Michael E. Wood
February 23, 2011
Colossians 3:23, 24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward, you are serving the Lord Christ.
At the time of this writing, this passage confronts me as I sit at the desk the Lord has so graciously provided for me as a reminder to work heartily for Him and not for men. While being in a state of what the world calls unemployment, there remains many things of which to be employed. How easily we are persuaded by virtue of our interests or preferences to be more in earnest to be pleasing to the Lord in some things while viewing others of a less spiritual accommodation. And yet because of the grace that has been bestowed to us through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, everything we do is to be an outflow of that grace with an abundance of joy. So then, whether our lot be to serve Him in the context of a nine to five job which may seem to be of little eternal value, or as a house keeper, or of a position highly esteemed among men it matters not, for we serve the Lord Christ.
Father we ask you to forgive us when we become so shortsighted that we fail to see Your beauty and Your faithfulness in the everyday affairs of life. And we thank You for the understanding that Your glory is revealed not in what we do, but in Who You Are and what You have done through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Father of all mercies, we thank You that You remember us in our low estate and by Your good pleasure You remind us of our lofty position and our union with Christ, whereby we are enabled to be pleasing to You and serve You with gladness and humility of heart, knowing that we shall receive the reward of the inheritance. Help us by Your Spirit to do all that we do unto the praise of Your glory. In the precious Name of Jesus and for His sake we ask. Amen.
We thank You for the depths and heights
Of knowledge You display
And for Your Holy Spirit, Who
In truth now doth convey,
The splendor and the majesty
Of Christ; His righteousness,
As You our Father are well pleased
To show in all of us,
Of whom You have appointed
For Your glory and Your Name
To serve with joy and fervency
Regardless of our frame.
For You Oh LORD have promised
Both the blessing and supply
For all Your children, small and great
Who fear Your Name on high.
We thank You for the grace You give
To do our most menial task
And fill us with an answer
For the times that others ask.
“Why is it that you do the same
As others but with gladness?”
So many go about their day
All sullen and with sadness.
Oh help us by Your Spirit
And Your mercies to proclaim
And not of us but all of You
Give glory to Your Name.
For Christ has offered up Himself
And Is our Great Reward!
The Inheritance we will receive
From You Oh gracious LORD!
So heartily we do our work
For You and not for men,
And Jesus Christ, The Lord of all
Who freed from self and sin.
We trust in You Oh God our Help,
Oh LORD our mighty shield.
Who has remembered and will bless
As all to You we yield.
Oh help us bless You now on earth
In time and forevermore.
Give glory for Your steadfast love
Through Christ Whom we adore.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Cherish Him in Every Way
Michael E. Wood
February 26, 2011
Leviticus 17:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
These may seem to be strange passages to use as a prelude to worship, and yet they remind us that Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly by His life, and by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Christ took our guilt upon Himself that we might be made holy. And it is by His sacrifice that the atonement was made by which we have peace with God, for Christ Himself Is our Peace.
Have you ever pondered the vastness of the volume of blood that has been spilt in sacrifices since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden? From the first animal slain by God to make a covering for Adam and Eve and the blood of Abel, who being dead yet speaketh; to the countless number of animals offered through the Mosaic Covenant and of all the godly martyrs which continue to mount? Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. (Ps.116:15) From oppression and violence He redeems their life, and precious is their blood in His sight. (Ps. 72:14), and John saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had born. ( Rev. 6:9)
And yet, it is through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ of which we have remission of sins. It is His blood that cleanses us from all sins, making the offering up of ourselves to God acceptable through reasonable service unto the praise of His glorious grace.
Of all the blood of bulls and goats
Which mounted through the years,
And that of all the martyrs shed
Triumphant in their spheres--
All totaled they but scant display
The precious life that Jesus gave.
For God Himself in human flesh
Shed blood for wretched men to save.
Christ is the altar of our souls
With full atonement made,
And glory brought to God the Father,
When for our sins He paid.
Oh ponder now how infinite
The price by which we’re bought,
And cherish HIM in every way;
By word, and deed and thought.
