The good news of Christ
The world is busy working, ignoring
Your call to be saved, in Christ, your grace,
Your tender mercy, your touch of love.
O God, and in me, too, I hear
The stirring of resurgent flesh —
Come douse its flame, let die desire!
Rouse in me the resurrection,
O Father, alight eternal life!
To me, O Spirit, softly speak!
Psalm 68.19
To you, O Lord, I surrender my load,
My burden for me too heavy to bear;
Rocky and dusty and long this road,
The covered skies breathe heavy air.
Because you carry me many days —
Step by step — forward I go;
And upward rises my hearty praise,
My Savior! — You in darkness I know.
Lord God who created all mankind with a benevolent purpose —
The Son of Man fulfilled the purpose for which you sent him.
He did your work and finished his task on earth.
Do so in me, as well, for I desire to do your will,
For love’s sake and in your perfect love,
To draw the sous of men to you, to know your presence.
O High, Exalted, Only God in heaven, who plans for good —
See me through to the end, with faith and joy and peace.
Keep life’s sufferings from turning sour the heart,
And disappointments from making me bitter against you.
Show me your hand in all you do, keep doubt far from me.
May the lonely Jesus walk with me, with steps of grace.
God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Give me deep acceptance of where I am at this stage in my life and of my struggles, trials, and challenges.
Thank you for them all.
Help me to see beyond self, to give up the importance placed on my own thoughts and plans, and to deny self for the experience of the cross.
Thank you for calling me out of self.
Save me from the temptations of Satan, from the pull of the world, from the desires of the flesh.
Thank you for power and will to resist.
Use me to put forward the Good News of our Savior, to make a clear case for faith, to urge others to action according to your revelation.
Thank you the calling of service.
The Chosen One has come to save us!
He came because you sent him, speaks
Only what you told him to speak.
What heavy price you paid to rescue
Our souls from sin and reconcile
Estranged creatures to yourself!
O Present One, be with us — come
Within our midst and in our hearts
Abide, both now and evermore.
Outside yourself, all-sufficient,
You made us, gave us freedom of choice,
Allowed us Will to love or leave.
Remove us from ourselves, O Lord,
That truest blessing might be ours,
To love and know Unselfishness.
Oh, Sovereign God —
Jesus is the captain of my soul,
For I submit my stubborn will to his;
My feet will follow every careful step,
The path to glory passing by the Cross.
O Father, give me eyes for love alone,
Its reaching rays to pierce the dark and rain,
To guide until the proving race is run.
“For everything God created is good,” 1 Timothy 4:4 begins. Really? What about mosquitoes? Well, yes. As much as many of us have wished that Noah had squashed those two on the ark, even mosquitoes have their place in God’s plan. Even our smart phones can either be instruments of great good or great evil, depending on their use. “… and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” the verse finishes.
At first glance, this sounds like even sin is acceptable, but backing up to get the context of verses 1-5 makes us realize that the hypocritical liars who have abandoned the faith and are following deceiving spirits are being contrasted to “those who believe and who know the truth.” It is how we interact with and use what good things God has made that is the difference.
I. Romans 12:9-21. We must reject sin and wrong doctrine. We must hate evil and cling to what is good. This is difficult in a sin-soaked world, but those who believe and who know the truth must make this choice, despite what those closest to them choose or the circumstances they are in.
II. Matthew 18:15-20. We’ve all heard the adage that we are free to bind or loose on earth as we please and God is okay with it–as long as we can get two or three to agree with us. This is how a lot of denominations have developed. But, backing up to get the context shows us that we are speaking about the status of imperfect people in this imperfect world who are calling themselves ‘brothers’ but are living in conflict with the Word of God.
We might at this point hear someone quote Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” to further push the idea that we are not to be our brother’s keeper in any way. But, backing up to get the context shows that Jesus indeed tells us that we are to judge sinful actions in our brother in order to help him, but we can’t be hypocrites when we do it.
III. Galatians 5:13-26. Rather, we need to use the freedom we have in Christ to not indulge the sinful nature but serve one another in love. We see that those who do indulge will not inherit the kingdom of God, but those led by the Spirit, who “believe and who know the truth,” grow the fruits of the Spirit.
God has given us a lot of freedom to interact in this world that contains things to be shunned outright or things to be used for the glory of His Name instead of for our own selfish and sinful pleasures. Those who believe and who know the truth need to be watchful and carefully examine everything.
… but I still wish that Noah had squashed those mosquitoes!
Father from whom rejoicing flows —
The world tries so hard to be happy,
But sadness reigns among the many.
The Lord Jesus as Man of Sorrows
Brings joy to every open heart —
To him I open my heart for change,
To welcome the eternal news of gladness.
O God who covers the desert with a field of flowers —
Make this barren life bloom in variegated grace,
Bring bubbling water to run in dry channels of the heart,
Cause laughter to be heard in the midst of a mourning world,
Righteousness a flood, and justice the rain to refresh the earth.
Lord of all, spring forth in marveled wonders among your people!
Father, the lack of zeal in self dismays me. Jesus died for the zeal he felt for your house. Ignite my fervor for your kingdom.
And not only in me, but in others diligence is missing. Jesus did all your will and spoke just as you told him. Give your people that same dedication, that same attention to detail and to the larger picture.
How far I feel from your holy nature! Jesus sanctified himself in order to know and please you. Purge me of all defilement, for I desire to see you after this earthly life has ended.
My love is imperfect, I still judge people by appearance, often sizing them up by what they might could do for me. Jesus loved everyone, offered them acceptance, was willing to give opportunity to all to be a part of his family. Perfect your love in me, so that I might see every person as one of your special creatures.