Psalm 119:12, 13 "Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips
have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth."
O precious Father, you teach us your words so that we may speak them. A baby's
mumblings are sweet and cute, but growing up in Christ means to learn and to know
how to speak your words. Dear Father, it is precious that you understand our groanings
which cannot be uttered, but how much more blessed we are when we can open our
mouths with words of praise and thanksgiving. Man rises to his highest when he
confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus and believes in his heart that God has raised
Him from the dead.
When we present our bodies to You as living sacrifices, that includes our lips and our
voices that were created to speak your praises and your righteousness.
Ho 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all
iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
May it be so with us, O Holy Father, in the name of Christ, we pray. Amen.
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Friday, March 21, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Prayer and Meditation on Psalm 27:5-8
Psalm 27:5-8
I have sought after You, O Precious Father, because You first sought after me. When
You said, “Seek ye my face,” it was like You had said “Let there be light,” for my
heart immediately responded, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”
It was Your powerful command that caused the light to shine our of darkness on the
first day of Your wonderful creation, and it was Your powerful command that shined
into my heart, to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
“Follow me,” was Your powerful command to that tax collector, who immediately rose
up, left all, and followed Jesus.
For we confess, O Lord, that we did not choose You, but You chose us for Your own
glorious purpose before the world ever began. You saved us and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
Therefore we must not fear in the day of trouble, for You will hide us in Your holy
tabernacle which the world cannot know, for it is hidden from them. There we stand
upon the solid rock of Christ who can never be moved.
There, in Your church, we offer up to You the spiritual sacrifices, coming from our
whole body, soul, and spirit—sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. We also offer up to
You our very bodies, for we have not really offered ourselves to You unless we give
You our bodies, for that is our reasonable service.
This brings great joy to our hearts, O Lord, and we sing praises to You, bubbling up on
our hearts because of Your mercy and grace. For we believe You, O Precious Father,
for You will hear us when we cry to Your for mercy, and You will answer us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord You have made us vessels of mercy from Adam’s sinful
clay. So we bless You, our blessed God and precious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to Your abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
We praise and magnify Your Name, O most High God, in the Name of Your Son,
Jesus of Nazareth. Amen.
I have sought after You, O Precious Father, because You first sought after me. When
You said, “Seek ye my face,” it was like You had said “Let there be light,” for my
heart immediately responded, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”
It was Your powerful command that caused the light to shine our of darkness on the
first day of Your wonderful creation, and it was Your powerful command that shined
into my heart, to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
“Follow me,” was Your powerful command to that tax collector, who immediately rose
up, left all, and followed Jesus.
For we confess, O Lord, that we did not choose You, but You chose us for Your own
glorious purpose before the world ever began. You saved us and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
Therefore we must not fear in the day of trouble, for You will hide us in Your holy
tabernacle which the world cannot know, for it is hidden from them. There we stand
upon the solid rock of Christ who can never be moved.
There, in Your church, we offer up to You the spiritual sacrifices, coming from our
whole body, soul, and spirit—sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. We also offer up to
You our very bodies, for we have not really offered ourselves to You unless we give
You our bodies, for that is our reasonable service.
This brings great joy to our hearts, O Lord, and we sing praises to You, bubbling up on
our hearts because of Your mercy and grace. For we believe You, O Precious Father,
for You will hear us when we cry to Your for mercy, and You will answer us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord You have made us vessels of mercy from Adam’s sinful
clay. So we bless You, our blessed God and precious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to Your abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
We praise and magnify Your Name, O most High God, in the Name of Your Son,
Jesus of Nazareth. Amen.
Morning Prayer: 3/21/2014
Morning Prayer for March 21, 2014.
Psalm 14:1
Dear Lord, save me from playing the fool today. I mean, I am so prone to act as if there
were no God. I trust my own thoughts, my own feelings, my own decisions just as if
You had not said, “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool.”
Intellectual atheism is so easy to refute and reject, but this practical atheism is more
deadly and poisonous. It robs us of our joy in fellowship with You; it causes us to
blush and retreat before the ungodly; and endangers the soul itself.
Forgive, O Lord, this demon that rests in my flesh and teach me the power of your
Cross, so that I might know Christ and the power of His resurrection, being made
conformable to His death. In the name of Christ my Savior, Amen.
Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Psalm 14:1
Dear Lord, save me from playing the fool today. I mean, I am so prone to act as if there
were no God. I trust my own thoughts, my own feelings, my own decisions just as if
You had not said, “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool.”
Intellectual atheism is so easy to refute and reject, but this practical atheism is more
deadly and poisonous. It robs us of our joy in fellowship with You; it causes us to
blush and retreat before the ungodly; and endangers the soul itself.