For Christ alone did satisfy
And fills our hearts desire
To magnify His Precious Name
With holy zeal and fire
To offer up the sacrifices
Of many thanksgivings and tell
In songs of joy, His infinite deeds
Where the praise of His glory doth dwell.
February 26, 2011
Leviticus 17:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
These may seem to be strange passages to use as a prelude to worship, and yet they remind us that Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly by His life, and by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Christ took our guilt upon Himself that we might be made holy. And it is by His sacrifice that the atonement was made by which we have peace with God, for Christ Himself Is our Peace.
Have you ever pondered the vastness of the volume of blood that has been spilt in sacrifices since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden? From the first animal slain by God to make a covering for Adam and Eve and the blood of Abel, who being dead yet speaketh; to the countless number of animals offered through the Mosaic Covenant and of all the godly martyrs which continue to mount? Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. (Ps.116:15) From oppression and violence He redeems their life, and precious is their blood in His sight. (Ps. 72:14), and John saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had born. ( Rev. 6:9)
And yet, it is through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ of which we have remission of sins. It is His blood that cleanses us from all sins, making the offering up of ourselves to God acceptable through reasonable service unto the praise of His glorious grace.
Of all the blood of bulls and goats
Which mounted through the years,
And that of all the martyrs shed
Triumphant in their spheres--
All totaled they but scant display
The precious life that Jesus gave.
For God Himself in human flesh
Shed blood for wretched men to save.
Christ is the altar of our souls
With full atonement made,
And glory brought to God the Father,
When for our sins He paid.
Oh ponder now how infinite
The price by which we’re bought,
And cherish HIM in every way;
By word, and deed and thought.
For Christ alone did satisfy
And fills our hearts desire
To magnify His Precious Name
With holy zeal and fire
To offer up the sacrifices
Of many thanksgivings and tell
In songs of joy, His infinite deeds
Where the praise of His glory doth dwell.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Rejoice in Our Union With Him
Michael E. WoodFebruary 14, 2011
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who have died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)
Grace is not a license to continue in sin, but the means by which the Spirit of God reveals to us through His Word the beauty and the glory of what Christ has wrought within us. We are freed from the reign of sin by the unmerited favor of God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By the same power that he was raised from the dead we are enabled to walk in newness of life by the glory of the Father. Therefore, to continue under the reign of sin is impossible for the child of God. For where the reign of sin did abound, the reign of grace does much more super abound. It is not that we don’t sin and are not in need of regular confession and repentance which continues to give glory to God, but we grow in the confidence of our union with Christ. The more we grow in our objective understanding of what He has accomplished, the more we are enabled to live subjectively in accordance with what He has done by experience. As one songwriter put it, we witness His power to save us, setting free from self and sin.
While contemplating for a number of days how to frame these lines of scripture into poetry while meditating upon them and reading sermons by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and Charles Spurgeon, the following words with music came to mind after hearing the message, “Propitiation, Reconciliation, Redemption” by Pastor Robert Briggs in confirmation of the things that were already given to me.
Rejoice in our union with Him,
For Christ is the presence of glory within.
It was in His death that the reign of our sin
Did come to an end by the power and glory of God.
What is it that caused us to see?
The God of all glory gave strength to believe!
For when Christ arose our dear Father bestowed
Abundance of grace to the praise of His glorious Name!
And now as He reigns from on high,
Christ gave us His Spirit by which we draw nigh.
Delighting in mercy and over us sings
So sweetly the songs that His infinite grace to us brings.
Oh when our Great King shall return,
And fills up the vision of which we did learn,
As vessels of mercy and jewels of His grace;
Then perfect reflections of beauty beholding His face.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who have died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)
Grace is not a license to continue in sin, but the means by which the Spirit of God reveals to us through His Word the beauty and the glory of what Christ has wrought within us. We are freed from the reign of sin by the unmerited favor of God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By the same power that he was raised from the dead we are enabled to walk in newness of life by the glory of the Father. Therefore, to continue under the reign of sin is impossible for the child of God. For where the reign of sin did abound, the reign of grace does much more super abound. It is not that we don’t sin and are not in need of regular confession and repentance which continues to give glory to God, but we grow in the confidence of our union with Christ. The more we grow in our objective understanding of what He has accomplished, the more we are enabled to live subjectively in accordance with what He has done by experience. As one songwriter put it, we witness His power to save us, setting free from self and sin.
