He (God) hath made everything beautiful in its time... - Ecclesiastes 3:11
This verse follows a whole list of things that happens in its season under the heavens (vs 1-8). Among the things in that list is dying, breaking down, weeping, mourning and losing. Omnipotence is able to make even these things beautiful in its time.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Be Not Weary
Yes! He knows the way is dreary,
Knows the weakness of our frame,
Knows that hand and heart are weary;
He, 'in all points,' felt the same.
He is near to help and bless;
Be not weary, onward press.
Look to Him who once was willing
All His glory to resign,
That, for thee the law fulfilling,
All His merit might be thine.
Strive to follow day by day
Where His footsteps mark the way.
Look to Him, the Lord of Glory,
Tasting death to win thy life;
Gazing on 'that wondrous story,'
Canst thou falter in the strife?
Is it not new life to know
That the Lord hath loved thee so?
Look to Him who ever liveth,
Interceding for His own:
Seek, yea, claim the grace He giveth
Freely from His priestly throne.
Will He not thy strength renew
With His Spirit's quickening dew?
Look to Him, and faith shall brighten,
Hope shall soar, and love shall burn;
Peace once more thy heart shall lighten;
Rise! He calleth thee, return!
Be not weary on thy way
Jesus is thy strength and stay.
Frances Ridley Havergal
"Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." - Matt 11:28-29
Knows the weakness of our frame,
Knows that hand and heart are weary;
He, 'in all points,' felt the same.
He is near to help and bless;
Be not weary, onward press.
Look to Him who once was willing
All His glory to resign,
That, for thee the law fulfilling,
All His merit might be thine.
Strive to follow day by day
Where His footsteps mark the way.
Look to Him, the Lord of Glory,
Tasting death to win thy life;
Gazing on 'that wondrous story,'
Canst thou falter in the strife?
Is it not new life to know
That the Lord hath loved thee so?
Look to Him who ever liveth,
Interceding for His own:
Seek, yea, claim the grace He giveth
Freely from His priestly throne.
Will He not thy strength renew
With His Spirit's quickening dew?
Look to Him, and faith shall brighten,
Hope shall soar, and love shall burn;
Peace once more thy heart shall lighten;
Rise! He calleth thee, return!
Be not weary on thy way
Jesus is thy strength and stay.
Frances Ridley Havergal
"Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." - Matt 11:28-29
His Way
God bade me go when I would stay
('Twas cool within the wood.)
I did not know the reason why.
I heard a bolder crashing by
Across the path where I had stood.
He bade me stay when I would go;
"Thy will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.
No more I ask the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He doth know
And He will choose safe paths for me.
Maude E. Cramer
"Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:
Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
Lest they come near unto thee." - Psalm 32:9
('Twas cool within the wood.)
I did not know the reason why.
I heard a bolder crashing by
Across the path where I had stood.
He bade me stay when I would go;
"Thy will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.
No more I ask the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He doth know
And He will choose safe paths for me.
Maude E. Cramer
"Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:
Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
Lest they come near unto thee." - Psalm 32:9
Borrowed from Choice Gleanings
Lord's Day
APRIL 23
The LORD deal kindly with you. - Ruth 1:8
The lovely virtue of kindness is stated three times in the book of Ruth. It first appears as the kindness of Jehovah (1:8); secondly it is found in the kindness of Boaz toward Ruth (2:20); and finally kindness is seen from Ruth toward Boaz (3:10). First, in a pagan land God shows kindness toward the cursed; next, in the fields of Jerusalem a wealthy man shows it to a stranger; and finally at his feet the recipient returns it again. What a beautiful progression of God’s kindness at work for and in us (Rom. 2:4): first from the Father, then from our Kinsman-Redeemer, and these in turn prompting our response back to our spiritual Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Sam Thorpe
APRIL 23
The LORD deal kindly with you. - Ruth 1:8
The lovely virtue of kindness is stated three times in the book of Ruth. It first appears as the kindness of Jehovah (1:8); secondly it is found in the kindness of Boaz toward Ruth (2:20); and finally kindness is seen from Ruth toward Boaz (3:10). First, in a pagan land God shows kindness toward the cursed; next, in the fields of Jerusalem a wealthy man shows it to a stranger; and finally at his feet the recipient returns it again. What a beautiful progression of God’s kindness at work for and in us (Rom. 2:4): first from the Father, then from our Kinsman-Redeemer, and these in turn prompting our response back to our spiritual Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Sam Thorpe
Friday, April 21, 2006
Betraying lips
And immediately coming up to Jesus he (Judas) said,"Hail, Rabbi, and covered him with kisses." - Matt 26:49
I've always thought that Judas betrayed the Lord with one kiss (Lk 22:48). Only yesterday did I realise that he actually kissed the Lord repeatedly or covered the Lord with kisses. It's the same word used in the father's welcome of the prodigal son (Lk 15:20), in the woman's worship of the Lord (Lk 7:38,45) and in the elders' farewell for the apostle Paul (Acts 20:37). All done out of love for the object kissed. Oh how different was Judas' motive! While to the others the kisses were priceless, Judas valued his lot at 30 pieces of silver! Can't help but think of how much I too 'betray' and 'sell' the Lord for little, worthless, empty pleasures of this world.