Forgive, O Lord, this demon that rests in my flesh and teach me the power of your
Cross, so that I might know Christ and the power of His resurrection, being made
conformable to His death. In the name of Christ my Savior, Amen.
Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
New Revelations?
“God who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by
the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” --Hebrew 1:1,2
The implications of our text are plain. God used to do something, but now He no
longer does that because His Son has come. What did He used to do? He used to speak
at sundry times and in divers manners. He spoke by visions, by dreams, by prophets,
by signs and wonders; once he even spoke to a prophet by a donkey.
All this was done in this manner in order to indicate that the Truth, the Perfection, the
Way had not yet appeared. Even the great Moses saw only the hinder parts of God and
complete and perfect revelation would come the Lord Jesus Christ.
What Are “Last Days”?
But in these “last days” it is not God's purpose to take away from the glory of His Son
by cluttering up the message by words “at sundry times and in divers manners.” “Last
days” has a uniform meaning in Scripture, the times of the Gospel, the word of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They are the last days because they are the days predicted by the
Old Testament prophets, and when Jesus appeared, there was no other message left for
God to speak to the world, because Christ is the appointed heir over all things.
Degrading Christ
Those who pretend new revelations, or those who long for new revelations, are
downgrading Christ, and slandering Him, as if He did not speak plainly, or that His
message is out of date, or as if He didn't really know everything that we need to know
about God, going to Heaven, and doing what is right.
There are those who would speak of the Holy Ghost as if He had a message “more
full” than the gospel of Christ. It reminds me of my children when they were small.
Sometimes after their mother would tell them something, they would come to me and
ask the same question, because they hoped I would give them permission to do
something other than what their mother said. It didn't happen very often, because their
mother and I soon put a stop to it. We always tried to be on the same page, so they
could not play us off against each other. They soon found out that it was wrong for
them to ask me something that their mother had already spoken to.
Words for the Last Days
Our text tells us that Christ's words are the words for the last days. The words for the
last days are the last words. It was the Holy Ghost who spoke in the prophets and who
spoke of Christ. It was Christ who poured out the Holy Ghost on the Church. It is in
Christ that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.
(Col. 2:9), and that means that we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10). Through the men
whom He appointed personally, He finished the doctrine of the gospel and established
His church (Acts 10:41), and God bore them witness with mighty signs and wonders
(Heb. 2:3,4). Being complete, there are no other experiences, there are no other
messages, there are no other blessings. Having Christ is all there is; but the all is all.
This does not limit the church in blessing, gifts, or opportunities; but clears the way for
faith in Christ to lay hold on the true fullness that is in Him.
People Just Need Christ
Because of this, if you are in Christ, all things are yours (I Cor. 3:23). The reason we
do not need any other message is because Christ is the creator of all things, and they
were all created to display His excellences. Like Paul, we should understand that “the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of
him.”
How to Abound
Peter tells us how to abound in this faith. In Jesus Christ we have all things that pertain
to life and godliness (2Pet. 1:3,4) so that we can escape the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
It is not by adding some new revelation or by lusting after signs and wonders, but by
“diligently” (vs. 5) adding “to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” (II Pet. 1:5-7) There
are no shortcuts, and those who promise shortcuts will take you away from Christ.
If we do what Peter commands, then we will not be barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will “never fall,” but have an abundant
entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (vs. 11).
The Source of Strength
The Apostles knew where the source of their real strength, wisdom, power and
knowledge was: it was in Jesus Christ, the Word that was made flesh. Paul, “I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). Matthew: “Jesus came
and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore....” (Matt. 28:18). Peter and John: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).
The Strength of Revival
This was the power and the genius of the great Protestant Reformation. Satan's
kingdom would be overthrown and his minions vanquished by one thing alone: faith in
Jesus Christ. Not by holy water, not by exorcism, not by magic ceremonies, not by the
mutterings and peepings of ignorant priests, but by the preaching of the gospel of faith
in Jesus Christ.
They saw that all these other things were but devices to hold people in bondage to the
devil, and under his control. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). The victory was by faith in Jesus
Christ alone (I John 5:4). For this reason they were not ashamed of the Gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Rom. 1:16.
To depart from this gospel to seek signs and wonders, new revelations, and new
gospels, is to depart from Christ and lose all possibility of salvation, for the just shall
live by faith (Rom. 1:17).
The Only Savior
Those whom God saves, He saves by the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. None other are
saved, but remain under the power and control of the devil. On this the Bible is very
clear (John 14:6; 1 John 5;11,12; Acts 4:12).
the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” --Hebrew 1:1,2
The implications of our text are plain. God used to do something, but now He no
longer does that because His Son has come. What did He used to do? He used to speak
at sundry times and in divers manners. He spoke by visions, by dreams, by prophets,
by signs and wonders; once he even spoke to a prophet by a donkey.
