How Long, O Lord?

Psalm 13:1-6

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes; lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

   Though the way may look dim to your eyes, the truth is that God is always waiting for you. Though it may seem like perpetual night and starvation of the soul has no beginning or end, be assured that God is with you. If a day arrives in your life which brings only memories of pain, and death appears as beautiful as a shimmering diamond, you can have confidence in one promise that will stay true beyond the grave - The promise that God's hand will never let you go! You may not see Him and you may not hear Him, but He will never leave you. When all seems lost and victory is a distant memory, do not despair! God's attentive ear is waiting for your plea, your cry in the darkness. Let your heart be filled with hope and trust and your soul overflowing with the joys of God's salvation. Believe in Him in the darkest nights and in the most glorious days. God shall continually bless! In the days of blessing, He shall walk beside you every step of the way. In the days of testing and refinement, He shall carry you and give you His strength. His faithfulness endures forever! Do not let your soul be burdened, for God is with you every step of every day while you journey through this life in search of His kingdom. Draw near to Him, and He will lift you up!

 Matthew 11:28

 "Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

One Life to Offer

Hebrews 9:27,28

 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."

A man has only one life to choose whether he will serve God or not, but he has an eternity to live with his decision. When one dies, he cannot change the choices he made in life. When he stands before God in the last day, it will be either to receive a crown of glory and be ushered into His kingdom, or it will be a day of judgment and wrath.

Pain on earth is present everywhere we look, trials overtake us on every side, but it pales with comparison to an eternity of fiery condemnation if we choose to place ourselves above God by willingly choosing to believe that we don't need Him or His gift of salvation. We could ignorantly choose to live our lives as we please, but when the final trumpet sounds and all mankind is called before God, He will count every sin that we have committed against Him and we will not have the blood of Christ to wash it away.

If, however, we seek God and ask His forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Christ has paid the penalty for our sins, and no longer must we face God's wrath. We are not

True Beauty - What does God say?

Psalm 29:2
"Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

In today's society, beauty and worth are often defined by external appearances, an engaging personality, and material wealth. The multimedia world spends millions advertising this beauty product, that miracle cure, this pill to make you skinnier, that new exercise bike to get you toned. But in the pursuit of beauty and acceptance, the internal spirit is often forgotten and becomes corrupt and loathsome before God. Character and attitude become shallow. Personal worth is measured by being noticed and praised... But God did not create us for this shallow purpose, nor does He see us in such a demeaning way. To truly understand eternal beauty, we must search the scriptures for God's definition of worth and value.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3-4

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:3

God sees us as His final masterpiece! Each person on earth from every corner of the world is uniquely created, shaped, and formed by the work of His hands. Every person is beautifully and creatively designed by God's desire and is equally loved and cherished by Him. But yet He does not look to the outward appearance of a man to find worth, instead He searches the inner thoughts of the heart. He examines the character of a man and seeks out the unfading beauty of a pure and gentle spirit. He cherishes those who worship and tremble before His awesome power. This is true beauty in the eyes of God - that His people would seek to glorify His name in every aspect of their lives while continuing to grow more Christ-like in holiness, purity, and obedience to God. 

Outward beauty is daily fading and will one day be a distant memory, but the beauty of a spirit that is rooted in Christ and mature in the Word of God shall endure forever. So perhaps instead of spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror each morning, we should instead be examining our hearts from the reflection of the Scriptures.

Child of the King!

1 John 3:1-3

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

As soon as we enter into this world, we have a sin nature within our hearts. If left on our own, we would gladly sin against God and live for our own selfish pleasures every day of our lives. But God has shown such amazing grace, that even while we lived in rebellion against Him, He sent His only Son to die in our place so that we would not need to be punished for all eternity because of our sinfulness. Christ lived a sinless, perfect life but yet was persecuted and reviled. But because of his purity, He was able to offer Himself to God as a holy sacrifice that would satisfy God's wrath which would have been directed towards the totality of mankind's wretchedness and total depravity. Therefore any man that comes to God with a sorrowful, repentant heart because of his sinfulness, seeks the Lord's forgiveness, and accepts the free gift of salvation provided by the death of Christ shall be forgiven entirely, and his sins shall be cast from him as far as the east is from the west!