While contemplating for a number of days how to frame these lines of scripture into poetry while meditating upon them and reading sermons by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and Charles Spurgeon, the following words with music came to mind after hearing the message, “Propitiation, Reconciliation, Redemption” by Pastor Robert Briggs in confirmation of the things that were already given to me.
Rejoice in our union with Him,
For Christ is the presence of glory within.
It was in His death that the reign of our sin
Did come to an end by the power and glory of God.
What is it that caused us to see?
The God of all glory gave strength to believe!
For when Christ arose our dear Father bestowed
Abundance of grace to the praise of His glorious Name!
And now as He reigns from on high,
Christ gave us His Spirit by which we draw nigh.
Delighting in mercy and over us sings
So sweetly the songs that His infinite grace to us brings.
Oh when our Great King shall return,
And fills up the vision of which we did learn,
As vessels of mercy and jewels of His grace;
Then perfect reflections of beauty beholding His face.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
We Will Not Fear
Michael E. Wood
February 10, 2011
Psalm 46 begins with the words, “To the Choirmaster, of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”
If this were the complete context of this passage, the children of God would find ample reason to rejoice in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and sing His praise. He by His Spirit and written Word reveals several aspects of His character in relation to Who He Is (our Refuge, our Strength, our Help); Where He Is (Very Present) and Why (in trouble). Job 14:1 says, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” Every one who is of a conscious mind to understand can identify with being in trouble to varying degrees.
But He does not stop there. He continues with, “…though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.”
Many of us have had experience with floods of differing measures, earthquakes, or other seismic disasters of which God has brought forth for His own purposes. By way of technology, most of us in America have caught glimpses of the effects of catastrophic “natural disasters” as sent by His hand without much thought to the fact that it is purely by His pleasure that we were not there. At times some of us with compassion have given in some small way to send relief to those affected. Still others have been more sacrificial and have gone to help in person, while countless have sought to help through prayer.
Since the great flood of Noah’s day, man has not seen the magnitude of what is described in this passage, and only by the gift of faith from God are we enabled to see that which is to come. If the earth as we know it, gave way to the point that every mountain was moved into the heart of the sea and trembled as the waters roared and foamed at its swelling, not a soul on the face of the earth would escape its effects.
If God were not your Refuge, you would have no place to hide! If He were not your strength, you would be absolutely helpless! And if He were not a Very Present Help, then you would be without hope!
If you have been born again by the Spirit of the Living God, you know exactly what I am talking about. For that is the place you found yourself to be in spiritually, when God through His infinite mercy revealed to you your nakedness, your helplessness, and your hopelessness in the magnitude of your sins against Him. Deserving of His Almighty wrath, which is beyond words infinitely more horrid than the events described, God for His glory saved you! The sinless Son of God was made sin by God the Father on the cross of Calvary that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus bore the wrath which was our due, as He offered himself as the One sufficient substitute to not only appease the Father, but to please the Father. Through His atoning sacrifice He lifted us to a position far greater that what we lost in Adam. Therefore we will praise Him both now and forever by the strength and the power of His Spirit. For Christ is our Refuge! He Is our Strength! He Is our Very Present Help in trouble through all time and our Habitation through all eternity! Amen!
This contemporary song of praise came forth as I opened my Bible to begin the day with reading Psalm 46. Though the words of which I have previously written are woefully inadequate to describe the Majesty of God and the greatness of the salvation of which He by His grace has made us partakers of, may God be glorified through the praise of His Son, who Is our eternal Choirmaster!
Though the mountains be moved
To the heart of the sea,
Though the earth be removed
And no longer shall be….
We will not fear,
For God Is our Refuge!
We will not fear,
For God Is our Strength!
We will not fear,
You’re present here with us!
And in all trouble
We know we will always be Thine!
Though the nations shall rage
And the kingdoms shall sway,
When He utters His voice
And the earth melts away….