All this was done in this manner in order to indicate that the Truth, the Perfection, the
Way had not yet appeared. Even the great Moses saw only the hinder parts of God and
complete and perfect revelation would come the Lord Jesus Christ.
What Are “Last Days”?
But in these “last days” it is not God's purpose to take away from the glory of His Son
by cluttering up the message by words “at sundry times and in divers manners.” “Last
days” has a uniform meaning in Scripture, the times of the Gospel, the word of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They are the last days because they are the days predicted by the
Old Testament prophets, and when Jesus appeared, there was no other message left for
God to speak to the world, because Christ is the appointed heir over all things.
Degrading Christ
Those who pretend new revelations, or those who long for new revelations, are
downgrading Christ, and slandering Him, as if He did not speak plainly, or that His
message is out of date, or as if He didn't really know everything that we need to know
about God, going to Heaven, and doing what is right.
There are those who would speak of the Holy Ghost as if He had a message “more
full” than the gospel of Christ. It reminds me of my children when they were small.
Sometimes after their mother would tell them something, they would come to me and
ask the same question, because they hoped I would give them permission to do
something other than what their mother said. It didn't happen very often, because their
mother and I soon put a stop to it. We always tried to be on the same page, so they
could not play us off against each other. They soon found out that it was wrong for
them to ask me something that their mother had already spoken to.
Words for the Last Days
Our text tells us that Christ's words are the words for the last days. The words for the
last days are the last words. It was the Holy Ghost who spoke in the prophets and who
spoke of Christ. It was Christ who poured out the Holy Ghost on the Church. It is in
Christ that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.
(Col. 2:9), and that means that we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10). Through the men
whom He appointed personally, He finished the doctrine of the gospel and established
His church (Acts 10:41), and God bore them witness with mighty signs and wonders
(Heb. 2:3,4). Being complete, there are no other experiences, there are no other
messages, there are no other blessings. Having Christ is all there is; but the all is all.
This does not limit the church in blessing, gifts, or opportunities; but clears the way for
faith in Christ to lay hold on the true fullness that is in Him.
People Just Need Christ
Because of this, if you are in Christ, all things are yours (I Cor. 3:23). The reason we
do not need any other message is because Christ is the creator of all things, and they
were all created to display His excellences. Like Paul, we should understand that “the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of
him.”
How to Abound
Peter tells us how to abound in this faith. In Jesus Christ we have all things that pertain
to life and godliness (2Pet. 1:3,4) so that we can escape the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
It is not by adding some new revelation or by lusting after signs and wonders, but by
“diligently” (vs. 5) adding “to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” (II Pet. 1:5-7) There
are no shortcuts, and those who promise shortcuts will take you away from Christ.
If we do what Peter commands, then we will not be barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will “never fall,” but have an abundant
entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (vs. 11).
The Source of Strength
The Apostles knew where the source of their real strength, wisdom, power and
knowledge was: it was in Jesus Christ, the Word that was made flesh. Paul, “I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). Matthew: “Jesus came
and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore....” (Matt. 28:18). Peter and John: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).
The Strength of Revival
This was the power and the genius of the great Protestant Reformation. Satan's
kingdom would be overthrown and his minions vanquished by one thing alone: faith in
Jesus Christ. Not by holy water, not by exorcism, not by magic ceremonies, not by the
mutterings and peepings of ignorant priests, but by the preaching of the gospel of faith
in Jesus Christ.
They saw that all these other things were but devices to hold people in bondage to the
devil, and under his control. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). The victory was by faith in Jesus
Christ alone (I John 5:4). For this reason they were not ashamed of the Gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Rom. 1:16.
To depart from this gospel to seek signs and wonders, new revelations, and new
gospels, is to depart from Christ and lose all possibility of salvation, for the just shall
live by faith (Rom. 1:17).
The Only Savior
Those whom God saves, He saves by the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. None other are
saved, but remain under the power and control of the devil. On this the Bible is very
clear (John 14:6; 1 John 5;11,12; Acts 4:12).
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Meditation and Prayer on Psalm 27: 1-4
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my
flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war
should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to
enquire in his temple.
Precious Heavenly Father, I confess that You are indeed my light and my salvation.
You are my natural light, for You are the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, and You
made my eyes to behold and rejoice in light and color and beauty. How You must have
loved Your creatures as You delighted in making them and placing them in such a
colorful and beautiful universe. How blind are those who deny You, and refuse to seek
You among these beauties.
