound of my cry (Isa 30:19), I will wait for You.

Because You pardon my guilt (Ps 25:11), I will wait for You.

Because You are my hiding place (Ps 32:7), I will wait for You.

VALLEYS TO MOUNTAINTOPS

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MONDAY MORNING BLUESScreen Shot 2015-10-20 at 2.57.17 PM

Took stock of my Sabbath. Pronounced myself very lacking. Honestly, with the Apostle Paul (Rom 7:14-25), I decided my actions did not attest to my heart’s desire.

So, how do I do better next Sunday?

I thought of the next chapter Paul wrote after he admitted failure:

“…if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom 8:13 ESV).

I began to think of what I might “put to death” next Sunday—certainly not give myself permission to take a 3-hour nap like I did yesterday!

With that thought my meditation stalled out. I retreated back into Rom 7; even by the SPIRIT I know I cannot put to death all my sin.

Oh, I could push ahead and make a list of certain activities to engage in next Sunday but that would translate into following laws. With this thought my meditation came to a final halt.

But, later in the day I read the first chapter of 1 Peter. The following phrases were illuminated to me:

“…he has caused us…” (1 Pet 1:3 ESV).

“…by God’s power…” (1 Pet 1:5 ESV).

“…grace that will be brought to you…” (1 Pet 1:13 ESV).

“…you were ransomed…” (1 Pet 1:18 ESV).

“…you have been born again…through the living and abiding word of God…” (1 Pet 1:23 ESV).

Ah ha, Paul’s word in Romans chapter 8 does answer my Romans 7 complaint. It is what the SPIRIT does, not what I do. The SPIRIT is always successful; I am never successful.

So, I’m not worrying anymore about what I should do next LORD’s Day. GOD shall give me rest and enough strength to conquer the weekdays if I focus on reviewing His activities toward me and trust Him with the details.

“…’What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’” (John 6:28-29 ESV).

 

SABBATH

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THE SABBATH DEFINED

“…remembering the Sabbath by keeping it holy is integral to…life as the people who are sanctified (or ‘made holy’) by the Lord…” (ref#125, p 196, [Ex 31:12-17]).

“…actual intent of the Sabbath – to bring rest and well-being…” (ref#125, p1844, [Matt 12:8]).

“The Sabbath is given as a gift to man (for physical and spiritual refreshment)” (ref#125, p 1897, [Mark 2:27-28]).

“…the Sabbath was not meant to be a day of total idleness, and of entire cessation from all kinds and sorts of work. ‘The Sabbath was made for man,’ for his benefit, comfort, and advantage” (ref#13, Vol. Three, p280, [John 5:17]).

“Our Lord’s reply…’Though my Father rested on the seventh day from His work of creation, He has never rested for a moment from His providential government of the world, and from His merciful work of supplying the daily wants of all His creatures….I do not break the fourth commandment when I heal the sick, anymore than my Father breaks it when He causes the sun to rise and the grass to grow on the Sabbath’” (ref#13, Vol. Three, p277, [John 5:16-23]).

“The Sabbath is a covenant sign that represents a lifestyle of devotion to the Lord, for it requires the practical reorganization of every week around him (cf. Ex 31:12-17; Ezek 20:18-20)” (ref#125, p1342, [Isa 56:2]).