Tag Archives: Jesus

In the Shelter of his Wing

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I wake up before dawn and look out my window at a light dusting of snow.  Out pops a little bird, hopping about in the snowflakes.

Then I wonder, “Where have you slept little one?  Did you sleep among the reeds in the ditch?  Did you forsake the tree limb for the shelter of the reeds?

You would have not perched yourself too deeply within them.  You would have slept in a place where two hops allowed your wings to spread.  You would be no food for the predator.”

And then I wonder.  Where did I sleep?  I slept peacefully under the outstretched wing of the Most High God.  I woke to His Glorious covering.  Lacking fear, I woke only to stretch my bones, and then to pray; even as the little bird sings his song of joy.

Is this how Jesus slept in the boat while the storm raged around him?  Is this how Daniel slept with the Lions, for the weariness of their bodies?  Is this how the Apostle Peter slept so soundly in the jail amidst the soldiers?  Is this how the Prophet Elijah slept alongside the Kerith Ravine, knowing the wings of a bird would feed him in the morning?

Oh how desire rages within this servant to instill these things in my fellow man!  Will you please consider the power of God to sustain your tired soul.  His name is Christ Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man.

By His Grace

Stick IT!

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I can’t tell people what to do to gain eternal life.  I can point them to the Lord Jesus.  I can mention the expectations of the Most High God regarding His Holy and Righteous Son.  But I can’t tell them how to put all that stuff into practice.

I can tell them to read the Bible.  But it’s up to them to do it.  I can tell them to pray.  But I’m not suppose to be privy to such a holy event, no matter how short.  I can tell them that they will do well to DO what they learn.  But I can’t make em.

So I don’t try much any more.  I tried to stick with em.  But I didn’t have the stick-to-itive-ness necessary to stick-to-em long enough to see em stick-with-it.  I’ll just stick-to-da-road and write about stick-to-itive-ness.

An Unwarranted Suppression

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I do not need bars or scars to mark out the place of my imprisonment for the sake of Christ.  I am constrained by his excellent strength within the place he has set me himself.  And it becomes my great joy to serve Him in this very place of obscurity.

How greatly I desire that all my brothers and sisters should perceive their place in the same fashion.  May zeal consume us to be joyful in our place of holy affliction.  For we have not arrived among the things we own by circumstances of chance.  But it is God in Christ who draws us to this place.

It is God in Christ who will draw us to himself.  And even now the signs of his ownership dress us with glory!  See how our hearts are marked by his indelible seal.  See how Desire desires to consume us.

Do we restrain his will?  Do we restrain the desire of God among us?  This has no Holy right to exist.  But receive this word of urging.   Receive and be strengthened for his Lovely sake.  How should the Gospel of Christ Jesus be suppressed?  How should that which burns within us find any extinguishing?  These things within us, these things of Christ, are delivered to us from eternity to eternity.

It is a childish matter to be able to point out the suppressing of the Glory of God among men.  But among the people of God, it would be right if one had to search far and wide to find such a suppressing.  Yet how my heart sinks to realize, one does not have to search very hard at all.

Does this need to remain among us; this willing restraint of the Holy will of God?  You know the answer is “no”. 

This word of exhortation is complete.

By His Grace

The Telling Average

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I just wrote an article about the popularity of the Gospel.  And out of curiosity, I went back to sum up the total average of visitors to this blog.  Sometimes we have a sense of things, but when we quantify, we are often even amazed at the least possible expectation.

Over the last 5 years, this blog has averaged 4 visitors per day.  There are well over 2,000 posts here.  And one would think that even the worst writing would gather more than 4 people per day.

I will gladly admit I am not a good writer.  But I have seen some people’s writing, that has become very popular despite the horrendous value of it.  So then in the pondering of this, I have come up with three possible answers.

The first is obvious, I am a horrible writer.  How could I not agree with that?  I’ve reread my posts enough to know that I am ignorant of grammar and too presumptuous to be careful.

The second possible answer is that the words that I write are so foreign to the joy of men that I am willingly placed into obscurity.  This is a great possibility, for I have never been known as one who plays well with others.  Why and how should that change now?

And the third possibility is full of ponderous contemplation (Redundant yes but it sounded cool).  Perhaps God Himself has placed me in a “cave”.  Greatly distant from the eyes of man.  And I wrote concerning this in the post called “The Craftsman”.

I have seen others that write virtually the same things as I.  And the numbers on their blog are well into the two hundred and five hundred thousand views, and this in far shorter time than I have been writing. 

I could surmise rightly that I am a lousy writer.  I could surmise rightly that the way I write is so abrasive, few have the palate to eat.  But I very much like the third.  For it gives summation to the other two.

The reasons why God has done what he has done to his servant fit into a variety of explanation.  And there is no need to expose them here. 

