Ezekiel: You Shall Know....

...that I am the LORD when...

"the slain shall fall in your midst" (Ez.6:7)

"some among the nations...escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries" (Ez.6:8)

"all the evil abominations of the house of Israel...shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence" (Ez.6:11

"my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst" (Ez.7:9)

"the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation" (Ez.12:20)

"my hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel" (Ez.13:9)

"I break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bar. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it" (Ez.13:14)

"I...deliver my people out of your [false prophets] hand" (Ez.13:23)

"I...establish my covenant with you...that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done" (Ez.16:63)

"I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish" (Ez.17:24)

"I...purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel" (Ez.20:38)

"I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers" (Ez.20:42)

"I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel" (Ez.20:44)

"your [Ezekiel's] mouth will be opened to the fugitive and you shall speak and be longer mute. So you will be a sign to them" (Ez.24:27)

"I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them...they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards...when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt" (Ez.28:25-26)

"I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them" (Ez.34:27)

"like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be fillee with flocks of people" (Ez.36:38)

"I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land." (Ez.37:14)

"the name of the city from that time on shall be 'The LORD Is There'." (Ez.48:35)

I am the LORD. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the LORD GOD.

Ezekiel 24:14

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Ezekiel 34:16

September Quotes

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable. 

-CS Lewis

Christ clothes us with the cloak of His righteousness, covering our nakedness and shame, and says to us, “Neither do I condemn you.

-R.C. Sproul

What makes a warrior is not his ability to escape fear, but to look death in the face absolutely terrified and still move forward. 

-Unknown

We work for a glorious future which we are not destined to see. We are only morning-stars shining in the dark, but the glorious morn will break.

-David Livingstone

If we are not in Christ, we are born losers. If we are in Christ, we are reborn victors.

-R.J. Rushdoony

God wants to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we would see our need for a relationship with him as well as with others. Every painful thing we experience in relationships is meant to remind us of our need for him. And every good thing we experience is meant to be a metaphor of what we can only find in him.

-Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp

No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.

-J.R.R. Tolkien

There are endless treasures of grace waiting for those who will make even the most feeble attempts to pray. The weakest prayers yield grace.

-Paul Washer

Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he shall become as he can and should be.

-Johann von Goethe

By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Don’t ignore the Spirit’s attempts to engage you, my friend. The conviction, the stirring, is the call of your Father, drawing you back to Himself, inviting you to put an end to your running, to start what needs to happen for things to get turned back around. 

-Priscilla Shirer

The truth is that the more intimately you know someone, the more clearly you’ll see their flaws. That’s just the way it is. This is why marriages fail, why children are abandoned, why friendships don’t last. You might think you love someone until you see the way they act when they’re out of money or under pressure or hungry, for goodness’ sake. Love is something different. Love is choosing to serve someone and be with someone in spite of their filthy heart. Love is patient and kind, love is deliberate. Love is hard. Love is pain and sacrifice, it’s seeing the darkness in another person and defying the impulse to jump ship. 

-Unknown

The high noon of God’s glory will be the second coming of Christ. And that is where the sun will stay forever. 

-John Piper

Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.

-movie quote, unknown

If you know why you believe what you believe, then leadership is inevitable. 

 -Dr. Jeff Meyers

August Quotes

Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.

-Benjamin Franklin 

Arrogance doesn’t come from having convictions; it comes from having the wrong convictions about how to treat people who don’t share them with you. Humility doesn’t come from not having convictions; it comes from having the right convictions about the importance of gentleness and respect.

-Unknown

There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep and still be counted as warriors.

-A. Rich

We live in a culture that exalts human autonomy above God's sovereignty and sets the individual’s freedom of expression above God's law.

-Paul Washer

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

-Winston Churchill

Ministry is… 

Giving when you feel like keeping; 

Praying for others when you need to be prayed for; 

Feeding other souls when your own soul is hungry; 

Living truth before people even when you can’t see results; 

Hurting with other people even when your own hurt can’t be spoken; 

Keeping your word even when it’s not convenient; Being faithful when your flesh wants to run away.

-Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

Trust is earned, respect is given, loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.

-Unknown

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

-Elizabeth Stone

Rest in this—it is His business to lead, command, impel, send, call or whatever you want to call it. It is your business to obey, follow, move, respond, or what have you.