Present with us
The Lord of all glory!
Present with us
Is God The Most High!
Present with us
Christ Is our Stronghold!
And streams from His River
Will make glad His city sublime!
Though He brings desolations
And makes wars to cease
To the end of the earth
Hear His voice then in peace….
Be still and know
That Christ Is exalted!
Be still and know
That I Am your God!
Be still and know
That I Am with you!
And for My glory
I will be beyond all of time!
So now if you’re broken
With things from you torn,
Then look to Christ Jesus
By whom we are borne….
The KING of all kings,
The Light of all glory!
The KING of all kings,
Whose face we shall see!
The KING of all kings,
Whose infinite glory,
Is more worth than all other creatures
Though they be divine!
February 10, 2011
Psalm 46 begins with the words, “To the Choirmaster, of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”
If this were the complete context of this passage, the children of God would find ample reason to rejoice in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and sing His praise. He by His Spirit and written Word reveals several aspects of His character in relation to Who He Is (our Refuge, our Strength, our Help); Where He Is (Very Present) and Why (in trouble). Job 14:1 says, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” Every one who is of a conscious mind to understand can identify with being in trouble to varying degrees.
But He does not stop there. He continues with, “…though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.”
Many of us have had experience with floods of differing measures, earthquakes, or other seismic disasters of which God has brought forth for His own purposes. By way of technology, most of us in America have caught glimpses of the effects of catastrophic “natural disasters” as sent by His hand without much thought to the fact that it is purely by His pleasure that we were not there. At times some of us with compassion have given in some small way to send relief to those affected. Still others have been more sacrificial and have gone to help in person, while countless have sought to help through prayer.
Since the great flood of Noah’s day, man has not seen the magnitude of what is described in this passage, and only by the gift of faith from God are we enabled to see that which is to come. If the earth as we know it, gave way to the point that every mountain was moved into the heart of the sea and trembled as the waters roared and foamed at its swelling, not a soul on the face of the earth would escape its effects.
If God were not your Refuge, you would have no place to hide! If He were not your strength, you would be absolutely helpless! And if He were not a Very Present Help, then you would be without hope!
If you have been born again by the Spirit of the Living God, you know exactly what I am talking about. For that is the place you found yourself to be in spiritually, when God through His infinite mercy revealed to you your nakedness, your helplessness, and your hopelessness in the magnitude of your sins against Him. Deserving of His Almighty wrath, which is beyond words infinitely more horrid than the events described, God for His glory saved you! The sinless Son of God was made sin by God the Father on the cross of Calvary that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus bore the wrath which was our due, as He offered himself as the One sufficient substitute to not only appease the Father, but to please the Father. Through His atoning sacrifice He lifted us to a position far greater that what we lost in Adam. Therefore we will praise Him both now and forever by the strength and the power of His Spirit. For Christ is our Refuge! He Is our Strength! He Is our Very Present Help in trouble through all time and our Habitation through all eternity! Amen!
This contemporary song of praise came forth as I opened my Bible to begin the day with reading Psalm 46. Though the words of which I have previously written are woefully inadequate to describe the Majesty of God and the greatness of the salvation of which He by His grace has made us partakers of, may God be glorified through the praise of His Son, who Is our eternal Choirmaster!
Though the mountains be moved
To the heart of the sea,
Though the earth be removed
And no longer shall be….
We will not fear,
For God Is our Refuge!
We will not fear,
For God Is our Strength!
We will not fear,
You’re present here with us!
And in all trouble
We know we will always be Thine!
Though the nations shall rage
And the kingdoms shall sway,
When He utters His voice
And the earth melts away….
Present with us
The Lord of all glory!
Present with us
Is God The Most High!
Present with us
Christ Is our Stronghold!
And streams from His River
Will make glad His city sublime!
Though He brings desolations
And makes wars to cease
To the end of the earth
Hear His voice then in peace….
Be still and know
That Christ Is exalted!
Be still and know
That I Am your God!
Be still and know
That I Am with you!
And for My glory
I will be beyond all of time!
So now if you’re broken
With things from you torn,
Then look to Christ Jesus
By whom we are borne….
