- Published on
Joel 2:21-23
Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the LORD has done marvelous things!
Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come down for you--
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
Be glad and rejoice,
For the LORD has done marvelous things!
Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come down for you--
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
KILMARTIN SERIES 8
Joel 2 came up in last Tuesday’s gathering as we shared about the perilous nature of these present times, when the forces of the Evil One walk in our midst without let or hindrance — or so it would appear.
As has been mentioned before in these pages, our village of Kilmartin (the name means ‘Martainn’s cell, or church’) is at the heart of an area with more pre-Christian rock carvings, burial cists, standing stones and cup and ring markings than anywhere else in Scotland. Kilmartin is one of many spiritually significant places around the globe that The Lord has chosen as His battleground.
The prevalence of the current focus on ancient spiritual practices acts like a magnet to those swallowed up by New Age mysticism, witchcraft and a host of other unGodly beliefs. It is our belief — and that of many others before us in Kilmartin, stretching back to Martainn himself — that Kilmartin and the Glen needs the constant presence of God’s people, however small in number we may be, as watchmen on the walls.
None of us are immune to the spirits of the age in which we find ourselves, which is why it behoves those of us who seek The Lord’s Countenance, to press in to His Word and His Voice, following Paul’s exhortation in 2 Corinthians 6:17, where he quotes* Therefore, Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
The results of this spiritual separation — looking to The Lord and not to man and the world — can be seen in Joel 2:21-23. As well as being a wonderful picture of God’s provision for His people, it presents us with the beauty and joy of The Holy Spirit’s outworking.
As has been mentioned before in these pages, our village of Kilmartin (the name means ‘Martainn’s cell, or church’) is at the heart of an area with more pre-Christian rock carvings, burial cists, standing stones and cup and ring markings than anywhere else in Scotland. Kilmartin is one of many spiritually significant places around the globe that The Lord has chosen as His battleground.
The prevalence of the current focus on ancient spiritual practices acts like a magnet to those swallowed up by New Age mysticism, witchcraft and a host of other unGodly beliefs. It is our belief — and that of many others before us in Kilmartin, stretching back to Martainn himself — that Kilmartin and the Glen needs the constant presence of God’s people, however small in number we may be, as watchmen on the walls.
None of us are immune to the spirits of the age in which we find ourselves, which is why it behoves those of us who seek The Lord’s Countenance, to press in to His Word and His Voice, following Paul’s exhortation in 2 Corinthians 6:17, where he quotes* Therefore, Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
The results of this spiritual separation — looking to The Lord and not to man and the world — can be seen in Joel 2:21-23. As well as being a wonderful picture of God’s provision for His people, it presents us with the beauty and joy of The Holy Spirit’s outworking.
* See Numbers 33:51–56; Isaiah 52:11; Revelation 18:4
Meditate On These Things
JEREMIAH 51:11-12
Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the LORD,
The vengeance for His temple.
Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard strong,
Set up the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes.
For the LORD has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the LORD,
The vengeance for His temple.
Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard strong,
Set up the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes.
For the LORD has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
FOR YOU ARE HIGH AND LIFTED UP — LaMar Boschman and Integrity’s Hosanna
A HOLY CONDITION: Oswald Chambers on JOY and PEACE
— JOY - Strength in the Spirit --
GOD DID NOT create Adam holy. He created him innocent, that is, without self-consciousness before God. Adam was conscious of himself only in relation to the Being whom he was to glorify and enjoy.
Consciousness of self was an impossibility in the Garden until the introduction of sin. Sin kills the child in us and creates in us the bitter sinner. That is why our Lord says we have to become children all over again. In other words, God's right to me is killed by the incoming of my self-conscious right to myself.
Sin is not a creation; it is a relationship set up between the devil (who is independent of God) and the being God made to have communion with Himself. Disobey God, separate yourself from Him, and you will be "as God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5 AV: see Genesis 3:22). The entrance of sin meant that the connection with God was gone and the disposition of self-realization had come in its place.