Take joy and be filled with hope in that God has blessed us so much that He has risen us up from the depths of loathsome spiritual poverty to a state of high honor as His own children! When the world rejects us for our faith, see it as a blessing! For no longer are we a part of this world in all its shame and depravity, but we are now a part of God's own family with the highest calling there is - glorifying the Most High God. When the last days of this world comes, we shall be caught up to our Heavenly Father and glorified. We shall be like Christ in appearance, have a perfected sinless body, our sin nature will be destroyed forever, and we shall have all the blessings of a beloved child.

The future is brightly filled with wonder and glory for those who are of the family of God, but the present day can also be filled with joy and renewal. Never forget your Saviour's love and all that He accomplished on the cross for your sake. Dwell on your Lord's sacrifice and be motivated to take up your own cross every day for the sake of His glory. He blesses us every day with His presence and strength, He gifts us with the indwelling of a spiritual guide and helper, the Holy Spirit, so no longer do we have to give into the urgings of our sinful flesh. We can live to glorify God, grow in the likeness of Christ, and be changed day by day to become more of a blessing to those around us as we share the love of God through our lives. So purify yourself daily of your old sinful nature as you look and hope for the return of your Saviour and the glorious future He brings.

Our Service Never Forgotten

Hebrews 6:10-13,15

"For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself. And so, after [Abraham] had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."

Every time a believer seeks to glorify God's name in thought, word, or deed, his effort will never go unnoticed or be forgotten. When one labors in love for God's sake, he can be completely sure that His Saviour is watching and will reward His servant for his continued faithfulness. Thus we should be encouraged and show diligence in our labor because our salvation and eternal reward is secure in the promise of God. Do not lose heart as the days of this world grow darker because those who remain faithful to the end will receive all that God has promised His children. 

Never shall His covenant with us fail for He has sworn it on something that will never change - Himself. So take heart if your efforts appear small and forgotten in this world, be encouraged if you are facing the world's contempt for the Lord's sake, for if we hold strong in our faith until the end, our God will be true to every promise He has ever made to us and we shall hear those blessed words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."

 

Throw off the Old, Put on the New

Ephesians 4:17,18,21-24

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; [If] indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

As Christians, we are graciously gifted with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We no longer have to follow the corruptness of the flesh in darkened ignorance, but instead we can put off our former life and put on the new life which God has mercifully given us. Our new life is to be fashioned after the example set by Christ.

Don't live life treading the line, don't trade darkness for obscure shadows and dim light, instead live in the pure radiant light of God and let His glory and righteousness shine into every darkened area of your life so that He can guide you to become mature in the faith and filled with His holiness. Let His love fully permeate your life so that others can't help but see God through you. In all areas of your life, seek to glorify Him. Now that you, as a born-again believer in Christ, are given the strength and power of God to say no to the world and its sinful desires, stand strong in the Word of God and grasp firmly to the truth of the Cross in order that you can throw off your former life once lived in darkness and obscurity and grasp hold of your new life in the glorious light of Christ!

True Beauty of Christmas

The birth of a child, is there anything more wondrous? But a child born that would one day save mankind from sin’s unrelenting grasp, is there anything more miraculous? One child, one infant soul born: innocent, trusting, dependent upon another’s tender care. One child, which would change the world from the moment He was born. One child: poor, humble, and of lowly place, the world never noticing His arrival and not prepared with riches, honor, and glory due to Him. Their hearts were cold and souls dead to the Word of God come to earth. The most precious gift ever, sent from a Father who loves His children with immeasurable love, went unwanted and rejected. He was forced from riches, love, and praise to a lowly, forgotten, and despised man. 

One could feel pity for such a child, but that would be forgetting the loving purpose with which the child was sent. The choice He, Himself, made to come and the acceptance of becoming common instead of being adored by thousands. The child who loved man, though man was sinful, fallen, and ungrateful. The child who willingly chose to bring hope to a dying people by dying Himself. The child coming, though He knew He would be rejected and trampled upon. Is there anything more Beautiful?

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Saviour is given.”

Bless His Holy Name

Come Boldly to the Throne!

Hebrews 7:24-26

"But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, He is also able to save to he uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;"

Such is Christ for us. No longer do we need to rely on the intercessory prayer of another man plagued with his own sinful nature, but we are now recipients of the very
righteousness of God's own Son and may come to our Heavenly God freely to fellowship, pray, worship, and adore Him. We may tremble at His awesome power, but we are filled with boldness knowing that our God has welcomed us into His heaven, not as mere citizens, but as His beloved children. 

Hebrews 4:16

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."