It is impossible to take pride in obscurity.  Such a man would be considered fully insane.  Yet there is reason to be proud of the Lord Jesus.  For he is God incarnate.  And in the eternal wisdom of the Holy Father he dispenses God’s will in all creation.

There are many who will sit and count their numbers with great joy.  I recognize that is a broad assumption, but I have no reason to think otherwise.  Every Church that I have attended counts their numbers regularly.  Most of them have even displayed a little plaque at the back of the chapel to honor their victory; “Number in attendance this year 4000, number in attendance this month 400, number in attendance last week 6”.

But God has left me to count scraps from the dinner table.  He is Glory!  His wisdom is pure!  He is faultless in all his Holy judgments.  And rather than give praise or regret to myself,  I will give praise and honor to the one who lives forever by the precious blood of his Holy love for Righteousness!  He is Jesus the Son of the Most High God and the Son of Man!

May the will of God be done forever!  God alone is good!

By His Grace

Obey?

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The ignorance of man is astounding!  I say that knowing that I am a man.  And that I am ignorant of many things.  But there is a difference between not knowing something, and knowing it for the sake of abuse.

How dearly humanity loves the law of God.  But we do not love it so that we might obey it, for we know that is impossible.  Men love the law of God because it is a tool with which they can readily hate their brother.

But this is so absolutely contrary to the nature of the law of God. 

I don’t want to make this a long post.  But there is something key to understanding the law of God, that I have never heard men speak of: how all of heaven embraces the law of God without question, yet man turns it into a tool of death.  Enough apology.  Let’s get at it.

When the law of God was delivered to Moses for the people, at a certain point they begged that no further word be spoken.  Realization struck them and fear overwhelmed them.  Yes they wanted God but they knew they could not have him.  The inability of men to obey the Holy law of God was blatantly obvious.

But still God commands us to be holy, and to obey His law.  How can this be?  Does he demand too much?  Is the devil’s accusation against him valid; You demand too much and you do not give the resources to obey?

Isn’t this what men say?  Isn’t this what every single one of us finds our soul believing at one point or another?  But we know that cannot possibly be true. 

We know we will die and we know that God never will.  He obeys his great Holy Law with the most perfect ease.  And so do all the other creatures in heaven!  And the Christ of God has walked among us, fulfilling the law completely, again with the greatest of ease!  How can this possibly be?

Because the creatures of heaven, and the Christ himself, love the Father more than anything in all creation.  Never once does rebellion cross their mind.  Eternity is sustained by this love.  It is not sustained by obedience to a set of rules.  Yet this is the perspective of man!

We raise the Ten Commandments and scream at our brother!  “Do these or you will die!”  But we know they cannot.  And even the one who is screaming knows he cannot obey these laws!  And so we divide and hate one another by the very law that brings unity in heaven.  By the very law that is the foundation of eternity.

There.  That’s what I wanted to say.  But I don’t find myself feeling any better for having written it.  For I know it will not be received or understood.

We will all nod our heads in agreement.  But we will turn right back around and hate our brother.  We will read the Ten Commandments as if there might be something we missed.  But we will not find it.

Let’s add one more key to this proclamation that will devastate the heart of the one who considers it. 

What is the first and greatest commandment?  Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 38)

There’s the key to obedience.  Love.  But when we read the Ten Commandments we don’t hear love do we?  All we hear is fear. 

Fear gives birth to rebellion and hatred.  Fear reads the law of God and despises it.  Fear turns away from God with a great willing heart.  And fear will eventually lead to complete obliteration.

You ask perhaps, how can I love God?  There is only one way.  Look to Jesus the Christ of God.

Without him you will never love God.  Without him you will only obey according to your understanding; you’ll find your obedience is nothing more than a mental exercise.  It never finds its way to your fingers or feet.  Not to mention her filthy mouth.

I do not need to say more than this.  Because if you will not turn to Jesus, you will not believe these words anyway.  Yet if you do turn to Jesus you will find yourself in complete agreement, and I will be rightly pushed to nothing.  That is my proper place.  I am only a messenger of he who lives forever.

May God bless this testimony to the very door of eternity.  Amen.

By His Grace

Stings and Bites

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I sit here this morning, marveling at the nature of the things of God.

His Holy Law is like a spiny reptile; those who desire to tame it will be stung by some unseen outcropping.

His Holy Gospel is like a wily snake; those who desire to manipulate one part will be bitten by the Truth, or stung by their pride.

All day long, the Lord makes straight those who desire to turn His Holy Way.  In one sense, he draws them into the Way.  In another, he seals their fate along the broad path.

He who desires to be presentable to the Most High God, by means of obedience to the whole Holy law, will also find himself dismayed at the Judgment.

And those who turn to God with humble heart will be like a tiny child rescued from the hands of a murderous thug.

Beware the Wisdom of the Most High God to save.  It is written, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2: 12)