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’]
Consciousness of self was an impossibility in the Garden until the introduction of sin. Sin kills the child in us and creates in us the bitter sinner. That is why our Lord says we have to become children all over again. In other words, God's right to me is killed by the incoming of my self-conscious right to myself.
Sin is not a creation; it is a relationship set up between the devil (who is independent of God) and the being God made to have communion with Himself. Disobey God, separate yourself from Him, and you will be "as God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5 AV: see Genesis 3:22). The entrance of sin meant that the connection with God was gone and the disposition of self-realization had come in its place.
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking on the download file below…
- Published on
Proverbs 22:24-25
Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a furious man do not go,
Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.
And with a furious man do not go,
Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.
At our weekly gathering on Tuesday afternoon, we were led into a time of spirit-filled sharing based on Proverbs 22:24. We have not shared reports of our Tuesday meetings for some months now, but feel to remedy that omission, but more in the form of ‘inspired by’, rather than ‘this is what was said’.
We have had personal experience of an ‘angry man’ recently, and reflecting on this fact, it occurred to me at least, that many conflicts in my life have been the result of coming up against the will of an angry person. Why that person is angry, and ‘venting their spleen’, is rarely clear; but The Lord reveals that the root cause is likely to be arrogance and pride. An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression. A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour. [Proverbs 29: 22-23]
I have been that ‘angry man’ on occasions, and I know that it deeply affects those around you, and never allows you to feel better afterwards. That violent spirit is the antithesis of the spirit of Christ, but once it takes hold it does indeed become a snare for your soul, chaining and imprisoning without mercy. Furthermore, that spirit of anger spreads like a contagion, either gripping others or instilling fear.
Only the Holy Spirit can release you and bring peace, and the counsel that Proverbs gives us is in verse 28 … Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set. This seems a strange thing to say, but when you know that a landmark is a boundary, a protective wall, then we realise that the ancient landmark is the Holy Spirit — bringing salvation — gifted to our forbears by God and eternally established in the hearts of believers.
Our God — in His mercy — has granted us the free will to choose or deny Him, and so Solomon’s Proverbs tells us Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set; don’t lay yourself open to the spirits of fear or anger; hold on to what The Lord has given you.
Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it. [Isaiah 56:1-2a]
Hold on to Him — He will then take care of the rest, for He has promised it
We have had personal experience of an ‘angry man’ recently, and reflecting on this fact, it occurred to me at least, that many conflicts in my life have been the result of coming up against the will of an angry person. Why that person is angry, and ‘venting their spleen’, is rarely clear; but The Lord reveals that the root cause is likely to be arrogance and pride. An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression. A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour. [Proverbs 29: 22-23]
I have been that ‘angry man’ on occasions, and I know that it deeply affects those around you, and never allows you to feel better afterwards. That violent spirit is the antithesis of the spirit of Christ, but once it takes hold it does indeed become a snare for your soul, chaining and imprisoning without mercy. Furthermore, that spirit of anger spreads like a contagion, either gripping others or instilling fear.
Only the Holy Spirit can release you and bring peace, and the counsel that Proverbs gives us is in verse 28 … Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set. This seems a strange thing to say, but when you know that a landmark is a boundary, a protective wall, then we realise that the ancient landmark is the Holy Spirit — bringing salvation — gifted to our forbears by God and eternally established in the hearts of believers.
Our God — in His mercy — has granted us the free will to choose or deny Him, and so Solomon’s Proverbs tells us Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set; don’t lay yourself open to the spirits of fear or anger; hold on to what The Lord has given you.
Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it. [Isaiah 56:1-2a]
Hold on to Him — He will then take care of the rest, for He has promised it
Meditate On These Things
DEUTERONOMY 26:17-19
Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice.
Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments,
and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honour, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, just as He has spoken."
Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice.
Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments,
and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honour, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, just as He has spoken."