-Jim Elliot

It is sweet to know that our tears are understood, even when words fail. Let us learn to think of tears as liquid prayers, and of weeping as a constant dropping of importunate intercession which will surely wear its way right into the very heart of God's mercy, despite the stony difficulties which obstruct the way. My God, I will "weep" when I cannot plead, for You hear the voice of my weeping! 

-Charles Spurgeon

In the pursuit of joy through suffering, we magnify the all-satisfying worth of the Source of our joy. God himself shines as the brightness at the end of our tunnel of pain. 

-John Piper

Loving one’s enemies leads disciples to the way of the cross and into communion with the crucified one. 

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We should learn to look at the blemishes and faults of others--only through the eyes of love, with sympathy, patience, and compassion. We do not know the secret history of the lives of others around us. We do not know what piercing sorrows have produced the scars we see in people's lives. We do not know the pains and trials which make life hard, to many with whom we are tempted to be impatient. If we knew all the secret burdens and the heart-wounds which many keep hidden beneath their smiling faces--we would be patient and gentle with all people.

 -J. R. Miller

Faith is neither a trust nor a belief in the unknown, but the firm knowledge that God is God, that He is true to His word, and, that what He has promised He will bring to pass.

R.J. Rushdoony

I have learned that breezes are always the precursors to wind. And winds usually push in storms. And we all know Who can calm storms. 

-D. Harrison

Psalm 88

No words today, except those from Scripture. Here's a Psalm to read; it's not one most people post anywhere, but it's Scripture regardless. It'll make you think about life and about God. Blessings to you all!

Psalm 88

O Lord, the God of my salvation,

I have cried out by day and in the night before You.

Let my prayer come before You;

Incline Your ear to my cry!

For my soul has had enough troubles,

And my life has drawn near to Sheol.

I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit;

I have become like a man without strength,

Forsaken among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And they are cut off from Your hand.

You have put me in the lowest pit,

In dark places, in the depths.

Your wrath has rested upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah.

You have removed my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an object of loathing to them;

I am shut up and cannot go out.

My eye has wasted away because of affliction;

I have called upon You every day, O Lord;

I have spread out my hands to You.

Will You perform wonders for the dead?

Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.

Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,

Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

O Lord, why do You reject my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;

I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.

Your burning anger has passed over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

They have surrounded me like water all day long;

They have encompassed me altogether.

You have removed lover and friend far from me;

My acquaintances are in darkness.

July Quotes

Jesus is coming back for HIS church, not yours.

-Unknown

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

-Martin Luther King Jr.

We are who we are, not because we are who we are, but we are who we are because we live in Christ.

-Unknown

God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.

-John Piper

God's training is for NOW, not presently. 

His purpose is for THIS MINUTE, not for something in the future. 

We have nothing to do with the afterwards of obedience; 

we get it wrong when we think of the afterwards. 

What men call training and preparation, God calls the end... 

If we realize that obedience is the end, 

then EACH MOMENT IS PRECIOUS. 

-Oswald Chambers

If you remove the snow from the hillside in the late winter, you will find sweet flowers growing there, beneath the cold drifts, unhurt by the storm and by the snowy blankets that have covered them. Just so, should we keep our hearts tender and sensitive beneath life's fiercest winter blasts, and through the longest years of suffering, and even of injustice and wrong treatment. That is true, victorious living.

-J.R. Miller

Those who worry about the loss of time entailed by such small, external acts of helpfulness are usually taking their own work too seriously. We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God, who will thwart our plans and frustrate our ways time and again, even daily, by sending people across our path with their demands and requests. 

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Cheerfully and gratefully I lay myself and all I am or own at the feet of Him who redeemed me with His precious blood, engaging to follow Him, bearing the cross He lays upon me. This is the least I can do, and I do it while my heart lies broken and bleeding at His feet. 

-Elizabeth Prentiss

Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.

-John Calvin

Becoming a mentor has got to be something that comes up within you—it’s got to be God’s work. It can’t be our work because we’ll give answers that aren’t God’s answers.

-Patty Webb

In my many years of pastoring, counseling, and traveling, I’ve found an all-too-common and dangerous theme among Christians: no one lays down the law better than the one who thinks they’re keeping it themselves.

-Paul Tripp

Ah, I have kept Him waiting when I ought not, but He has waited even then. Always waiting – so patient with my foolishness, my weakness, my fear. Our fellowship is with God, and fellowship is friendship, and friendship means that partnership which, on His part, is the accommodating of His strength to my weakness. 

