Like rain

It rained here today. I know the "earth" needs it, I'm sure. I guess I am just not used to it, since it's so nice here or it's because I don't like rain that much, but it does not make for a good Monday. Unless...

Unless you picture the rain as God's grace pouring down. That's what I have to do. And in that case, I want more, I need more. 

No, I don't like rain that much, but grace like rain...
 

And the truth found in the Word...

"But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works;

otherwise grace would no longer be grace."

~Romans 11:6

"Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
you restored your inheritance as it languished;"

~Psalm 68:9

 

"Be glad, O children of Zion,

and rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,

the early and the latter rain, as before."

~Joel 2:23

 

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we

stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

~Romans 5:1,2 

 

Jesus, I rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Thank You that it is no longer on the basis of works. But by grace. Grace my fears relieved. Hallelujah, grace like rain pours down on me...

 

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Holy, holy, holy

Echoing yesterdays words...Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! (Revelations 4:8b), may we sing...

 

"And one called to another and said:

 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”"

~Isaiah 6:3

 

Jesus, we cry holy. Holy are You. The whole earth is full of Your glory.

 

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Atonement and holiness

Today, Jewish culture celebrates Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the holiest day of the year. The Old Testament is full of people making an atonement for their lives, for the sin that were committed, for the mistakes that were made unintentionally, so they can be clean, forgiven and made holy.

But then... Jesus came. He lived a sinless life, died, was buried, and risen and is seated on the right hand of God. He repaired the wrongs, He reconciled us, He cleansed us, He forgave us and made us holy.

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."

~Colossians 1:21-23

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the ultimate sacrifice, reconciling us to the Father, forgiving us, making us clean and holy. May we offer ourselves to You.

 

We join the heavenlies in never ceasing to say...

 

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!"

~Revelations 4:8b

 

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Pleasure island

I just came back from Pleasure Island where I now live close to. Every time I hear the word, see the word "pleasure" I feel almost all that's described in Dictionary.com: the state of feeling or being pleased; enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight; worldly or frivolous enjoyment; recreation or amusement; diversion; sensual gratification. But I mostly think "guilty", especially when combined with the word "island."

Pleasure can go both ways. But only what we get from God is worth enjoying.
 

There are people who did not want to enjoy pleasure coming from the wrong source.

"Choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God

than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin."

~Hebrews 11:25

And on the other hand, Solomon, who did not spare any pleasure.

 

"And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.

I kept my heart from no pleasure,

for my heart found pleasure in all my toil,

and this was my reward for all my toil."

~Ecclesiastes 2:10

 

But what Solomon realized is something I read long ago and looked up recently:

 

No one can hide from God. He is there in all of life. He knows everything that goes on, He knows the thought of the heart, every word of the mouth. He knows the motives that we seek to hide from others. He sees the duplicity, the deception, the lovelessness. He has made a record of it all; nothing can be hid. Everything will come out in the open at last. The illusions by which we seek to convince ourselves that things are not the way the Bible says they are will be stripped away and we will see ourselves as He sees us. And there will not be a voice lifted to challenge the righteousness of His judgement.

 

Because of that, Solomon exhorts us to fear God, to have faith in His existence, to experience His grace, to stand in awe of His Person, and to resolve to obey Him. That is the secret to life. That is the secret of wholeness in man.

 

And with that King Solomon's record of lifelong research is finished. He writes at the end of a life that has known both leaping, flashing moments of pleasure, and long, lonely hours of shame and misery.

 

The record is plain for all to see. Life without God is dull, empty, vain. Life with Him is full and satisfying. Even the tears and pain have meaning and value when we see they are chosen by Him. The purpose behind it all is the increase of joy. (Is This All There Is to Life? Answers from Ecclesiastes by Ray C. Stedman)

 

"The end of the matter; all has been heard.

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man."

~Ecclesiastes 12:13

 

Jesus, may You be our source of pleasure. May we keep our hearts pure.

 

Lord, only You...

"You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

~Psalm 16:11

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101 - 100th continues

I still did not finish all the recounting. It was getting too long, so here is the rest. 
 

"I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

~Psalm 34:1

Lord, I want to thank You for Your family, Your people.

Thank You for giving me a sign.

Thank You for going before us; standing behind us.

Thank You that all Your ways are good and sure, higher than my sight, high above my life.

Thank You that You are good.

Thank You that You preserve the self You created me to be through every fire of sorrow.

Thank You that You are with us wherever we go.

Thank You for blessing us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, that we should be holy and blameless before You.

Thank You that You Yourself provide and take care of us as You do for the birds of the air, the lilies of the field. Thank You that You are our Healer, who heals all our diseases.

Thank You for Your unconditional love.

Thank You for the voice of Truth.

Thank You for Your Word.

Thank You for freedom. Thank You for America. Thank You for setting us free.

Thank You that You care for us.

Thank You for making us royalty.

Thank You for Your mighty works; that You are faithful and just; gracious and merciful.

Thank You that You are patient and kind; You do not envy or boast; You are not arrogant or rude. You do not insist on Your own way; You are not irritable or resentful; You do not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoice with the truth. Thank You that You bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.

