God's Love For Believers

OBSERVATIONS:
1. God desires to possess believers as his own. Ps 4:3: Mal 3:16-17;
2. God loves believers before we believe. Rom 5:8, 1 John 4:10
3. God is patient and merciful in his love: Isa 30:18; 2 Peter 3:9
3. God's love for believers is great in quantity. 1 John 3:1; Col 3:12; Eph 2:4-5; Romans 8:32; John 17:23; 2 Thes 2:16; John 16:27; Romans 1:7
4. God loves those who fear him, obey him, serve him., give cheerfully, do the right thing, try to do the right thing, and those who believe and love Jesus Christ. Ps 103:13; Mal 3:16-17; John 14:21-23; 2 Cor 9:7; John 16:27
5. God disciplines the ones he loves. Heb 12:6; Isa 38:17
6. God loves us as his children. 1 John 3:1, Romans 8:32
7. He promises to graciously give us all things in him. Rom 8:32, John 15:7; Matt 7:1
8. God"s love for believers will never fail. Romans 8;38-39

God's Love For All

OBSERVATIONS:
1. God invites the entire world to turn and be saved. Isa 45:22; 55:1
2. God invites sinners to turn and be saved. Eze 18:23,32
3. Salvation will include all of the physical earth. Isa 49:6
4. God loves the whole world. John 3:16,17
5. God desires the whole world to be saved. Eze 18:32; 2 Pe 3:9; 1 Tim 2:4
6. God sent Jesus to be savior of the world. 1 John 4:14
7. God's salvation bringing grace appears to all. Titus 2:11
8. Scripture suggests Christ paid the potential ransom for all. Heb 2:9; 1 Tim 2:6; 1Tim 4:10; 2 Pe 2:1

I Will Lift My Eyes

God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in


I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You


God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me

Your kindness is what pulls me up
And your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You


‘Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
The Lover I need to save me
‘Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together
God So hold me now

God, my God
Your beloved needs you now.

--Bebo Norman

The Study

I just read the short pamphlet My Heart, Christ's Home by Robert Munger http://www.hcm2.org/prose/home.htm. It's an interesting discussion of a man's life described as a house with different rooms representing various parts of his existence. Munger describes the process of Jesus slowly being let in to each section of the house to reorganize things as he would have them. For example, the study or library represents the thoughts of our minds and things we read, study and think about. The pictures on the walls of the library represent our thoughts. Christ, in Munger's pamphlet, says "it will be difficult to control" these images. But he says place a large picture of me (Jesus) centrally on the wall and this will help. The pamphlet goes through Jesus' reorganization of every room culminating in the owner signing over the deed of the house to him. An interesting description of the sanctification of a believer.

This description of the study or library really interested me. Jesus says in the pamphlet to replace the books on the shelves with the Bible and to meditate on the scriptures. In other words, study him. The images on the walls are to be dominated by a large, centrally located image of Christ, so our thoughts are constantly drawn back to him. I started to think about thinking. (Did I say that)? Obviously, thoughts pop into our minds uninvited at times. What initiates them? We can initiate thoughts voluntarily, but many come from out of no where. Then once a thought is in our minds, we can choose to dwell on it or willfully push it away (sometimes easier said than done). Scripture tells us to think about good things and to control our thoughts. The easiest of the two is the former.

Some observations on the mind from scripture:

Matt 22:37 --We are to love the Lord with all of our minds.
Romans 8:6 -- Setting are minds on the things of the Spirit brings life and peace.
Romans 12:2-- We are to consistently renew our minds with the help of the Spirit and his word.
Colossians 3:2 -- God calls us to set our minds on him. This is a planned action.
1 Peter 1:13 -- Our minds need to be ready for God's use and ready for temptation.
2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 11:3 -- Satan can blind the minds of unbelievers and can tempt believers' in their thoughts if God allows. (God is the ultimate gatekeeper for temptation 1 Cor 10:13.
Psalm 7:9 -- God tests our minds.

Behold The Living God

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Cor 3:18

To behold the Lord is to be changed. No one can sit at the feet of the Almighty and walk away as the same person. His majesty, love and goodness; his justice and perfection inspire terrifying respect and awe. To behold the Lord is to be changed. The longer we sit with him and marvel at his attributes the more we are shaped into his image. Not by our power, but by his. I want to spend time with God. As much time as possible. To see the hope, glorious inheritance and power provided to us in Christ (Eph 1:17-18). To see it with the eyes of my heart. O to find my satisfaction and joy only in him. I can see how the Psalmist rejoiced in God being his portion forever (Ps 73:26). Most times though God is just out of my grasp. I long to be with him but the time seems so fleeting that I am actually there. The other night in a study that I was involved in we talked about how we can better behold the living God. Some observations:

