Seated in Mercy

Seated in Mercy

The chair was inviting me with open arms

“Come, sit, rest here!  Give me all your pain and harms

I will hold you and comfort from fear’s alarms.”

My faith was so very small—

Would it hold me or would I fall?

My heart decided to give it a test

I truly needed the promised rest

It held me up! I felt so blessed!

The chair was solid—the very best!

With confidence growing…

I sit in the chair

Enjoying His care

I stand on the chair

Willing to dare

I stretch from the chair

Trying to share

His faithfulness proven

His hope glorious

His lovingkindness raising me

To reach high places of faith

Far beyond my wildest dreams

based on Phil. 1:6, I John 5:13, Matthew 9
Romans 3:24-25 (propitiation =mercy seat in Greek)

THE SOUL-CRY OF THE SHEEP

I  choose  this  day  to  serve  the

            LORD  my   Shepherd!

Letting  Him  lead  in  waters

            Still  or  crashing

Following  in  the  valley  deep

            Or  mountain  high

Trusting  His  protection from

            Any  foe  or  death’s  shade

Seeking  direction  for  the  future

            In  His  right paths

Accepting  His  healing  oil  for

            Broken  soul and  wounded  heart

Rejoicing  in  an  over-flowing  cup

            His  great  goodness  and   tender  mercy

Dwelling  with  Him—in His  own  house

            Now  and  forever!  AMEN!

The LORD is Good!

Psalm 34:8

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

        Trying new foods can be a huge adventure.  Something like vanilla can smell very good but taste very bad.  God wants us to ‘taste Him.  At first it may seem unfamiliar—you may need to acquire a taste for the things He loves.  He never tricks us like the vanilla—His very character is holiness.

        We are told to “see”.  This may be difficult at times because we live in a dark world.  Sometimes we choose to close our eyes to the truth of God’s Word.  We need God’s vision and a willingness to seek Him.  Pray that He will open your eyes to understand.

        Do you know that the “LORD is good”?  James 1 tells us that God cannot do evil.  Do we blame God for circumstances caused by others?  Do we want things that may not be good for us? Do I really know what is good for me?  He will never withhold something that is good for me.

        “Good” in this verse has some awesome definitions: Beautiful, best, favor, glad, kind, loving, gracious, joyful, pleasure, sweet, welfare!  I want to be looking to Jesus—that way I won’t miss the good!

        I like to talk!  The word “trusteth” in this verse has two meanings.  The first means to confide. It has always been easier for me to look for a person with “skin on” to use as a confidant. God does use people in our lives, but God wants to be that first person to whom we turn.  He is the one with infinite understanding (Ps. 147:5-6a) He knows exactly who am I, how I feel, and what I need.

        The other meaning of the word “trusteth” is to run to for refuge. When evil comes into my life, I need to seek God’s protection.  His words can comfort, strengthen, and heal. 

        I find that it is very humbling and exciting to know that the God of Creation wants to be the one in whom I confide.  He gave His life for this relationship with me—why would I think anyone could love or understand me better than He does?

The Stoning

 

The Stoning

She had done wrong and she’d been caught

We gathered stones as we’d been taught

A pitiful failure that fell in the dust

She was the wicked.

 We were the just.

The Master from Galilee was standing nearby

Some of our sort had a question to try:

“What sayest Thou?” Voices dripping with scorn

“She deserves this fate.”

And their hate is born.

He wrote words of truth and love in the sand.

I saw righteousness and hope in his hands

He offered her peace and joy and grace,

She turned to accept and I saw her face—

She was me!

It is my heart that was sentenced to die,

I throw rocks at myself with each trusted lie.

My sin was erased by His holy blood

 I praise His Name for this saving Flood

I let my stone drop in the dirt

This time I would release the hurt

And as I turned to walk away

I heard the Saviour kindly say,

“Neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more.”

   
   

LINGERING

Gen. 19:16a "And while he lingered..."

