God's Indescribable Gift

"Thanks be to God for His Indescribable gift."  II Corinthians 9:15

God's special gift to us is "indescribable", it is amazing, it is beyond our comprehension.  This gift is Jesus, all wrapped up in love!  Of  Himself, Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water."  (John 4:10) 

Because of God's wonderful gift, we can have other  gifts such as a 'gift of a relationship with God'.  John 1:12 states that all who receive Him, (this gift) those who believe in His name, Hegives the right to be called the sons and daughters of God.

He also gives the 'gift of His Grace'.  Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by Grace you have been saved..."  We have received the 'gift of Eternal  Life', as according to Romans 6:23:  "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

One reason I think of God's gift as being 'indescribable'  and perhaps part of Paul's thinking in II Cor. 9:15, is that it is greater than we can grasp with our finite minds. Jesus was God, second person in the Trinity, totally God.  Yet in order to become the propitiation for man's sin, He had to take on a human body.  In doing so He had to become a human being. Now we have something beyond our imagination, something incredible, beyond words, indescribable.  He was still God, just as though He had never been man; yet He was man as though He had never been God.

And He did this as a gift to each of us!

"For God so loved the world that He gave (this indescribable gift) His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him will not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

Praise to God

"Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!  Psalm 150:6

Why should we praise God?
Psalm 63:3 answers this question: “Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips will praise you.”  In II Samuel 22:4 is says “I call on the Lord, who is Worthy to be praised…” In Psalm 48:1 “Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised…”  Psalm 65:1 states it like it is: “…praise is due and fitting to You, O God, in Zion…” From these verses we read that He is great, He is Worthy, He is an awesome God and it is His due.

By Praising God we will keep our focus on the Him; Praise is a way of helping us to obey God’s commands.  You cannot refuse His commands, and praise Him at the same time.  It just doesn’t work.

How are we to Praise God?
The answer to this question is found in Psalm 138:1 “I will praise thee with my whole heart….”  Psalm 34:1 says that His Praise shall continually be in my mouth.  Psalm 63:3 states that we will praise Him with our lips.    Psalm 103:33 states that we should ‘sing’ praises to God.     We who are children of God should praise Him with our whole heart; we should praise him continually with our lips and with singing.

When should we praise God?
In I Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul tells us to be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, as this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. We should praise Him in the midst of trials, and it will help us to see our trials as friends (James 1:2-4).   Psalm 72:15 and 119:164 both say that we should praise Him “all day long.”   Psalm 63: 4 states the “I will bless You while I live, I will lift up my hands in your name.”   In Psalm 84:4 we find that  “they will be singing Your praises all the day”.   Psalm 113:3 says that we should praise Him “from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.”  We never stop praising the Lord!

My Prayer: O Lord, I praise You that You are in control of my life.  I praise You whatever befalls me.  I accept and trust Your working in my life.  I will praise You in everything and continually, for this is my “Sacrifice of Prayer.”  Amen

Why Do We Have the Old Testament?

I have been asked what my favorite part of the Bible is.  It is difficult to pick out a favorite section of the Bible.  I have gone through the whole Bible,  chapter by chapter, every day for the past several years, and each time I go through it again, I glean something new from the most unexpected areas.  .

These past few weeks I have been reading I Chronicles.  In I Chronicles we learn about David’s life, but there are many chapters listing genealogies, names of warriors, and musicians, and tabernacle workers and all listing whose sons they were.  This can get very boring, but right in the middle of all the ‘sons of’ may be a gem.  Chapter 4 is an example that shows lists of names, and suddenly 2 verses about a fellow named Jabez, whom the Lord blessed.

Then after plodding through more lists of names, and sons of so and so, in chapter 26: 5 it says:  ‘Peullethai the eighth; for God blessed him.”  Then on it goes listing more names.  I had to stop and think about this.  At first I thought the person it was speaking of was this Peullethai, but as I reread it, and noticed the punctuation, I realized the one being blessed was in verse 4, Obed-Edom.  Obed-Edom had been faithful to God in caring for the Ark when it had been dropped off back in 2 Samuel.  Peullathai was one of Obed-edom’s sons, so was blessed, also, because his father had been faithful.  This can be a lesson to us as parents.  If we are faithful, our children will be blessed as well.  Verse seven even mentions the grandchildren.

Elsewhere in this same book are words of David, sounding very much like a Psalm.  Some examples are I Chron. 16: 8-10: O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name…Sing to Him, sing praises to Him…Glory in His Holy name.”  And in verses 31-34 of chapter 16 we have all nature singing: “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice…Let the sea roar…let the fields rejoice. then shall the trees of the wood sing out for joy before the Lord…O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever.”