The KING of all kings,
The Light of all glory!
The KING of all kings,
Whose face we shall see!
The KING of all kings,
Whose infinite glory,
Is more worth than all other creatures
Though they be divine!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sufficiency in You They Find
Michael E. Wood
February 11, 2011
Leviticus 9:22-24, Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
This may seem a strange passage to some by which one might think to provoke unto good works and especially by way of prayer, and yet herein are found such glorious images of the beauty of Christ as revealed by His Spirit that the children of God cannot help but to desire Him, worship Him, and find themselves burdened that others know Him as well.
Knowing there is extremely far more in this passage than I understand or will speak of in this brief account, a few things to consider are the following:
Aaron as a representative of Christ, and Moses as a representative of God the Father and the law of God are seen entering the tent of meeting. From the eternal council of the God-head before the foundation of the world, it was determined that Christ, having fulfilled the Law of God perfectly, would offer Himself as the sacrifice by which the redeemed would be procured. By hindsight provided by the Holy Spirit through the New Testament scriptures we understand, that God has spoken to us in these last days through His Son, having caused us to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When we see by faith that the fire of God’s justice of which we deserved, rained down upon Christ, and thereby vindicating God’s justice, and demonstrating the magnitude of His steadfast love for us, it causes us to fall on our faces before Him, and shout His eternal praises!
Jesus Christ being the same yesterday, today, and forever; transforms the deadness of our being into a fire of zeal for His glory, whereby we are enabled to offer up acceptable sacrifices of praise, adoration, and prayer unto God, Who has become our Father by His eternal Spirit.
Oh Father You know how reluctant we are
Because of our flesh with our sins infirmed,
And yet by Your Spirit You raise us up
By the Word of Your grace we are confirmed;
To know our position in Christ is sealed,
So boldly we come and trust You hear
Every word that we speak in sincerity
And know by His blood that we have Your ear.
Before we ask, You know every petition
And knowing You answer brings great delights,
But knowing we’re Yours is far greater still,
As the Father of mercies and Father of lights.
Oh draw us yet closer in true confidence
As You provide all You know and deem best
To show forth Your glory in this darkened world
As we wait upon You and endure every test.
Oh fill us with power to walk in Your Spirit,
Fulfilling not lusts but Your will in our time.
For life is so short and all that will matter
Is the praise of Your glory in all that are Thine.
Please use us to help by our true supplications
Those You have placed in our heart and our mind,
That they for Your glory be strengthened in spirit
And know all sufficiency in You they find.
February 11, 2011
Leviticus 9:22-24, Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
This may seem a strange passage to some by which one might think to provoke unto good works and especially by way of prayer, and yet herein are found such glorious images of the beauty of Christ as revealed by His Spirit that the children of God cannot help but to desire Him, worship Him, and find themselves burdened that others know Him as well.
Knowing there is extremely far more in this passage than I understand or will speak of in this brief account, a few things to consider are the following:
Aaron as a representative of Christ, and Moses as a representative of God the Father and the law of God are seen entering the tent of meeting. From the eternal council of the God-head before the foundation of the world, it was determined that Christ, having fulfilled the Law of God perfectly, would offer Himself as the sacrifice by which the redeemed would be procured. By hindsight provided by the Holy Spirit through the New Testament scriptures we understand, that God has spoken to us in these last days through His Son, having caused us to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When we see by faith that the fire of God’s justice of which we deserved, rained down upon Christ, and thereby vindicating God’s justice, and demonstrating the magnitude of His steadfast love for us, it causes us to fall on our faces before Him, and shout His eternal praises!
Jesus Christ being the same yesterday, today, and forever; transforms the deadness of our being into a fire of zeal for His glory, whereby we are enabled to offer up acceptable sacrifices of praise, adoration, and prayer unto God, Who has become our Father by His eternal Spirit.
Oh Father You know how reluctant we are
Because of our flesh with our sins infirmed,
And yet by Your Spirit You raise us up
By the Word of Your grace we are confirmed;
To know our position in Christ is sealed,
So boldly we come and trust You hear
Every word that we speak in sincerity
And know by His blood that we have Your ear.
