How I Love Your Ministry In Me

I started this blog a few years ago with the hope of documenting my worship to the Lord through my college years and beyond. Along the way I hoped that the Lord would use my written thoughts to bring glory to His name, and preach the gospel truth to my unbelieving friends who click through out of curiosity. In the spirit of that simple hope, I wanted to share the way the Lord is molding my heart to worship Him as of late.

This past weekend I saw this view above, and for the first time I understood my mom's excitement over nature. It's God's creation and it's beautiful. It radiates His glory, and truly the mountains sing out His praise. But what does this mean for us? While the Creator should be honored and praised purely for the magnificence of this creation, the Spirit also convicted my heart in the truth that I am undeserving of this gift. That the Lord would bless irreverent creation with the company of His majestic handiwork is grace upon grace. Do not forget this: we in our nature are enemies of God. We were created to worship, and yet we cast our affections upon worthless things. We are deserving of eternal wrath, condemned in our unceasing sin, by the Most Holy God. And yet, He grants us snowy mountain views, warm beds, rest and comfort, family, friends, love, joy! Why? We have done nothing  but rebel against Him! Oh Father you are gracious and merciful beyond comprehension. That you would send your Son and place divine wrath against your own divine person. We are so undeserving, and we thank you forever for your showers of unearned blessings, the great gift of eternal salvation and the every day presents of nature and comfort. You are a good, good Father. 

How to Love

Haha, I used a Lil Wayne title..

Growing up, my concept of God was overly focused on God the Father. Being blessed with the material and then with the understanding of His sovereignty in blessings spiritual, I felt deep love and gratitude for Him. But I did not spend enough time in the Word, learning who Jesus Christ is, and what He did as God and man. Now knowing the wonderful plan of my salvation, I'm coming to get to know this lovely Jesus, his tenderness and compassion for His worthless disciples, myself included. What a loving and forgiving God man He was and is and continues to be.

John 14:18-24

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." 

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" 

Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me."

For the first time, I am overwhelmed with the tender love of my Lord Jesus. He knows I am a vagrant and an orphan here. He promises eternal life with Him. And until then, He comforts my fickle soul with the giving of the Spirit to make His home in me. That in His physical absence, Christ would provide for me, in my sinful flesh, fellowship with God! Oh how can I respond to this love Lord? How can I love you back Lord?

I will keep you Word, oh Lord Jesus. I will love the others, as you have commanded in your love. Oh help me to have your commandments, to keep them, and do them.

You are the Lord, the Famous One

Say therefore to the people of Israel,

"I am the Lord,

and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, 

and I will deliver you from slavery to them,

and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm

and with great acts of judgment.

I will take you to be my people,

and I will be your God,

and you shall know that I am the Lord your God,

who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."

- Exodus 6:6-7 (emphasis added)

This promise from the Lord, made by God to Moses and the Israelites under the slavery of the Egyptians, is one of eternal establishment. It was planned and set in place for the Israelites before time began, for the Lord promises that they shall know He is the Lord their God "who has brought" them out, and note that this was spoken to a distressed Moses who had just faced an angry mob of Israelites who wanted nothing to do with him. But this eternally established promise, was not only for the Israelites of ancient times. It rings true to the promise of a Savior for all of God's people, beautifully presented in the symbol of Israelite history. 

I will deliver you from slavery

Romans 6:17-18 "But thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness"

Galatians 5:1 "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery"

*Note what a glorious truth it is to be set free from slavery to sin, and willingly subjected to a slavery to righteousness to receive the best things of eternity by living for the King. 

I will redeem you with an outstretched arm

There are lots of places where the theme of an outstretched arm can be seen (references to creation Jeremiah 27:5, with a mighty hand Jeremiah 32:17, brought Israel out Ps 136:11-12). But the imagery, though not literally supported in the Word, that comes to mind is the ultimate outstretching of God's divine hand onto earth: the giving of the Son of God, born into frail humanity in the form of a mere babe in a manger. God has truly outstretched his arm and gathered up His people by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the earth He created.

with great acts of judgment

Ezekiel 20:33 "As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you." God's outstretching of grace and mercy comes with righteous judgment. The plagues sent to Egypt in the following chapters are but a glimpse of the wrath and truly great acts of judgment that are to come in the final days, when God who had previously "endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" will finally "make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory" Romans 9:22-23. 

I will take you to be my people

Galatians 3:26, 29 "for in Christ Jesus you are all Sons of God, through faith" "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise"

Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"

Oh, how glorious this promise is, and ever more amazing as we see it further reified through history.

and I will be your God

Leviticus 26:12 "And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people"

Friends, God has made good on His promise. He has sent His precious Son to dwell among us, to walk among us and be man, and yet sinless, the perfect man. 

Furthermore verse 11 tells us "I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you." How could they have known the riches of this promise, that the Triune God would dwell among us in the Son, and ever closer in our very hearts in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Divine Helper. 

Thank you oh Lord, our God, that your promises are true and that no power could ever thwart your eternal plans. The steadfast love of our Lord endures forever. 

"to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, 

for his steadfast love endures forever;

with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his steadfast love endures forever;"

Psalm 136:11-12