But see the mercy of the Lord Jesus. It's one thing to allow Judas to land a peck on the cheek while fully knowing that he has the tracks of betrayal burnt in his unrepentant mind but this is a whole different level. The Lord allowed Judas to kiss Him repeatedly. How much it must have cut the Lord's heart as He would have seen right through every touch of the betrayer's lips upon His pure skin. Seeing right through the hypocrisy. No amount of kisses could hide it from omniscience. But what grace! The Lord allows him the kisses and the Lord still calls him friend. This one who never fully understood how the Lord was guiltless until too late. He who dipped his hand into the money bag but whose greed was still not satisfied that he had to betray the Lord for the price of a slave.
If the Lord showed such mercy to Judas, how much more for us? We who have been redeemed by the price of His guiltless blood. We who have found rest and shelter under His finished work. We who are now called sons of God because we know the Son of God, welcomed and loved by the Father. We whose sins have been forgiven by the grace of God. We who are brought in to be part of the body of Christ, to be conformed to the image of Christ. May we learn to love the Lord more and more, 'covering' Him with the 'kisses' of an adoring heart and praising lips!
I've always thought that Judas betrayed the Lord with one kiss (Lk 22:48). Only yesterday did I realise that he actually kissed the Lord repeatedly or covered the Lord with kisses. It's the same word used in the father's welcome of the prodigal son (Lk 15:20), in the woman's worship of the Lord (Lk 7:38,45) and in the elders' farewell for the apostle Paul (Acts 20:37). All done out of love for the object kissed. Oh how different was Judas' motive! While to the others the kisses were priceless, Judas valued his lot at 30 pieces of silver! Can't help but think of how much I too 'betray' and 'sell' the Lord for little, worthless, empty pleasures of this world.
But see the mercy of the Lord Jesus. It's one thing to allow Judas to land a peck on the cheek while fully knowing that he has the tracks of betrayal burnt in his unrepentant mind but this is a whole different level. The Lord allowed Judas to kiss Him repeatedly. How much it must have cut the Lord's heart as He would have seen right through every touch of the betrayer's lips upon His pure skin. Seeing right through the hypocrisy. No amount of kisses could hide it from omniscience. But what grace! The Lord allows him the kisses and the Lord still calls him friend. This one who never fully understood how the Lord was guiltless until too late. He who dipped his hand into the money bag but whose greed was still not satisfied that he had to betray the Lord for the price of a slave.
If the Lord showed such mercy to Judas, how much more for us? We who have been redeemed by the price of His guiltless blood. We who have found rest and shelter under His finished work. We who are now called sons of God because we know the Son of God, welcomed and loved by the Father. We whose sins have been forgiven by the grace of God. We who are brought in to be part of the body of Christ, to be conformed to the image of Christ. May we learn to love the Lord more and more, 'covering' Him with the 'kisses' of an adoring heart and praising lips!
Monday, April 17, 2006
...He was raised the third day...
And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and the third day he shall be raised up." And they were greatly grieved. - Matt 17:22
Everytime the Lord mentioned His death to His disciples, He almost definitely would follow it up with the mention of His resurrection. The disciples somehow managed to always miss the point though. Here they were grieved? But why? Didn't He end with mention of Him being raised up? They were stuck with the thought of His death. Sadly, little has changed.
There's a lack of emphasis on the resurrection of Christ these days. We stop short of His death and are grieved that such should happen to the Beloved of Heaven. We mourn that it's because of us that He went through such agony. We sing weekly of His sufferings but hymns about His resurrection are only sung once a year. We forget that the work is done, finished! The victory is won. We forget the power through the resurrection. We forget what the resurrection tells us about Christ Himself. Paul longed to know Him and immediately mentions the power of His resurrection first (Phil 3:10).
Christ resurrection marked Him out to be the Son of God in power (Rom 1:4). The resurrection points to Christ as the firstfruit (1 Cor 15:20,23). In the observing of the feasts, the Israelites were not to eat of the harvest from the land until they've offered up the firstfruit offering (Lev 23:14). We had no place in enjoying the blessing of our heavenly land until and unless the Lord Jesus is raised up as the perfect One, truly the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The resurrection sets the Lord as the Chiefest among ten thousand, conspicuous and important, the firstborn among the dead, having the first place in all things, preeminent (Col 1:18)! He's the only one to be raised from the dead by His own power through a perfect life, triumphing over all His enemies and ours, proving His omnipotence (Heb 2:14-15).
If in His resurrection alone we see such a display of power and might, imagine the display when all who have put their trust in Him are raised to join Him at His coming!
