Sing for joy in the Lord, you His righteous ones.
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy!
For the word of the Lord is upright,
and
All His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord!
1. Mark references to God including personal pronouns.
2. List what you learn about God in a notebook.
3. Underline the verbs in v:1-3.
4. Put a box around the word joy.
5. Mark who is to do this in blue.
6. List what you learn about them in a notebook.
QUESTIONS:
Who is to worship?
How are they described? Are you one of these people? Why can you say you are?
What are some expected means of worship to God mentioned in this passage?
Describe how we are to do this?
What emotion should permeate our worship?
How can that emotion be expressed?
Do you have the freedom in your personal worship to express your joy in the Lord?
What is this joy based on according to this passage? v:4-5
My thoughts:
In Christ I am one of His righteous ones. God in Christ made me right with God. He died in my place taking my sin upon Himself as the full wrath of God was poured out on Him for me. He called me to Himself, brought me to life and I responded to Him. He forgave the guilt of my sin and filled me with His Spirit. Where does the expression of my joy come from? From the joy He filled me with! From the joy of being forgiven! From the joy of being made new! He gave me a new song!
Why this Psalm speaks so loudly in my heart? The Word of the Lord is upright. Who is the Word of the Lord? It is Jesus Christ. John 1:1, 14- "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God..., and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
In John 5:36 Jesus says, "...for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish- the very works that I do- testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me." When Jesus was hanging on the cross before He died He said, "It is finished!" The work the Father sent Jesus to do was to die on the cross to make atonement for all those the Father had given Him before the world began. Jesus actually, fully accomplished that work. God accepted His sacrifice by raising Jesus from the dead on the 3rd day just as He said!
Only Jesus is upright. He is truth, His Word is truth. He faithfully carried out the work needed to make us His righteous ones who are upright. It was necessary for God to do this for us. When I think about who I was before He changed me. I know the depth of my sinfulness, that there is not anything that I could have done if I had wanted to (and I didn't) to make me right enough to even ask Him to save me. It took the miracle of grace in Christ to rescue me, to deliver me from the domain of darkness and to transfer me into the kingdom of God's dear Son where I received the forgiveness of sin the redemption of my soul!
How could my heart not be filled with joy? How could I not shout for joy?
This praise is becoming to those who have been born of the Spirit. It is a befitting, right, expected, good, appropriate expression of thankfulness for what He has done for us!
The earth is filled with His lovingkindness. God demonstrated His love by sending Jesus, the only Savior for this world!
If you have come to know Him or have a renewed expression of joy I would love to hear about it!
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Ordinary Water Pots
John 2: 6
"Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each."
Remember the problem? The wine had run out at the wedding ceremony! Mary had told the servants to do as Jesus said and now Jesus was taking care of the problem. He told the servants to fill the water pots with water. So they did as Jesus said and filled the pots with water, all the way to the brim. Then Jesus told them to draw some of the water out and take it to the headwaiter or better called 'the master of the feast'. The servants took water from the brimming water pots and carried it to the master of the feast. Somewhere in between the water became 'wine'. When the master of the feast sipped from the cup he was astonished, amazed. This was pure sweet wine, better than anything he had ever tasted before. He didn't know where it had come from but the servants who had brought it to him knew where it had come from. They realized that Jesus had turned the water into wine.
The master of the feast called the bridegroom over and complemented him. "Everyone serves the good wine first and then when men have drunk freely and are feeling the effects they bring out the poorer wine but you have saved the best wine until now.
John 2: 11 "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
This was Jesus' first miracle, done as a sign to the Jews that Jesus was sovereign over creation. Jesus could take ordinary water and change it into wine.
Sometimes I like to personalize scripture and apply it to my life. For example:
Lord, I am an ordinary person. Nothing good in me, nothing spectacular, just normal, average. I am a water pot filled with ordinary water that You have filled to the brim with Your Holy Spirit. You have changed me into someone new. May all that You draw out of me be of use to others. May they see the 'best' being used for Your glory, may there be a lasting impression given with an eternal perspective. You sovereignly rule over me and in me so I pray that Your glory will be seen in this vessel and that many will believe in You because of what You are doing in my life. I pray that lives will be changed to bring You glory from the miracle You performed in me and are continuing to perform in me daily.
"Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each."
Remember the problem? The wine had run out at the wedding ceremony! Mary had told the servants to do as Jesus said and now Jesus was taking care of the problem. He told the servants to fill the water pots with water. So they did as Jesus said and filled the pots with water, all the way to the brim. Then Jesus told them to draw some of the water out and take it to the headwaiter or better called 'the master of the feast'. The servants took water from the brimming water pots and carried it to the master of the feast. Somewhere in between the water became 'wine'. When the master of the feast sipped from the cup he was astonished, amazed. This was pure sweet wine, better than anything he had ever tasted before. He didn't know where it had come from but the servants who had brought it to him knew where it had come from. They realized that Jesus had turned the water into wine.
The master of the feast called the bridegroom over and complemented him. "Everyone serves the good wine first and then when men have drunk freely and are feeling the effects they bring out the poorer wine but you have saved the best wine until now.
John 2: 11 "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
This was Jesus' first miracle, done as a sign to the Jews that Jesus was sovereign over creation. Jesus could take ordinary water and change it into wine.
