Holy Is the Lord
2010-08-03

I'm actually excited to see what God has for me today. So I'm jumping right in to the "good stuff."


The Valley of Vision
GOD AND MYSELF

Lord God Almighty,

Your understanding is unsearchable and infinite,
Your arm cannot be stayed,
Your agency extends through limitless space,
All works hang on your care,
With you time is a present now.

Holy is your wisdom, power, mercy, ways, works.
How can I stand before you
with my numberless and aggravated offenses?
I have often loved darkness,
observed lying vanities,
forsaken your given mercies,
trampled underfoot your beloved Son,
mocked your providences,
flattered you with my lips,
broken your covenant.
It is of your compassion that I am not consumed.
Lead me to repentance, and save me from despair;
Let me come to you renouncing, condemning, loathing myself,
but hoping in the grace that flows
even to the chief of sinners.
At the cross may I contemplate the evil of sin,
and abhor it,
look on him whom I pierced,
as one slain for me, and by me.
May I never despise his death by fearing its efficacy for my salvation.
And whatever cross I am required to bear, let me see him carrying a heavier.
Teach me in health to think of sickness,
in the brightest hours to be ready for darkness;
in life prepare me for death.
Thus may my soul rest in you, O immortal and transcendent one,
revealed as you are in the Person and work of your Son,
the Friend of sinners.

Wow. That one is powerful.



A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen
PSALM 90:13-17

13 Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Can we fully appreciate the sunrise without the darkness of night? Can we truly enjoy good health if we never experience pain? Or can we enjoy success without experiencing failure?

As we live our lives, we discover (hopefully) new depths in our relationships with God. We find inspiration for whatever we do as he meets our needs; needs for love and acceptance; needs for healing; needs for relief from persecution; needs for meaningful work. "Out of a heart filled with gladness and gratitude, I will write, sing, and play songs of praise to Him." (Wyrtzen wrote that, but I echo it 100%!)

"When I am plagued by uncertainty about the future, insecurity about the present, and guilt about the past, I need to focus on the unchanging nature of God. My moods may shift like quicksilver, but God remains ever the same - omnipotent, infinite, and eternal. I rest on these granite peaks of His personality."

And yes, my moods DO shift like quicksilver (that's mercury...like you find in old-fashioned thermometers)! Especially at this time in my life. I rest on those "granite peaks" of God's unchanging attributes!



Matthew Henry Daily Readings

Just one quote from today's reading, but it speaks very loudly.

"The heavy and continued trials through which many of the Lord's people have passed, should teach us to be silent and patient under lighter crosses."

I have no complaints today.



Tabletalk Magazine
OUR PATTERN FOR HOLINESS

Leviticus 10:1-2

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy."

There are many people who believe that it God's duty and obligation to forgive all of us. This is evidenced, even in Hollywood. In an episode of True Blood, the vampire Godric is getting ready to commit suicide by standing in the rising sun. He asks Sookie Stackhouse, "Do you believe in God?" Sookie says, "Yes." Godric: "If you're right, how will he punish me?" Sookie: "God doesn't punish! God forgives!" Such is the erroneous belief of a world that doesn't understand God's holiness.
(The above quotes are, of course, NOT in Tabletalk Magazine.)

It is true that God is "abundant in mercy and eager to forgive the repentant." But God is not obligated to forgive anyone. He cannot violate his own righteousness. "He will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy and show compassion to whomever He wills (Rom. 9:14-18)." "God will forgive only those who trust in His promises - those who rely wholly upon Jesus, who was condemned for sinners so that they might receive the blessing of forgiveness."

Israel was commanded, in these verses in Leviticus, to "be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." Later, this command is given to the rest of us in 1 Peter 1:13-16. It is, of course, impossible for us to be as holy as God. But God (and those are my two favorite words in Scripture) has an answer for us. "His Son died in our place to satisfy His wrath, making Him able to forgive without forsaking His own righteousness. May we always recognize our failure to be holy as God is holy, our inability to obligate our Creator to forgive us, and the great mercy He has shown us in His Son, Christ Jesus."

Amen.



Father, I praise you this morning for the grace and mercy which you displayed by sacrificing our Savior so that we could obtain a measure of holiness. Without this, we would stand no chance of pleasing you or seeing you. Your mercy is truly amazing. Help us to help the world understand the beauty of this arrangement. Help us to show them your love.

I also ask you to help me keep from complaining. There will always be someone who has it worse than me. So it's hot in Texas. I know people who are enduring much hotter weather under much worse conditions. So I have temptations and trials. I know of people who have been tortured and martyred for their faith. I have no complaint. I will praise you and worship you and try my best to let everything that comes out of my mouth be edifying and uplifting. I need a lot of help from you, though.

I will rest, Lord, on your unchanging grace, as I live my life. I know my own tendencies. I know how fragile my countenance is. But you? You are like a solid rock. "On Christ the solid rock I stand!" You never change. You are the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow! Only on this can we rest our faith. I am uncertain about the future, especially right now. I am insecure about the present. And I most certainly, from time to time, feel guilt about the past, even though you have wiped that clean! So I will dwell in your tent. I will take shelter in your hiding place, your fortress. You are my Rock!

I pray that I might spend some time "at the cross" today, contemplating your mercy. Lead me to constant repentance, because I still sin and still need it. Teach me to abhor sin the way you do. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

I pray for our friends and family at Wings of Freedom. There is still much healing that is needed, both physically and spiritually. I pray for strength and healing for Gina, as she endures her treatments. Help her husband, Randy, know what to do. I pray for Kathy, as she continues to undergo procedures for her health problems. I pray for LaRue, as she seems to be struggling with some pain. Help the doctors identify what is wrong. Christi's knee still needs healing. She is going through physical therapy, which only seems to be making it worse. And there are several of us who need work.

We praise you, though, for the things you have done for us. Some have found work. Many of us are hearing from you, as you teach us different things from your words of wisdom.

Praise your name, O Lord.



Prayers from the Presidential Prayer Team site:

HEALTH CARE

A growing body of scientific evidence points to the long-lasting effects of maternal nurturing while children are young, finding that �warmth and closeness� fend off alcoholism, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

A gel being developed in France can help decayed teeth grow back in just weeks � possibly putting an end to fillings. The gel works by prompting healthy tooth tissue cells to multiply, gradually replacing what has been lost to decay.

Pray for those chemists, scientists and psychologists who strive to improve the health of all.

To the first topic, I say, "DUH!" The second one...now THAT is very interesting.

Be sure and pray for our country's leaders every day. It is our duty.



God is holy. We are to be holy. Through the miracle of Jesus Christ, we can obtain this. And God is unchanging. This is something that can help us maintain a level of confidence and hope that is unshakable.

Grace and peace, friends.



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