We need often just to stop and remember who God is and His words to us.
Dear Father, make us to know who you are; so that we know whose we are. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Copyright © Fran Rogers 2015 (Permission granted for non-profit use. Please acknowledge this website. God bless.)
He came to do the Father’s will.
In humility and obedience He fulfilled all requirements of the law.
He personified the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
He then was crucified, taking our sorriness upon Himself ~
~ So that He might say, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
Our granddaughter and her husband brought their first child home from the hospital yesterday. We did not have the privilege of waiting at the hospital for her delivery as we had with our six grandchildren. But, Jerry and I were a part of the event as we were there in spirit. Our daughter called us with updates throughout the time of waiting. With every report Jerry felt the pain in his leg that was amputated.
Ansley’s contractions had started on Monday. From her scheduled appointment she was hoping the time for their daughter’s birth was eminent. But contractions were not close enough. After a visit to the hospital she was sent home to wait. Tuesday passed with more pain, but no signs of time for birthing. She and her husband left the doctor’s office again with an appointment for 5:00 Wednesday morning. If things had not progressed as they hoped they would induce labor in order to take the pressure off the baby.
Tuesday night they did not sleep. Neither did I. I was awake off and on, praying continually for the Lord’s intervention; for mercy for Ansley and for Him to bring this baby into the world in His way, and in His timing.
They were at the hospital Wednesday morning with good news that the baby would be delivered before evening. Our daughter, our son-in-law and Ansley’s three younger sisters were there early to wait with them. Our daughter, remembering the four occasions she had gone through labor, was feeling Ansley’s pain. She wanted to tell her what to do, but she had to back off, and leave the room.
Our first great grandchild was born at 1:00. We were there to see them all at 3:00.
During this recent episode, when I mentioned the title of this article to my daughter, she reasoned that this is not true for all families. Our children were born, with no one there but Jerry and me, the hospital staff ~ and the Lord. But family events have become more important as we have gotten older; and our family is learning the importance of sharing these experiences.
Spiritual Birth
Perhaps this sharing of family experiences, in births, marriages, and deaths has a connection with God and His family. Before this world began there was a relationship of love, joy, and peace between God, the Father, His Son, and His Holy Spirit. What they had together they have since the creation been sharing with His family here on earth. They covenanted together to birth a physical world that would soon be in rebellion and in need of a second birth ~ a spiritual birth.
His Spirit that moved across the face of the waters at the beginning of time is the same Spirit that moves in the spirit and heart of man to give new life. A second birth is required for a new start for true life, eternal life.
The same Light that God spoke into the world over darkness is the light of Jesus Christ given to men.
The same love, the same Word that was in the beginning with God was Jesus Christ. This is the seed that is planted in the hearts of men to form a new heart, a new spirit, and a new life. We have this living word in the written word that by His Spirit brings conception and in His timing He brings this deliverance of a new life in and through us.
There is rejoicing in heaven with every new birth. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Luke 15:10
The apostle Paul was a spiritual father in his ministry of the gospel of Christ. In his letter to the Galatians he said, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. Galatians 4:19
It does not happen simply by saying a prayer. Spiritual birth is in every way a miracle as a natural birth, with the greatest work and labor of love by our Lord, Jesus Christ. We don’t experience it from a care-free, pain-free experience. If left to ourselves we would refuse it. But, it is worth the pain and the struggle to be born of His Spirit for eternal life; knowing that we are delivered from the wrath of God, the pain of eternity without Christ.
Laboring for Others
We, who are of Christ, labor with others for the souls of those who will be born into His kingdom. We intercede, we pray fervently, and continually, for this conception and birth to take place in the hearts of our loved ones. But, we cannot make it happen by our own planning. We wait and rejoice in His timing and His way.
When Christ returns we shall all rejoice together for His glorious work on our own behalf and for those of all His family.
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your plan for perpetual life here on this earth, until you have gathered all into your fold. Keep us by your own power until that day. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Through time and observations we come to conclusions about this life and what comes after. Such has been my experience; and especially of the Lord’s Day. If I were to write the book it would be titled The Lord’s Day ~ It’s Purpose, Program and Practice. Each Lord’s Day has become a means for me to put into words what the day now means to me. It has not always been as it is now, but through the process of time I believe the Lord has led me to conclusions about His day.
