Before we know joy, we need to see Christ as He is and ourselves for who we are...
Sight: He saw the Lord (Isa. 6:1–4)
When your world tumbles in, it is good to look at things from heaven’s point of view.
Insight: He saw himself (Isa. 6:5–7)
The sight of a holy God, and the sound of the holy hymn of worship, brought great conviction to
Isaiah’s heart; and he confessed that he was a sinner. Unclean lips are caused by an unclean
heart. Before we can minister to others, we must permit God to minister to us. Before we
pronounce “woe” upon others, we must sincerely say, “Woe is me!” Isaiah’s conviction led to
confession, and confession led to cleansing
Vision: He saw the need (Isa. 6:8)
The nation needed the Lord, and the Lord wanted a servant to minister to the people.
Blindness: The nation could not see (Isa. 6:9–13)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Psalm 2 (prophetic)
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
"Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us."
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
"As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill."
I will tell of the decree:The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel."
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
"Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us."
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
"As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill."
I will tell of the decree:The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel."
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Psalm 1 (a wisdom psalm) Jer. 17:5–8
Blessed (he is right with God and enjoys the spiritual peace and joy that results from that relationship) is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows (watches) the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Blessed is he who does not walk in the state of mind which the ungodly cherish, much less that he should associate with the vicious life of sinners, or even delight in the company of those who scoff at religion. The description now continues with כִּי אִם (imo si, Ges. § 155, 2, 9): but (if) his delight is, = (substantival instead of the verbal clause:) he delights (חֵפֶץ cf. Arab. chfḍ f. i. with the primary notion of firmly adhering, vid., on Job 40:17) in תורַת ה׳ , the teaching of Jahve, which is become Israel’s νόμος, rule of life; in this he meditates profoundly by day and night
The green foliage is an emblem of faith, which converts the water of life of the divine word into sap and strength, and the fruit, an emblem of works, which gradually ripen and scatter their blessings around; a tree that has lost its leaves, does not bring its fruit to maturity.
will be condemned by God when they are judged. --- will not stand in judgement... Not will not go to judgement.
The Lord guides and protects the righteous.
The chief thing in life is the counsel—plan, ruling principles, and maxims—by which it is guided. E.g. one man’s aim in life is “to die rich;” another’s motto, “Short life and merry;” another’s, “To me to live is Christ.”
Still, they knew that God heard and answered, not according to their thoughts, but according to his loving-kindness; hence they poured out their whole souls to God, whether in gladness or sadness. And so may we; and God will do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we ask or think.
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows (watches) the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Blessed is he who does not walk in the state of mind which the ungodly cherish, much less that he should associate with the vicious life of sinners, or even delight in the company of those who scoff at religion. The description now continues with כִּי אִם (imo si, Ges. § 155, 2, 9): but (if) his delight is, = (substantival instead of the verbal clause:) he delights (חֵפֶץ cf. Arab. chfḍ f. i. with the primary notion of firmly adhering, vid., on Job 40:17) in תורַת ה׳ , the teaching of Jahve, which is become Israel’s νόμος, rule of life; in this he meditates profoundly by day and night
The green foliage is an emblem of faith, which converts the water of life of the divine word into sap and strength, and the fruit, an emblem of works, which gradually ripen and scatter their blessings around; a tree that has lost its leaves, does not bring its fruit to maturity.
will be condemned by God when they are judged. --- will not stand in judgement... Not will not go to judgement.
The Lord guides and protects the righteous.
The chief thing in life is the counsel—plan, ruling principles, and maxims—by which it is guided. E.g. one man’s aim in life is “to die rich;” another’s motto, “Short life and merry;” another’s, “To me to live is Christ.”
Still, they knew that God heard and answered, not according to their thoughts, but according to his loving-kindness; hence they poured out their whole souls to God, whether in gladness or sadness. And so may we; and God will do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we ask or think.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Love
Love... I have never seen a word more confused or misused.
When Paul speaks about love, his starting point is the love of God (Rom 5:8; 8:37; 9:13; 2 Cor 9:7; 13:11, 13; 1 Thess 1:4) which he has shown in Christ (Romaniuk). God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (v. 8). The hymnic passage in Rom 8:31–39 (see G. Schille, ZNW 59 [1968] 230–44; P. Fiedler, ZNW 68 [1977] 23–34), which begins with the question, “If God is for us, who is against us?” concludes with the assurance that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The ἀγαπήσας (v. 37) is Christ, who has shown his love (v. 35) on the cross (2 Cor 5:14f.) and reigns as the Exalted One. He “loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
When Paul speaks about love, his starting point is the love of God (Rom 5:8; 8:37; 9:13; 2 Cor 9:7; 13:11, 13; 1 Thess 1:4) which he has shown in Christ (Romaniuk). God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (v. 8). The hymnic passage in Rom 8:31–39 (see G. Schille, ZNW 59 [1968] 230–44; P. Fiedler, ZNW 68 [1977] 23–34), which begins with the question, “If God is for us, who is against us?” concludes with the assurance that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The ἀγαπήσας (v. 37) is Christ, who has shown his love (v. 35) on the cross (2 Cor 5:14f.) and reigns as the Exalted One. He “loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
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