-G. Campbell Morgan

If He loved me yesterday, He loves me today. My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Even when prospects are few and hopes are squashed and joy is waning, I have lost nothing of what I have in God. He is "my refuge" to which I continually return. I am a pilgrim in the world, but at home in my God. In the earth I wander, but in God I dwell in a quiet dwelling place.

-Charles Spurgeon

Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.

-John Calvin

Friendship is held to be the severest test of character. It is easy, we think, to be loyal to a family and clan, whose blood is in your own veins.

-Charles Alexander Eastman

A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's.

-Leo C. Rosten

April Quotes

Find updates about my puppies HERE.

Doctrine is important, but to fight over the smallest things as the world perishes without the gospel is tragic; a waste of gifts and strength.

-Paul Washer

The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat. His promises of guidance may be fully counted upon. Does it make sense to believe that the Shepherd would care less about getting His sheep where He wants them to go than they care about getting there?

-Elisabeth Elliot

Friendship is the nearest thing we know to what religion is. God is love. And to make religion akin to Friendship is simply to give it the highest expression conceivable by man. 

-Henry Drummond

No man ever really finds out what he believes in until he begins to instruct his children.

-Unknown

The mills of God grind slowly; yet the grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all.

-Fredrick Von Logau

If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones! 

-C.S. Lewis

We can stop pleading with God to show us the future, and start living and obeying like we are confident that He holds the future.

-Kevin DeYoung

We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out. 

-Winston Churchill

I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. 

-C.S. Lewis

There is a vast difference between failing and becoming a failure. We become a failure when we give up—when we stop trying. But as long as we are working on those sinful habits, regardless of how often we fail, we have not become a failure, and we can expect to see progress.

-Jerry Bridges

Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Bible is of such universal and perennial interest that it will call forth comments and sermons without number, to the end of time. This of itself is sufficient evidence of its divine origin and character. It is now more extensively studied than ever before, and goes on conquering and to conquer in the face of all enemies. It is inexhaustible. It never grows old, but increases in interest and value as time flows on. Human books have their day, but ‘the Word of the Lord endureth forever.’

-Philip Schaff

Either you be governed by God or by God you’ll be governed.

-Benjamin Franklin

In order to give thanks when the sky is falling, you have to remember that it’s Jesus’ sky, and that He never promised it wouldn’t fall. 

-R.C. Sproul

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. 

-George Müller

February Quotes

...there is not a drop of love in His heart that is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, "It is mine."

-C.H. Spurgeon

There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers. 

-J. Vernon McGee

Those who will not set their children on the road to adulthood must funnel these children's energies to distractions. 

-Caleb Romanowitz

Everybody wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you'll remember, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what's a view for? A view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination-our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life's next peak.

-Andy Andrews

Our severest trials are God's most powerful answers to our petition that He conform us to Christ's image. They are His chisel on our hearts.

-Paul Washer

God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what 

He is up to.

-Unknown

We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship. 

-C.S. Lewis

The real issue of sin is the glory of God, not the hurt of humans.

-John Piper

There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is

Sovereign over all, does not cry, "Mine!” 

-Abraham Kuyper

Think of the self that God has given as an acorn. It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional. Think of the grand glory of an oak tree. God’s intention when He made the acorn was the oak tree. His intention for us is … ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure, many letting-goes. When you look at the oak tree, you don’t feel that the ‘loss’ of the acorn is a very great loss. The more you perceive God’s purpose in your life, the less terrible the losses seem.

-Elisabeth Elliot

Consider Jesus, know Jesus, soak in the shadow of Jesus, saturate your soul with the ways of Jesus. Watch him, listen to him, stand in awe of him. Let him overwhelm you with the way he is. 

-John Piper

If you belong to Him, He will shatter you in a million pieces and reconstruct you. He will not share you with the world. He will not allow you to get any fun out of the Vanity Fair.

-Paul Washer

Sanctification is a process – the process of becoming more like Christ, of growing in holiness. This process begins the instant you are converted and will not end until you meet Jesus face-to-face. Sanctification is about our own choices and behavior. It involves work. Empowered by God’s Spirit, we strive. We fight sin. We study Scripture and pray, even when we don’t feel like it. We flee temptation. We press on; we run hard in the pursuit of holiness. And as we become more and more sanctified, the power of the gospel conforms us more and more closely, with ever-increasing clarity, to the image of Jesus Christ.

-C.J. Mahaney

…The sword is, as it were, consecrated to God; and the art of war becomes a part of our religion.