BY YOUR SPIRIT — Influence Music and Kim Walker-Smith
A HOLY CONDITION: Oswald Chambers on JOY AND PEACE
— PEACE: Life in the Spirit --
WE MUST BE like a plague of mosquitoes to the Almighty with our fussy little worries and anxieties, and the perplexities we imagine, all because we won't get into the elemental life with God which Jesus came to give. "His love in times past" should enable us to rest confidentially in Him. There is security from yesterday, security for tomorrow, and security for today. It was this knowledge that gave our Lord the imperturbable peace He always had.
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’]
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking on download file below…
- Published on
2 Samuel 22:1-4
Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Saviour, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Saviour, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
On Sunday morning, while tackling the breakfast dishes I found myself singing … 🎶I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved by my enemies …🎶 It was only later that the thought occurred that The Lord was speaking to me through praise. I am a bit slow on the uptake on occasions.
Some of you may know of recent difficulties we have had with a neighbour, as well as issues with careless work done in the house. All of us experience such things from time to time, and we try to put them behind us and look forward. However, these — at root — are spiritual attacks whether purposed or innocent, and the evil one uses these troubling moments to draw us away from God. To take the attitude that ‘worse things happen at sea’, or ‘look at what is happening in Ukraine or Afghanistan’, while commendable, is not going to remedy the situation. The prophet Samuel points us in the only direction with the happiest outcome — ‘Call upon The Lord’!
The word ‘so’ could be translated as ‘in this way’. In this way I shall be saved from my enemies, by simply calling upon The Lord, by naming Him in spirit — He already know of the situation — but He delights to know that we turn to Him in our time of trouble. He is worthy of honour and praise, and the only way of escape. This we know, but the human connection with Our Lord can be tenuous at times in that our attention wants to focus on the problem — to deal with it — instead of seeking His help. At least I find it is often so. But Praise Him, He is looking out for us even when we are not looking to Him .
Did we find these situations easy, even believing that The Lord was with us? No, we did not. It was difficult, because menace, when it confronts you, is disorientating. Only afterwards, do we see that the Spirit of The Lord has moved and delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me. [v 18]. He is with us in the fire, just as He is with us in times of rest. He delivered me because He delighted in me [v 20].
Some of you may know of recent difficulties we have had with a neighbour, as well as issues with careless work done in the house. All of us experience such things from time to time, and we try to put them behind us and look forward. However, these — at root — are spiritual attacks whether purposed or innocent, and the evil one uses these troubling moments to draw us away from God. To take the attitude that ‘worse things happen at sea’, or ‘look at what is happening in Ukraine or Afghanistan’, while commendable, is not going to remedy the situation. The prophet Samuel points us in the only direction with the happiest outcome — ‘Call upon The Lord’!
The word ‘so’ could be translated as ‘in this way’. In this way I shall be saved from my enemies, by simply calling upon The Lord, by naming Him in spirit — He already know of the situation — but He delights to know that we turn to Him in our time of trouble. He is worthy of honour and praise, and the only way of escape. This we know, but the human connection with Our Lord can be tenuous at times in that our attention wants to focus on the problem — to deal with it — instead of seeking His help. At least I find it is often so. But Praise Him, He is looking out for us even when we are not looking to Him .
Did we find these situations easy, even believing that The Lord was with us? No, we did not. It was difficult, because menace, when it confronts you, is disorientating. Only afterwards, do we see that the Spirit of The Lord has moved and delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me. [v 18]. He is with us in the fire, just as He is with us in times of rest. He delivered me because He delighted in me [v 20].
Meditate On These Things
2 SAMUEL 22:14-20
"The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
"He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.
He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
"The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
"He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.
He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
I WILL CALL UPON THE LORD — Cedarmont Kids
A HOLY CONDITION: Oswald Chambers on JOY and PEACE
— PEACE: Life in the Spirit --
IF WE ARE to be sanctified, it must be by the God of peace Himself. The power that makes the life of the saint does not come from our efforts at all, it comes from the heart of the God of peace.
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’]
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking on download link below…
- Published on
Malachi 3:6-7
"For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,"
Says the LORD of hosts.