1. God will be found by those who seek him with all their hearts. Deut 4:29, Jer 29:13; James 4:8; 1Chron 28:9

2. God manifests himself to the obedient, those who know his commands and obey them. John 14:21, 23; Matt 5:8, Isa 59:2

3. We should ask God to commune with us because he says he will when asked. Rev 3:20, Ps 145:18

4. And this from a previous post related to John Owens Communion with a Triune God.....Two things are required of believers to commune completely with the Almighty. Communion consists of giving and receiving. First, we as believers must receive the Father's love. We receive it by believing his love for us is real, unchanging, eternal and significant. That he delights in us and that his love for us is not dependent on our living a sinless life. His love for us is dependent on who God is in his very nature. It is not dependent on who I am. (If his love was dependent on me and my actions, I could earn God's love and his glory would be diminished). To believe God's love is dependent on our actions is to diminish God's magnificent mercy and grace and is a manifestation of unbelief. We must receive God's love for us if we are to commune with him. Link. We can approach his thrown with confidence to receive mercy and grace (Heb 4:15).

5. All this—ALL THIS—emanates directly from the cross where Christ’s glorious, finished work of substitutionary atonement is all-sufficient for my needs as a sinner (1 Peter 3:18). Added by my brother BB.

To truly experience consciously the living God in reality; to know him personally and closely is my desire. O Lord help me to know you. Show me your glory. Send down your presence. I want to see your face.

The Covenant of Grace

Below is a transcript from a Spurgeon sermon where he describes this covenant and then wonders what it would have been like to be to hear this covenant being made.

“Now, in this covenant of grace, we must first of all observe the high contracting parties between whom it was made. The covenant of grace was made before the foundation of the world between God the Father, and God the Son; or to put it in a yet more scriptural light, it was made mutually between the three divine persons of the adorable Trinity. I cannot tell you it in the glorious celestial tongue in which it was written: I am fain to bring it down to the speech which suiteth to the ear of flesh, and to the heart of the mortal. Thus, I say, run the covenant, in ones like these:”

"I, the Most High Jehovah, do hereby give unto my only begotten and well-beloved Son, a people, countless beyond the number of stars, who shall be by him washed from sin, by him preserved, and kept, and led, and by him, at last, presented before my throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. I covenant by oath, and swear by myself, because I can swear by no greater, that these whom I now give to Christ shall be for ever the objects of my eternal love. Them I will forgive through the merit of the blood. To these will I give a perfect righteousness; these will I adopt and make my sons and daughters, and these shall reign with me through Christ eternally."

Thus run that glorious side of the covenant. The Holy Spirit also, as one of the high contracting parties on this side of the covenant, gave his declaration,

"I hereby covenant," saith he, "that all whom the Father giveth to the Son, I will in due time quicken. I will show them their need of redemption; I will cut off from them all groundless hope, and destroy their refuges of lies. I will bring them to the blood of sprinkling; I will give them faith whereby this blood shall be applied to them, I will work in them every grace; I will keep their faith alive; I will cleanse them and drive out all depravity from them, and they shall be presented at last spotless and faultless."

This was the one side of the covenant, which is at this very day being fulfilled and scrupulously kept. As for the other side of the covenant this was the part of it, engaged and covenanted by Christ. He thus declared, and covenanted with his Father:

"My Father, on my part I covenant that in the fullness of time I will become man. I will take upon myself the form and nature of the fallen race. I will live in their wretched world, and for my people I will keep the law perfectly. I will work out a spotless righteousness, which shall be acceptable to the demands of thy just and holy law. In due time I will bear the sins of all my people. Thou shalt exact their debts on me; the chastisement of their peace I will endure, and by my stripes they shall be healed. My Father, I covenant and promise that I will be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. I will magnify thy law, and make it honourable. I will suffer all they ought to have suffered. I will endure the curse of thy law, and all the vials of thy wrath shall be emptied and spent upon my head. I will then rise again; I will ascend into heaven; I will intercede for them at thy right hand; and I will make myself responsible for every one of them, that not one of those whom thou hast given me shall ever be lost, but I will bring all my sheep of whom, by thy blood, thou hast constituted me the shepherd—I will bring every one safe to thee at last."

