Reading Material – (2c)

Here is information about another book I’ve read recently, and its relevance in and to my life:

I Saw The Lord: A wake-up call for your heart, by Anne Graham Lotz.

“When we call ourselves Christians, we expect that our love for Jesus, our hunger for His presence, our urgent longing to see Him again will be a constant,motivating force in our lives. Yet sometimes …

in the busyness of our days
or the duties of our jobs
or the familiar habits of our worship
or the everyday routine of our homes,

the longing becomes complacency, and we sleep through opportunities to be with Him. … It’s then … that we most need … a jolt that pushes us to seek out a revival of our passion for Jesus that began as a blazing fire but somehow has died down to an ineffective glow.”

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Since unfortunately I do so often, literally, sleep through opportunities to be with Him, I knew I had to read this book…
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Song: Bring the Rain, by MercyMe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU)

Isaiah 6 (New International Version, ©2011)
Isaiah’s Commission
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”

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In writing yesterday’s blog, I said that I didn’t want to be ruined. In writing this one today, the translation used for the Scripture from Isaiah has the prophet saying, in verse 5, “I am ruined!” In humility and honesty, I find I must confess with Isaiah that I, too, am ruined. I found myself telling a lie to get my way (actually, out of fear that I wouldn’t get to do what I wanted), and I was convicted almost immediately (although I rationalized it for myself, and for those with whom I shared.) After repenting and asking the Lord’s forgiveness, I remembered instances where this type of behavior was exampled, instructed or accepted in my life. So, like Isaiah, I am a person of unclean (defiled, impure, untruthful) lips living amongst a people of unclean lips. But – praise God! – like Isaiah my guilt has also been taken away and my sin atoned for.

Romans 7:21-8:2 (New International Version, ©2011)
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of in at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Life Through the Spirit
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Not too long ago, I heard someone speaking on prayer and I believe the statement was made (at least to my understanding) that revival is not something for which we (the Church) are to pray. Because I immediately thought of Scriptures having to do with revival, I didn’t quite agree with what I believed to have been said. The message of this book is for personal revival – “not a tent meeting or a series of church services designed to save the lost” but instead, something that “involves a quiet, miraculous, eye-opening revelation of” God within our spirits that will change us and the way we live our lives for Him.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14, King James Version (KJV)
13If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The book has much to say of the benefits of daily Bible reading and prayer. While I have been trying to keep up with the lectionary readings (it’s just the third day and I’m already struggling!), I must also do more for a focused prayer strategy (which may include praying the “Jesus Prayer” as mentioned in yesterday’s blog) to “pray without ceasing” during this Lenten season – and beyond. (I do realize that some of the changes I will be led to make during Lent this year may be more in the nature of a permanent lifestyle rather than that of a temporary activity.)

Referring once more to yesterday’s blog of my study involving Luke 18:35-43, I noticed that in some translations the blind man’s request of Jesus was “to see again.” The “again” part is not always obvious when the request is translated “to receive sight.” In this book, one of the chapters is called “A Longing to See Jesus … Again.” To see Him, know Him in a new, fresh way …

So the author says:

“My prayer for you as you read this book is that the eyes of your heart will be opened and you will not just see what genuine revival is but that you will see the Lord.”

“So center down. Be still. Listen with the ears of our heart. Can you hear Him? The still, small voice of God is calling you to see Jesus … again. He is calling you to an experience of personal revival. Here. Now.”

“So …

Stir up the fire! Throw on the logs! Talk to Him! Listen to Him! Fan into flame your love for Jesus! Stay Awake!

… until your faith becomes sight and you can exclaim, “I saw the Lord!””

…and my journey with Him continues…

Reading Material – (2b)

Here is information about another book I’ve read recently:

Soul Provider: Spiritual Steps to Limitless Love, by Edward L. Beck.

“In The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Saint John Climacus described the thirty steps all seekers must take on the path to spiritual fulfillment. In Soul Provider, Beck explains the significance of the steps, demonstrating how they lead to deeper understanding of our present-day spiritual journeys, provide for our souls, and draw us closer to God.”

Psalm 73:28 (NKJV)
But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.