I have been back through the channel of time (in God’s word) to see the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments not just as a law given to the Israelites, but also as a pattern of what was to come. It was not just a program for the Jewish worship day, but a vision set for the church that would be established through His Son, Jesus Christ. It was not for their practice alone, but a future plan for all God’s people through His everlasting covenant.
When the Old Testament prophesied the coming of the Messiah it was the purpose and the promise of something greater than what they already had. The Jews had observed the Sabbath as the seventh day. “From the beginning of the world until the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week since then until the end of the world to be the Christian Sabbath.” This quote is from the Shorter Catechism taken from the Westminster Confession of Faith.
When I look back to the quotes of Jesus in the New Testament I see the program that He was establishing. He spoke often of His death in “going up to Jerusalem,” where He will be killed and “shall rise again the third day.” Mark 10:31-34
On the third day He was raised as He said.
What happened in His resurrection? Before anyone else knew He established Himself as Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of His own day ~ a new day, for a new creation, a new assembly of saints who would practice on this day what He established for eternity. The same power of the Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead is the power that gives us new life in Him and brings us to this worship of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
An eternal life and a new day of worship replaced the old. The new wine, the good wine was saved until Christ came and bled, and died and gave us His own life. This day He brings His people, those whom He has saved by His own life and death, in special remembrance of this union with Him and the Father, reconciling us to Him and making us joint heirs in His kingdom. We are joined this day with other saints here and in heaven, in observance of His suffering and sacrifice for our atonement (remembering His death in the Lord’s Supper). We worship through prayer, praise and His Holy Word as we practice for the celebration of this feast that will take place in eternity.
The purpose and the promise, the program and the practice do not end in a weekly worship service. The Lord’s Day is a full day; its purpose is for a whole day, not just an hour in a church service with other saints. This is the hard part and the unusual part of the practice. We will look in subsequent weeks at the preciousness and value of the Lord’s Day ~ the whole day ~ and how it is to be spent with the Lord.
“But the path of the just is as the shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Proverbs 4:18
Dear Father, let us live in praise and worship to you today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Awareness is a rare gift. Some are born with it. Others receive it at a special time in life. To see beyond our own peripheral vision can be a blessing or a curse. Being aware of others’ faults, mistakes, and weaknesses; judging and condemning them is a curse to others and ourselves. It is the gift that the enemy of our souls uses to work an oppressive spirit within us and toward others. This curse keeps us in a state of oppression and sin. We see in others a reflection of ourselves and continue in this state of oppression until we, like the prodigal son “came to himself.”
He realized where he was. The gift of awareness enabled him to see his condition, and his surroundings. He saw himself in reality of his sin and rebellion.
But, beyond himself he saw the blessing of forgiveness and reconciliation; he saw the means of returning to the father that loved him.
Awareness is a blessing when we are able to see and confess that we live in a fallen world. John said in John 5:19 “the world lies in the power of the evil one.” We were born into it, with a death certificate in our hands. We grow up in it. We are an integral part of it. And we will die in this state of oppression; of sin and misery, except as we are brought to ourselves; to see where we are and our own condition.
Every Good and Perfect Gift
The awareness that is a blessing enables us to see beyond our own, and others’ failures, to see the giver of this gift from heaven, which comes down from the “Father of lights.” (James 1:17) Not only are our eyes opened to see where we are in this wilderness, but we see Almighty God, our heavenly Father, ruling and reigning over all things; our shepherd, our keeper, our shield; our God “who supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory.”
We are aware of His presence and power in and through, and over all things. In His covenant with us through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are assured that He will always be with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. These truths lived within us will be a blessing to others.
“He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure:
for this is all my salvation, and all my desire.
2 Samuel 23:5
Dear Father, please open our eyes today, to see where we are; to accept the conditions in which you have placed us. Let us see Christ as you continue to reveal Him to us, in us, and through us. Make us aware of your presence and power as we live, love, and rejoice in you. Be a light, life, and blessings to us all. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
“Are you clothed with humility?” Andrew Murray leaves us with this question in the third chapter of Humility. To understand what he is asking we must look carefully at this most important chapter in his book.
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I am led to ask another question, “What does real humility look like?”