"But you said,
'In what way shall we return?'
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,"
Says the LORD of hosts.
"But you said,
'In what way shall we return?'
We had a short 4-day break last week — an invitation to join family on the Isle of Mull. The weather was forecast to be uniformly wet, but The Lord blessed us with sun and a joyful time; with the occasional shower to keep us cool. And apart from a brief interlude, the ‘feersum’ midges were held at bay.
During this visit, we revisited the wonderful Sgriob-Ruadh Farm, home of Isle of Mull Cheeses, and while there met Chris Reade, who started the business alongside her late husband. In our conversation, she asked what we thought of the changes at Calgary Farm where we were staying, run by her son Matthew and his wife Julia. Gill observed that change is something we have to accept, and Chris replied that her husband had often said that it was one thing of which we could be sure.
This lovely lady had seen many many changes in her lifetime — and no doubt many a heartache too — yet maintained a determination to carry on and appreciate what she had. It occurred to Gill and myself that she was a great example, and that change is inevitable in every life, and especially so in these fevered times.
Malachi shows us that our Lord never changes; He is consistent and steadfast; having no beginning nor end, and yet His creation is an ever-changing one, as He raises sons to glory. This for us is the conundrum — our God desires us to accept radical and overwhelming change to become unchanging and the image of Himself. He orchestrates this in us with His love and compassion and with never-ending unchanging mercy, which manages to be — in the words of the song — new every morning.
His constant refreshing and revitalising, His creative re-creation and restoration, His amazing re-imagining and re-forming embraces perpetual change that is eternally unchanging, and in this way grants us a security, stability and comfort to be found nowhere else. Only God can do that. We must return to Him in this way, just by turning to seek His face.
During this visit, we revisited the wonderful Sgriob-Ruadh Farm, home of Isle of Mull Cheeses, and while there met Chris Reade, who started the business alongside her late husband. In our conversation, she asked what we thought of the changes at Calgary Farm where we were staying, run by her son Matthew and his wife Julia. Gill observed that change is something we have to accept, and Chris replied that her husband had often said that it was one thing of which we could be sure.
This lovely lady had seen many many changes in her lifetime — and no doubt many a heartache too — yet maintained a determination to carry on and appreciate what she had. It occurred to Gill and myself that she was a great example, and that change is inevitable in every life, and especially so in these fevered times.
Malachi shows us that our Lord never changes; He is consistent and steadfast; having no beginning nor end, and yet His creation is an ever-changing one, as He raises sons to glory. This for us is the conundrum — our God desires us to accept radical and overwhelming change to become unchanging and the image of Himself. He orchestrates this in us with His love and compassion and with never-ending unchanging mercy, which manages to be — in the words of the song — new every morning.
His constant refreshing and revitalising, His creative re-creation and restoration, His amazing re-imagining and re-forming embraces perpetual change that is eternally unchanging, and in this way grants us a security, stability and comfort to be found nowhere else. Only God can do that. We must return to Him in this way, just by turning to seek His face.
Meditate On These Things
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24
Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
THE STEADFAST LOVE OF THE LORD NEVER CEASES — Maranatha Singers
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
Your mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning,
New every morning:
Great is your faithfulness, O Lord,
Great is your faithfulness!
A HOLY PROMISE: Oswald Chambers on HOPE
— In Doubt: Hope in GOD --
EVERY TIME GOD presents us with a problem, He gives us something to match it in our own heart, and if we will let His power work there, we shall go forth with unshakeable confidence in what He can do. Once we know that God can do what Jesus Christ said He could, we can never be put in the place where we will be discouraged.
[from ‘So Send I You’]
[from ‘So Send I You’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking on the download link below …
- Published on
Ephesians 1:7-14
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
‘All things in Christ’. ‘All’ means ‘fully’, ‘completely’, ‘entirely’, ‘whatsoever’, ‘whosoever’ and ‘without exception’. A whole lot on the shoulders of one small three-letter word; but then so has the word ‘God’, come to that. In a sense they are synonymous.