Everytime the Lord mentioned His death to His disciples, He almost definitely would follow it up with the mention of His resurrection. The disciples somehow managed to always miss the point though. Here they were grieved? But why? Didn't He end with mention of Him being raised up? They were stuck with the thought of His death. Sadly, little has changed.
There's a lack of emphasis on the resurrection of Christ these days. We stop short of His death and are grieved that such should happen to the Beloved of Heaven. We mourn that it's because of us that He went through such agony. We sing weekly of His sufferings but hymns about His resurrection are only sung once a year. We forget that the work is done, finished! The victory is won. We forget the power through the resurrection. We forget what the resurrection tells us about Christ Himself. Paul longed to know Him and immediately mentions the power of His resurrection first (Phil 3:10).
Christ resurrection marked Him out to be the Son of God in power (Rom 1:4). The resurrection points to Christ as the firstfruit (1 Cor 15:20,23). In the observing of the feasts, the Israelites were not to eat of the harvest from the land until they've offered up the firstfruit offering (Lev 23:14). We had no place in enjoying the blessing of our heavenly land until and unless the Lord Jesus is raised up as the perfect One, truly the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The resurrection sets the Lord as the Chiefest among ten thousand, conspicuous and important, the firstborn among the dead, having the first place in all things, preeminent (Col 1:18)! He's the only one to be raised from the dead by His own power through a perfect life, triumphing over all His enemies and ours, proving His omnipotence (Heb 2:14-15).
If in His resurrection alone we see such a display of power and might, imagine the display when all who have put their trust in Him are raised to join Him at His coming!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Holding back?
And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living". - Mark 12:43-44
The Lord does not take into account what we give as much as what we keep!
Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid
Your heart, does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest
And have peace and sweet rest
As you yield Him your body and soul.
The Lord does not take into account what we give as much as what we keep!
Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid
Your heart, does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest
And have peace and sweet rest
As you yield Him your body and soul.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Colt vs Stallion
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh to thee...lowly and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass. - Zech 9:9
And I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and one sitting on it, called Faiithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. - Rev 19:11
He who once rode triumphantly on the meek beast of burden will one day come riding on the majestic beast of beauty! Before, He was rejected as king and was curcified, the time is coming when He will be accepted as King of kings and Lord of Lords and be glorified!
Our Lord is now rejected,
And by the world disowned,
By the many still neglected,
And by the few enthroned,
But soon He’ll come in glory,
The hour is drawing nigh,
For the crowning day is coming by and by. - Daniel Whittle
And I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and one sitting on it, called Faiithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. - Rev 19:11
He who once rode triumphantly on the meek beast of burden will one day come riding on the majestic beast of beauty! Before, He was rejected as king and was curcified, the time is coming when He will be accepted as King of kings and Lord of Lords and be glorified!
Our Lord is now rejected,
And by the world disowned,
By the many still neglected,
And by the few enthroned,
But soon He’ll come in glory,
The hour is drawing nigh,
For the crowning day is coming by and by. - Daniel Whittle
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Thou art a priest forever...
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. - Matt 26:65
And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes. - Lev 21:10
How approriate it was that Caiaphas should disqualify himself from the high priesthood in this way only to pave the way for our great High Priest, the One who is of a better order than the Aaronic order, the One who abides a priest continually, forever, in perpetuity!
And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes. - Lev 21:10
How approriate it was that Caiaphas should disqualify himself from the high priesthood in this way only to pave the way for our great High Priest, the One who is of a better order than the Aaronic order, the One who abides a priest continually, forever, in perpetuity!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Slip of the tongue?
And His disciples say to Him, "Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness as to satisfy so great a crowd?" - Matt 15:33
There could not have been a question so out of place as this one! They had 7 loaves actually and they had 4000 men in the crowd of men, women and children. But those who questioned were the very ones who, not too long before, had witnessed the Lord feeding more with less (Matt 14:17). In the question, forgetfulness and lack of faith was displayed. In the reply, we see forgiveness and wealth of grace. The Lord could have rebuked the disciples for asking such a ridiculous question after witnessing for themselves what He is capable of doing. Instead He seemingly ignores their obvious weakness and keeps to His words, "I have compassion on the crowd..."!
A dear colleague just mentioned about how the mouth at times works faster than the brains. How true of the disciples in this incident. How true of us in so many more incidents in our lives. How compassionate the Lord remains throughout!
There could not have been a question so out of place as this one! They had 7 loaves actually and they had 4000 men in the crowd of men, women and children. But those who questioned were the very ones who, not too long before, had witnessed the Lord feeding more with less (Matt 14:17). In the question, forgetfulness and lack of faith was displayed. In the reply, we see forgiveness and wealth of grace. The Lord could have rebuked the disciples for asking such a ridiculous question after witnessing for themselves what He is capable of doing. Instead He seemingly ignores their obvious weakness and keeps to His words, "I have compassion on the crowd..."!
A dear colleague just mentioned about how the mouth at times works faster than the brains. How true of the disciples in this incident. How true of us in so many more incidents in our lives. How compassionate the Lord remains throughout!
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