Archive for March, 2008
Eternity, His Glory and My humility
One of the wonderful joys of Christian living is that we serve a God who delights in us and desires to help us understand Himself better. Over the past year and a half I have experienced this in an overwhelming way. After realizing that my view of heaven/eternal life was quite feeble and even a source of anxiety for my soul, I began to ask the Lord for a better understanding of Heaven. I asked Him to fill me with a deep longing for this place and once again I have been overwhelmed by His faithfulness.
During the process I was extremely humbled as the Lord convicted me that the reason I didn’t long for Heaven was that I didn’t love Him enough. The Lord showed me that a longing for Heaven is actually a longing for His glory and renown!
The Lord is faithfully answering my prayers by growing my love for Himself and His glory (although my love will always be inadequate for such a glorious God!). He has specifically answered my prayers by filling me with a deep longing to live with Him in eternity. I no longer fear the thought of eternity but yearn to be with my Heavenly Father who is the fulfillment of every need I have.
Psalm 108:1-5 “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.”
Prescription for Perseverance
Once again I have been uplifted and challenged by the words of Octavius Winslow. Here he gives what I’ve named a “prescription for perseverance.”
“How shall I ever fight my way through this mighty host, and reach in safety the world of bliss? By leaning daily, hourly, moment by moment, upon your Beloved for strength. Christ is the power of God, and He is the power of the children of God. Who can strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees, but Jesus? In them that have no might he increaseth strength. When they are weak in themselves, then are they strong in Him. His declaration is, ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor. 12:9). Lean, then, upon Jesus for strength. He has strength for all your weakness; He can strengthen your faith, strengthen your hope, strengthen your courage, strengthen your patience, and strengthen your heart for every burden, for every trial, and for every temptation. Lean upon Him; He loves to feel the pressure of your arm; He loves you to link your feebleness to His almightiness, to avail yourself of His grace. Thus leaning off yourself upon Christ, ‘as thy days, so shall thy strength be’ (Deut. 33:25). In all your tremblings and sinkings, you will feel the encircling of His power.”
Unchangeable
As I anticipate spring and the changes to come I am reminded of two things. First, I am constantly changing and so is everything around me. Seasons, circumstances, friendships, trials, desires, battles with sin/temptations, and symptoms are all examples of things in life that change.
Although change can often be wonderful, such as the Lord’s sanctifying work in someone’s life, I am thankful that the God I serve is immutable (my 2nd reminder). God’s unchangeable character is a true source of daily comfort and joy. No matter how I’m feeling or what circumstances I face, God is constant. He is constant in His love, grace, character, promises, truth, justice and mercy. Find hope and comfort in the immutable God!
Malachi 3:6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.”
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.”
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Hebrews 6:13-20 ” When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