We find the answer to both questions when we look into the inner life of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we seek something of the Lord wholeheartedly we find and experience the blessedness therein. In Jesus’ state of mind and heart it is this beauty and blessedness of heaven that we see. His nature and disposition was that of the one who came to serve the will of His heavenly Father and the men he came to save; so that He might work in us the same mind, heart and disposition.
Isaiah 53
I suggest that during this month we read Isaiah 53 ~ the prophecy of the promised Messiah. A daily meditation would help us to understand this as the prophecy of Jesus Christ. His life, His humility, His actions were lived with the recognition that He was to fulfill this prophecy.
“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:11-12
….From His childhood Jesus knew He “must be about His Father’s business.” Luke 2:49
….In His baptism He was identified as both servant to the Father and to man, “to fulfill all righteousness” in obedience to the Father and to take on the ministry of our redemption. Matthew 3:15
….In the calling of His disciples to testify of His character and His mission of the Father’s will and kingdom he showed them, “I am among you as he that serves.” Luke 22:27
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
….To witness of the purpose and power of His life He said, “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34
….As the good shepherd He said, “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:15
….His constant direction to the apostles was toward the destined hour; “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51
….At the last supper He washed his disciples feet, and, as he shared a cup of wine, said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:20
….In the garden of Gethsemane he struggled in his flesh with sweat drops of blood and prayer; and then in the state of humility said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Matthew 26:39
….In surrender to the authorities that spit upon Him, reviled and questioned Him he fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7, “he answered him nothing.” Luke 23:9
….On the cross “he was numbered among the transgressors.” Luke 22:37
….In His final words, “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” and “It is finished,” we see the will of the Father and our redemption accomplished through His life and His death. Luke 23:46; John 19:30
I have always heard that we should exclude the pronoun “I” from our writing and our conversation. It is interesting that Jesus’ statements include a lot of these pronouns; but they are all seen behind the words “not” and “nothing.”
“I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will” (John 6:38)
“I do nothing of Myself” (John 8:28)
“I seek not Mine own glory” (John 8:50)
Description of True Humility
You will find in this chapter the following descriptions of the humility of Christ and His people. Look for and underline these and note how these relate.
Consent ~ to let God be all
Surrenders ~ Himself to His working alone
Entire subordination
Essential nature and life ~ of redemption
Resigned Himself
Given myself
Entire self-renunciation
Absolute submission and dependence ~ upon the Father’s will
Giving everything to God ~ honor and glory that is due to Him
State of mind, spirit and disposition
Self-denial ~ to which our Savior calls us
Empty vessel ~ which God must fill
Being and doing nothing by ourselves ~ that God may be all
Perfect resignation
Full consent ~ to be and to do nothing of ourselves
Death to sin and self
A channel ~ through which the living God can manifest the riches of His wisdom, power and goodness
Life yielded to God ~ that He might work in it.
The Relationship and the Power
This relationship that we see between God the Father, and God the Son is the example of our relationship with Jesus Christ. This life he came to live and to give us. The redemption that He purchased by total obedience to the will of the Father is His means of restoring us to a life of humility ~ the only true relationship between man and God.
We learn from Jesus’ life that humility for His followers is not a one time response to the good news of our redemption, but like him, it is His heart, mind, spirit, and nature working in us always.
Jesus was one of a kind, the only begotten of the Father. No other person will have the same purpose that He had; but we have the same Spirit working in us, the same power, to bring us to die to ourselves, so that we may experience a true relationship with Him.
What does real humility look like in us? The reality of humility is first, our being overwhelmed with the greatness of His redeeming love, (Preface) and what He went through to save us. Only then can we sacrificially offer ourselves to God for Him to accomplish His purpose in us. It is giving up our own plans so as to be His servant to men; beginning where He has placed us; continuing to seek His kingdom and His righteousness, His guidance and plans.
If we cannot yet see this in ourselves let us focus on the example and the power of this heavenly nature in God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. We must continue to study God’s word and the life, the love, and work of Christ.
We may ask ourselves if we are clothed with the humility of Christ. Beyond this we must ask fervently for his nature and disposition. Even if we think this life of humility is too high for us we must remember that it is His work in us, not ours.