All this from what I thought was the very ‘boring’ book of I Chronicles.  I once read that you may look lightly upon a Scripture and see nothing; meditate upon it often; there you shall see a light, like the light of the sun.  This must be what it means, as I have found that the more I read the Scriptures, the more nuggets I find.

Another thing I have found with the Old Testament, it shows us the most base of human nature.  God’s chosen nation did despicable things, turning away from God time after time.  And then the Old Testament ends nearly 400 years before Christ is born.  It would almost seem as though God had turned away from man, was just washing His hands of the whole human race.

But, as the New Testament begins, a baby is born just as predicted in the Old Testament.  And as it tells in Isaiah, the baby became the Passover Lamb, and instead of God washing His hands of mankind, His Son paid the price of all the sin handed down through all these generations, that man can be washed in the blood of that Lamb.  What a picture of Grace the New Testament gives.  And without the Old Testament, we may not see the clear picture of Grace.

Jeremiah 3-3-3

Young people of today will not remember this, but when I was very young, telephone numbers had an exchange name, followed by the number.  You are no doubt familiar with the song from the 1940’s entitled Pennsylvania 6-5000.  This is a good example of what I am talking about. In small towns, one gave the phone number to a ‘telephone operator’ instead of dialing it.  All this reminiscing is said in order to explain a quote we used to say about the Bible verse Jeremiah 33:3.  We called this God’s telephone number;   Jeremiah 3-3-3.   Here’s why—it says “Call to me and I will answer you…” The Lord tells us to call on Him, and He promises to answer.  He doesn’t say he will give us the answer we desire, every parent knows this is not wise; but He does promise to answer.

The previous verse, verse 2, states “Thus says the Lord Who made (the earth), the Lord Who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name.”  Then he goes on to say “Call on me”.  To me this is a Wow!  The maker of heaven and earth is telling us to just  “call” on Him, just pick up the phone, just connect to Him, and He will answer.

There are other promises in this first part of Jeremiah 33 that have grabbed at my heart.  I realize  the Lord was speaking to the Israelites, but I feel these verses are given to us to show what a gracious God we have.  We, too, have angered and saddened our Lord.   In verse 5 he says “…I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness:”  But then our gracious Lord says “Behold I will lay upon it health and healing, and I will cure them and will reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.”  Our Lord will ‘heal’ us from our sins; He will cure us and give us peace.

Verse 8 states “I will cleanse them from all the guilt and iniquity…and I will forgive all their guilt and iniquities by which they have sinned and rebelled against Me.”    All we have to do is call upon Him and He will ‘forgive’.

Verse 11 sounds to me like our “Sacrifice of Praise”.  “…the voices of those who sing as they bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord.  Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good:”

Verses 15-17 talks about our Messiah, our Righteousness.  Here are some excerpts…”at that time will I cause a righteous Branch (the Messiah) to grow up to David…”  “The Lord is Our Righteousness (our Rightness, our Justice).”

To summarize the blessings I found in Jeremiah 33:1-17:
1. Just Call and God will answer
2. He will cure and give peace
3. He forgives our iniquities
4. We give our “Sacrifice of Praise”
5. The Messiah is our Righteousness

My King is ....

“Behold a king shall reign in righteousness” (Isaiah 32:1).

For years the Jewish people longed for their coming ‘king’ to restore them as a nation to their freedom and former glory.  This King would be their Messiah, and in thinking Jesus might be their Messiah, they called Him “Son of David”.  They thought their messianic king, the righteous one to come from the line of David, was among them.  He even rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a sign of both peace and humility.

They were right in all ways except the timing.  At His 1st coming, He came as a sacrifice; but one day He will be revealed as the greatest of all kings.  Then He will not come on a donkey, but it says in Rev. 19:11 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.”  Then going to verse 16 it states: “on His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

The following is an article called “My King Is…” by Dr. S.M. Lockridge.  When I read it I felt my excitement and praise build until at the end I was also shouting, “That’s my King! AMEN!”  Read it and Praise our King!

“The Bible says my King is a seven-way king…He’s the King of the Jews; that’s a racial king…He’s the King of Israel; that’s a national King…He’s the King of Righteousness…He’s the King of the Ages…He’s the King of Heaven…He’s the King of Glory…He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords.  That’s my King.  Well…I wonder, do you know Him?

