Saturday Songs -24- "Forever Beckons On"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

(Friends: Those of you who have been with us over the years may recognize the lyrics of this one, which we've sent out a number of times as a poem in the devotionals.  I wrote it about 20 years ago, and only recently composed music for it.  I hope you find it encouraging.  Thanks, Glen)

Saturday Songs

-24-

“Forever Beckons On”

There is no end to the quest we know, 

forever beckons on.

For our spirits soar in skies so blue,

above all clouds of storm.

And forever beckons on,

forever beckons on.

Yes, we fly into the heart of God

as in His Son we trust.

And earth will soon be nothing more

than long forgotten dust.

And forever beckons on,

forever beckons on.

So spread your wings and catch the wind,

o journeyman of hope,

and race toward horizons blessed

with those who also know

That the quest of hearts is Jesus,

He is our shining sun.

It matters not how far we've come,

the journey's just begun.

And forever beckons on,

forever beckons on.

   

   Weekly Memory Verse

    Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

(I Timothy 6:17)

"A Place of Grace"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"A Place of Grace"

   "The Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father's house an house of merchandise" (John 2:13-16).

    God's temple should reflect the truth of grace freely received by faith.  The distortion of this truth deeply disturbed the Lord Jesus Christ who came to make salvation possible as a free gift, the freest gift ever given.  This applies to the beginning of our saving relationship with God: "by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.  It is the gift of God and not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).  The truth of grace received by faith also references our subsequent walk with God: "We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God" (1 Corinthians 2:12).  The Holy Spirit who convinced, convicted, and converted us now dwells within us to empower the availing of God's freely given presence and working.  No barter exists in this life of grace through faith, any more than we purchased our way into the new birth.  "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).

   Gifts change us, especially the gift of God's grace in Christ.  Every Christmas season, my grandchildren give me shoe shine sponges preloaded with polish.  They know I love them for the convenience, and even more, because of their joy in the giving.  Thus, I maintain dress shoes that always look pretty sharp and shiny!  Their gift changes things in my life.  The same is far more true of God's ongoing giving in Christ.  We live by His giving.  Thus, the more we realize that the temple of our hearts is a place of grace rather than merchandise, the more God's giving and our receiving leads us to live in a manner that honors the Lord (II Corinthians 3:18).  Long ago, an outraged Lord Jesus drove the moneychangers from an earthly temple that became a business.  May He do the same in us whenever we forget that God purposes our hearts to be the spiritual place of grace where God gives, we receive, and the Lord Jesus is glorified as the gifts more and more change us into His blessed image.

"So also is the free gift.  For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many" (Romans 5:15)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

(I Timothy 6:17)

 

“His Story (or, The Unseen Hand)”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"His Story (or, The Unseen Hand)"

    

   You've likely heard the adage, "History is His Story."  The Bible confirms the notion by declaring "God… worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:3; 11).  This does not preclude our story, or the significance of every human being in response to God, others, and the lives we live.  It does mean that an unseen Hand weaves every thread of human experience into the redemptive purposes based on the Lord's eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:11).  

    In a generation with so many voices and images constantly beckoning for our attention through modern communication devices, it can be difficult to maintain a God-focused perspective on history.  Everything often seems so human, and most of the agencies that report, analyze, or entertain present their notions accordingly.  Things are human, of course, but the Bible unequivocally proclaims that the Divine far more characterizes the reality of our existence.

    "The whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3).

    "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

    "Whither shall I go to flee from Thy Spirit?  Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" (Psalm 139:7). 

    For the born again believer, supplement these affirmations of the the unseen Hand with "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  Human aspects remain, with great effect and influence on our lives.  The Divine, however, must be viewed as the Great Fact of  truth and reality in the ultimate sense, and also regarding the matter of this and every moment.  We may not perceive with our senses the working of our Heavenly Father in all things.  Nor do we understand how His hand weaves the innumerable threads of human experience into His eternal purpose.  We just know that it does.  We trust that it does, meaning that we "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  This requires many choices to believe God's truth when mind, emotion, and even physical sensation seem to belie our Lord's active and involved presence in all things.  Indeed, our Lord is so wise, understanding, powerful, and good that we will one day look back on history, including that of the world and of ourselves, with a heart of amazed wonder in the light of His Story.

