Today’s blog might be slightly abbreviated…not sure. I’ve been helping Christi get her shower (knee surgery, you know), and I have to be at work at 8am this morning instead of my usual 9am. That’s probably going to be a regular Monday thing. So I don’t have as much time. It’s not that family obligations come before God…but I believe that he would rather me love and care for my wife first, when necessary. On the other hand, I’m starting this blog before I check all my emails, so I might get it all done.
The Valley of Vision
THE DARK GUEST
O Lord,
Bend my hands and cut them off,
for I have often struck you with a wayward will,
when these fingers should embrace you by faith.
I am not yet weaned from all created glory,
honor, wisdom, and esteem of others,
for I have a secret motive to eye my name in all I do.
Let me not only speak the word sin, but see the thing itself.
Give me to view a discovered sinfulness,
to know that though my sins are crucified
they are never wholly mortified.
Hatred, malice, ill-will,
vain-glory that hungers for and hunts after
man’s approval and applause,
all are crucified, forgiven,
but they rise again in my sinful heart.
O my crucified but never wholly mortified sinfulness!
O my life-long damage and daily shame!
O my indwelling and besetting sins!
O the tormenting slavery of a sinful heart!
Destroy, O God, the dark guest within
whose hidden presence makes my life a hell.
Yet you have not left me here without grace;
The cross still stands and meets my needs
in the deepest straits of the soul.
I thank you that my remembrance of it
is like David’s sight of Goliath’s sword
which preached forth your deliverance.
The memory of my great sins,
my many temptations, my falls,
bring afresh into my mind the remembrance
of your great help, of your support from heaven,
of the great grace that saved such a wretch as I am.
There is no treasure so wonderful
as that continuous experience of your grace
toward me which alone can subdue
the risings of sin within:
Give me more of it.
I’m glad that this dark prayer ended on a lighter note. While I am sorry and mourn over my sins, there always has to be the thankfulness, in the end, for God’s great grace and mercy. I like the description, though, of sin that is “crucified, forgiven, but they rise again in my sinful heart.” I do believe that all my sins are forgiven in Christ; past, present, future. Would that I could forsake them completely. But, alas, I reside in flesh that has yet to be redeemed. But I live for “future grace,” as John Piper put it.
A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen
Psalm 105:1-7
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
The Psalmist encourages Israel to call on the name of the Lord, and give thanks to him. “He urges them to proclaim to the nations the Lord’s mighty miracles in history.” Frankly, I agree with Mr. Wyrtzen, who says that he needs to be reminded of these miracles. We tend to take for granted God’s intervention in our lives. I remember a line in an old Amy Grant song (back when I used to like her), “Angels,” that said “a reckless car ran out of gas before it came my way…” We are not even remotely aware of the many interventions that God brings about in our lives. I honestly believe that. God probably does more to protect us in our daily lives than we could ever imagine. His children will NOT be forsaken, even though we often get totally wrapped up in ourselves.
Matthew Henry Daily Readings
Word of God
Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
“The Holy Scripture is of much greater benefit to us than day or night than the air we breathe or the light of the sun. To recover man out of his fallen state, there is need of the word of God. The word translated ‘law,’ may be rendered doctrine, and be understood as meaning all that teaches us true religion. It shows our sinfulness and misery in departing from God, and the necessity of our return to him. It is a sure fountain of living comforts, and a sure foundation of lasting hope. The commandments of the Lord are pure, holy, just, and good. By them we discover our need of a Savior; and then learn how to adorn his gospel. They are the means which the Holy Spirit uses in enlightening the eyes; they bring us to a sight and sense of our sin and misery, and direct us in the way of duty. The word of God, received by faith, is more precious than gold; it is sweet to the soul, sweeter than honey.”
Beautiful words, Mr. Henry. So very eloquent.
Tabletalk Magazine
Natural Law
Romans 2:12-16
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.
15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Since he is the Creator, “God is the supreme authority for the entire universe.” All lesser authorities over us (government, family, etc.) get their right to govern from God, but their authority is not absolute. “Only His moral law binds our consciences, and we must obey Him even when doing so means we disobey lesser rulers in certain situations.”
Moral relativism runs rampant in our society, but what Paul says in verse 14 shows that “the ethical standards of even the non-believers prove that all people are made in the Lord’s image and therefore have His moral principles on their consciences. Even those without access to Scripture outlaw the killing of innocent human beings and have clear determinations of when killing is murder and when it is not.”
“There are no consistent moral relativists. Since moral relativists say there is no universal right and wrong, they invalidate their beliefs when they complain about being treated unfairly. The fact that no one is a moral relativist guarantees that we can find some common ground with unbelievers when we share the gospel. Appealing to the unbeliever’s innate sense of right and wrong is a powerful tool to demonstrate God’s existence.”
Prayers from the Presidential Prayer Team
THE WAR
At least 50 people have been killed in a series of apparently coordinated bomb attacks across Iraq in the week since the
pull-out of American combat troops. Officials blame al-Qaeda attacking local security forces.
The American commander in charge of building up Afghanistan’s security forces said that in the next 15 months he
would have to recruit and train 141,000 new soldiers and police officers to meet their self-sufficiency goals.
Pray for those training and equipping the Iraqis and Afghanis to be able to provide for their own security.
Lord, today, I must cut short my prayer. Forgive me for that. I praise and thank you for all the miracles that you have done in history, and in the life of my family and church. I thank you for all the acts on my behalf that I will never know about. You are great and might, majestic and power and grandeur.
May you keep me always aware of the sin in my life, so that I might not take your forgiveness for granted. Again, I pray that I might see sin as you do, so that I will be more apt to avoid it entirely.
I pray for Christ’s well-being while I am work today. I pray that her healing continue to be ahead of schedule. I pray for another great week at school for Stephanie.
Look for acts of God in your life today, as you go along. Thank him for the ones you see; praise him for the ones you will never see.
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 