“It is the indwelling Christ who will live His life in us, meek and lowly. We must long for this, above everything, seeking this holy secret of the knowledge of the nature of God as He works all.
We must set aside our ordinary religion to secure this, the first and chief of the marks of Christ within us.”
“And begin to praise God that there is opened up to you in Jesus a heavenly humility of which you have hardly known, and through which a heavenly blessedness (which you possibly have never yet tasted) can come into you.”
What in Jesus’ words or life has overwhelmed and humbled you?
Dear heavenly Father, we praise you for condescending to us in the person of Christ your Son, revealing His humility, without which we would never have received your forgiveness and reconciliation. In your love for us and your desire to bring us to yourself you gave us your Son, who willingly gave Himself to you and us. Thank you for making us your own through your plan of redemption. We praise you for your marvelous grace; and pray that you would continue by the same power of your Spirit that was working in Jesus to work His humility in us, conforming us to His image.
“Of your great goodness make known to me and take from my heart every kind and form and degree of pride; and awaken in me the deepest depth and truth of that humility which can make me capable of your light and your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
It is interesting that as we get older we sometimes return to the simpler things 
with which we began. When I first started teaching there were three things I looked for in the text I was studying:
Identification (who are the characters in the text?)
Implication (what is going on in the text between the characters—what, where, when?)
Application (what difference does studying this text mean to me?)
The truths of God Word were first to be understood in my own heart.
These, by the power of God’s Spirit, taught me what I needed to know before I could teach anyone else.
We can read God’s Word simply because of curiosity— someone we know reads it, talks about it, places their trust in what is written. Some are new Christians seeking to know how they are to follow Christ and live the new life. Others are older and continue to thrive on the bread of life. They love it; they live it, preach it, and teach it.
Before the Reformation only the priests of the Roman Catholic Church had access to the Scriptures, and other people relied on them for their knowledge of God. Now many people have access to God’s Word in many translations, but have no thought of how valuable it is. The Word and the power of God that comes with it are available, but few really read and study it for its greatest purpose. Considering the three things used for previous studies we tend to look for the Application before we have an Identification and Implication.
Why is this? —I think, because we already have a mind-set before we read it. We have already learned through our own culture, and our human nature—our man-centeredness— to look for where we fit in and how things are going to affect us. Are we not to read the Bible to learn how we are supposed to live, what we are supposed to say, what we are supposed to do in our relationship to God and others? Yes, but not at the expense of the truth itself, which much of the time is twisted and distorted to fit our own preconceived notions. We can easily take God’s Word and make it say what we want it to say, instead of allowing the Word to do its work in conforming us to it.
So, what is the challenge here—for me, in going back to this simple method (but concentrating on the one point of Identification) and for you, as you read this? After all my years of reading and studying I have come to the conclusion that the ultimate Bible study is to begin with our Bible in hand before the throne of grace, then opening it with new hearts, new minds, new eyes, expressing our need for a new vision of Him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16
We are in need of the Father’s mercy. He has given us a great high priest who knows our infirmities, who sits at the Father’s right hand to intercede for us. He has promised the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. (Luke 11:13) As I write these articles/letters/prayers I continue to teach my grandchildren what I think is the most important thing in life, according to the first and great commandment taught by our Lord—that we shall love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor, as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37:37-40) We cannot love Him unless we know Him. This is our greatest need, and we can only know Him as He reveals Himself to us. As we would go “online” looking for information, our main “Search” in the Holy Bible is for God. He has His own “site” with His own profile. Throughout His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, the person of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, reveals Himself.
“And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 17:3
I challenge you, and myself, to read through the Bible this year with this main purpose – Identify the person, purpose and power of God. The implications that we find as relating God to man will by His Holy Spirit become evident, and in time will place us in relationship with Him. The supernatural power of God draws us out of ourselves to Him.
The power of the Trinity is the work of our Creator in His creation. The authority of God’s own Word effectually transforms us by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:1-2) No longer am I looking for what I am supposed to be, do, or say, but, as I am caught up in Him the Word of God does its work in and through me, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6,12,14). As the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) supernaturally circumcises my heart, regenerating, renewing, sanctifying, living out the truth in my circumstances, He is conforming me to the image of His Son. (Romans 8:29)
If we read and study, seeking to see Him only, to know Him, and what He reveals of Himself, the things we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer—His name, His kingdom, His will, become evident as uppermost in our hearts and minds. Instead of being man-centered we can be His God-centered, Christ-focused people, a people after His own heart, in the unity of the Spirit, together seeking to do all His will.