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Drawing closer to God – that is what (I think) I want. So I had picked up this book at the library …

James 4:6-10, New King James Version (NKJV)
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

I had a birthday during this time, and I reflected on my life – who and where (I think) I am, who and where (I think) I want to be, who (I think) God says I am - and what (I think) I have to do to get me where (I think) I need to be.

Psalm 139:23-24, King James Version (KJV)
23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Romans 12:1-3, New Living Translation (NLT)
A Living Sacrifice to God
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this
warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

So then I keep getting all these messages about “change” and “transformation.” With the Lenten season coming up, I am already thinking about change, and spiritual growth. But when I am finally ready to read this book, I open it and see this quote:

We would rather be ruined than changed;
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die.~W.H. Auden

I don’t want to be ruined, and I think I want truth more than illusion … so I kept reading on and off for several days. Finally, I am almost finished with the book. I go to church on Sunday, and hear the following Scripture read:

1 Peter 5:5-7, New King James Version (NKJV)
Submit to God, Resist the Devil
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

I thought about humbling myself “under the mighty hand of God” as I read the chapter on prayer, and note the reference to the “Jesus Prayer” – “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The book mentions the healing of Blind Bartimaeus (as found in the 10th chapter of Mark.) The next day, I went to a Bible study and we were studying from Luke 18, verses 31-43, with verses 35-43 involving what appears to be the same healing – a blind man who called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” So now I may look into praying the “Jesus Prayer” – especially during this Lenten season – and see what effect it will have on my spiritual development.

Hebrews 10:19-25 (New International Version, ©2011)
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

While I was looking up the Auden quotation on the internet(http://www.quotegarden.com/change.html), I found another one as well, still in regards to change:

If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained. Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing. ~Saint Augustine

Makes me think of the ending of the song: It Ain’t Over, by Maurette Brown Clark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnHDDgdJ7Y8)

Serenity Prayer
(from http://www.thevoiceforlove.com/serenity-prayer.html)
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

…and my journey with Him continues…

Reading Material – (2a)

I’ve finished some more books which I checked out of the public library. Again, I feel like I am supposed to list them in the blog, telling a little about them (from the jackets) and if there is a personal story involving them. [I think this may be to record what things I’m being led to read, the things that are feeding into my spirit at this particular time.] So here is the first one of this second set of books (unless otherwise noted, most Scripture is (New International Version, ©2010) from biblegateway.org):

Rooted in Good Soil: Cultivating and Sustaining Authentic Discipleship - A Farmer looks at the Parable of the Sower, by Tri Robinson.

“Just like a fruitful tree, authentic faith is the result of careful tending, the passage of time, and good growing conditions. According to Jesus’s parable of the sower, true belief takes root in good soil. … In a culture that seems enamored with quick fixes and superficial amusements, Rooted in Good Soil will show you a more intentional and fulfilling way to live.”

Some things I noted from the book:

“Four different scenarios are portrayed in the parable, and of the four, only the seed that fell on good soil grew to spiritual maturity. This is something to note – only one group managed to grow roots that penetrated deep into the love, grace, and mercy of God. Only one group became sustainable to the point of bearing a harvest that could reproduce itself in the lives of others. … Often even those I would consider to be Christians miss the richness that can be found only in the depth of the good soil.”

"Jesus’s parable tells us it was in the good soil where the seed took root, matured, and produced a harvest. … Timing are soil preparation are important parts of the process of growing things to maturity, both in plants and in our lives. …The soils in Jesus’s parable of the sower represent your heart and my heart. God wants every one of us to receive His seed and mature spiritually so we will bear fruit. … Life has a way of compacting and hardening the soil of our hearts. Life’s hurts combined with the gradual accumulation of guilt and shame as a result of sin constantly weigh us down … Over the course of time, all of this can produce a hardened heart; and like soil, it eventually becomes so crusted over, it is impossible for the seeds of truth to penetrate. Like the soil, until the heart is cultivated and broken, God’s truth cannot take root.”

“…Through the work of Jesus, God made provision for us to have our past washed clean so that we can have a fresh start and a new beginning. This is the reason the gospel is called the Good News – because it really is good news for a hurting world. The good news is that there is a way to break up the fallow ground of our hearts and enter into a life with God that will allow us to produce a great harvest.”