-Charles Spurgeon-

Job

There are difficult times these days in our world. Many people are losing jobs, and the financial markets have tanked. The stress was evident in my discipleship group this morning as many of the men's jobs are at risk. The fact that God has promised to work all for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes (Rom 8:28) was brought up. The next thought that came out was...."what if God wants to move me out of my comfortable house and into a lesser socioeconomic status?" Then do I still believe Romans 8:28? That is part of the question isn't it? Surrender. Do I surrender all to God? Am I willing to look to him for my provision AND accept that which he feels is best for me....even if it isn't what I want? It's easy to not have to deal with the question when things are going well. Although, we remain distant from the Almighty in that position. We grow close to him when we wrestle with our flesh and by the power of the Spirit give our wills over to him. O that wrestling can be hard. Job wrestled with it. He was a godly man who had everything in the temporal world going for him. Wealth, family, respect, health. God allowed it all to be taken away. Job wrestled with his flesh for most of the over 40 chapters in the book. Until he got a vision of God. He then surrendered to the will of his creator and sustainer. In that wrestling Job did not sin. The closing prayer of our group was that we, like Job, would be men who surrender to the will of God whatever happens. That we would trust and obey even in the hard times and seek his presence and favor in all things. That we would recognize the sovereignty, power, goodness and right of control of the King of kings and Lord or lords. O that I might have the faith to say as Job did:



Naked I came into the world and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. (Job 1:21).

Amen

Thanks to my borther Dave H. for his insite.

Restlessness

Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.



-Augustine, Confessions

Rest

Plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea; be lost in His immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated.



C. H. Spurgeon

The Valley

I just returned from two weeks serving the poor half way around the world. Sounds impressive when I type that in. In reality, I benefited more than they did and my motives were at least partially selfish. I wanted to go to spend time with God. On these trips, I usually awake early and spend an hour or two praying, worshiping, meditating and journaling. It is quiet, and I feel very close to God. There is very little to distract me--no phone, internet, news or work (outside of mission activity). Also, there is great christian fellowship with others of the same mindset. This trip was no exception. I was "up on the mountain" with God, encouraged, strengthened and influenced by His presence. I came home physically tired but on fire for Christ. That was 5 days ago.

Since being home, I feel as if a bulldozer has been laid upon my shoulders, and I am laboring to carry it. Life stresses have pressed in and instead of "pressing on into the presence of God (Tozer)," I am juggling hundreds of worries and concerns that draw my mind back into the world. My daughter is having some difficult times, the economy is a mess, my limited retirement savings is disappearing, I am watching my bank account daily to see if I will have the funds to cover expenses. Pretty sinful in my discontent. I have been reading in Jeremiah and thinking....he probably didn't have a "retirement." When he was thrown down in a cistern, he probably had few funds in the "bank." People were constantly against him. Who sustained Jeremiah? The living God. Who is the provider of everything I have? God almighty. My spirit is wrestling with my flesh to let go of all in this world. Not to be irresponsible but to acknowledge God's sovereign power to provide, protect and control in my life. The general question that is recurrently launched into my head is "What if something bad happens?" Well, something bad probably will happen, but God is over and above whatever the problem. He will only allow that which glorifies him and benefits those "who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28)." But do I believe him? Do I trust him? Or will I take it all back so that I may have some semblance of conscious control in my life (the fallacy that that is)? "The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing." (Tozer, Pursuit of God). Lord may I love and worship only you. May I let go of myself and the gifts you have given and seek satisfaction, provision, joy and hope only in you.

Easily Pleased

We re half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he can not imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are too easily pleased.
-C. S. Lewis


“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. "

Isa 55:1-2


“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”

1 Cor 2:9

Hindrances

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1.

It struck me last night that this verse tells us to not only throw off sin but also to throw off everything that hinders us in our walk with God. Do I watch too much tv? Pitch it. Striving for success from a worldly standpoint? Put it in the round file. Staying up too late? Cut it out. Surfing the net news? Wasting time. There are so many things I do that are not necessarily sin but that hinder my walk with God. I should get rid of these things. Now, God also calls us to rest, rejoice, celebrate and "fill the earth and subdue it," so whether something is a hindrance or not can really sometimes only be determined through a conversation with God. But, this idea is something I need to keep in mind. Just like Paul says that the soldier for Christ "does not get involved in civilian affairs because he wants to please his commanding officer (God) (2 Tim 2:3-5)." Our lives should be all for God, not compartmentalized. Anything we are involved in that is not a benefit to the kingdom should be reassessed.

Quiet Time

Things that help me pray during morning quiet times:

1-Time. The more time I have to pray, the better the prayer time. I think this is because it is easier to listen rather than talk.
2-Quiet.
3-Coffee.
4-Praying scripture. This is new to me but has been a wonderful help. Verses from the Psalms are currently me diet. (Ps 119:36,37; Ps 119:18; Ps 86:11, Ps 90:14, Ps139:23, 24).
5-Journaling my prayer.
6-Meditating on scripture. Reading a chapter and praying when a verse convicts me to pray.
7-Sitting on the floor.
8-Listening to worship that is personal to me on my ipod.
9-Intercessory prayer last.

Testing.