”For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow;
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
If we accept this challenge, He can, in light of His beauty and holiness and our great need for His Word to do its work in our hearts, bring us to see ourselves as sinners. The same authority of His Word brings the needed salvation, repentance and sanctifying work through His power working in us. We find that over the centuries, throughout all of history Jesus (God) is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us.”
Ephesians 3:20
Those who truly seek Him are drawn to Christ and to each other. The conversation of His people are more and more about what we have learned from our Father, and our Lord, of His Spirit, His power, and His kingdom, than what we have learned about man and ourselves. There is an excitement about the new wine, the new things that he teaches us about Himself everyday. His Spirit, by his Word of power (Hebrews 1:3) make us a people of prayer, praise and proclamation of our great God and Father, Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ. Our desire and understanding of the preaching of the Word are continually heightened.
You may have already done this; if not, I pray that you will, with me, take this challenge. Whenever we read, let us stop, and ask the Holy Spirit to focus the light of our reading on God, what He says about Himself, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He promises to do. In the Old Testament we may read for awhile without finding any mention of His name, and then suddenly come to where He fits in the events and relationships, and see how He is in control of all things. In the New Testament we focus on Christ, the Son, as He reveals God, the Father. What is said about the three persons of the Trinity? What does Christ say about Himself, what does He do, and what is said about Him? We may want to jot down in a journal anything new that He reveals of Himself. We will find many things about Him that we never saw before. Let us meditate on what we read about Him. I believe the eyes of our understanding will be enlightened (Ephesians 1:17) and our lives changed.
I pray that He will erase any pre-conceived ideas, distortions, and false images we have of Him. I pray that the authority of His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit, will identify the true and living God to us. (1 Corinthians 2:10, Romans 10:17) As we continue daily at His throne of grace let us first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Where there is no vision—when we are lacking the true and powerful revelation of God— people perish. Let us ask for faith to believe all that we read about Him. Let us pray that He will transform our lives and reform His church, bringing light into the darkness of this world. (Philippians 2:15-16)
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11
He promises that we shall find Him, if we each, seek Him with all our heart. We may not fully understand what we find, but if we accept it at face-value—the truth revealed in His Word and in His Son, Jesus Christ, the living word ~ we, beholding, as in a glass the image of the Lord, shall be changed into His image, from glory to glory.
(2 Corinthians 3:18)
The Bible with its many books is a canon in itself, revealing God and His covenant relationship with man. We need no other book to reveal God to us, but I believe that what His Spirit and His Word are doing in us is being recorded in heaven. (1 Peter 1:12; Ephesians 3:9-10) He is making history in us for future generations to know Him—not us, but Christ, revealed in and through us—for His glory and our joy.
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ.
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:9, 21
Dear Father, by your grace, let the authority of your word be commanded in us by the power of your Holy Spirit; that we may know you, and love you and our neighbor ~ more and more. In Jesus name ~ Amen.
Fran 1/08 (From Waiting Is Not a Game ~ Articles of Faith)
This original picture was taken in Bavaria, Germany. We have never been there. I duplicated this with my camera from the cover of a Big Ben 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle box.
After separating some pieces of the puzzle, I thought of the many reflections of nature. Then I realized later, as I was praying for the transition of one year to the next, that where there is light and a means of receiving, there will be a reflection of that which is higher, brighter, greater, more powerful and beautiful.
God, our Father has created all things, and the most important of His creation is that which He created in His own image. Since the Fall that image has been marred—just as a reflection that we see from the sky to the lake is not clear. But, He has planned, through the giving of His Son, to restore that image for eternity—when all shall be a new heavens and a new earth; and we shall be like Him.
No True Images of Christ in a Picture
Just as I have no true knowledge of Germany, never having been there, there is no true knowledge of Jesus Christ, except as the Father brings (draws – John 6:44-45) us to Him. No one can paint or draw an image of Christ that will reflect His image in us. He has to first give us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:16) through which we see Him. He must draw His own image; only by the power of His Holy Spirit applying His Holy Word to our spirits, hearts, and minds can we be humbled and still, so as to receive His image in us. And unlike water that only reflects an image, Christ’s image is in us. The external only reflects what is internally and eternally ours.