Sometimes I like to personalize scripture and apply it to my life. For example:
Lord, I am an ordinary person. Nothing good in me, nothing spectacular, just normal, average. I am a water pot filled with ordinary water that You have filled to the brim with Your Holy Spirit. You have changed me into someone new. May all that You draw out of me be of use to others. May they see the 'best' being used for Your glory, may there be a lasting impression given with an eternal perspective. You sovereignly rule over me and in me so I pray that Your glory will be seen in this vessel and that many will believe in You because of what You are doing in my life. I pray that lives will be changed to bring You glory from the miracle You performed in me and are continuing to perform in me daily.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thankful for God's Grace
Upon returning home from small group tonight I am reminded of the fragilness of life. We talked about compassion for the poor, the needy, the orphans, widows, single moms, children used for slave labor, families living in garbage dumps. Then we talked about the earthquakes and resulting tsunami's. What can we do to help. It is so overwhelming when you think about it! But help we must. God has called each one of us to do something, to reach out to someone. Who will it be? What organization will I give to in order to be a part of preventing a mom to sell herself to support her family? What will I give to help feed people in need? How can I support believers in countries where they are severely persecuted? How can I help believers that have been devastated by the earthquakes and tsunamis?
These are my questions. I know there are ways to help, organizations to support and I need to look them up and do something.
Lord, I pray that You will give us wisdom and discernment. I pray that You will show each one of us who or what we will support; You will use each one of us doing something different to reach more people, help more people and then it won't be so overwhelming. It won't seem so hopeless. You are in control over all of these things and us. Use us to help Your world, Your people.
These are my questions. I know there are ways to help, organizations to support and I need to look them up and do something.
Lord, I pray that You will give us wisdom and discernment. I pray that You will show each one of us who or what we will support; You will use each one of us doing something different to reach more people, help more people and then it won't be so overwhelming. It won't seem so hopeless. You are in control over all of these things and us. Use us to help Your world, Your people.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Returning to the Blog
My hopes and desires for this blog are the same. I have missed writing. I will pick up where I left off later this week finishing the wedding feast Jesus attended. For all who read many blessings to you.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wedding Attendees
Who were the wedding attendees? There were the invited guests- Mary, Jesus' mother, Jesus Himself, and His disciples. There was also the household family including the servants and of course the master of the feast.
The wedding was taking place in Cana in Galilee. Everything was going along smoothly until a problem of the wine running out arose. Mary's solution was to present the problem to Jesus. I have heard so many comments and questions about this portion of scripture. For example: How long did wedding feasts usually last? If the wine had run out does that mean the people were 'plastered'? Why would a God fearing woman want Jesus the Son of God, to make more wine that would make the people more drunk? Was the wine like the wine of today? Was it alcoholic? Does this mean it is okay to drink until the wine runs out?... Did Jesus make wine that caused people to be drunk?
There are answers to these questions. Wedding feasts did last sometimes a week. The English word wine is alcoholic beverage and is made so deliberately by the wine makers. The Greek has more than one way to use the word- new wine, fruit of the vine, etc. so more than likely the 'wine' was pure sweet grape juice, the fruit of the vine. Because juice did ferment so quickly it was often made into a paste with water added to it or the juice was watered down and so would not taste as good as pure sweet juice freshly made, therefore the master could say, "the best was saved for the last.." when Jesus made the water into wine!
I often ponder on Jesus answer to Mary when she told Him about the wine. He said, "What does that have to do with Me?" What does making wine have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come. This did not deter Mary, she turned to the servants and told them to do whatever Jesus told them to do. This I also find interesting. What authority did Mary have to be able to tell the servants what to do? Was she close enough to the family even as an invited guest to automatically give the servants instructions? Yet that is what she did and they obeyed her. Jesus hadn't said He would take care of the problem but He did.
Here is some application for us.
When problems arise do we naturally turn to Jesus and tell Him about it? Do we just know that He will take care of it and so do not hesitate to ask Him? Are we so sure of His care for us that we rely on Him to meet unexpected problems that arise? Think of how frequently you automatically turn to Jesus at the first sign of trouble. What happened as a result of turning to Him immediately? of not turning to Him immediately?
When was the last time you directed others to turn to Jesus with their problems? How did you go about it? Did it help them?
God uses prayer, petitions, and supplication for our benefit. Turn your problem over to Jesus and watch Him take care of it. He can make the ordinary water of life into pure sweet wine. Enjoy!
to the praise of the glory of His grace...
The wedding was taking place in Cana in Galilee. Everything was going along smoothly until a problem of the wine running out arose. Mary's solution was to present the problem to Jesus. I have heard so many comments and questions about this portion of scripture. For example: How long did wedding feasts usually last? If the wine had run out does that mean the people were 'plastered'? Why would a God fearing woman want Jesus the Son of God, to make more wine that would make the people more drunk? Was the wine like the wine of today? Was it alcoholic? Does this mean it is okay to drink until the wine runs out?... Did Jesus make wine that caused people to be drunk?
There are answers to these questions. Wedding feasts did last sometimes a week. The English word wine is alcoholic beverage and is made so deliberately by the wine makers. The Greek has more than one way to use the word- new wine, fruit of the vine, etc. so more than likely the 'wine' was pure sweet grape juice, the fruit of the vine. Because juice did ferment so quickly it was often made into a paste with water added to it or the juice was watered down and so would not taste as good as pure sweet juice freshly made, therefore the master could say, "the best was saved for the last.." when Jesus made the water into wine!
