Song of the Day - Do You Tremble by Wes King

Have you counted the stars in the heavens
Have you walked the circumference of the earth
Have you measured the boundaries of the universe
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Have you uncovered the souce of the thunder
Have you tamed the crashing mighty sea
Have you defied the force of gravity
Do you tremble at the Wod of God

CHORUS:
The wise will hear Him and obey His word
Long and blessed will be their days upon the earth
The fool will perish in the folly of his ways
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Have you considered the scope of eternity
In the light of unwavering truth
Have you regarded the works of a strong and mighty hand
Do you tremble at the Word of God

CHORUS

At the Wod of God
Yeah, do you tremble at the Word of God
Have you counted the stars in the heavens
Have you tamed the crashing mighty sea
Oh, do you tremble

CHORUS

Oh, the LORD loves those who fear Him
Oh, the LORD loves those who fear Him

A prayer for the church

Daniel's Prayer from Daniel 9

1 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom- 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
"Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."

Song excerpt from ‘Nobody Loves Me’ by Derek Webb

“I can always tell a liar
and I always know a thief
I know them like my family
because brother I’m the chief
I’m a dangerous crusader
because I need to tell the truth
so I’m turning over tables
in my own living room

then I might nail indictments up
on every door in town
because its not right or safe to let your conscience down

so I don’t care if nobody loves me but you”

All the talk of judgment and deception has made me think of this song and Daniel’s prayer. I couldn’t agree more that there are terrible atrocities going on in the modern American church. I agree that there is an almost incomprehensible movement which has reduced God’s character to a benevolent ice cream man. But I think it is imperative to follow Daniel’s example and begin with ourselves.

Daniel addressed God in humility and took part in the sin of his people. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet. Surely Daniel was in the top five. I doubt any of us could find anything wrong with him, yet he went to God and shared in the guilt of Israel. Daniel pleaded for God’s mercy because of God’s righteousness and faithfulness. He wouldn’t dare go in his own name, righteousness, or discernment. I believe this is the approach that can change the modern church. Let us lead in repenting for our part in the modern problem.

I am sure that at some point (possibly even currently) Rebecca and I have shopped in a store that sells items made in intolerable working conditions. I know there are stores where we shop that have been accused of making products in sweatshops. I have to admit that I am part of the problem of injustice. I have to admit that some of the guilt is on me. I cannot scream about injustice without taking part of the blame. The same goes for the church. Is it consumer driven? Yes. I have to admit that I have played a role. Maybe my role was withdrawal when I should have confronted. Maybe my role was shopping around more than praying to be led. Maybe there are aspects of my role that I couldn’t possibly even comprehend without the Holy Spirit showing me. I know I am part of the problem.

So what is the solution? Let us look at the true and greater Daniel. Jesus Christ not only identified himself with sinners, he became sin for us. He was baptized with sinners and crucified with thieves. Daniel obeyed at the risk of his life. Jesus obeyed at the cost. Jesus emptied himself to serve his fallen creatures. The only reform that will change hearts is gospel reform. Let us humbly repent for our part of the problem as we try to lead others to Christ. Let us wash the feet of those who would betray us. Let us lay down our lives and die for those we believe are wrong. God tells us in Micah 6 that it is good to love mercy. I know there are times when it is merciful to point out another’s flaw, but may God give us the grace to always be merciful and winsome in the pursuit.