Matthew 13:1-23 (New International Version, ©2010)
The Parable of the Sower
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
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The parable of the sower or, as some say, the parable of the soils … although I am familiar with the story in Scripture, I have had different thoughts about the “harvest” or, as noted in the NIV passage above, the “crop.” First, I thought it was souls saved, then, as I read about the fruit of the Spirit and the wording in 13:22 regarding being “unfruitful” I thought the harvest was the fruit of the Spirit. But I see now that it is any fruit, any reproduction of the Word of God evident in our lives. This includes (again, not mutually exclusive with our “and” God) souls saved, and the fruit of the Spirit, and other attributes in our lives which would show forth the nature and the glory of God (acceptance, embrace, and receiving and giving of forgiveness; obedience; healing unto wholeness; repentance unto salvation.)

…and my journey with Him continues…

He Is Our Peace – In Christ Made Nigh

Scripture:

Ephesians 2 (King James Version)
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

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Saw an interesting program with an interview with a former Muslim, now Christian:

http://www.tbn.org/index.php/2/37/92.html, Wednesday Feb 16, 2011: Paul Crouch, Sr. and Paul Jr. host Afshin Javid @ TCCI.

Isaiah 6:5-8 (King James Version)
5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine
iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Afshin Javid's bio and testimony are also shown on his website:
http://www.afshinjavid.com/bio.html

John 3:16-17 (King James Version)
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

…and my journey with Him continues…

Conviction, Repentance, Forgiveness, Thanksgiving

Song: This is Our God, performed by Hillsong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbrL64Ujb1c) or (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0hJ0rT7AHM)

Scripture:
1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Jeremiah 7:22-24
22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

Luke 15:17-24
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
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I was talking with a friend the other day, and had to confess that there were some things that I felt the Lord was asking of me that I didn’t want to do. Later, driving down the expressway, it’s like I came to myself and said, “Really? You would withhold that? That means more to you than obedience to God’s will, that means more to you than pleasing Him, that means more to you than Him? Really?”

I was convicted of the selfishness of my feelings, and how that self-centered attitude about what I wanted - my comfort, my pleasure – was so disrespectful to and of the One I said was my Lord. In my remorse I prayed something like, “O God, I am so sorry. Thank You for showing me where I was wrong. Please forgive me. You deserve so much more … please help me give my all to You. You can have it all … have Your way, Lord.”

There was static on the car radio (it has issues), so I turned it to another channel. I heard, “walkin’, I’m walkin’” from the song “Walkin’” by Mary, Mary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KjNx9GbIFA&ob=av2el). I thought about the need to “walk circumspectly” – to “walk with the Spirit” so I will not indulge / gratify the flesh.

The next song that played was “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNj9bXKGOiI) and I started to smile then, thinking about how earlier in the day I had been thinking of Luther, his talent, his gift, thanking God for the technology that has preserved the music Luther sang. As the song continued to play, it was as if the Lord was saying that if I wanted to give my all to Him, it would never be too much.

“September” by Earth, Wind and Fire was next on our playlist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S8ZrQG0y6g). I smiled again, remembering that it was in September, 1996, that the Lord allowed me to experience His Presence in a way that shook the very foundations of what I thought I knew about just about everything (one day I guess I’ll finish writing about that and publish it in the blog…)

In the car, I sensed a calming, loving Presence as I thought on these things. I felt that I had been forgiven. As I drove by a church, I was so grateful I stopped, went inside, and expressed my thanksgiving in prayer.

Isaiah 25:1-9 (New International Version, ©2010)
Praise to the LORD
1 LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
2 You have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will honor you;
cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
4 You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
is like a storm driving against a wall
5 and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.

9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

…and my journey with Him continues…

Lord, be exalted!

Song: I will exalt You, Hillsong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfdAvyVzB34)

Scripture: (all Scripture is New King James Version)
Exodus 15:2
2 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

2 Samuel 22:47
“The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!

Nehemiah 9:4-6
4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

“Stand up and bless the LORD your God
Forever and ever!

“ Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

6 You alone are the LORD;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

Job 36:22
“ Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him?

Psalm 34:3
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.

Psalm 47:9
The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

Psalm 148:13
Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.