-Samuel Davies

Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their Champion Character. 

-T.A. Armstrong

Bearing the Burdens of Others

This week I read the latter half of 2 Chronicles up to the end of Job. I'm actually using two different Bible reading plans right now, but the second one doesn't really count--I'm reading through all the notes in my study Bible using a 6-month reading plan. But this week both of my reading plans had something in common.

Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." We all carry our own burdens, either of difficult situations, trials and temptations, or just even the own sin in our hearts. Burdens are something we carry with us all the time, every day. They give us ample opportunities for learning endurance, patience, and forbearance. But in this verse in Galatians, it doesn't just say to carry our own burdens, but also those of fellow believers. Sometimes this means carrying the weight of another's sin and its consequences.

Hezekiah
This man began his reign over Judah after the nation had been corrupted by the ungodly leaders before him. The Bible tells us, however, that "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done". The sin of the nation wasn't directly Hezekiah's fault, yet he took on the responsibility of it and commanded the people to reform their land. He reminded them that the wrath of the Lord was on them (and him) because of their wicked forefathers. "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us" (2 Chronicles 29:10). He was willing to take on the consequences of the people's sin and begin the process of repentance with them. He commanded the priests to sacrifice, and he led the Israelites in consecrated worship to the Lord. He gathered Judah and those who would come from Israel to once again celebrate the Passover, and Hezekiah prayed for them all. "And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people" (2 Chronicles 30:20)

Josiah
He was the third king after Hezekiah, and because the people had turned away from the Lord again, Josiah had a similar task to Hezekiah. After Hilkiah find the Book of the Law of the Lord in the temple, Josiah has it read to him. And then he realizes even more the great sin of the people in forsaking God. God reveals to Josiah through a prophetess that great destruction will come because of the people's disobedience, and only because of Josiah's humility before the Lord would he be spared the sight of this destruction of the land. Josiah takes on the results of sin and brings the people to repentance by reading the Book of the Law to them. "And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book" (2 Chronicles 34:31). Josiah saw relative peace while he reigned, and he died before Jerusalem was captured, burned, and her people exiled.

Ezra
After King Cyrus allowed the deported Jews to return to Jerusalem, many exiles returned to their homeland. Under Ezra's leadership the people fast and pray, and begin the reconstruction of their land. Ezra soon finds out that the Jews have once again intermarried with the pagan nations around them, breaking the commands of God and bringing judgment if they did not repent. Ezra identifies himself with the sin of the people and is struck with grief at their sin. He prays to the Lord admitting the guilt of the people and recognizing that they deserved judgment. "O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this" (Ezra 9:15). Ezra prays and makes confession, interceding for the people and taking on the weight of their sin, and the people responded in humility, separating themselves from the pagan foreigners.

Job
Perhaps this scene from Job is one we don't remember often. After all of Job's "friends" have given their "advice", the Lord answers Job and silences Job's questions, showing His infinite power even in the midst of suffering. He calls Job to trust Him even when he doesn't know the reason for his trials. And in his humility he acknowledges the greatness, majesty, and sovereignty of God in his life. God then turns his anger on Job's friends for their misrepresentation of Job's character and God's character. And though Job has suffered much mentally from these three men, he obeys the Lord and prays for them, interceding for them on behalf of their sin. "...and the Lord accepted Job's prayer" (Job 42:9).

Jeremiah
Knowing as the "weeping prophet", this man was sent to proclaim God's judgment on Judah. And though the nations sin was not his, he lives his life in humility and identifies himself with the sinners. In Jeremiah 10:24, he asks the Lord to bring correction and justice on himself and on the people for their sin. He places himself as one of the Israelites and takes on their sin, pleading with the Lord for mercy.

Moses
Though not in my week's reading, this man serves as another example of bearing the burden of another's sin. After Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments, he was greeted with the noise of the people worshipping and dancing around the golden calf that had apparently just appeared out of the fire (as Aaron intelligently reported). Moses metes out judgment on the people when he commands the Levites to destroy those who had turned from the Lord, and the next day day Moses says to the people "You have sinned a great sin, And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin" (Exodus 32:31). Realizing the folly of the Israelites and the greatness of their sin he pleads for forgiveness from God for this rebellious group. "But now, if you will forgive their sin--but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written" (Exodus 32:33). Moses' desire for the people's forgiveness is so great that he places the sin on himself, and says that if God could not spare them in His justice, he will be willing to end up in the darkness of eternity if only the Israelites would be spared!