You are my salvation and have delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and
translated me into the kingdom of Your dear Son. You, who first commanded the light
to shine out of darkness hath shined into my heart to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. How dark was my world of sin and misery
until You came to me, O light of the world, saving my soul and showing me the way of
life.
You are the light of my path, O Precious Lord. The works of sin and darkness
overwhelmed me and I did not seek Your glory, but walked in the darkness of my own
mind and thought, seeking to kindle sparks to light my way, but sinking deeper and
deeper into the night. But You taught me, even when I was young, that the way that a
young man cleanses his way is to walk in the way of the Lord. Your word became a
lamp unto my feet and light unto my pathway. By Your Spirit You lit the lamp of faith
in my heart, and light that has never gone out for You are its Author and Finisher.
For You are the Light that makes faith living and gives hope to me. By Your promises
my path has been lit and I have been able to catch a glimpse of that city that has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. How vain and shallow are the hopes of
men, when we see them in the light of the great hope that has been set before those
who turn from idols to serve the true and living God.
I have the certain hope that I shall someday be with You in Your City of Light, the
New Jerusalem, that does not need the sun, moon, or stars, for God Himself and the
Lamb are the light of it.
Because You are my Light, I need not fear what my enemies can do. The great enemies
of my soul, the world, the flesh, and the devil have been overcome and conquered by
the blood of the Lamb, so what can feeble men, whose breath is in Your hand do to
me?
I need not fear those hosts of darkness that can only kill the body, for we fear Him who
is the Father of all souls, and can cast into hell, and also can reward with eternal life
those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him and follow him as becomes the
children of God.
We are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor
of darkness. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.
Therefore, O precious Father, I seek but one thing: that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His
temple. This is the church that You purchased with Your own blood, the pillar and
ground of the truth.
There in the beauty of the gospel and the sacraments and the promises we truly see the
light of Your promises and in them we see the beauty of our King and we make our
petitions to You in Your house of prayer.
We walk in the light of Your holy government and order so that we may shine as lights
in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation. By this, men will see our good works
and glorify our Precious Father which is in Heaven.
Blessed be Your glorious Name, forever and ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen and Amen
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my
flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war
should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to
enquire in his temple.
Precious Heavenly Father, I confess that You are indeed my light and my salvation.
You are my natural light, for You are the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, and You
made my eyes to behold and rejoice in light and color and beauty. How You must have
loved Your creatures as You delighted in making them and placing them in such a
colorful and beautiful universe. How blind are those who deny You, and refuse to seek
You among these beauties.
You are my salvation and have delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and
translated me into the kingdom of Your dear Son. You, who first commanded the light
to shine out of darkness hath shined into my heart to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. How dark was my world of sin and misery
until You came to me, O light of the world, saving my soul and showing me the way of
life.
You are the light of my path, O Precious Lord. The works of sin and darkness
overwhelmed me and I did not seek Your glory, but walked in the darkness of my own
mind and thought, seeking to kindle sparks to light my way, but sinking deeper and
deeper into the night. But You taught me, even when I was young, that the way that a
young man cleanses his way is to walk in the way of the Lord. Your word became a
lamp unto my feet and light unto my pathway. By Your Spirit You lit the lamp of faith
in my heart, and light that has never gone out for You are its Author and Finisher.
For You are the Light that makes faith living and gives hope to me. By Your promises
my path has been lit and I have been able to catch a glimpse of that city that has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. How vain and shallow are the hopes of
men, when we see them in the light of the great hope that has been set before those
who turn from idols to serve the true and living God.
I have the certain hope that I shall someday be with You in Your City of Light, the
New Jerusalem, that does not need the sun, moon, or stars, for God Himself and the
Lamb are the light of it.
Because You are my Light, I need not fear what my enemies can do. The great enemies
of my soul, the world, the flesh, and the devil have been overcome and conquered by
the blood of the Lamb, so what can feeble men, whose breath is in Your hand do to
me?
I need not fear those hosts of darkness that can only kill the body, for we fear Him who
is the Father of all souls, and can cast into hell, and also can reward with eternal life
those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him and follow him as becomes the
children of God.
We are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor
of darkness. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.
Therefore, O precious Father, I seek but one thing: that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His
temple. This is the church that You purchased with Your own blood, the pillar and
ground of the truth.
There in the beauty of the gospel and the sacraments and the promises we truly see the
light of Your promises and in them we see the beauty of our King and we make our
petitions to You in Your house of prayer.
We walk in the light of Your holy government and order so that we may shine as lights
in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation. By this, men will see our good works
and glorify our Precious Father which is in Heaven.
Blessed be Your glorious Name, forever and ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen and Amen
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