Before we ask, You know every petition
And knowing You answer brings great delights,
But knowing we’re Yours is far greater still,
As the Father of mercies and Father of lights.
Oh draw us yet closer in true confidence
As You provide all You know and deem best
To show forth Your glory in this darkened world
As we wait upon You and endure every test.
Oh fill us with power to walk in Your Spirit,
Fulfilling not lusts but Your will in our time.
For life is so short and all that will matter
Is the praise of Your glory in all that are Thine.
Please use us to help by our true supplications
Those You have placed in our heart and our mind,
That they for Your glory be strengthened in spirit
And know all sufficiency in You they find.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
From You Comes Forgiveness
Michael E. Wood
February 7, 2011
In continuation of reading “The Lord’s Prayer” by Thomas Watson, a number of statements stood out in relation to the forgiveness of sins.
1. “God counts it His glory to display free grace in its most brilliant colours.”
2. “Man’s sin in comparison of God’s mercy is but a spark to the ocean; and who would doubt whether a spark could be quenched in an ocean?”
3. “Think with yourselves how great a mercy it is: it is one of the richest jewels in the cabinet of the new covenant.”
4. “David’s sin was forgiven soon as he repented. 2 Samuel 12:13. But David did not feel the comfort of it at once, as appears by the penitential Psalm composed afterwards. ‘Make me to hear joy;’ and ‘Cast me not away from Thy presence.’ Psalm 51:8, 11. It is one thing to be pardoned and another to feel it.”
5. “As it is said of the apostles when Christ first appeared to them, ‘They believed not for joy, and wondered,’ (Luke 24:41), so the soul may be so stricken with admiration that the wonder of pardon staggers its faith.”
6. “Our comfort consists in the knowledge of forgiveness…There is a jubilee in the soul when we are able to read our pardon. To the witness of conscience God adds the witness of His Spirit; and in the mouth of these two witnesses our joy is confirmed.
7. “The Lord only by His Word must judge whether we are pardoned or not… we are such as The Word of God pronounces to be clean.”
And thus, upon pondering these statements, and thinking of other believers who may need these words of encouragement as well, the following came to mind.
We thank You for the Word of grace
By which you now declare;
That from You comes forgiveness
For the sins which brought despair.
And by the witness of Your Spirit
Our conscience is made clean--
To focus Soli on Jesus Christ
On Whom alone we lean.
How precious is the blood of Christ
By which You now bestow
Sure mercies to encourage us
And more Your glory know.
For as we view the panoply
Of all the scenes of time,
There’s nothing greater or more worth
Your glory, so sublime!
Oh Father, as You now see fit,
Your kingdom to increase,
Oh strengthen by Your Spirit
Through this temp’ral life on lease,
For all we have we owe to You,
Oh Christ within the veil,
And more; Oh fill our praise to Thee,
Til with You where You dwell.
Then clothed by You in wonder
And the robes of purest white,
To see You in Your glory
And the splendor of Your light.
February 7, 2011
In continuation of reading “The Lord’s Prayer” by Thomas Watson, a number of statements stood out in relation to the forgiveness of sins.
1. “God counts it His glory to display free grace in its most brilliant colours.”
2. “Man’s sin in comparison of God’s mercy is but a spark to the ocean; and who would doubt whether a spark could be quenched in an ocean?”
3. “Think with yourselves how great a mercy it is: it is one of the richest jewels in the cabinet of the new covenant.”
4. “David’s sin was forgiven soon as he repented. 2 Samuel 12:13. But David did not feel the comfort of it at once, as appears by the penitential Psalm composed afterwards. ‘Make me to hear joy;’ and ‘Cast me not away from Thy presence.’ Psalm 51:8, 11. It is one thing to be pardoned and another to feel it.”
5. “As it is said of the apostles when Christ first appeared to them, ‘They believed not for joy, and wondered,’ (Luke 24:41), so the soul may be so stricken with admiration that the wonder of pardon staggers its faith.”
6. “Our comfort consists in the knowledge of forgiveness…There is a jubilee in the soul when we are able to read our pardon. To the witness of conscience God adds the witness of His Spirit; and in the mouth of these two witnesses our joy is confirmed.