These men willingly took on the sins of others in order to bring mercy on others, but yet see justice done to sin. But they were not faultless men themselves, and though many times they did bear the burden of sin that was not theirs, they only represented a Greater Intercessor who was to come. In order to perfectly fulfill justice for sin and give grace to the wrongdoer, a perfect atonement was needed, and that was only found in the sinless priesthood Christ. Only the One who came willingly in the faultless image of God could bear the sins of the world and, at the same time, bring judgment and grace.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

(Isaiah 53:11-12)

Sometimes we, too, are called to wrestle with the sins of others and to bear its consequences, not because we're perfect, but because the body of Christ works to bear the burdens of others. We're to help the weak, encourage our fellow soldiers, and admonish the sinning. "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak" (Romans 15:1), and this should be done with the knowledge that others are bearing our own weaknesses, as well. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16, KJV). 

Laws for a Lawless People

I covered Genesis 29-Numbers 8 in this week's reading. It was interesting to again read all the "rules" God laid out for His people. God didn't institute laws and commands for other people like He did for the nation of Israel. You come to the end of reading Exodus and Leviticus and you wonder if the Israelites had any time to "just live" with all the laws about restitution, slaves, social justice, Sabbath practices, feasts and fesitivals, temple building, endless sacrifices (I always wondered how they didn't run out of bulls, sheep, goats, and oxen!), offerings, clean and unclean animals, purification, sickness, atonement, relationships, diets, property, redemption, and numerous other categories.

Some of the first listed commands God gave His people was the night of the first Passover. He instructed them carefully on how to prepare the lamb and other food, and how to put the blood of the Lamb on the sides and top of the door if they wanted their firstborn spared from death. The Israelites obeyed these commands and their children were spared. But even though they saw the rewards of obedience many times, they also later found out the consequences of disobedience, for time and time again they turned from serving God to worship other gods.Yet, God chose them, an unruly people, and gave them His rules. He knew they couldn't keep them, but that showed them their dependency on God and paved the way for a needed Savior.

And in the middle of all the rules, you see the words "I am the LORD" or "because I am holy". The rules were given, not to hem them in unnecessarily, but to show the nation of Israel that they were set apart from the rest of the nations. They were called to be holy, as God was holy, because He chose them. Because He made them in the image of Himself. And though they defaced that image repeatedly, grace did come. The law showed them that they deserved to die--they could not keep the law even though their life depended on it. They were dead in their sin, but they had faith in God and looked for the day when the promise of their Savior would come. And He did, but not in their time.

The law was good, for it showed sin, but when Christ came, He fulfilled the law. That is why today we live under grace. Not grace to sin, but grace to become holy. That is why we're free from sin and death. That's where there is no condemnation. We've been released from the law, to live under grace. Grace binds us to a merciful God, not permitting sin, but destroying it, and holding us captive to the One who rescued us. We couldn't keep the law any more than the Israelites could, but we have a Mediator and a Savior who could and did. And He provided the life we needed to conquer the death of sin and be holy as He is holy.

Free from the law—oh, happy condition!

Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;

Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,

Christ hath redeemed us once for all.

Children of God—oh, glorious calling,

Surely His grace will keep us from falling;

Passing from death to life at His call,

Blessed salvation once for all.

But now are we released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

(Romans 7:6)

The Power of the Written Word

See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed,

but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass,

and the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

~1 Peter 1:22b-25a

Here we are at the end of another year. 2014 will soon be over and we will be ushering in another calendar year whether we like it or not. ;) May God go with you all as you traverse into the unknown, knowing thtat you are led by a God Who holds your future as a memory. Seek Him and He will be found of you. Don't let failures of the past, present, or future hold you back from doing His will today. And remember that you are salt and light in a dying world. Walk into 2015 with courage, because the Lord God Himself has said He will never leave you or forsake you. "Immanuel" means "God with us", and if God is with us, who can be against us? Nothing shall separate us from His love, and to those who love Him He promises to work all things for their good and His glory. God bless you all.

*****

Our union with Jesus is the basis for a bond with our fellow Christians. Because that bond is so vital and real, we can live with each other in an intimacy impossible in every other setting.

~Lawrence O. Richards

What makes the difference is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but how many times the Bible that been through you.