Lot had a problem-he loved the pleasures of the world. Even though he knew the consequences of staying, he still hesitated to leave Sodom. The angels had to drag him. He lingered.

1. First, he was slow to leave. When God convicts my heart of a sin, am I quick to let it go or do I hang on with a tight grip? Do I linger in places that are not glorifying to my Saviour?
2. Next, He was slow to start. God has plans for me and for my family, but he limits himself to our obedience. Starting is only good if you finish. A slow start is almost as bad as no start.
3. Last, his spiritual life was just remaining feebly alive. Even after leaving Sodom, we find that Lot had carried with him some sin. His daughters had to have found the wine in something that they had brought out of the city. They got him drunk and committed wicked things--things that they had learned in Sodom. Why do we think we will fare any better? Even a short stay in the world can have disastrous consequences.

There are some place that I want to linger--my quiet time with God, fellowship with other christians, and memory making with my family.

I CAN'T DO IT!

Gen. 12:1-3

There is almost always a point in life where God shows us that we are not in charge. Sometimes we may have the illusion of being in control, but soon life crashes in and even those we love cannot help us out of the mess. I like this Scripture. God is giving Abraham some great promises that I think we can apply to circumstances today.

1. I will shew thee--Why do we go to other sources for direction? God will show us the way! His will is clearly outlined in the Bible. His individual will for our lives will be disclosed only one step at a time...what does God want you to do NOW? If we take care of the NOW with obedience, God will take care of the future.
2. I will make of thee--God has a wonderful plan for my life and the right tools to make it what he wants it to be. Some of those tools may be sorrow or pain. That doesn't mean that God is cruel. It is part of the building process. I would rather be what he wants to make me than what I can make of myself.
3. I will bless thee and make thy name great--I want God's blessing and I want a good reputation but that will not happen automatically. I need God. I need him all the time--constantly reminding me of his directions, consistently working on all areas of my life and confirming his love to me through his Word.

I can't be a good wife. I can't be a good mom. I can't be a good christian. Only God can make me those things by shewing me his path, making me according to His plan and blessing me with Spiritual blessings. Why? Not so that I can be some hot shot--but so that I can be a blessing to others. Abraham and his family were a blessing to the whole world. Just think about what God could do with you!

WHAT IS THIS THAT THOU HAST DONE? Gen. 3:13b

After Eve ate of the fruit and gave to Adam, God came searching for them in the Garden. He addresses Adam first asking "Where art thou?" When we sin, we place ourselves at a distance from God--this question makes us realize how far away we have become. If we don't see the separation, our sin seems quite small. Sin is never a "little" thing.
After talking to Adam, God asks Eve a question: "What is this that thou hast done?" Do you hear the anguish in his tone? I always thought he was accusing her, an angry God scolding a stupid decision; however, it may be that God was seeing all the hurt that this sin would cause. His heart must have been breaking over the horrible pain that mankind would go through and the terrible price his Son would pay to buy them back.
What should my reaction be to a sin that my child has commited?

1. Show them the separation-this is the rule and it is broken
2. Show them the pain it causes my heart-the broken fellowship
3. God provided a way for the fellowship to be healed--never let them feel that the sin caused me to stop loving them.
4. Show them how to make better decisions in the future.

What should my reaction be to God as he asks me this question?

1. Admit my guilt
2. Agree with God about how wrong my sin truly is
3. Change my conduct so that our fellowship will be healed
4. Search the Scriptures to find better ways to make decisions-seek wisdom
5. Allow my heart to feel the hurt in God's voice as he seeks me--his love is so abundant

If we ever knew how much God loved us, we would never chose to be disobedient. We would always be on the look out for temptation and try to avoid it.

Dear Father, Help me to hear the love in your voice as you ask me the question: What is this that thou hast done? Help me to immediately answer with humility. Help me to react in love to those who have wronged me. Amen