7. “The Lord only by His Word must judge whether we are pardoned or not… we are such as The Word of God pronounces to be clean.”
And thus, upon pondering these statements, and thinking of other believers who may need these words of encouragement as well, the following came to mind.
We thank You for the Word of grace
By which you now declare;
That from You comes forgiveness
For the sins which brought despair.
And by the witness of Your Spirit
Our conscience is made clean--
To focus Soli on Jesus Christ
On Whom alone we lean.
How precious is the blood of Christ
By which You now bestow
Sure mercies to encourage us
And more Your glory know.
For as we view the panoply
Of all the scenes of time,
There’s nothing greater or more worth
Your glory, so sublime!
Oh Father, as You now see fit,
Your kingdom to increase,
Oh strengthen by Your Spirit
Through this temp’ral life on lease,
For all we have we owe to You,
Oh Christ within the veil,
And more; Oh fill our praise to Thee,
Til with You where You dwell.
Then clothed by You in wonder
And the robes of purest white,
To see You in Your glory
And the splendor of Your light.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Our Greatest Need is You
Michael E. Wood
February 4, 2011
After spending part of the day listening to messages by Joel Beeke and Francis Chan on the subject of prayer from the recent Desiring God Pastors Conference, the following poem came to mind as a prayer. While deeply convicted of my own need to grow in the area of personal prayer, I am yet encouraged by the Word of God that those that have gone before us and those whom God uses to challenge us by His Spirit to grow in the grace of prayer were and are just like we are: children of The Living God, absolutely dependant upon Him to hear and to answer the cries of our heart to become more like Christ throughout our lifetime until we see Him face to face.
Oh melt our hearts Oh Father
That we like men of old
Lay hold of You persistently
By mercies to be bold.
Though hindered by our passions;
Assist us in our prayers,
To know the joy that only comes
When fighting through the layers
Of all our pride impeding us
And sins particular
Which when confessed, translates to light
To see perpendicular.
For though You’re high and lofty
And dwell in glory bright;
You dwell within the broken
And the heart that is contrite.
We thank You for the promises
That You to us have told,
Personified through Jesus Christ
In Whom we now behold.
For all our answers we shall find
In Him are Yea! Amen!
So make us more like Jesus
By Your Spirit to ascend
With confidence secured by Christ
In Whom You now delight
And answer more than we can ask
Through grace and awesome might!
You know our every need and
Know our greatest need is You,
And for Your pleasure You will answer
All that shall be true
By which we may behold
The wondrous glory of Your grace,
And infinite shall be the day
We see You face to face!
February 4, 2011
After spending part of the day listening to messages by Joel Beeke and Francis Chan on the subject of prayer from the recent Desiring God Pastors Conference, the following poem came to mind as a prayer. While deeply convicted of my own need to grow in the area of personal prayer, I am yet encouraged by the Word of God that those that have gone before us and those whom God uses to challenge us by His Spirit to grow in the grace of prayer were and are just like we are: children of The Living God, absolutely dependant upon Him to hear and to answer the cries of our heart to become more like Christ throughout our lifetime until we see Him face to face.
Oh melt our hearts Oh Father
That we like men of old
Lay hold of You persistently
By mercies to be bold.
Though hindered by our passions;
Assist us in our prayers,
To know the joy that only comes
When fighting through the layers
Of all our pride impeding us
And sins particular
Which when confessed, translates to light
To see perpendicular.
For though You’re high and lofty
And dwell in glory bright;
You dwell within the broken
And the heart that is contrite.
We thank You for the promises
That You to us have told,
Personified through Jesus Christ
In Whom we now behold.
For all our answers we shall find
In Him are Yea! Amen!
So make us more like Jesus
By Your Spirit to ascend
With confidence secured by Christ
In Whom You now delight
And answer more than we can ask
Through grace and awesome might!
You know our every need and
Know our greatest need is You,
And for Your pleasure You will answer
All that shall be true
By which we may behold
The wondrous glory of Your grace,
And infinite shall be the day
We see You face to face!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)