~Gispy Smith

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection.‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

~Thomas Paine

To forsake the Lord through persecution is to set time before eternity, to barter heaven for this world's pleasures, to renounce eternal life for a few hours of ease, and to involve ourselves in endless misery rather than endure a stupid jest or a senseless jibe… Like true soldiers may we buckle on our harness and resolve that let the battle rage as it may, through divine grace we will not desert our colors. We prefer death itself to the disgrace of forsaking a cause so true, a doctrine so pure, a Savior so gracious, a Prince so noble, and so worthy of our most loyal service.

~C.H. Spurgeon

There is unwavering peace today when an uncertain tomorrow is trusted to an unchanging God.

~Unknown

It is the nature of this God-given grace to bring distant things close to us: faith looks upon things promised as though they were actually fulfilled. Faith gives a present subsistence to things that are yet future: that is, it realized them to the mind, giving a reality and substantiality to them.

~A.W. Pink (in Elijah)

Do your duty where God has stationed you: plough up the fallow ground and sow the seed, and though there be no fruit in your day, who knows but an Elisha may follow you and do the reaping.

~A.W. Pink (in Elijah)

As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is a mere flattery or platitude. It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.

~G.K. Chesterton

Don't forget God's blessings in the past or the joys you experienced in the past. There will always be pain to remember; always mistakes we could regret. There will always be scars we wish we didn't inflict. However, don't forget that God upheld you through all of it, and He will never falter in carrying you through everything in the future. God can heal us from our past no matter how discouraging, dark, dreary, or dismal it is....God is infinitely bigger than anything in anyone's past.

~C. McConkey

How long do we stand? We always stand. How long do we pray? We always pray. When do we give up? We never give up.

~Michael Farris

*****

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Happy birthday, Anna!

Dear Anna,

Happy 21^st birthday! I was trying to think of something exciting that would be happening since you turned the magic age of 21, but there wasn’t anything especially impressive…in terms of legal matters, anyway. 

However, you are now one year closer to a few things. Actually, a lot of things, but I could never list them all.

You are one year closer to finding complete satisfaction in Christ alone. You may have family, friends, food, and shelter, but only in Christ can your longings and desires be fully satisfied. Your satisfaction rests in His atonement and in knowing that His plans for you are better and more sanctifying than your own. Your satisfaction has a sure foundation if it is based on Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone—for He alone satisfied the greatest requirement for sin.

You are one year closer to finding everlasting joy in Christ alone. As you have sought and will continue to seek happiness in life, your true joy will remain in the Giver of Joy. The circumstances around you will fluctuate, but He who is constant, never refuses joy to those who walk in His Word. Joy comes from abiding in Him and in His Word—taking in Scripture and clinging to it when all else is gone. Because when everything is stripped away, you will see where your heart lies. If it is with Christ, then your joy is complete, for you need no other because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

You are one year closer to finding eternal hope in Christ alone.  We hope for so much, and sometimes it is difficult to hold on when all seems hopeless. To give up would be easier, but our God is not a God of hopelessness, but a God of hope who desires to fill us with all joy and peace. (Romans 15:13) It is His intention that you hold on, that you look to the One who was, is, and will be faithful, and who can refresh your hope when it is fading. Hope is an action (despite what dictionaries might tell you). It’s active, and you have to keep pursing it; but you’re not pursing the concept of hope, no, you’re pursing the Person, and His well of hope never runs dry.

You are one year closer to finding lasting peace in Christ alone. Christ’s peace is not something you’ll find here. You won’t find it in a world filled with distraction, pain, and sin, but you can claim it and own it as yours even during all the confusion and hurt. If you search for peace here, you will not find it for it is found only in abiding in the knowledge that our God is the author of peace. His peace passes understanding, but you will understand a little more of what it is when you find it.

You are one year closer to finding enduring victory in Christ alone. In Genesis 3, God pronounces judgment on the serpent and foretells of his future demise. Victory was planned even before defeat occurred. God did not intend for you to wade through the Slough of Despond all your life. He has conquered sin—ALL sin. He has conquered everything evil, and it is subject to His command until He returns again when sin will be banished forever. We live in the world, but we are not of it. Our kingdom is a heavenly one—meaning we share in the privileges of it even before we get there. Temporary defeat may and likely will happen, but it is not permanent, for we serve the King who has conquered. A King who will reign with all power and authority; a King who holds the life of all creatures in His hand. And He it is who has provided enduring victory for us—because He chose to, because He loves us. 