Thank You that great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!

Thank You that within our innermost being are rivers of living water, and the Holy Spirit is hovering ever present to perform the promises of God for us as we pray with the faith of the Son of God.

Thank You for leading me, for restoring me, for guiding me, for being with me, for comforting me, for filling me, for satisfying me.

Thank You for the cross, showing us how much we are worth.

Thank You that You set a guard over my mouth; keeping watch over the door of my lips.

Thank You that You command Your angels concerning us to guard us in all our ways. That You are Faithful.

Thank You that You give grace and glory. That no good thing do You withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Thank You for the story of Much-Afraid and what I learned from her journey.

Thank You for my bicycle, for Morning Glory.

Thank You for standing by us.

Thank You for opening the door of our hearts and causing our thoughts and our emotions to become one with the Word of God.

Thank You that You fulfill Your purpose for me.

Thank You that in You our labor is not in vain.

Thank You that You forgive, You heal, You redeem, You crown, You satisfy.

Thank You that You see the end from the beginning and that's how You look at me too.

Thank You that You are beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard.

Thank You that You are the fountain of living water, our great sovereign Source.

Thank You that we can carry everything to You in prayer. For being our true Friend.

Lord Jesus,

"We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks, for your name is near.

We recount your wondrous deeds."

~Psalm 75:1

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100th

Ta daaa! This is post number 100. Well, I never thought that I would write that many. It's not that I have a lot to say, it's God and His goodness and I can't see anything more fitting than recalling just that.

"I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;

I will show forth (recount and tell aloud)

all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds!"

~Psalm 9:1 AMP

Lord, I want to thank You that You practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.

Thank You for Your glory, Your great splendor and magnificence.

Thank You for fighting our battles for us; our eyes are on You.

Thank You that You are my chosen and assigned portion, my cup; for holding and maintaining my lot. Thank You for choosing us.

Thank You for abiding in us, when we love one another.

Thank You that nothing shall separate us from Your love.

Thank You for mothers.

Thank You for being known by You, being recognized as worthy of Your intimacy and love, being owned by You.

Thank You for manifesting Yourself in us expressing what Your grace has done in us.

Thank You for showing Your love for us, while we were still sinners, You died for us. Thank You that there is nothing we could do to make You love us more; nothing we have done that makes You love us less.

Thank You that we can do all things through You.

Thank You for healing my friend.

Thank You for sending Your Son.

Thank You for giving us a new heart, new spirit, removing the heart of stone from our flesh.

Thank You for encouragement.

Thank You for others willing to carry my burdens.

Thank You for adopting me, for saving me, for forgiving me, for freeing me, for making me Your daughter.

Thank You for growing us in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank You that You turn to me, hear me, answer me, when I cry, according to Your abundant mercy.

Thank You that Your truth sets us free.

Thank You that You came so we may have life and have it abundantly.

Thank You for touching my pain; so it goes away.

Thank You that You give and take away; blessed be Your name.

Thank You for David and his inspiring "I will" statements.

Thank You for the rising sun; for Your mercies that are new every morning.

Thank You for setting me free.

Thank You that You are the King of Kings.

Thank You that Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.

Thank You for Abraham's faith.

Thank You that You make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Thank You for blessing my friend with a child - boy!

Thank You for turning our mourning into joy; comforting us and giving us gladness for sorrow.

Thank You that our place, home is with You.

Thank You for the Promised Land.

Thank You for delivering us.

Thank You for fathers. For being our Father, merciful - perfect.

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A true friend

 

"A true friend is a treasure of the heart" - is the text on a bookmark I found in one of my old books I picked up. It made me think of my friends, who I keep close through the distance that's between us as we moved, one whom I talked to just yesterday. How God has blessed me with such faithful friends.

It made me think of what a friend we have in Jesus.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

 

Carry everything to God in prayer. Jesus, what a privilege! Thank You for bearing our sins and griefs, precious Savior, our Refuge, our Shield. May we never be discouraged to take everything to You in prayer, not forfeiting peace or bearing needless pain. For You are our Friend.

 

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another."

~John 15:12-17

 

Carry everything to God in prayer. The theme of this song is clear. I thought of words I read recently and my own priorities. Lord, I am setting a specific time to meet with You. Be there. 8:30. Corner of the room by my chair. I'll let you know if anything changes, if a different time or place will be better.

Prayer is something we can easily put off unless we make it as habitual as brushing our teeth. Personal procrastination leads to prayerlessness, which is a sin. Thank God we can repent and schedule a prayer time. Sometimes we get so busy doing good works for God that we neglect our prayer time with Him. He allows us to make our own decisions, but when we begin to feel overburdened or overtaxed, it is time to check our prayer life. Our priorities have simply gotten turned upside down. Just as you would set aside time for any important function in your day, set aside a specific time to fellowship with the Father. Be honest with Him; if you don't feel like praying, tell Him. Remember, the Father is drawing you to the place of prayer, and it may be that He wants you to sit quietly and enjoy His presence. He isn't demanding; He is easy to be with. (Germaine Copeland)

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