9/23/12

Psalm 63, ESV

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 


My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

9/22/12

This Week in Scripture; give thanks to the Lord!

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" - 1 Chronicles 16:34

Oh, forgive me for not keeping this updated!! Almost-three-year-olds (Amongst other things!) keeps this mama busy!

Back to the verse...

God's love endures forever. Think about it. It endures. It stays the same. It doesn't get weary like we do; it doesn't faint or get tired. It doesn't start to complain when it doesn't get its way, or start to grumble.

It's determined to stay its course. It's not going anywhere, even if we're determined to run away from it or to hide our faces in shame when we do something incredibly stupid. 

When we do sin, we must face the consequences of that sin, but we must do so while facing a loving, merciful and compassionate Father. Reprobates, on the other hand, face a wrathful, vengeful, and just God. God shows mercy on whom He shows mercy; He shows compassion on whom He shows compassion (He tells this to Moses and Paul emphasizes this in Romans 9.).

You see, people want to see the kind and loving God; they don't want to see the wrath and justice that He wisely and rightfully dishes out because we have sinned against Him.  After all, we have committed what R.C. Sproul calls cosmic treason against the Creator of the universe.

Thankfully, those that He has chosen are washed clean by the blood of Christ. Just as He has chosen Abram (Abraham), then Isaac, then Jacob (Israel), then Judah, then David...all the way down to a peasant girl (Mary) and a carpenter (Joseph) to fulfill His will for His people.

To redeem His people once and for all. To cleanse them from the stench of sin forever. Simply because His love endures forever. In Romans 8:31-39, it speaks of God's everlasting love (To paraphrase: Nothing, save God Himself, above the earth, on the earth, or under the earth, can separate us from God's love in Jesus Christ. NOTHING. If you are redeemed by the blood of Christ, you are REDEEMED.).

God loves His people; He loves His people enough to turn His own Son over to die in our place! 

Rejoice in that truth, especially on the Lord's Day tomorrow (on the Western Hemisphere, that is)!

On a personal note: I would like some prayer; I've been having some pain (That's been some of the reason for the lack of updates.); pray that I endure cheerfully and with a teachable spirit. 

My active toddler is coming close to her third birthday; I praise God for His enduring mercies toward us and that He regenerates her heart and welcomes her as His!