Isaiah 30:18
[ God Will Be Gracious ] Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 33:5
The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

Acts 5:30-32
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Philippians 2:5-11
The Humbled and Exalted Christ
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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When I am singing or listening to a song, sometimes the words will change for me (see June 18, 2010, blog entry “Singing to Him”). A friend joked with me about it one day, about why I would want to know the (original) words to a song if they were just going to change for me. Later, I felt that the Lord answered that He allows me to know the words as written – as He has given to someone else – so that when He changes the words for me, I know what’s different, again, for me (not that the original words are necessarily wrong, or not right for someone else.) Guess this is the singing of a “new song” for me!

Today, while I was listening to “I will exalt You,” I had another experience where other words were coming to me. It was as if the song that was sung, together with the Scriptures I was gathering - Spirit and truth, if you will- birthed other lyrics:

Psalm 118:28
You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.

I will exalt You
Lord, I will praise You
I will exalt You
You are my God.

Psalm 18:46
The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Psalm 21:13
Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

I will exalt You
And praise Your power
God of salvation
You are my God.

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Lord, be exalted
Among the nations
Lord be exalted
In all the earth.

Psalm 57:5, 11, Psalm 108:5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Lord, be exalted
Above the heavens
Let all Your glory
(Be above) all the earth.

Psalm 99:5
Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy.

Psalm 99:9
Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.

I will exalt You
I will, Lord, praise You
Worship at Your feet
(O Most) Holy God.

Proverbs 4:8
Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

I will exalt You
I’ll praise Your wisdom
I’ll give You honor
All that You Are.

Isaiah 2:11
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

I will exalt You
Lord, humbly I bow
I will exalt You
O Lord, You alone.

Isaiah 25:1
[ Praise to God ] O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

I will exalt You
I’ll praise Your Name, Lord
You’re ever faithful
Your Word is truth.

1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.

Matthew 6:9-13
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Yours is the greatness
Power and glory
Yours is the kingdom
Head over all.

…and my journey with Him continues…

Reading Material

I’ve finished some books which I checked out of the public library before Christmas. I felt like I was supposed to list them in the blog, telling a little about them (from the jackets) and if there is a personal story surrounding them. So here goes (unless otherwise noted, most Scripture is (New International Version, ©2010) from biblegateway.org):

The Daily Bible, 30 Days with Jesus: The Gospels in Chronological Order – Life-Changing Devotions, by F. LaGard Smith (New International Version)

“This remarkable one-month walk through the words of Christ combines the four Gospel accounts into a single chronological story of Jesus’ life. The good news about Christ, along with devotional reflections, speaks powerfully and lovingly to your personal needs and deepest yearnings.”

After Thanksgiving, as it was coming up to Christmas, I began to reflect on my failure to read the Bible through in the year as I had intended at the beginning of the year. I thought about reading through the gospels since we would soon be celebrating the birth of Christ, but I wasn’t sure how I was to do this. I thought to myself that maybe I’d try to read them so that I’d read similar stories together, but realized how ambitious for me that was to try to get through them all in one month if I didn’t read them straight through.

Then I went to the library, and there was this book; it seemed to be just the sort of thing of which I’d been thinking! So I got the book and read it during the month of December. I still may try to put something together on my own, but at least for Christmas I was into the gospels, into the story of Christ.

Luke 2:14

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

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A League of Dangerous Women: Stories from the Road to Redemption, by Mary Frances Bowley with James Lund

In this book, “Mary Frances Bowley tells the incredible true stories of women who knew only abuse, abandonment, and addiction – until God met their weakness with His strength. Now these remarkable women are warriors for a heavenly kingdom, their lives a testimony to the extraordinary grace of a heavenly
Father.”

Around Thanksgiving, I received an email asking for contributions to “Wellspring Living, a holistic recovery program for women.” While I didn’t have any funds to contribute, I did pray for the ministry and those involved, and I then forwarded the email to others who I thought may have been interested or moved to contribute. Before I forwarded the request, I did look up Wellspring Living on the internet, and that is where I saw that the founder had written a book. I checked the public library and saw that they had the book and that it was available for checkout. So I put the book on hold and went to get it.

As I read the book, I thought of the many women I’ve known who have similar stories. Some I know from my association with a transitional housing program, the House of Hope Christ-Centered Recovery, Inc. (houseofhoperecovery.org), some from Celebrate Recovery meetings (sort of a Christian 12 step program), some from Bible studies or worship with people who were homeless or from shelters, some from my family, some from my church – from all over. And from where ever I’ve known them, it’s been amazing to see how God can help and has helped them.