All things work together for good

in the hearts and lives of those who love the Lord.

The pleasures and the pains, the sunlight and the rains,

all things work together for good.

An unseen Hand weaves every thread.

A heart of grace works for our best,

to make us like His Son, He leaves nothing undone.

All things work together for good…

all things work together for good.

"For of Him, and through Him and to Him are all things."

(Romans 11:36)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

(I Timothy 6:17)

 

"Fields of Harvest, Fields of Flood"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Fields of Harvest, Fields of Flood"

    

   The author David Needham recounts the experience of two Christian farm families whose lands lay adjacent to one another.  Both families found themselves in dire financial straits during a particular harvest season.  One family desperately needed a heavy soaking rain to save their wheat crop, while the other required several days of dry weather to make possible the harvest of tomatoes ready for picking.  Both families prayed, but only the wheat farmer's pleas seemed to be answered.  Rain brought his crop through to harvest, but destroyed the tomato farmer's fruits.  Needham continues the narrative by considering both families five years later.  "Remember what happened all those years ago?" said the wheat farmer to his wife and children.  "God heard our prayers, saved our wheat, and brought us prosperity!  Let us pray and give thanks!"  The tomato farmer also remembered the fateful night when the rains fell despite the family's prayers.   "My loved ones, it's been five years now since our crop was destroyed.  Things have been very difficult since then.  We lost the farm, and have struggled in many ways.  But haven't we found the Lord to be so good and faithful in our challenges!  Let us pray and give thanks!"

    "This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6).

     "God is our refuge and strength,  a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

    Whose prayers were answered in Needham's narrative?  We might think that only the wheat farmer and his family received God's provision.  However, if the tomato farmer's family found the Lord to be "a very present help in trouble," might it be that the Lord also fulfilled their request, albeit in a very different measure and mode of grace than hoped for?  Consider the Apostle Paul's experience.  He sought removal of painful thorns (II Corinthians 12:7-9).  He received grace that could not have been known without the thorns.  Paul's prayers were not directly answered.  However, the Apostle actually received a gracious response from God.  Certainly it did not feel like it in the moment, but our brother of old would tell us that grace with the thorns resulted in a far more glorious outcome than comfort without the thorns.

    If allowed to look back on our earthly lives from Heaven, we will doubtless be grateful for answered prayers, and for sincere requests that seemed unanswered, but actually resulted in a provision "exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).  Rescued wheat led to praise and thanksgiving.  Drowned tomatoes resulted in the same.  Only a God faithful, present, and involved beyond imagining could elicit such response in both scenarios.  From our troubles, or in our troubles.  We will find the same blessed Lord able to keep our hearts in peace and our minds filled with wonder in fields of harvest and fields of flood.

"They joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest."

(Isaiah 9:3)

"The Lord sitteth upon the flood, yea, the Lord sitteth King forever."

(Psalm 29:10)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

(I Timothy 6:17)

 

"The Good Fight"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"The Good Fight"

    

   The Bible proclaims a salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ that provides superabundant enabling.

   "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness… God hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ" (II Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:3).

    Despite such magnitude of gracious provision "in all things," born again believers sometimes become discouraged.  Ignorance, forgetfulness, and even willful refusal to believe the promises of God can lead us to a less than abundant accessing of His presence, power, and persistent working.  We play a role in our walk with the Lord as we trust and submit to Him in the realities of life.  If discouraged, we must therefore seek our Lord's searching to determine culpability on our part.  However, we must also realize that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood," particularly regarding temptations to discouragement (Ephesians 6:12).  The spiritual enemies who cannot rob us of our redemption instead seek to hinder our realization and response to "so great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3).  Discouragement results not only from human factors.  Satan, his demonic entities, and the world system in which we now live also play a significant role.  "There are many adversaries" (I Corinthians 16:9).