My prayer for a new year is that we, as His redeemed children shall know our lowliness and His highest, His power working in us as new creatures in Christ; for a new outpouring of His Spirit; that we may know His light in us, the receiving and reflecting of the nature and disposition of Christ, yet, somewhat still blurred.
My desire is to desire what He desires; and to be transparent—just as in the picture I do not remember the lake—only the reflection in it.
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,
who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
2 Corinthians 4:6,7
“Beloved, now we are children of God;
and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed,
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.“
1 John 3:2,3
“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”
Psalm 17:15
“The LORD bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you: The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace” ~~~ “Christ in you,” this year.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden. vs.9) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17
With the choice of Life or Death, I would think that our first parents would have immediately headed for the center of the garden. Were they dilly-dallying, haphazardly making their way through the garden, tasting the fruit from the other trees, when they were stopped by the devil “who had the power of death?” (Hebrews 2:14) Was the tree of life not as attractive as the others?
Were they so caught up in their surroundings that they were totally unaware of the danger of disobeying God’s command? I can relate. We can be distracted by the many blessings that our heavenly Father bestows on us. The things become our focus. We then, forgetting our intentions and our goal for life, are detained, “staying too long at the fair.” Deceived by our own lusts (James 1:12-15) we settle for what is easy and what looks good in this life, instead of moving on in pursuit of God and His holiness. (Hebrews 12:14)
In the middle of this wilderness Jesus Christ still waits. He is that tree of Life to all whose hearts and minds are focused, and feast on Him. We must pray for the diligence and discipline to keep our eyes on Him; for the Spirit of wisdom to enable us to recognize the distractions of the enemy and the world; and for perseverance to proceed to the goal—Christ, Himself.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God,
and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power
hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2 Peter 1: 2-3
As simple as it may sound, I love the Lord’s Day because I love the Lord.
It is, and has been, for centuries, the day of celebration of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. As our heavenly Father rested after His work of creation, and set aside the seventh day as the Sabbath, so, we rest in Christ and set aside the new day of worship on the day that He rose in victory from the grave, creating new life for His people.
This day is the day that I remember His atoning work on the cross for me. All who are a part of His redeeming work meet together to give unto Him the glory due unto His name. I see this day as a new beginning; starting the new week in Christ and with His people. Actually, at times it seems that this is the eighth day— ending the previous week with a day of praise for all that He has done —-and the first day, both rolled into one.
Years ago, when I realized that this day is a gift to His people, it became a goal every week for me, a projection from one Lord’s Day to the next, with everyday between as a day of preparation for the next Lord’s Day. As mentioned in another post, each Lord’s Day is a taste of heaven, a prelude to that day when we will be worshipping our Lord eternally. Then everyday will be a day of rest, and worship.
“And upon the first day of the week,
when the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul preached unto them.”
Acts. 20:7
Today is the day that I will celebrate my Lord Jesus Christ, His person, His work; the day that I will praise Him, serve Him, love Him and His people as we meet together; the day that I will “hunger and thirst” for Him and His righteousness, be filled more and more with His Spirit; and be in awe as I hear His Word proclaimed in power. This day I will, together with God’s people participate in the Lord’s Supper, “remembering His death until He comes.” Besides all this, He amazes me with great and mighty things I have not yet known, asked for, or imagined.
Again, I ask that you share your comments about how the Lord leads you on this day. What difference does the Lord’s Day make in your life? What impression does the Lord’s Day make in your life for eternity?
May you be blessed today as you “delight yourself in the Lord and His Day.” Isaiah 58:13-14
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Someone who reads my posts concerning the Lord’s Day (Sabbath) has blatantly attacked this blog by his/her comments. (I say “this blog” because I, personally, will not accept such comments).
This blog was not set up as forum to discuss different religious beliefs, but to encourage those who are of “like faith” in Jesus Christ. The title itself is meant to bring all attention to God’s grace working in every believer, for His own glory. The sub-title “growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ” is to encourage others in this growth. If you are only looking for a debate this blog is not for you.