Father, the church exists because our husband ransomed our hearts. We are literally the wife from hell. Forgive our pride. Forgive our wandering hearts. We come to you because of your mercy and your goodness. We rest only in your promises and faithfulness. Thank you for the gospel. Thank you for your son. Thank you for turning away your wrath and welcoming us as sons and daughters. Father, forgive us for hating our brothers and sisters. Forgive us for our pride and unbelief. Forgive us for making our ownership more important than your possession. Lord, you are perfect and righteous in all your judgments. We do not deserve mercy, but we ask for it boldly in the sacrifice of Christ. Teach us to act justly. Teach us to love mercy. Teach us to walk humbly before you. Lord, let us all see our part in the sin of the church. Revive us. Restore us. Reform us. Make us hungry for your word and your righteousness. Make us long for your justice to be shown to the world. Teach us to really love the poor. Give us your heart. Fill your church with your Spirit. We need you more than we know. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Hymn of the Day - Jesus With Thy Church Abide by Thomas Pollok

Acts 20:28 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

As I read about and study the church I am reminded over and over that we must begin with God. It has been so tempting (and, truthfully my original intention) to write about the church and what it is for us. Before we discuss what the church is for us I want to remind myself that the church exists because of and for God's glory.

JESUS WITH THY CHURCH ABIDE

Jesus, with Thy church abide;
Be her savior, Lord, and Guide,
While on earth her faith is tried:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Keep her life and doctrine pure;
Grant her patience to endure,
Trusting in Thy promise sure:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

May she one in doctrine be,
One in truth and charity,
Winning all to faith in Thee:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

May she guide the poor and blind,
Seek the lost until she find
And the brokenhearted bind:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Song of the Day - The Church by Derek Webb

A few months ago a friend told me that his pastor told him that he knows Jesus isn't coming back soon because the church is not united. He asked my opinion, and I honestly didn't know how to respond immediately. I am still not one hundred percent sure of my whole response in regard to Christ's second coming, but I think I know where I stand on the church being united. I believe that today, July 13th, 2006 the true church of Jesus Christ is one.

That conversation has stayed with me over the past couple months. A couple of days ago I posted the hymn, 'The Church's One Foundation.' I am filled with so many thoughts and emotions as I stand back and look at the church. I am planning (Lord willing) to start studying and writing about the church for the next few weeks on this website. I want to remember as I try to humbly discuss the church that I am talking about my Savior's bride.

Proverbs 6:34 for jealousy arouses a husband's fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

I think this song is a good place to begin the discussion.

The Church

i have come with one purpose
to capture for myself a bride
by my life she is lovely
by my death she’s justified

i have always been her husband
though many lovers she has known
so with water i will wash her
and by my word alone

so when you hear the sound of the water
you will know you’re not alone

‘cause i haven’t come for only you
but for my people to pursue
you cannot care for me with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church

i have long pursued her
as a harlot and a whore
but she will feast upon me
she will drink and thirst no more

so when you taste my flesh and my blood
you will know you’re not alone

there is none that can replace her
though there are many who will try
and though some may be her bridesmaids
they can never be my bride

Knowing God and Seeing His Beauty

Not many of us, I think, would ever say that we have known God. The words imply a definiteness and matter-of-factness of experience to which most of us, if we are honest, have to admit that we are still strangers. We claim, perhaps, to have a testimony, and can rattle off our conversion story with the best of them; we say that we know God – this, after all, is what evangelicals are expected to say; but would it occur to us to say, without hesitation, and with reference to particular events in our personal history, that we have known God? I doubt it, for I suspect that with most of us experience of God has never really become so vivid as that.

Nor, I think, would many of us ever naturally say that in the light of the knowledge of God which we have come to enjoy, past disappointments and present heartbreaks, as the world counts heartbreaks, don’t matter. For the plain fact is that to most of us they do matter. We live with them as our “crosses” (so we call them). Constantly we find ourselves slipping into bitterness and apathy and gloom as we reflect on them, which we frequently do. The attitude we show to the world is a sort of dried-up stoicism, miles removed from the “joy unspeakable and full of glory” which Peter took for granted that his readers were displaying (1 Peter 1:8). “Poor souls,” our friends say of us, “how they’ve suffered.” And that is just what we feel about ourselves.

But these private mock heroics have no place at all in the minds of those who really know God. They never brood on what might-have-beens: they never think of things they have missed, only on what they have gained.