    This should get our spiritual dander up in times of discouragement.  Outside influences seek to hinder our walk in Christ and the joy of our hearts.  Somebody is trying to hurt us, to discourage us.  "The thief cometh but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10).  If we fail to grasp this plainly stated Biblical truth, we erroneously perceive the challenge as completely internal.  Again, there is a place for willingness to accept responsibility for failure to trust our Heavenly Father and the discouragement that results from unbelief.  However, a Biblical diagnosis of the challenge also identifies devilish and worldly influences as significant factors.  "Fight the good fight of faith" commanded the Apostle Paul (I Timothy 6:12).  We must heed Paul when tempted to discouragement by engaging in the Biblical reconnaissance that correctly identifies our enemies.  "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8).  The recognition will motivate our response to God by availing ourselves of His presence and truth.  Thereby "so great salvation" replaces discouragement with hope and expectation.  Again, discouragement is not merely a human mental, emotional, or physical experience.  Malevolent influences seek our harm.  This should fill us with righteous indignation, leading us to unsheathe "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," raise the shield of faith, and engage in the good fight of faith whereby we overcome discouragement by trusting the "exceeding great and precious promises" of our risen Lord (II Peter 1:4).  

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."

(I Samuel 30:6)

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

(Ephesians 6:13-18)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

(I Timothy 6:17)

 

"Replace"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Replace"

   Overcoming temptation involves replacement of worldly, devilish, and fleshly impulses with the applied Truth of Scripture.

   "Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28).

    The Apostle Paul did not merely tell thieves to stop thieving, but rather to supplant the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.  We put off the works of our former lives by putting on the character, nature, and way of Christ and our newness of life in Him (Ephesians 4:22-24).  This applies to all temptation.  It is not enough to merely not do whatever the challenge involves.  Victory through the Lord Jesus Christ rather calls us to specifically overcome darkness with His light.  For example, if we are tempted to fear, we embrace confidence in the promises of Scripture.  "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psalm 56:3).  If enticed to resentment and bitterness, we remember the love of God for our offender, and the truth of such love "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).  When discouragement seems to overwhelm us, we replace wallowing in pity with the God-enabled determination: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Habbakuk 3:17-18).  

   The Christian life in a fallen world frequently involves overcoming challenge rather than deliverance from it.  Great glory to God results when temptations become opportunities to experience our Lord and His truth not merely as a way to avoid sin, but also to reveal His salvation in ways that could not be known apart from conflict.  Whatever the temptation, Scripture offers specific rays of light that overcome darkness.  The Holy Spirit leads and enables us to apply such truth as we "fight the good fight of faith" (I Timothy 6:12).  Thereby former thieves become givers, liars become truthtellers, worriers become stalwarts of faith, and and human weakness becomes the vessel of Divine power.  Replace.

"Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."

(Galatians 5:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

(I Timothy 6:17)

 

“Touched, Tempted, Triumphant!”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Touched, Tempted, Triumphant!"

    

   Only one human being ever lived who was tempted in every way possible.  And only one human being overcame every temptation He ever faced.

   "We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, and yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

    Our own experience of overcoming temptation helps us to better understand this marvelous truth about our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is never easy to overcome, and frequently causes discomfort as we put to death fleshly impulses that in the moment feel desirable.  Indeed, temptation would not be temptation if we did not experience the emotional and physical appeal of whatever entices us.  I cannot be tempted to eat chicken livers, for example.  I'll easily pass on organ meat!  A plate full of fried chicken, conversely, beckons like a siren song to my appetite!  The things that tempt us appeal to our desires and inclinations.  Thus, overcoming temptation involves sacrifice of pleasure in the moment for the purpose of better and more longterm benefit.