I often ponder on Jesus answer to Mary when she told Him about the wine. He said, "What does that have to do with Me?" What does making wine have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come. This did not deter Mary, she turned to the servants and told them to do whatever Jesus told them to do. This I also find interesting. What authority did Mary have to be able to tell the servants what to do? Was she close enough to the family even as an invited guest to automatically give the servants instructions? Yet that is what she did and they obeyed her. Jesus hadn't said He would take care of the problem but He did.
Here is some application for us.
When problems arise do we naturally turn to Jesus and tell Him about it? Do we just know that He will take care of it and so do not hesitate to ask Him? Are we so sure of His care for us that we rely on Him to meet unexpected problems that arise? Think of how frequently you automatically turn to Jesus at the first sign of trouble. What happened as a result of turning to Him immediately? of not turning to Him immediately?
When was the last time you directed others to turn to Jesus with their problems? How did you go about it? Did it help them?
God uses prayer, petitions, and supplication for our benefit. Turn your problem over to Jesus and watch Him take care of it. He can make the ordinary water of life into pure sweet wine. Enjoy!
to the praise of the glory of His grace...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
John 2: 1-11
Jesus attends a wedding at Cana in Galilee with His mother, Mary, and His disciples.
When the wine runs out Mary tells Jesus.
Jesus tells Mary His hour has not yet come.
Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.
Six 30 gallon stone water jugs on stand by for Jewish purification rites.
Jesus tell the servants to fill these to the brim with water and they obeyed.
Jesus told servants to take some to the master of the feast to taste.
Master of the feast is impressed by quality of wine.
Master compliments bridegroom for saving the best wine till the end of the wedding feast.
Custom was to serve the best wine first then bring out the lower quality wine.
This was the first of Jesus' signs in manifesting His glory.
I. Wedding Attendees John 2: 1-5
II. Water Jugs John 2: 6-9a
III. Wonderous Miracle John 2: 9b- 11
AIM: God uses the ordinary things of life to transform into extra-ordinary!
Subject Sentence: Jesus, wedding attendee, using ordinary water jugs performs wonderous wine-changing miracle.
When the wine runs out Mary tells Jesus.
Jesus tells Mary His hour has not yet come.
Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.
Six 30 gallon stone water jugs on stand by for Jewish purification rites.
Jesus tell the servants to fill these to the brim with water and they obeyed.
Jesus told servants to take some to the master of the feast to taste.
Master of the feast is impressed by quality of wine.
Master compliments bridegroom for saving the best wine till the end of the wedding feast.
Custom was to serve the best wine first then bring out the lower quality wine.
This was the first of Jesus' signs in manifesting His glory.
I. Wedding Attendees John 2: 1-5
II. Water Jugs John 2: 6-9a
III. Wonderous Miracle John 2: 9b- 11
AIM: God uses the ordinary things of life to transform into extra-ordinary!
Subject Sentence: Jesus, wedding attendee, using ordinary water jugs performs wonderous wine-changing miracle.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
John 1: 43- 57
Jesus found Philip and said, "Follow Me." Philip found his brother Nathanael and said, "We have found...Jesus... come and see..."
Jesus found and called Philip but Philip felt that he had found the treasure of knowing Jesus. His first natural response was to find his brother whom he loved and share this treasure of Jesus with him. In sharing the treasure we invite others to come and see for themselves who Jesus is.
Nathanael's response, 'can any good thing come out of Nazareth? I thought this showed a bit of self righteousness from a Jew who knew the culture etc. yet he came to see Jesus. Yet Jesus saw Nathanael's response to Philip as honest, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit."
Nathanael met the One who knew him (from before the foundation of the world). There was an immediate acknowledgment of "knowing" Jesus was the Son of God, the King of Israel. This reminded me of John 6:45- and they will be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from God the Father comes to Me." and John 10: 27-29- My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me..."
Jesus had seen Nathanael under the fig tree through the eyes of deity and Nathanael "knew" this meant Jesus was God and believed. Now Jesus would reveal more things to him in the spiritual realm..."You will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Nathanael's eyes had been opened, his heart was opened and he "knew" Jesus. I wonder what joy, what anticipation, what wonder must have filled him that day.
A life of joy, anticipation and wonder awaits those who love Jesus!
Jesus found and called Philip but Philip felt that he had found the treasure of knowing Jesus. His first natural response was to find his brother whom he loved and share this treasure of Jesus with him. In sharing the treasure we invite others to come and see for themselves who Jesus is.
Nathanael's response, 'can any good thing come out of Nazareth? I thought this showed a bit of self righteousness from a Jew who knew the culture etc. yet he came to see Jesus. Yet Jesus saw Nathanael's response to Philip as honest, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit."
Nathanael met the One who knew him (from before the foundation of the world). There was an immediate acknowledgment of "knowing" Jesus was the Son of God, the King of Israel. This reminded me of John 6:45- and they will be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from God the Father comes to Me." and John 10: 27-29- My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me..."
Jesus had seen Nathanael under the fig tree through the eyes of deity and Nathanael "knew" this meant Jesus was God and believed. Now Jesus would reveal more things to him in the spiritual realm..."You will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Nathanael's eyes had been opened, his heart was opened and he "knew" Jesus. I wonder what joy, what anticipation, what wonder must have filled him that day.
A life of joy, anticipation and wonder awaits those who love Jesus!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
John 1: 40- 42
Two disciples of John the Baptist followed Jesus that day... One of them, Andrew, went and found his brother Simon Peter and told him they had found the Messiah, the Christ. Andrew then brought Simon Peter to Jesus.