May you know more fully the complete satisfaction, everlasting joy, eternal hope, lasting peace, and enduring victory of the Savior you serve, Anna. Complete, everlasting, eternal, lasting, and enduring: those words carry a ring of finality about them. And so it is fitting, for the One who created satisfaction, joy, hope, peace, and victory will have the final word at the consummation of the age. May you walk as a daughter of the King Who has already conquered, and may you be blessed as you seek Him and serve others.

Love in Christ,

Kaleigh 

The Fig Tree

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; 

the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; 

the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. 

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, 

and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

No blossoms on the tree. No grapes on the green vines. The olive crop fails, and the herds die. The sheep are scattered, and the stalls are empty. Emptiness, failure, and fruitlessness. A situation like this for a farmer would be grave indeed. Lack of produce, crops, and herds would lead to financial, physical, and mental stress. 

Surely it is the same with our lives. We feel, at times, the emptiness of our hearts, the failure of our strength, and the fruitlessness of our own efforts. The temptation to "just give up" plays with our will to keep going. To keep going amid the darkness, confusion, and failure. The sin that we know exists within our own heart seems too great to be conquered. 

But that's because we are just surviving on our own mental resources, will power, and strength. Our bodies and minds are finite; there is a point, when we have to stop, because we physically can't keep going any more. We can't produce any more, give out anything, or fill our beings. We're just done. 

And that's where Habakkuk found himself, too. He wrote during a time of judgment on the Israelites. A time of wickedness, fear, and calamity. A time when no hope was in view.  And so, he turns to the Lord, questioning the unholiness and ruin around him. In answer, Habakkuk is reminded of the Lord's power, holiness, and judgment, and in his fear and grief, he rejoices. 

Although...

The fig tree does not blossom. 
The vines produce no fruit. 
The labor of the olive plant fails. 
The fields yield no meat. 
The flock is separated from the fold.
The herds are not in the stalls. 

And yet...

He rejoices. 

He rejoices in a good God. He rejoices in a God who provided salvation once and for all. He rejoices in the joy of the Lord, for it is his strength. He rejoices in a God who uses weakness to show His strength. He rejoices in a God who "works through the most imperfect circumstances, and turns them into [Habakkuk's] good, and His glory". He rejoices not only in a God who chastises, but also in a God whose mercies are new every morning. 

And so can we. We serve the same God Habakkuk served. He has not changed, for He is the same "yesterday, today, and forever". His "faithfulness reaches the skies", and He's promised that our sins are as far removed as east is from west. Though He may afflict, He does not do so willingly, and though "weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning". He goes before us in all our ways, and He is with us. He has never failed any one of His chosen, and "this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death." 

Though vine nor fig tree neither

Their wonted fruit should bear,

Though all the field should wither,

Nor flocks nor herd be there,

Yet God the same abiding,

His praise shall tune my voice;

For while in Him confiding,

I cannot but rejoice.

In this Habakkuk rejoiced. Will you, too, learn to rejoice in the midst of fear, pain, and confusion? If He never gives you in your lifetime what you desire most, will you still rejoice in His loving kindness? Habakkuk did. 

Psalm 30

I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

I Will Rejoice

Blessings,
Kaleigh

When Grace Wears Thin: Guest Post

Today's post is written by a dear friend of mine. Schuyler M. is an avid reader and 
writer, and she willingly used her life experiences 
to share from her heart in this post.

I have known Schuyler for about two years now, and her godly example 

and faithful friendship to me has been a most welcome blessing.

May this post by her bless you as it has blessed me. 
Leave a comment for her, if you wish!

Thank you, Schuyler. 

~Kaleigh

________________________________

Some nights, we wonder if God's grace is quite enough. When we're laying awake, hurting, thinking over present pains and coming struggles, we wonder where the God is that said "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".

One night I was lying awake like that. I had been having nightmares night after night; terrible ones that left me feeling exhausted at the end of them. And there were other struggles going on at the same time--broken dreams, and daily crosses, and blessings I wanted that God chose not to give. It was all too much to bear, so I lay awake thinking about it.

The darkness was very dark. And God's grace seemed to fray around the edges as I tried to lean into it. 

I'm not the only one to experience this. Parents, children, friends, ministry leaders--we all go through dark times in life, even as dedicated Christians. It's natural. We experience just what David did in the Psalms. We wrestle with the effects of sin in ourselves, and in those around us. And in our battle with light and darkness, we know that Jesus has the ultimate victory, but sometimes we wonder if the darkness will swallow up a poor, lowly foot soldier before He even notices we're losing in the fray.