    I do not know all this means regarding the Lord Jesus' earthly experience, and His being "tempted in all points."  We can be sure, however, that He felt the reality of enticement in His earthly humanity and the discomfort of determining not to succumb to challenges.  For example, He remained intensely hungry when He refused Satan's temptation to turn stones to bread (Matthew 4:4).  The Lord Jesus suffered not only on the cross of Calvary, but on the crossroads of more than three decades spent on a battlefield of temptation and enticement.  Had He ever once succumbed, He could not have been our sin bearer.  He would have been required to die for His own sin.  But He never did.  Not once.  Every devilish, worldly, and fleshly challenge found our Savior drawing the sword of the Spirit and wielding the shield of faith.  Through the Spirit, He put to death every inclination that would have disqualified the holy role of redemption for which His Father sent Him into the world.  "Touched with the feeling of our infirmities... Tempted in all points like as we are."  This was the trial.  "Yet without sin."  This is the triumph, the triumph of love whereby our Lord was willing to step into Satan's arena, bearing a humanity that could be tested in ways beyond any mode and measure we will ever know.  The touched One, the tempted One, the triumphant One!  This is our Savior, challenged more than any other and victorious in every battle for the glory of His Father and the redemption of those who look to "the Captain of their salvation" (Hebrews 2:10).

"In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer.  I have overcome the world."

(John 16:33)

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

(II Corinthians 4:17)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

(I John 4:1)

    

"The Man Above"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"The Man Above"

    

   You likely feel as uncomfortable as I do when someone refers to God as "the man upstairs."  Inadvertently, however, those who reference the Lord in such a manner actually express a fundamental Biblical truth.

    "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the  man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).

    The Lord Jesus is the God who became man, and the man who remains God.  As a glorified human being, He ascended to Heaven after His resurrection"now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24). Nothing less would have secured our salvation.  "Wherefore in all things it behooved (was necessary for) Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).  Moreover, nothing else can eternally secure our salvation.  "He is able also to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).  Our Savior sits at the right hand of His Father as our mediator who must exist as both God and man for the blessed purpose of uniting Divinity and humanity.  In this sense, He is indeed the Heavenly man who dwells above.

    I do not recommend the "man upstairs" terminology, which denotes lack of understanding and respect concerning the exaltation of the Lord Jesus.  We may nevertheless find opportunity to raise the issue of Christ's incarnation when someone uses the term.  This could certainly lead to an effective presentation of the Gospel, and perhaps to the effectual working in someone's heart whereby the proper fear of God leads to redeeming faith in God.  Yes, our Lord is the God who became man for our sakes, and the man, the man above, who remains God.

"Great is the mystery of the Gospel.  God was manifest in the flesh."

(I Timothy 3:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

(I John 4:1)

    

"Pages Of the Book"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Pages Of the Book"

    

   Part of our ministry involves taking church, as it were, to people who no longer have the opportunity to attend services in the traditional sense.  We'll do that later today when we conduct a meeting at a local retirement community.  Interestingly, the fact of the matter is that our Heavenly Father leads every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill a similar role and calling.

   "We are ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20).

   "Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).

    You may have heard the old saying, "Believers are the only Bible some people ever read."  This is surely the case in our generation, wherein agnosticism, atheism, and false religion abound.  Thus, we must awaken to each new day with the attitude of the prophet, "Here am I. Send me" (Isaiah 6:8).  This doesn't mean we must all conduct services, but rather that we realize our privileged responsibility to represent the Lord Jesus Christ wherever we go, and in whatever we do.  Our countenance, demeanor, attitude, words, and actions should serve as the pages whereby our world "reads" the Truth whether they realize it or not.  This involves direct testimony as the Lord leads and appoints.  The Apostle Paul prayed a prayer we should offer for each other and ourselves, asking the Ephesian believers to request "that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel" (Ephesians 6:19).  We also bear witness by the aforementioned ways in which we preach by practice.  "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).   As a voice of old suggested, "Preach the Gospel wherever you go.  Use words when necessary."

    We are living pages of the Book, and rays that shine forth from the Light of the world.  We all "take church" to people wherever we go as we trust and submit ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit and His holy purpose of glorifying and revealing the Lord Jesus (John 16:14; 15:26).  Amid everything else we do in this day, such a calling lies before us with joyful anticipation and solemn seriousness.  Indeed, in your world and mine, we are pages of the Book, and the only Bible some people ever read.