Jesus changed me, He gave me a new name, a new position, a new purpose, a new life.....
from sinner to saint
lost to found
dead to living
fickle to faithful
slave to free
dark to light
get the picture?
all to the praise of the glory of His marvelous grace...
- He first found his brother-- I remember when I first got saved, even though I didn't fully understand what had happened to me and what it all meant, I couldn't wait to tell my family and friends what had happened to me. I knew something had happened- something inside me changed! I knew I had been forgiven of my sin- I felt clean, pure, free- and I wanted my family to experience this also. I wanted them to come to Jesus because Jesus had done this for me. My family did not come as Simon Peter came. They thought I was crazy. Eventually two members of my family came to meet Jesus. One of them followed for awhile and then stopped following, stopped believing, stopped obeying His Word. The other is still following, still believing, still seeking to obey His Word. My friends forsook me but God gave me new friends, a new family and how I praise Him.
- Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter. He gave him a new name, a name which represented his new nature.
Jesus changed me, He gave me a new name, a new position, a new purpose, a new life.....
from sinner to saint
lost to found
dead to living
fickle to faithful
slave to free
dark to light
get the picture?
all to the praise of the glory of His marvelous grace...
Friday, February 12, 2010
John 1: 35- 39
I know it appears I skipped several verses here but actually I used those verses earlier. See the Archives.
Again John the Baptist points out Jesus as the Lamb of God and two of his own disciples (students under his teaching) heard him and then followed Jesus as He was walking by. Jesus turned to them and asked, "What are you seeking?" When it appears to us that someone is turning to follow Jesus we too should ask the question. "What are you seeking?" What are you looking for?
These disciples wanted to know where Jesus was staying. Already they wanted to be with Him, spend time with Him, get to know Him. Hopefully this will be the response we get when we ask this question to those who appear to be seeking Jesus. Then we can respond as Jesus did, "Come and See." When Jesus invites to come and see there is a positive response as there was with these disciples. They came and saw and stayed with Him that day.
In fact they stayed with Him for all eternity. More about these two disciples next.
What about you- what are you seeking? I invite you to come and see Jesus. May He open the eyes of your heart so that you may know Him for all eternity.
to the praise of His glorious grace!
Again John the Baptist points out Jesus as the Lamb of God and two of his own disciples (students under his teaching) heard him and then followed Jesus as He was walking by. Jesus turned to them and asked, "What are you seeking?" When it appears to us that someone is turning to follow Jesus we too should ask the question. "What are you seeking?" What are you looking for?
These disciples wanted to know where Jesus was staying. Already they wanted to be with Him, spend time with Him, get to know Him. Hopefully this will be the response we get when we ask this question to those who appear to be seeking Jesus. Then we can respond as Jesus did, "Come and See." When Jesus invites to come and see there is a positive response as there was with these disciples. They came and saw and stayed with Him that day.
In fact they stayed with Him for all eternity. More about these two disciples next.
What about you- what are you seeking? I invite you to come and see Jesus. May He open the eyes of your heart so that you may know Him for all eternity.
to the praise of His glorious grace!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
John 1: 19- 28
The testimony of John the Baptist, when questioned by priests and Levites about who he was and what he was doing, was a confession of who he was not. He said he was not the Christ- not the Coming Anointed One- not the Messiah. He confessed that he was a voice crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord", as the prophet Isaiah had said. He was preparing them for the Coming One! He was trying to get their attention focused on preparing for Messiah's coming. By quoting Is. 40: 3, in John 1: 23, John is applying to Christ what is said of YAHWEH. John was preparing them for God in flesh which is why in verse 27 he says, "He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie..." John considered himself lower than a servant in comparison to Who was coming, the One the people were to prepare themselves for.
O my Lord Jesus, help me to have this same spirit. The spirit of a slave. A slave was the one who tied and untied the sandals, who washed the dirty feet, the lowest of low. May I consider myself lower than a slave and serve You in true, pure, genuine humility. I get so puffed up- please cleanse it, burn it out of me with Your holy fire. I do hate it. I do pray that You will take the intense desire of my heart for purity of Your Holy Word and make/ cause the words of my mouth and the thoughts and intentions of my heart to be pleasing to You My Rock, Refuge and Redeemer. May the words that I sing, speak, and pray be wholly devoted to You, may You be glorified in using this vessel to do Your holy will. Control me, Lord Jesus. Please use me to get peoples attention focused on preparing to meet You- in salvation, in daily sanctification and/or in Your soon coming return.
O my Lord Jesus, help me to have this same spirit. The spirit of a slave. A slave was the one who tied and untied the sandals, who washed the dirty feet, the lowest of low. May I consider myself lower than a slave and serve You in true, pure, genuine humility. I get so puffed up- please cleanse it, burn it out of me with Your holy fire. I do hate it. I do pray that You will take the intense desire of my heart for purity of Your Holy Word and make/ cause the words of my mouth and the thoughts and intentions of my heart to be pleasing to You My Rock, Refuge and Redeemer. May the words that I sing, speak, and pray be wholly devoted to You, may You be glorified in using this vessel to do Your holy will. Control me, Lord Jesus. Please use me to get peoples attention focused on preparing to meet You- in salvation, in daily sanctification and/or in Your soon coming return.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
John 1: 18
"No one has ever seen God..."