David said, “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork.  My King is a sovereign King.  No means of measure can define His limitless love.  No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply.  No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.  He’s enduringly strong…He’s entirely sincere…He’s eternally steadfast…He’s immortally graceful…He’s imperially powerful…He’s impartially merciful…Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world.  He’s God’s Son…He’s a sinner’s Savior…He’s the centerpiece of civilization…He stands in the solitude of Himself…He’s august…He’s unique…He’s unparalleled…He’s unprecedented…He’s the loftiest idea in literature…He’s the highest personality in philosophy…He’s the supreme problem in highest criticism…He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology…He’s the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion…He’s the miracle of the age…He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him…He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Savior…I wonder if you know Him today?

He supplies strength for the weak…He’s available for the tempted and the tried…He sympathizes and He saves…He strengthens and sustains…He guards and He guides…He heals the sick…He cleanses lepers…He forgives sinners…He discharges debtors...He delivers captives…He defends the feeble…He blesses the young…He serves the unfortunate…He regards the aged…He rewards the diligent…and He beautifies the meek…I wonder if you know Him?

Well, my King…is the King…He’s the key to knowledge…He’s the wellspring to wisdom…He’s the doorway of deliverance…He’s the pathway of peace…He’s the roadway of righteousness…He’s the highway of holiness…He’s the gateway of glory…Do you know Him?

Well…His office is manifold…His promise is sure…His light is matchless…His goodness is limitless…His mercy is everlasting…His love never changes…His word is enough…His grace is sufficient…His reign is righteous…and His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.  I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable…He’s incomprehensible…He’s invincible…He’s irresistible.

Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind…You can’t get Him off of your hand…You can’t out live Him, and you can’t live without Him…The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him…Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him…The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree…Herod couldn’t kill Him…Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him.  Yes!!! That’s my King, that’s my King!

Father…”Thine is the Kingdom…and the Power…and the Glory…Forever”…and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever.  How long is that?  And ever…and ever…and when you get through with all the forevers, then…AMEN!..AMEN! “

The Agony and The Triumph

"And being in agony He was praying very fervently..." Luke 22:44
"But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death..."  Acts 2:24

We can never know the 'agony' of Gethsemane.  Oswald Chambers says "it is the agony of God and man in one, face to face with sin."  Gethsemane was Satan's final onslaught against Christ as the 'Son of Man'.  It was here and on the Cross God and sin clashed.

But that is not the end!  The Cross was the 'triumph' of the 'Son of God' over sin, death and Satan.  It is at the Cross we can say with Paul "I am crucified with Christ."  It is at the Cross we can say "I live, yet not I but Christ lives within me."  It is at the Cross we are humbled, knowing it is Christ's agony of Gethsemane and the Cross that is also His triumph for saving the human race.  And now "He is seated at the right hand of the power of God."  Luke 2:69

Prayer:  Because of Your Agony, Lord Jesus, I can now enter in to the very presence of the Father.  Thank you for the agony and the triumph of the Cross.  You did it for me.  Amen

Answered Prayer

 

We often think that if we pray something, and don’t see an answer the way we prayed, then God did not hear or will not answer. God always answers our prayer. He always answers with a "Yes", "No" or "Wait".

The following is a poem written by an ‘Unknown Confederate Soldier’ showing how our prayers are answered, yet not always as we expect.

I asked God for strength

That I might achieve.

I was made weak,

That I might learn humbly to obey…

I asked for health

That I might do greater things,

I was given infirmity,

That I might do better things…
 

I asked for riches,

That I might be happy,

I was given poverty,

that I might be wise…

I asked for power,

That I might have the praise of men,

I was given weakness,

That I might feel the need of God…

I asked for all things,

That I might enjoy life,

I was given life,

That I might enjoy all things…

I got nothing that I asked for—

But everything I had hoped for;

Almost despite myself,

My unspoken prayers were answered.

I am among all men most richly blessed.

He knows what is best for each one of us. Leave it with Him!

Do You Hear Me?

Do You hear me?

Do You see me?

Have you ever asked this of God? I think David felt this way on occasion. In Psalm 55:1 he pleads with God, "listen to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my supplications." And in Psalm 61, verse one, it sounds as though he is pleading "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer."

There was a time when I thought of God’s knowing me about the way a speaker knows the person in the back row of a large auditorium full of people. Yes, I was in the crowd, I was in the door, but I was only one of the masses. Of course this also gave me reason to feel that if I did something not becoming a child of God, no one knew. Wow! Was this ever putting God into a box! I was bringing Him down to our very human level.

When Jesus Christ came to earth some 2000 years ago, and ultimately gave His life on Calvary’s Cross to pay the wages of sin, He tore away the veil separating God and man.