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

 (Acts 1:8)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

(I John 4:1)

    

“Of Tomatoes and Truth”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Of Tomatoes and Truth"

    

   If you enjoy tomatoes, this one's for you.  The message that follows may well change your life, in a small but most enjoyable manner.  Far more importantly, a vital spiritual true shines even more brightly than the culinary illumination I hope to impart.

    "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16).

    First, the tomatoes.  We love them here in the southern United States.  The climate and soil in most parts of the South serve tomato plants well, which in turn, serves our appetites even better.  However, we have long embraced a falsehood about this fruit (yes, tomatoes are scientifically a fruit).  "Don't ever put tomatoes in the refrigerator!  It will kill their flavor and texture!"  Our grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and kindergarten playmates pounded this truism into our brains from the nearly the moment of our conception.  There is truth in the axiom.  If you put an unripe tomato in the refrigerator, the maturing process of the fruit will end almost immediately.  You'll end up with a flavorless, hard (or sometimes mushy) specimen that will be best suited for the compost pile.  On the other hand, a fully ripe tomato actually loves refrigeration.  It will remain usable for at least a week, and I've held them in the cold box for significantly longer without spoilage.  You might turn them over every couple of days, and it's not a bad idea to let a cold tomato warm up on the counter before cutting into it.  But the refrigerator can be a friend of tomatoes - and of their partakers - if we follow the rule: only refrigerate a fully ripe tomato.

    Of far greater importance are Biblical truisms, that is, commonly held beliefs about the Scriptures that do not actually reflect God's truth.  What does the Bible actually say about God, people, creation, history, salvation, the Christian life, and a myriad of other subjects it addresses?  Sometimes we think we know Scriptural truth when actually we follow untrue or half-true notions that will not stand the test of proper Biblical interpretation.  The prophet Isaiah speaks powerfully to this vital matter: "Whom shall He teach knowledge?  And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?  Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:9-10).

   When the tomato is beautifully red (or whatever its native hue, depending on the variety), when it's flesh softens but retains firmness, and when its fragrance wafts with the essence of summer… eat it!!!!  But if you've already had 3 or 4, and there's a few left, throw 'em in the refrigerator vegetable bin on a paper towel or other soft surface.  They'll be waiting for you tomorrow, or a few days from now, or even perhaps next week.  Of far greater importance, let us keep our hearts before the Lord and His Word to ensure that we walk in accordance with Truth rather than mere truisms.  What does the Bible actually say?  No more important question exists.  Or better yet, make it personal, as did the Psalmist…

"Teach me Thy way, o Lord.  I will walk in Thy truth."

(Psalm 86:11)

"Search me, o God, and know my heart.  Try me and know my thoughts.  See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

(Psalm 139:23-24)

Weekly Memory Verse

    "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

(I John 4:1)

    

“Coincidence? Coordination!”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Coincidence?  Coordination!"

    

   It began to rain when we were a mile from our house.  The lightning waited until just before we approached our driveway.

   "Doth not He see my ways, and count all my steps?" (Psalm 31:4).

    Frances and I take a longer walk than usual on Saturday mornings.  The weather during this late spring season on the Gulf Coast of the United States has presented real challenges.  We are currently experiencing convective showers nearly every day.  These are thunderstorms that result from warm waters condensing over the gulf, and then moving inland where the cooling clouds release rain and and often produce significant lightning.  This normally happens in the afternoon, but this year we are seeing the storms arriving mid to late morning.  Like today, when one moment we seemed to have clear sailing… uh, walking… and the next we found ourselves making our way amid a steady shower.  Thankfully, sans lightning!

    Another pertinent aspect of the event is that just before the rain came, Frances and I had discussed the Biblical record that indicates it apparently never rained on the earth until the flood of Noah.  I had listened to the first chapters of Genesis on my smartphone during part of our walk (thank the Lord for modern technology!).  The issue of the mist and the rain captured my attention, leading to the discussion with Frances.

    "The LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.  But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground" (Genesis 2:5-6).