This takes me back to Moses who asked of God, "Please, show me Your glory." Yet Moses only got to see the backside as God passed by him in the cleft of the rock. God showed Moses His goodness and equaled it with His glory as seen in Ex. 33: 12- 23. We are shown God's goodness and in it we see His glory.
"...the only God who is at the Father's side..." This is Jesus our Lord.
"...He has made Him known." Jesus has made the Father known to us.
This is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world. But man cannot save himself, it is impossible for anyone to be saved apart from the Lord Jesus Christ who must make the Father known to the one being saved. If Jesus does not make it known it cannot happen. Matthew 11: 27, says, "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."
The Father and the Son are in perfect unity in man's salvation. Throughout the gospel of John it says that the Son can do nothing of His own accord but only what He sees the Father doing. John 5: 19. The Father has given all authority and all judgment to the Son (also in John 5). The Father granted the Son to give life to whom He will..v: 21. Jesus made the Father known by being obedient to the Father in everything. Jesus came to do the work of Him who sent Him and that work was to actually save those the Father had given Him before the world began. John 6: 29, 37-40.
All the goodness of God is seen in Jesus Christ as He reveals to men and women the salvation from God, the full atonement paid on our behalf, the love of the Father, the kindness of God.....and on and on.....!
Jesus has made the Father known to us and I praise the glory of His grace to me and to you.
This takes me back to Moses who asked of God, "Please, show me Your glory." Yet Moses only got to see the backside as God passed by him in the cleft of the rock. God showed Moses His goodness and equaled it with His glory as seen in Ex. 33: 12- 23. We are shown God's goodness and in it we see His glory.
"...the only God who is at the Father's side..." This is Jesus our Lord.
"...He has made Him known." Jesus has made the Father known to us.
This is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world. But man cannot save himself, it is impossible for anyone to be saved apart from the Lord Jesus Christ who must make the Father known to the one being saved. If Jesus does not make it known it cannot happen. Matthew 11: 27, says, "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."
The Father and the Son are in perfect unity in man's salvation. Throughout the gospel of John it says that the Son can do nothing of His own accord but only what He sees the Father doing. John 5: 19. The Father has given all authority and all judgment to the Son (also in John 5). The Father granted the Son to give life to whom He will..v: 21. Jesus made the Father known by being obedient to the Father in everything. Jesus came to do the work of Him who sent Him and that work was to actually save those the Father had given Him before the world began. John 6: 29, 37-40.
All the goodness of God is seen in Jesus Christ as He reveals to men and women the salvation from God, the full atonement paid on our behalf, the love of the Father, the kindness of God.....and on and on.....!
Jesus has made the Father known to us and I praise the glory of His grace to me and to you.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
John 1: 17
"For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
The Law- the commandments, were given to Moses directly from God. The commandments were and are unattainable by man. They were given to show God's perfect standard- holiness. His perfect standard in man's relationship with Him and with one another. It is impossible for anyone to measure up to that standard because of sin. Self-centered, self-determined, self-dependant sin. The measure is not one another, it is God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous- no not one. So, all are condemned under the law that was given through Moses.
Grace and truth came through Jesus. God had a plan prepared before He created any of us, before sin came. His plan was Jesus Christ, His One and Only Son would bring grace and truth. God chose to set His love, His unmerited, undeserved affection on those who would believe, on those He gave the right to become children of God. We cannot separate God's love from His grace, nor can we separate truth from His grace. Jesus Christ is the truth- "I am the way, the truth, the life and no one comes to the Father but by Me". Jesus also said, "No one comes to Me unless the Father draws him." and He also said, "No one can know the Father unless the Son reveals Him to them." God's grace and truth came to man in the Person of Jesus Christ. The truth is that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all in harmony in this.
In Moses' law we are told clearly we don't measure up, we are guilty, and we are condemned and justly so.
In Jesus' grace and truth we are told clearly that God's love and favor are granted us on the truth of Who Jesus is and what He has done. We are given hope and life in Jesus Christ.
Lord, in You alone I rest. On You alone I cling. You are the souce and substance of all I need. Thank You for Your grace and truth. Make Yourself known ever more clearly, open eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to believe and minds to truly understand...
to the praise of the glory of Your marvelous grace.
The Law- the commandments, were given to Moses directly from God. The commandments were and are unattainable by man. They were given to show God's perfect standard- holiness. His perfect standard in man's relationship with Him and with one another. It is impossible for anyone to measure up to that standard because of sin. Self-centered, self-determined, self-dependant sin. The measure is not one another, it is God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous- no not one. So, all are condemned under the law that was given through Moses.
Grace and truth came through Jesus. God had a plan prepared before He created any of us, before sin came. His plan was Jesus Christ, His One and Only Son would bring grace and truth. God chose to set His love, His unmerited, undeserved affection on those who would believe, on those He gave the right to become children of God. We cannot separate God's love from His grace, nor can we separate truth from His grace. Jesus Christ is the truth- "I am the way, the truth, the life and no one comes to the Father but by Me". Jesus also said, "No one comes to Me unless the Father draws him." and He also said, "No one can know the Father unless the Son reveals Him to them." God's grace and truth came to man in the Person of Jesus Christ. The truth is that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all in harmony in this.
In Moses' law we are told clearly we don't measure up, we are guilty, and we are condemned and justly so.
In Jesus' grace and truth we are told clearly that God's love and favor are granted us on the truth of Who Jesus is and what He has done. We are given hope and life in Jesus Christ.