One of the women to whom I had forwarded the email said she knew the founder. A couple of other things came up where Wellspring Living was mentioned. Then, just last week, I spoke with someone whose church was having a concert with the proceeds to benefit Wellspring Living. So, Wellspring Living is prominent in my thoughts these days even though I’m not sure why. But I’ll wait on the Lord and see what He ultimately says and / or does.

Job 19:25

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Psalm 19:14

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 107:2

Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

Psalm 119:134

Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts.

Psalm 119:154

Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.

Isaiah 48:17

This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

Isaiah 54:5

For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.

Galatians 3:14

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

1 Peter 1:17-19

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

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Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life’s Most Important Relationship, by Tullian Tchividjian

Although he is the grandson of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, the author of this book “struggled to come to faith personally.” This book “captures the sincerity and intensity of his own spiritual quest, and shows the way for a new generation of seekers.”

Not too long ago, I had gone to an agency and was speaking with one of the employees about job opportunities. This woman and I ended up talking a lot about God and sharing stories of His goodness. We had been laughing about something and suddenly her countenance changed. I thought she was going to go back to talking about jobs and work, when she looked very seriously at me and said, “you know God.” She said some other things to me, but she repeated a couple of more times, “you know God.” Then she seemed to shift back to where she had been, and went on talking about the same subject we had been laughing about.

I must admit that I was a little startled, but I did write down what she said, and I continued to think about her stating that I know God. I thought about my May 1, 2010, blog entry (Not Who I Think…) and just thanked God that maybe I was / am starting to get it (such that even others can see something of Him in me).

John 1:18

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 17:3

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Ephesians 1:17

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Colossians 1:9-14
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Titus 1:16

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

2 Peter 1:2-3

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

1 John 4:7-8

[ God’s Love and Ours ] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

2 Peter 3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

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You Were Made for More – The life you have; the life God wants you to have, by Jim Cymbala with Dean Merrill

Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, “believes that anyone who wonders whether there is something more to life is on the right track. God does have more.”

Guess I’m just in expectation for the fulfillment of God’s promises for the “more” in my life.

Song: Meant for More, Switchfoot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp6Qh-wT3ys&ob=av2nm)

Numbers 23:19 (New Century Version)
19 God is not a human being, and he will not lie. He is not a human, and he does not change his mind. What he says he will do, he does. What he promises, he makes come true.

Psalm 119:49 (New Century Version)
49 Remember your promise to me, your servant; it gives me hope.

Philippians 1:6 (New King James Version)

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 13:20-22 (New King James Version)
Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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Colors of the Spirit, by Dorothy K. Ederer

Here the author shares her own prescription for a fulfilling inner life, and illustrates it with the stories of those individuals (“the colors”) who have enriched her own journey.

A reminder of how we each have an effect on the lives of others, and it’s not always in the way that we think.

1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Genesis 9:13

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 9:16

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Ezekiel 1:28

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Revelation 4:3

And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.

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How to Believe: Teachers and Seekers Show the Way to a Modern, Life-Changing Faith, by Jon Spayde

“In this stirring new book, esteemed journalist Jon Spayde goes on a quest to learn how people across the country use faith in the modern world….Spayde’s odyssey brought him to a new understanding of why action is more important than the intellect in faith, how true solace is found in forging a personal relationship with God, and why worrying about one’s own ‘worthiness’ is always besides the point.”

Relationship lived out, and not (just) religion…

Ephesians 4:11-16
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 3:4-6
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

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As I was going through these books, I see that I actually got them at two different times. Since I had originally gone to the library to get the Bowley book, at that time I got the Spayde book and a couple of others that I decided when I got home that I was not going to read. One in the latter category was a book by Deepak Chopra on Muhammad – for that one, the message was very strong in my spirit that I shouldn’t read it (something like, “Now, why would you want to read a book about Muhammad coming up to Christmas?”) When I saw that the same author had a book on Jesus, I went back the next day and got that book, plus the other four. However, when I read enough of that book to see that the Jesus being written about was not my Jesus, that book had to go back unread as well.

…and my journey with Him continues…