    "For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth" (Genesis 7:4).

    Before the flood, a mist from within the earth provided water rather than rain from above.  Interesting implications present themselves in this fascinating historical reality, some we may consider in future messages.  For now, I want to emphasis the juxtaposition of events already mentioned.  First, I listened to the Genesis account which led to thoughts about rain, which lead to discussion about the matter with Frances.  Then, a fleet of convective clouds came from seemingly nowhere, bringing the rain, but without the accompanying lightning - until we arrived at our house.  We love walking the in rain, but only when no electrocuting bolts of electricity accompany it.  Everything just seemed so perfectly coordinated.  

And, I believe it was.  The Lord who counts our steps also orders them as we trust and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.  "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).  Most of the time, this happens in ways beyond our conscious awareness.  God leads, we follow, but we don't necessarily think about our path in those terms.  Sometimes, however, our Lord coordinates things in such an obvious matter that the lights along our way seem to glimmer with blinding brightness.  "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).

    Such experiences of the obvious don't happen that often.  We don't look for them, we don't try to create them, and we realize that most of life in our present existence involves the calling to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  When they do occur, we marvel, rejoice, give thanks, and wonder why the Lord so graciously orchestrated thoughts, steps, and events that some may call coincidence, but which trusting believers recognize as coordination.  Again, we don't always know what events mean, but we know Who means them.  This is enough for now as our Lord reveals Himself by His Word and by clouds, rain, a sky without lightning, and steps obviously counted and directed.

"Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Weekly Memory Verse

    The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.

(Psalm 126:3)

    

Saturday Songs - 23 - "He Delighteth"

Saturday (Sunday !) Songs

-23-

"He Delighteth"

   

    Friends:  Micah 7:18 includes one of my favorite Biblical statements regarding God and His attitude toward the human race: "He delighteth in mercy."  Or, God loves to forgive, as confirmed by the price He paid to make mercy possible without compromising His integrity - "just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"  (Romans 3:26).   The lifeblood of His Son provided that price.  This song, recorded many years ago just after I wrote it, speaks of such marvelous mercy.  I hope you find it encouraging.  Thanks,  Glen.

"Grace For Grace"

"Grace For Grace"

    

   The Apostle Paul strongly affirms the Thessalonian believers as he opens his second epistle to his beloved brothers and sisters:

   "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth" (II Thessalonians 1:3).

    Paul, as he did in a number of his epistles, nevertheless concludes this communication with a benediction of seeking grace for the Thessalonians:

    "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (II Thessalonians 3:18).

    Why did those who had clearly already received God's freely given favor in the Lord Jesus seemingly need more of such undeserved blessing?  Was Paul's benediction merely a polite salutation?  The answer lies in application, affirmation, and awareness.  The Thessalonians, like every born again believer in the Lord Jesus, possessed God's grace as His spiritual recipients in Christ.  Whether such favor and relationship with their Heavenly Father would consistently influence their experience constituted a different matter.  Christians are to be more than merely possessors of God's gracious beneficence whereby we are "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).  We also desire to be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (I Peter 4:10).  For His glory, the benefit of others, and the peace of our own hearts, a growing knowledge and understanding of grace enables us to live in the light of such favor.  Thereby we please our Father by walking with Him in consistent fellowship.  We influence people in our lives by exemplifying and expressing the freely given favor we have received.  And we walk in the wonder of the Gift so freely bestowed upon us, but which cost the Lord Jesus so much sorrow, suffering, forsakenness, and death.  

    The Apostle John wrote that we have "received grace for grace" (John 1:16).  Indeed, one moment of response to our Lord's loving acceptance leads to another, and another as we "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).  We will never have more grace in the sense of possession.  We will eternally have more in the sense of grateful discovery, response, and application.  Our Lord beckons us to sail ever further into His goodness whereby our hearts remain continually amazed by tides of grace in Christ that carry us along in freely given favor, enabling our faithfully executed voyage for His glory.

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 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 4:14-16)

Weekly Memory Verse

    The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.

(Psalm 126:3)