Lord, in You alone I rest. On You alone I cling. You are the souce and substance of all I need. Thank You for Your grace and truth. Make Yourself known ever more clearly, open eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to believe and minds to truly understand...
to the praise of the glory of Your marvelous grace.
Monday, January 25, 2010
John 1: 16
"And from His fulness we have all received, grace upon grace."
Here I noticed that from verse 14 John began using the pronoun 'we'. Who is the 'we' he refers to? Could it be those who believed and received, the children of God, those born of God? This is who I think he refers to even though I realize that the whole world benefits from Christ's coming with grace upon grace. I believe John is speaking of those who would receive Christ through the new birth. So what have we received? Grace upon grace! From what have we received it? From His fulness! Think about that- His fulness- incomprehensible in magnitude. From His fulness we received grace stacked upon grace. Grace, His unmerited love and favor toward us, on us.
What are some of these? Not in any particular order:
My mind cannot grasp a picture of this. When I am full (of food) I am beyond the limit of satisfaction to the over indulged. It is painful, causes a physical stomach ache. When my heart is full it wants to explode- there is pain of sorts. In sadness a groan must escape. In joy a shout or a song or a 'Yes' must escape. Sometimes, both the pain of sorrow and the joy of something overflows with tears. Fulness bubbles over, flows over the top like a full glass of water will flow over the rim.
All this goodness, blessing, grace flows out of God's fulness. He is so full of Who His Is, holy, holy, holy!! In His holiness His character bursts over the top and flows to us continually. His fulness never ends.
Each of us who is born again, born of God receives His grace out of His fulness.
for the praise of His glory!
Here I noticed that from verse 14 John began using the pronoun 'we'. Who is the 'we' he refers to? Could it be those who believed and received, the children of God, those born of God? This is who I think he refers to even though I realize that the whole world benefits from Christ's coming with grace upon grace. I believe John is speaking of those who would receive Christ through the new birth. So what have we received? Grace upon grace! From what have we received it? From His fulness! Think about that- His fulness- incomprehensible in magnitude. From His fulness we received grace stacked upon grace. Grace, His unmerited love and favor toward us, on us.
What are some of these? Not in any particular order:
- the application/ imputation of Christ's righteousness to us
- the gift of eternal life
- pardon, cleansing from sin's guilt
- redemption- bought back from the slave market of sin to be set free to love God and live for Him
- favor of God upon us
- mercy
- blessed with every spiritual blessing the the heavenly places in Christ
- chosen from before the foundation of the world
- given every thing we need for life and godliness
- adopted into the family of God
- a rich inheritance
- the Holy Spirit who is the source of all these benefits to live in us
- the Holy Spirit living the life of Christ through us
- the Word of God- we can read every day, God speaks to us through His Word- grace upon grace
My mind cannot grasp a picture of this. When I am full (of food) I am beyond the limit of satisfaction to the over indulged. It is painful, causes a physical stomach ache. When my heart is full it wants to explode- there is pain of sorts. In sadness a groan must escape. In joy a shout or a song or a 'Yes' must escape. Sometimes, both the pain of sorrow and the joy of something overflows with tears. Fulness bubbles over, flows over the top like a full glass of water will flow over the rim.
All this goodness, blessing, grace flows out of God's fulness. He is so full of Who His Is, holy, holy, holy!! In His holiness His character bursts over the top and flows to us continually. His fulness never ends.
Each of us who is born again, born of God receives His grace out of His fulness.
for the praise of His glory!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
John 1:15
John the Baptist bore witness about Jesus. He told the people who came into the wilderness to see him and hear him preach that Jesus was the One he was talking about. Jesus was the One who in reality was 'before' John even though it appears that John came first. This was so, he explained, because Jesus existed before him. Jesus is eternal- He has always existed. He is self-existing. He was with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid.
This is why John can say Jesus ranks before him. In order of creation and existence- the one created comes after the Self-existing Creator. John understood who he was and he understood who Jesus was.
John the Baptist was a true prophet. He proclaimed Jesus as God.
to the praise of His glory!
This is why John can say Jesus ranks before him. In order of creation and existence- the one created comes after the Self-existing Creator. John understood who he was and he understood who Jesus was.
John the Baptist was a true prophet. He proclaimed Jesus as God.
to the praise of His glory!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Full of grace and truth
Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth. I looked up the meanings of these words for deeper understanding, a very helpful thing to do.
Grace: from Websters
10. favor, mercy, pardon
from Strongs- charis G5485- especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace, joy, liberality, pleasure, thanks-worthy
Truth from Strongs G225/ 227- true, truth, verity
from Websters
Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value.
4. Veracity- purity from falsehood; practice of speaking truth, habitual disposition to speak truth
7. honesty, virtue
8. exactness- conformity to rule
11. the truth of God, is His veracity or faithfulness Ps. 71 or His revealed will Ps. 26
To do truth is to practice what God commands.
Jesus personifies truth. It is who He is. There is no falsehood in Him. There is no contradiction in Him. He is faithful, trustworthy, honest, good, and there is no one like Him. And yet He is about the business of conforming us into His likeness. Are you looking more and more like the Lord Jesus in your thoughts, your speaking, your attitudes, your actions? We have so much to look forward to in Christ. The conforming journey is an adventure that Jesus will bring us through triumphantly. He has said He will present us before God to stand in His presence holy, blameless and with great joy.
all for the praise of His glory!