‘All Things’ in Scriptural terms means just that. There is no equivocation. But it seems to me that to receive the ‘all things’ that Jesus Christ offers, there must be a reciprocal offering of ‘all things’ from us. We must both be attuned to one another, or rather, we are completely at one with Him. This is not an easy task, unequipped as we are for such a transformation, and so there is a growing together over time, a growing which He is working in us if we choose to allow it.
But as He ‘knows the end from the beginning’, He provides us with a foretaste of His promised outcome for each of us — something we can have now, which reveals how it will be — something which He knows already is. Along the way, our commitment and understanding of His compassion and lifegiving love are tested and retested in what the apostle Peter calls ‘the fiery trial of our faith’.
I began writing this meditation immediately following completion of our final post on John 18, pausing for a day or so to hear what The Lord was saying. What He was saying — or better, showing, is the reality of that fiery trial. I do not wish to dramatise a situation, but a distressing event occurred which has left Gill and I feeling threatened and uncomfortable. Compared to what many suffer on a daily basis, it is as nothing — only something out of the ordinary in our experience. A trial nonetheless, but one in which we see Our Lord’s hand of covering and protection. It could have been so much worse.
Three days later, The Lord answered the cry of our hearts in a family matter. His grace and restoring power brings such immense joy in its wake. Proof to me that [He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth. AMPC
‘All Things’ in Scriptural terms means just that. There is no equivocation. But it seems to me that to receive the ‘all things’ that Jesus Christ offers, there must be a reciprocal offering of ‘all things’ from us. We must both be attuned to one another, or rather, we are completely at one with Him. This is not an easy task, unequipped as we are for such a transformation, and so there is a growing together over time, a growing which He is working in us if we choose to allow it.
But as He ‘knows the end from the beginning’, He provides us with a foretaste of His promised outcome for each of us — something we can have now, which reveals how it will be — something which He knows already is. Along the way, our commitment and understanding of His compassion and lifegiving love are tested and retested in what the apostle Peter calls ‘the fiery trial of our faith’.
I began writing this meditation immediately following completion of our final post on John 18, pausing for a day or so to hear what The Lord was saying. What He was saying — or better, showing, is the reality of that fiery trial. I do not wish to dramatise a situation, but a distressing event occurred which has left Gill and I feeling threatened and uncomfortable. Compared to what many suffer on a daily basis, it is as nothing — only something out of the ordinary in our experience. A trial nonetheless, but one in which we see Our Lord’s hand of covering and protection. It could have been so much worse.
Three days later, The Lord answered the cry of our hearts in a family matter. His grace and restoring power brings such immense joy in its wake. Proof to me that [He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth. AMPC
Meditate On These Things
1 PETER 4:12-16
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
_________________
MATTHEW 19:18-26
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
_________________
MATTHEW 19:18-26
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER — Robin Mark
A HOLY PROMISE: Oswald Chambers on HOPE
— In Doubt: Hope in GOD --
IF I LET the sorrow of a bereaved home weigh on me, instantly my faith in God is gone; I am so overcome with sympathy that my prayer is nothing more than a wail of sympathy before God.
The influence of my mind on another, whether I speak or not, is so subtle that the prince of this world will use it to prevent my getting hold of God; whereas if I remain confident in God I lift the weight off lives in a way I shall never realise till I stand before Him.
We have to pray that the enemy shall not make God's children slander Him by worry and anxiety. We are to hold off the exactings of Satan, not add to them.
[from ‘God’s Workmanship’]
The influence of my mind on another, whether I speak or not, is so subtle that the prince of this world will use it to prevent my getting hold of God; whereas if I remain confident in God I lift the weight off lives in a way I shall never realise till I stand before Him.
We have to pray that the enemy shall not make God's children slander Him by worry and anxiety. We are to hold off the exactings of Satan, not add to them.
[from ‘God’s Workmanship’]