I lay awake, and the night pressed in heavier. And if I didn't know better, I could have sworn that God had forgotten to dispense Schuyler-grace that night.

Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do  you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

~Isaiah 40:27-28

One of the things we do when we are going through darkness is to wonder if God really knew what He was doing when He gave us this particular struggle--and if He gave us the strength we would need to get through it. In our minds we know He did, but we struggle to get the mind knowledge to the heart knowledge. We forget that God gave us a struggle or denied us a blessing because His fathomless understanding saw how He could turn it to our good and His glory.

Time and again I've cried out to the Lord "I want more grace! I want more!" But He says, "I've given you sufficient grace. Not grace that will take away all your problems, but grace that will bring you through them. Enough for the next second. Second after second, I'll never let you down. But I'm not going to give you enough so that you think you don't need me." And He gives me enough so that I'm like an infant, relying on him for all my care.

It is hard to remember that God, in love, denies blessings as well as gives them, but it is true. And it is His love that sends us through the darkness so that we can experience true light.

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. ~Isaiah 50:10

The night I couldn't sleep, I turned on my music player and flipped through to Nella Fantasia, which is my favorite soothing go-to music when I need to re-set my thoughts. When the mind is overwhelmed by darkness, the quickest way to feel God's grace again is to calm our thoughts so we can bring ourselves to a place of surrender. Sometimes we are able to do this through reading a timely Scripture passage. Sometimes we find surrender through an email from a friend, or a hug from a sibling, or a word of praise from a parent. Sometimes we even find it by listening to a tenor singing Italian.  Whatever it takes, it is when we can bring ourselves to a posture of expectant waiting that we give God room to show that He still holds us close.

I fell asleep, rather fittingly, to a plea in a foreign language for a just world where pain ends. My soul waited with open hands for the grace I needed.

And then, as the night ended, His grace came.

Dawn broke. Dawn broke.

Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

~Psalm 30:5b

Christians in the present day aren't the only people to struggle with a seeming grace shortage. The ultimate feeling of insufficient grace came at the crucifixion of the hope of Israel. Jesus' disciples, just like us, entered darkness and felt like the night would never end. They endured three days of living hell when Jesus died, and the promised Messiah lay dead in the tomb. But their dawn came, and this gives us the promise that our dawn will come too.

The wonder, the relief we will experience, when the greatest nightmare of broken dreams gives way to the dawning reality of a Living God. 

Dawn comes after night. As we bury dead hopes in relationships or life, we always have to endure the three days of darkness that the disciples did. That's part of our cross to bear. But just as they saw their Hope rise again, we will see ours. And I think in some ways it will always be unexpected, because God wants to give all believers the grace of tasting what it was like to see His Son rise again, even though we live centuries after it happened.

When I woke up that morning, I thanked God that he had brought me through the night to see another dawn. Just the new day was enough, for it promised me that He had gotten me that far, and would bring me through the day. Time passed, and my hope increased as I sensed His grace undergirding and supporting me.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

~Isaiah 40:29-31

Dawn always comes. In every ticking second of darkness, we must cling to the hope that dawn will come, that the little pinpoint of light we see in front of us is our great God leading us to the coming day. All of us struggle. All of us go through seasons of walking in darkness, sometimes darkness that is very great indeed. Families sin and turn upon each other. Projects fall through, ones that we've been working on for a long time. Friends get busy and sometimes forget to encourage. And we see darkness. But the promise of coming dawn is eternal, unchangeable. As eternal and unchangeable as the God we worship. His grace can never alter or wear thin, and God, who deals so abundantly with us, will ensure that we have enough. It will be there for us through the deepest darkness, and we are assured that all evil shall be vanquished, all heartache shall be healed, and our Lord shall work deliverance on behalf of His people.

If you are walking in darkness, then wait for the Lord to restore your hope. Dawn will come, for no force--neither our fears, nor our struggles, nor our disappointments--can hold it back. And when it comes, remember to give thanks to God for his abundant grace.

Schuyler M. is an avid bibliophile, a young ladies' ministry leader, and an aspiring novelist. Styling herself as Lady Bibliophile, she runs a book blog, My Lady Bibliophile, where she posts Tuesdays and Fridays with book reviews and Christian evaluation methods of classic literature. In her spare time, she likes to listen to Celtic music, write novels, and day-dream about what her growing manuscript would look like on the silver screen.