Grace: from Websters
- good will, kindness
- appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men received from Him. Rom. 11
- favorable influence of God 2 Cor. 12
- application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner. Rom. 5
- a state of reconciliation to God. Rom. 5: 2
10. favor, mercy, pardon
from Strongs- charis G5485- especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace, joy, liberality, pleasure, thanks-worthy
Truth from Strongs G225/ 227- true, truth, verity
from Websters
Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value.
4. Veracity- purity from falsehood; practice of speaking truth, habitual disposition to speak truth
7. honesty, virtue
8. exactness- conformity to rule
11. the truth of God, is His veracity or faithfulness Ps. 71 or His revealed will Ps. 26
To do truth is to practice what God commands.
Jesus personifies truth. It is who He is. There is no falsehood in Him. There is no contradiction in Him. He is faithful, trustworthy, honest, good, and there is no one like Him. And yet He is about the business of conforming us into His likeness. Are you looking more and more like the Lord Jesus in your thoughts, your speaking, your attitudes, your actions? We have so much to look forward to in Christ. The conforming journey is an adventure that Jesus will bring us through triumphantly. He has said He will present us before God to stand in His presence holy, blameless and with great joy.
all for the praise of His glory!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
John 1: 14b
"...glory as of the only Son from the Father."
Hebrews 1: 2-3 says, "But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom He also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the Word of His power. ESV
John 17: 5 says, "And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed."
Jesus was with God in the beginning because He is God. His coming in the flesh to make the Father known to us is amazing. Someday we will see His glory that He shares with the Father. I cannot even comprehend this...that God has chosen me to know Him and to see His glory as Isaiah saw Him, "I say the Lord (Adonai- Sovereign Master/Ruler), sitting upon a throne high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the trmple." This same Lord- Hebrew- Adonai, Greek- Curios-is the same Lord Jesus Christ- our Lord!
This is the glory of the Father and the Son. GOD- LORD- I AM- Covenant Maker, Covenant Keeper. They are One and the same! So hard to understand yet He has given us the faith to believe. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Master. He has been given the name that is above every name. Every tongue will someday confess Him as Lord and every knee will someday bow to Him as Lord.
Bow before Him now- Confess Him now- Worship Him now-
for the praise of the glory of His amazing grace!
Hebrews 1: 2-3 says, "But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom He also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the Word of His power. ESV
John 17: 5 says, "And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed."
Jesus was with God in the beginning because He is God. His coming in the flesh to make the Father known to us is amazing. Someday we will see His glory that He shares with the Father. I cannot even comprehend this...that God has chosen me to know Him and to see His glory as Isaiah saw Him, "I say the Lord (Adonai- Sovereign Master/Ruler), sitting upon a throne high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the trmple." This same Lord- Hebrew- Adonai, Greek- Curios-is the same Lord Jesus Christ- our Lord!
This is the glory of the Father and the Son. GOD- LORD- I AM- Covenant Maker, Covenant Keeper. They are One and the same! So hard to understand yet He has given us the faith to believe. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Master. He has been given the name that is above every name. Every tongue will someday confess Him as Lord and every knee will someday bow to Him as Lord.
Bow before Him now- Confess Him now- Worship Him now-
for the praise of the glory of His amazing grace!
Monday, January 4, 2010
As I reread John 1, verses 10-13 once again caught me. The world did not know Him. The "world" representing all of fallen humanity did not know Him. His own chosen nation did not receive Him. The Jewish nation of Israel as God's chosen people- chosen not because of who they were or for anything they had done but because of God's own sovereign will- out of this people His plan for the "world" unfolded, Jesus was born, came to dwell among them- God with us- Emanuel and what was the response? He is rejected then as now.
As the gospel of John unfolds he explains who those are who did receive Him, who believed in His Name. He explains how they were given the right to become children of God, how they are born of God- of the will of God, not of the will of man- and he says in verse 14b, and we have seen His glory.."
Right away John encompasses all of the people of verses 12 and 13 and includes himself, saying, and "we" have seen...
How could the "we" have seen except God open their eyes in salvation giving them eyes to see. And what do we see? His glory!!! None of us could see His glory apart from God Himself opening our eyes. Could we behold His glory and not be changed? We are changed so we can behold His glory. That is a new way to look at it. Yes, we are changed so that we CAN behold His glory. God wants us to 'know' Him. Jesus came so we would know God the Father. Jesus came to glorify the Father and manifest His glory to us.
Jesus accomplished the work the Father sent Him to do and we can behold the glory of God because of it!
Are you beholding the glory of God in Jesus Christ? Read John until you see... I pray God opens your eyes that you might behold His glory in truly knowing Him.
for the praise of His glory
As the gospel of John unfolds he explains who those are who did receive Him, who believed in His Name. He explains how they were given the right to become children of God, how they are born of God- of the will of God, not of the will of man- and he says in verse 14b, and we have seen His glory.."
Right away John encompasses all of the people of verses 12 and 13 and includes himself, saying, and "we" have seen...
How could the "we" have seen except God open their eyes in salvation giving them eyes to see. And what do we see? His glory!!! None of us could see His glory apart from God Himself opening our eyes. Could we behold His glory and not be changed? We are changed so we can behold His glory. That is a new way to look at it. Yes, we are changed so that we CAN behold His glory. God wants us to 'know' Him. Jesus came so we would know God the Father. Jesus came to glorify the Father and manifest His glory to us.