Psalm 139:23, 24
Search me, and know my heart. Test me, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

A friend brought her 3 year old daughter in for me to look in her ear. She was complaining of pain, so my friend stopped in at lunch. I got out my otoscope, and we tried to get the little girl to let me take a look. Now having your inner ear looked at might hurt just slightly. But the exam is necessary to find out what is wrong and then administer appropriate treatment. Well, this three year old was having none of it. She squirmed and cried, not willing to let me stick the tip of the ear speculum into her ear's external canal. Obviously, she was afraid the exam would cause pain, and she didn't trust that I had her best interest at heart.

God examines us (1 Thessalonians 2:4,1 Chronicles 29:17, Psalm 17:3). Whether we want him to or not. Our comfort with that exam is dependent on our trust in him and our degree of faithfulness to his commands. God calls us also to examine ourselves (Galatians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Our comfort with this exam is based on our faithfullness to God and his commands and our beliefs about who God is and who he is not. We often neglect this examination, because we know we fail to meet God's standards AND are unwilling to change. But, as in Psalm 139:23,24 above, sanctification occurs if we are submitted to God, willing to change and be obedient to his direction. This maybe painful, but it brings glory to God and is ultimately to our benefit.

O that I would not squirm and fight the examination I need from my loving God; that I would not shy away from the treatment I need to mature in my walk with him.

God Is Enough

Last night I listened to the testimony of a friend who has been down a long road of difficulty in his life lately. The last year has been filled with introspection, and he told the story of contemplating his committment to God as if life was a poker game. He had been witholding some of his "chips," afraid to bet everything on the King. But, during this year, he consciously decided to place all the chips on the table and let go of everything this world has to offer. At first, things were rough. God brought adversity into my friends life....I cannot help but wonder if God was testing my brother. I know in my life, wrestling with myself and God's Spirit takes time and struggle. Just as Christ was "made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10)," so also we must go through the fire to have the imperfections burned away (1 Peter 1:7). Without suffering, we hold some of our chips in reserve. God knows this. We figure it out only after the trial is over. What we find is that despite all, God is enough.

Annie's Song

John Denver wrote Annie's Song to his wife I believe. It's a beautiful song. I was thinking yesterday that it is a great song to be sung to God.

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime,
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert,
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses,
Come fill me again.

Come let me love you,
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter,
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you,
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you,
Come love me again.

Martha

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42.

Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened to his words, soaking them in, drawn to God. She longed to spend time with her Lord at the expense of everything else. There was a bustle of activity around her as Martha worked at the things of life that needed to be done. Frustrated with the task at hand, she reached out to the Lord in an attempt to bring Mary back to the world, to help with the daily grind of things not necessarily bad. Jesus responded softly rebuking Martha with the above words pointing her to the one thing of importance--time with him. Let all things fall to the side in the sight of the great and glorious Jesus, King of kings and friend of sinners. Paul says we should blot out all else in serving our king (2 Timothy 2:3-5), but we also need to rest at his feet, reallizing his control over all things--his sovereignty over provision for our needs, our reputations, our concerns, our lives. O to rest at the feet of Jesus, secure in his love for us (Rom 8:35), to choOse, as Mary did, the better thing.

Broken Cisterns

Jeremiah 2:12-13
12 Be appalled at this, O heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

I was thinking today as I was praying: what are my "broken cisterns," the things I place before Almighty God. There are some embarassingly trivial things which I am striving to get rid of with the help and power of the Holy Spirit. But, I began to think of the world itself, our earthly life, as the main cistern to abandon (2 Cor 5:14,15). Have I forsaken the world and am I living my life for Christ (John 12:25, 1 John 2:15)? Do I wake up in the morning striving to serve Jesus or running ragged to "succeed" here on earth? Sadly, it is often the latter. Why am I holding on to the broken cistern of worldly life? Why? It is a manifestation of unbelief to hold onto this world. O Lord help me surrender all to you. Not just the easy stuff. Help me surrender my life. Help me in my unbelief.

Jesus Meek and Mild?

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

King of kings and Lord of lords.

Revelation 19:11-16

So, often Jesus is seen as only meek and mild. The name Lamb of God is his because of his sacrifce like a lamb for our sin, not because of his "softness." Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He offered himself for us and offers us salvation, but he never chases people who choose to reject him. He doesn't beg. He is a loving God, but also a great warrior who will one day bring justice to the earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords. May his name be praised and held in awe and may I be there at the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Cheap Grace

If the professed convert distinctly and deliberately declares that he knows the Lord's will but does not mean to attend to it, you are not to pamper his presumption, but it is your duty to assure him that he is not saved. Do not suppose that the Gospel is magnified or God glorified by going to the worldlings and telling them that they may be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their Savior, while they are wedded to their idols, and their hearts are still in love with sin. If I do so I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel , insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness." -C.H. SPURGEON