"....I utter hidden things, things from of old-- things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done....He divided the sea and led them through....But they continued....They spoke against God; they said, 'Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?'...When the Lord heard them, He was furious...." (From Psalm 78, NIV)
We are in the process of securing travel and accommodation bookings for our October- November, 2017 Mission to Berlin/Lutherstadt. We must do this early so we can get the 40% discount on flights. It is always a "faith" move, since we never know "where" the finances will come from. Today's text, however, brought me to tears, especially when I thought of the faithfulness of God, viz., our Faithfulness, Who Is Jesus Christ, over my/our entire life time.
It really was impressed upon me this morning that not believing in (rather, acting in, because "belief" talk can be just that--- talk), trusting in Jesus regarding, "the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done," makes Him, "furious." The NASB says, "full of wrath." There is a certain wonderment I find in this which is similar to what I see in the words of the hymn, "What more can He say than to you He has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?"!!?? Trust is an amazingly illusive attitude. We can be in rah, rah meetings and "confess" way beyond where we are actually living. But that does very little good. It is when the Red Sea is in front of us, mountains on either side of us, and Pharaoh's armies behind us that we know the "stuff" of our faith in Jesus.
Trust in, confidence in, relying on, "betting" our very existence on Jesus Christ in, through, and over all which can/may happen in life is that faith, that trust of which the Bible speaks. There is a sense in which we need the constancy of Jesus saying to us, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" Or, "do not act upon My Words, trusting My Continual Faithfulness." Yesterday in our Church gathering we heard of some who are going "through great trial." It is in the midst of the trial that we believe Jesus will, "divide[] the sea and lead [us] through." It takes no effort to worship, give thanks when it's "all over." It is the walking through the raging wall of water on every side which will determine who we are.
Father, in Jesus' Name, there is no reason for me to ever doubt or wonder about Your Faithfulness. Your, "praiseworthy deeds," are, "new every morning." Amen.
We are in the process of securing travel and accommodation bookings for our October- November, 2017 Mission to Berlin/Lutherstadt. We must do this early so we can get the 40% discount on flights. It is always a "faith" move, since we never know "where" the finances will come from. Today's text, however, brought me to tears, especially when I thought of the faithfulness of God, viz., our Faithfulness, Who Is Jesus Christ, over my/our entire life time.
It really was impressed upon me this morning that not believing in (rather, acting in, because "belief" talk can be just that--- talk), trusting in Jesus regarding, "the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done," makes Him, "furious." The NASB says, "full of wrath." There is a certain wonderment I find in this which is similar to what I see in the words of the hymn, "What more can He say than to you He has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?"!!?? Trust is an amazingly illusive attitude. We can be in rah, rah meetings and "confess" way beyond where we are actually living. But that does very little good. It is when the Red Sea is in front of us, mountains on either side of us, and Pharaoh's armies behind us that we know the "stuff" of our faith in Jesus.
Trust in, confidence in, relying on, "betting" our very existence on Jesus Christ in, through, and over all which can/may happen in life is that faith, that trust of which the Bible speaks. There is a sense in which we need the constancy of Jesus saying to us, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" Or, "do not act upon My Words, trusting My Continual Faithfulness." Yesterday in our Church gathering we heard of some who are going "through great trial." It is in the midst of the trial that we believe Jesus will, "divide[] the sea and lead [us] through." It takes no effort to worship, give thanks when it's "all over." It is the walking through the raging wall of water on every side which will determine who we are.
Father, in Jesus' Name, there is no reason for me to ever doubt or wonder about Your Faithfulness. Your, "praiseworthy deeds," are, "new every morning." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
