Friday, September 6, 2019

"Get Up!"

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


"Get Up!"
      
     
  
  Yesterday we considered my philosophy of life - "Show up!" - which proceeds from the faithfulness of the God who, unlike myself, always arrives at the venue of his responsibilities to be and do whatever His purposes determine.  God always shows up.

   Another axiom involves something that is decidedly not a characteristic of our Lord.  "Get up!"  God never falls, and thus never needs to arise.  However, we do at times fall, that is, we distrust and disobey our Lord (I John 1:8).  On such occasions,  the Holy Spirit bears witness by the Word of God that we do not have to wallow in our collapse.

   "The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down" (Psalm 145:14).

    In terms of both axioms we consider, we might say that when we fail to show up, our Heavenly Father calls us to get up.  We do Him nor ourselves (or others) no favors by wallowing in our sins and failures.  The Lord Jesus Christ shed His precious blood to make forgiveness and cleansing possible.  He "ever liveth to make intercession for them."  Again, His Spirit and His Word beckon us to avail ourselves of God's grace and mercy in time of need.  Our Heavenly Father "delighteth in mercy."  He loves to forgive and restore more than we desire to be forgiven and restored (I John 1:9; Hebrews 7:25; 4:16; Micah 7:18; Psalm 86:5).  Thus, we must believe that through Christ we can get up, and get up quickly.  It is vital that we do so because a stained conscience in a believer perpetuates the consequences of falling if we do not get up and get up with haste.  "Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" (Hebrews 10:22).

   "Get up!"  If we could audibly hear the voice of the Holy Spirit during our earthly lifetime. His encouragement and admonition to arise in light of Christ's redeeming work in our lives would sound in our ears.  May it sound in our hearts when necessary.  We must not pile sin upon sin.  Indeed, whatever unbelief or disobedience causes us to stumble, failure to avail ourselves of the restorative forgiveness and cleansing of the Lord Jesus constitutes an even more crippling spiritual paralysis.  Our Savior shows up at the throne of grace forevermore to make intercession for us (Hebrews 4:16).  Let us show up there also, trusting that the mercy we find in our Lord's faithful mediation for us will enable us to get up!

"Come now and let us reason together.  Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.  Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah 1:18)
"There is forgiveness with Thee."
(Psalm 130:4)

Weekly Memory Verse


   "When Thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek."
 (Psalm 27:8)


  
























5695

No comments: