The opening of Psalm 22 should sound familiar to you as Jesus uttered these words from the cross. Yet, David wrote these words 1000 years before the Word became flesh and could bear our sins on the tree. Not only are the details in this psalm so vivid that they place us there at Calvary, but Jesus quoting its opening question and God telling us directly in John 19:24 shows us that David indeed wrote about his descendant dying on the cross for us. Continue reading “Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
For Certain People
For certain people my prayers ascend,
My list is long, with foe and friend —
O God who made all things, please hear,
For what I humbly ask is clear.
As much as I desire for them
Good health and home — this but the hem —
O Savior, Lord of trial and test,
Eternal life is my request.
All else will fail — all else will cease —
So why appeal for earthly increase?
O Planner of grace since time began,
May all enjoy in heaven its span.
To save forever, to earth Christ came —
O Father, who gives to man his name,
For their redemption I make my plea —
For this is what I want for me.
Discover what is necessary to have eternal life and redemption with Richard Mansel’s book, The Most Important Question.
The Promise of All Promises
God the consummate Planner,
Eternal life is the promise of all promises,
From eternity you planned it for us in Christ,
A life of quantity and quality, of length and depth,
Of love and joy and all that is good in you.
What wonderful life to have you reigning over us,
Living in us, and working effectively through us,
And giving us usefulness and purpose and worthy goal,
Something greater than the world and outlasting time itself!
Praise and power belong to you, and we give you thanks,
Father of lights, from whom all good things flow,
And none better than the fullness of life everlasting,
This treasure of all treasure, this gift of all gifts.
From Christ and in him, amen.
Your Touch of Love
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!
Limited years
Dear God, Creator of seasonal lights,
The Maker and Marker of human time —
We’ve limited years, our earthly lot
By land and sea and air contained.
The imagination flies beyond,
In search of your eternity;
So help us live to apprehend
The promised life we cannot see.
The life of man
You, O God, are life itself, having existed before all things, the God who was, and is, and ever will be. Into man’s nostrils you breathed the breath of life, a breath meant to enliven forever. We cut ourselves off from you and lost the tree of life. But through the Lord Jesus Christ that life has been restored. Our inheritance is eternal life with you. Life is more than awareness—it is walking and living and breathing in your presence. So let us be ever more conscious of your reality, of your power, of your goodness, of your Self who defines and transforms and equips us for your your fellowship.
For all that people talk of quality of life, they have no idea that it means knowing and loving you. The body can be in top shape, the bank account can be overflowing, but without openness to your love, willingness to bask in your glory, there is no quality, no joy, no meaning. Let us make ourselves increasingly fit for relationship in your fullness.
Let us also develop in ourselves those signs of spiritual life, basic as they are, essential in their exercise: the Word, prayer, fellowship with the saints, movement in service and mission. Let our day jobs be seen as opportunities to touch others. Let our small tasks and to-do lists become channels to let our lights shine that you may be glorified. Let our interactions with others be chances to bless.
Remind us constantly that life is not a series of cheap thrills, but the deep and often unspoken experience of every breath, thought, motive, action, word, and motion wrapped in your Spirit.
The death of Christ as an act of God’s love
- Title
- The Death of Christ as an Act of God’s Love
- Sermon series
- The Death of Christ, no. 8
- Biblical Text
- John 3.16, within the greater context of Jn 3.1-21 Continue reading “The death of Christ as an act of God’s love”
This life above all else
Praise to you, O Lord, for bringing eternal life to us in your Son Jesus Christ! Thank you for revealing it to us in him, and making it available to anyone willing to believe and obey.
We praise you for being the unchanging God who does not change at a whim your plan of salvation. We are grateful that we can know with certainty how to enter and remain in Christ, and for the power of the Spirit given to us in our new birth. Continue reading “This life above all else”
O holy Hope
O holy Hope, what else have I
On earth beside this white-hot wait?
This fired desire, with sights set high,
No worldly lure can e’er abate.
In prayer the lips move fevered pleas,
“Lord, come!” We’ll meet you in the air;
I love you more than all of these,
Let angels line the heavenly stair.
Th’ eternal span gives time below
A worth beyond the final fire;
And man, who stumbles to and fro,
To life with God may dare aspire.
To Whom Shall We Go, and Where?
To whom shall we go, and where?
You have the words of life,
Our portion and our share;
Your flesh and blood, our fare.
Though all turn back and leave,
We stay to follow and serve;
It’s not that we’re naive,
But truly we believe.
—JRM