We are now one with God if we have accepted Christ as our Savior. He states in John 17:21 "That they all may be one, (just) as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, and they also may be one in Us…" and in verse 23 "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one…"

Ephesians 3:17 makes it very clear that Christ dwells within me. From the Amplified version we read "May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!"

And read what it says in Colossians 2:9 & 10 (again from the amplified): "For in Him the whole fullness of diety (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form (giving complete expression of the divine nature). And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life (in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,--and reach full spiritual stature.)"

So I ask again, "do You hear me? Do You see me?" And the answer is "of course my child, behold, I am with you always, as we are one."

"He knows my name,

He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call!"
         (Words by Tommy Walker)

Thank You Father, for hearing me, seeing me, and knowing all about me. You are so Good! Amen

I Do Not Understand

 

I do not understand why Jesus had to come to earth to die that I might have life. Why couldn’t God have found an easier way to give us salvation? I do not understand why God’s children on earth suffer pain, and persecution. I cannot understand why I must constantly battle with Satan and his helpers. I have often said things like "why did God allow this" or "if God loves me why did such and such happen?" Job 42:3 gives Job’s answer: "Therefore I have rashly uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."

You’ve no doubt seen the quote: "We make plans and Life happens." And here is another one that I just recently heard: "If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans." Proverbs 16:9 states "A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure." And in Proverbs 20:24: "Man’s steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a man understand his way?" We have no idea what the future holds for us, and God does, so why not trust Him, instead of telling Him we don’t understand so we’d rather do it ourselves.

Here is what God’s Word tells us about understanding the ways of God from Isaiah 55:8,9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." "As the heavens are higher than the earth"... Wow! That is a big spread. So what makes me think I can know what God’s reasons are? In Psalm 139:6 it says "Your infinite knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is high above me. I cannot reach it."

I may not understand the workings of the Lord, but this one thing I do know: "our light affliction which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." 2 Cor. 4:17, 18

We may not understand nor know

Just how the giant oak-trees throw

Their spreading branches wide,

Nor how upon the mountain-side

The dainty wild-flowers grow.

 

We may not understand nor see

Into the depth and mystery

Of suffering and tears;

Yet, through the stress of patient years

The flowers of sympathy

 

Spring up and scatter everywhere

Their perfume on the fragrant air--

But lo! the seed must die,

If it would bloom and multiply

And ripened fruitage bear.

                              ---Thomas Kimber



My Prayer: No, Lord, I do not understand why You had to suffer and die that I might have life; or why we suffer in this life. You could have put a hedge around all Your children, but we would then become weak; we would not have learned how to use Your armor. You say in I Peter 4:13 that our suffering is working for us and will make us rejoice even more when we see Your glory. David said that before he was afflicted, he went astray. I know that all that comes my way is allowed for my good, and I pray I will not waste the trials You allow for me. I also know that nothing touches me that has not gone through You first. You have a design for me, and though I may not understand it, You will use it for my good. You said in John 13:7 "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." Thank you Lord for all You do for me, even if I do not understand it now. Amen

YESTERDAY IS GONE!

I have been pondering on a helpful New Year thought to share that will help get us off to a right start for 2013. As I read from ‘Springs in the Valley’ this morning, the words of Bob Burdette seemed to be my answer. The thoughts he gave aren’t new, but the way he puts it made it catchy and so understandable.

He says that there are two days each week during which he never worries—two carefree days to be free of fear and apprehension. One of these days is yesterday. Yesterday, with its cares and fears and mistakes, is gone, gone forever! All that was done yesterday is in the hands of the Mighty Lord. It is God’s!

The other day is tomorrow. All the fears, burdens and failures are beyond me to do anything about. It is a day of God’s. Just as the Mighty Lord held yesterday, so He holds tomorrow. That day is God’s day!

So I have one day left for me in each week—Today. We only carry the burdens, or face temptations one day, so don’t add what is gone or hasn’t come yet. These are God’s days, leave them with Him. We only have to face one day at a time, and our Mighty Lord walks with us each step of the way.

"Tomorrow is God’s secret—but today is yours to live!"

Paul says in Phil. 3:13: "But one thing I do (it is my one aspiration); forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on…"

My Prayer:
Lord, my past, my yesterdays are under the blood. Paul tells us to forget those things that are behind. He further says to ‘press forward’ knowing that my tomorrows are in Your hands. Today is my gift from You, my "Present" from You. Each new day as it becomes my ‘present’ I commit it to You to lead and guide, step by step, just one day at a time.
Amen