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ,” wrote Paul. “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…I want to know Christ (Phil. 3:7-10). When Paul says he counts the things he lost rubbish or dung, he means not merely that he does not think of them having any value, but also that he does not live with them constantly on his mind; what normal person spends his time nostalgically dreaming of manure? Yet, this, in effect, is what many of us do. It shows how little we have in the way of true knowledge of God. -- J.I. Packer from Knowing God

Recently a friend of mine was over for dinner and we began discussing this book. Packer spends a lot of time and words describing how people who know God will suffer well. Later in the book Packer describes how God has allowed human beings to partner with him in advancing his kingdom on earth. My friend and I were discussing how the two belong together. How does God call us to suffer well, while at the same time offering this incredible partnership opportunity?

Psalm 27 gives the answer to the question.

Psalm 27

Of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, ^[a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his ^[b] face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

David imagines two of a person’s worst nightmares in the psalm. In verses two and three he describes being physically injured by enemies. In verse ten he describes being forsaken by his mother and father. What is David’s remedy for these two horrible imaginations? That he might dwell in the house of the Lord and gaze upon his beauty. David, like Packer, suggests the remedy for any type of suffering is knowing God. Knowing God is infinitely more valuable than personal safety or peaceful family relations. David insists the only thing he really needs for complete joy and satisfaction is to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Suffering well and partnering with God are actually not different. There is nothing to reconcile. Suffering is nothing compared to knowing him and gazing upon his beauty.

That last sentence is a foreign concept to many modern Christians. We live in a time when everything from cereal to worship is marketed to the individual. People are encouraged to think about themselves and limit personal suffering at all costs. Mark 8 speaks to that style of thinking.

Mark 8:34-35

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

If we make the decision to lose our life so we can find it our aim is already off base. The goal of losing our lives is for the sake of Christ and his gospel. Losing our lives to gaze upon the beauty of God will become our delightful duty as we see more and more of him.

Lastly, look back at Psalm 27. In verse nine David begins to retreat in fear from his pursuit of God’s glory and beauty. As he gets up the nerve to ask to see the beauty of God he realizes how far below that glory he is. Similar accounts run throughout the bible. David begs God to not forsake him. Moses asks to see the glory of God and is told that if he did he would die. Isaiah screams, “Woe is me,” when he encounters God’s glory. We have an access that David, Moses, and Isaiah did not. We have seen God’s glory and beauty in Christ and his gospel. David feared being forsaken by God and his own parents. Jesus exclaimed to his heavenly father, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” David longed to dwell in the house of the Lord. Jesus was crucified outside the camp. We have access to the glory and beauty of God because Jesus took the judgment we deserved.

Gaze upon his beauty. Long for his glory. Take up your cross and lose your life for the sake of Jesus and his gospel. It is the only true freedom in the world. He has honored us with the invitation to help advance his kingdom. No matter the cost, it is the greatest offer ever given.

Hymn of the Day - The Church's One Foundation by Samuel Stone

The church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

Elect from every nation,
Yet one over all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping;
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish,
Her dear Lord to defend
To guide, sustain and cherish,
Is with her to the end
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale
Against a foe or traitor,
She ever shall prevail

Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
’Til, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blessed,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee.

Hymn of the Day - Awake My Soul by Sandra McCracken

This song is only a few years old, but it feels like a hymn from the 1600's. Great hymn about the gospel.

Awake My Soul

The image of God invisible
The firstborn of all life
Before and within, He holds it all in
One name, one faith, one Christ

No one is good enough
To save himself
Awake my soul tonight
To boast nothing else

I trust no other source or name
Nowhere else can I hide
This grace gives me fear, and this
And all that it asks it provides

No seam in this garment
All my rags to hide
No less than Your love
For Jesus is mine

When I stand on the edges of Jordan
With the saints and the angels beside
When my body is healed and the glory
Then still I can boast only Christ

Hymn of the Day - I Boast No More by Isaac Watts

This song dealt a huge blow to my old belief system. It is an amazing hymn that was a beginning to my understanding of the gospel.