Jesus accomplished the work the Father sent Him to do and we can behold the glory of God because of it!
Are you beholding the glory of God in Jesus Christ? Read John until you see... I pray God opens your eyes that you might behold His glory in truly knowing Him.
for the praise of His glory
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
John 1: 14a
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He was with God from the beginning, from eternity. He was not created by God. He is God and He created all things. God said, "Let there be light..." The Word spoke and it happened. see Genesis 1 and 2; John 1: 3, Col.1: 16.
Jesus became flesh- He took on humanity and came to earth to live among us. Phil. 2: 5- 11 He came to dwell- litterally- to tabernacle, among us. God created man for fellowship but man sinned by disobedience and broke the fellowship, then hid from God out of guilt and shame. God pursued the man, providing a way to have that fellowship with God restored. Fellowship that would be without the guilt and shame. The purpose of the tabernacle, God's dwelling place on earth (which represented His dwelling place in heaven), was to be a place where God chose to meet with His chosen people, where sacrifice for sin had to be made before the people of Israel could meet with God. Sin had to be dealt with before God would have fellowship with man. The problem was that man could do nothing for himself- the natural bent or inclination, intention of man's heart was only evil continually, in other words- is to sin. He could choose right from wrong and know the difference between good and evil but man cannot get himself into right standing with God. Jesus said it is impossible. And so, only God could do it and He did. Jesus took on flesh and died as the atonement for His chosen ones. Just as the tabernacle in the dessert was for His chosen ones. Jesus died so that not one of His own, those the Father had given Him before the foundation of the world, would be lost. John 6, 10, 17.
I am so thankful that Jesus came to 'tabernacle' in me. I pray that my life will reflect the glory of knowing Him..and yours also...
to the praise of His glorious grace!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Taste and see that the Lord is good! I was thinking about the different ways food is broken down as we eat without being too technical and how to use it as an analogy to the way we break down God's Word as we take it in. This is what I came up with. Just something fun to think about.
for the praise of His glory!
- Read a passage of Scripture-
- put it in the mouth
- bite down- separate it into smaller pieces, sections
- switch it from side to side- mull it over
- enjoy the flavor- write down what it means, how it applies to your personal life
- chew some more- look up some words for better understanding
- Holy Spirit's work
- saliva as the natural production of the body- the Holy Spirit giving understanding, insight- the natural work done in the one who is born again. As the 'food' is broken down we begin to digest the truth, the meaning. Small segments of chewed food begin to flow to the stomach- segments of truth flow to the heart.
- In the digestion process the nutrients are assimilated to where they need to go-applied to keep life going in us. Spiritually the truth is assimilated by the Spirit to where it needs to go to keep us on the road of "life", living out the truth, responding to life in a right way.
- The waste is eliminated- God transforms the character that is not Christ like and produces in us the character of Christ. Healthy fruit begins to be seen by others.
- Food must be taken in throughout the day not just once in the morning. Many of us only take in God's Word once a day, then don't think about it again. To be physically healthy we need to take in food throughout the day- healthy food I might add. To be spiritually healthy we also need to take in God's Word throughout each day. Here are some ways to to that.
- Read and study in the morning.
- Write down some key verses and thoughts
- Reread these throughout the day- this is chewing the cud- meditating on it- bringing it back up to your mind. Think about what you have read throughout the day (on purpose)
- Use these verses and thoughts as prayer for yourself and others at some point in the day. All scripture can be turned into prayer for someone or something.
- Read a devotional book
- Read a theological book- these are loaded with scripture
- Smell the aroma of the Word by using it in prayer- remember that our prayers are sweet smelling incense to the Lord. Often smelling food makes us hungry, makes the saliva start running and this begins the process so...keep it flowing!
for the praise of His glory!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Jesus our Sustenance
Jesus is the Bread from heaven. He is the Bread of Life! He is the sustenance we need to take in daily. How do we do that? By reading, studying, meditating, memorizing and applying God's Word. Remember that Jesus is the Word who is from the beginning because He is God. He has always existed being self- existent.
Think about the senses used as we take in daily sustenance- food.
Think about the senses used as we take in daily sustenance- food.
- Sight- eyes- look at it. When food looks good, is appealing to the eyes, it sets off the natural juices in our mouth that begins the process we call 'mouth watering appeal'! When we gaze intently into the perfect law of liberty and abide by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.-James 1: 25. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the LORD, the Spirit. Oh to be like Christ! That should set our 'mouth to watering' with a longing to know Him and to be with Him in glory!
- Hearing- ears- hear it. He who has ears to hear...Matthew 11: 15. My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me...John 10:17. He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5: 24 If you are God's sheep you will hear the Lord call you and you will follow Him. Following the Lord is to be daily being sustained in His Word. Read it out loud and hear the word of the Lord speak to you. Listen with your heart and your mind as you read.
- Taste- the tongue is the most sensitive organ in our body and has wonderful taste buds on it that taste sweet, salt, sour, and bitter. Psalm 34:8a says, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good...!" Jesus said to the Jews, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him...He who eats this bread shall live forever." John 6: 53- 58. This was a challenge for the Jews which they did not understand but for those of us who do understand we realize that Jesus is the life sustaining, life giving food we need. His very life given for us sustains us, vitalizes us. We have taken Him to ourselves and He has given us eternal life! Truly we have tasted and found Him GOOD!!!
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