I Boast No More

No more, my God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done;
I quit the hopes I held before,
To trust the merits of Thy Son

No more my God,
No more my God,
No more my God,
I boast no more.

Now, for the loss I bear His name,
What was my gain I count my loss;
My former pride I call my shame,
And nail my glory to His cross.
(Repeat chorus)

Yes, and I must and will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus’ sake;
O may my soul be found in Him,
And of His righteousness partake!

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne;
But faith can answer Thy demands,
By pleading what my Lord has done.

Holiness Quotes

It seems I keep stumbling upon quotes about holiness. I am being convicted daily about the lack of holiness in my life. God's holiness is not only moral goodness (although it is as C.S. Lewis wrote, "not less"). God's holiness is in a sense "otherness." He is not at the top of the scale. He is exponentially off the scale. With this in mind, take a look at some of the quotes that are convicting my heart today.

"Dear friends, I do beg you to attach the highest importance to your own personal holiness. Do live unto God. If you do not, your Lord will not be with you. He will say of you, as He said of the false prophets of old,"I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all," saith the Lord."" You may preach very fine sermons, but if you yourselves are not holy, there will be no souls saved. The probability is that you will not come to the conclusion that your lack of holiness is the reason for your nonsuccess. You will blame the people, you will blame the age in which you live, you will blame anything except yourself. But there will be the root of the whole trouble." C.H. Spurgeon

"If you will stop here and ask yourselves why you are not as pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it." William Law

"I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to 'rejoice' as much as by anything else." C.S. Lewis

"The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. In their effort to achieve restful "adjustment" to unregenerate society they have lost their pilgrim character and become an essential part to the very moral order against which they have been sent to protest. The world recognizes them and accepts them for what they are." A.W. Tozer

Follow after holiness; it is the Christian's crown and glory. An unholy church is useless to the world and has no esteem among men. It is an abomination; it is hell's laughter and heaven's abhorrence. The worst evils that have ever come upon the world have been brought by an unholy church." C.H. Spurgeon

"The road to the promised land runs past Sinai. The moral law may exist to be transcended: but there is no transcending it for those who have not first admitted its claims upon them, and then tried with all their strength to meet that claim, and fairly and squarely faced the fact of their failure." C.S. Lewis

There is no way to holiness but through the gospel. The only way to run after true holiness is to admit our need of a Savior. But, never let that need be something to hide behind in a pursuit of holiness. We have been given all things in Christ. We are holy in him. The Father will look at us and say, "Well done," because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Let that be our motivation for our relentless pursuit of God's holiness. Let us aim at perfection knowing we are already complete in Christ.

Hymn of the Day - Jesus the Lord, My Savior Is by William Gadsby

Jesus, the Lord, My Savior

Jesus, the Lord, my Savior is,
My Shepherd, and my God;
My light, my strength, my joy, my bliss;
And I His grace record.

Whate’er I need in Jesus dwells,
And there it dwells for me;
’Tis Christ my earthen vessel fills
With treasures rich and free.

Mercy and truth and righteousness,
And peace, most richly meet
In Jesus Christ, the King of grace,
In Whom I stand complete.

As through the wilderness I roam,
His mercies I’ll proclaim;
And when I safely reach my home,
I’ll still adore His name.

“Worthy the Lamb,” shall be my song,
“For He for me was slain;”
And me with all the heavenly throng
Shall join, and say, “Amen.”

Hymn of the Day (because I am very tired) Oh, Refuge of My Weary Soul by Annie Steel

Dear refuge of my weary soul, on Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief, For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief, For every pain I feel

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail, I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail, And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee? Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee, Though prostrate in the dust

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face, And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace, Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace, Attends the mourners prayer
Oh, may I ever find access, To breathe my sorrows there

The mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet