Mercy
Psalms 25:7 - Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Mercy (Webster 1828)
That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces and injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than the law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity, or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.
The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty. Numbers 14
Friday, June 21, 2004
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Prince Of Peace Control My Will
Prince of Peace control my will; Bid this struggling heart be still; Bid my fears and doubtings cease, Hush my spirit into peace.
Thou hast bought me with Thy blood, Opened wide the gate to God; Peace I ask, but peace must be, Lord, in being one with thee.
May Thy will, not mine be done, May Thy will and mine be one: Chase these doubtings from my heart, Now Thy perfect peace impart.
Savior, at Thy feet I fall, Thou my life, my God my all! Let thy happy servant be One for evermore with Thee! Amen
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Friday, June 18, 2004
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The Upright
Psalm 84:1-12 ...
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
David said, “For a day in thy courts is better that a thousand.” Then David explains why he feels this way, “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” In short David is saying there is nowhere I would rather be than with my Lord because, with him there are blessings.
From David’s description if we want to be in the courts of God we must walk uprightly. The question then is how do we walk uprightly? What kinds of things do the upright do? What kind of information does David give us?
The upright will see the house of the Lord as an amiable or lovely place. The upright will long or have strong desire to be in the presence of the Lord. Just as the sparrow the upright will find a nesting place in the house of God. The upright will find blessings because they dwell in the house of God. The upright knows he or she has no strength of their own and that their strength is found in the Lord. The upright will look to God and see blessings even when they pass through the dry seasons because, they are refreshed by him. The upright will live from strength to strength in stead of from trial to trial. The upright will call upon the Lord to hear and look upon them in their times of need. The upright will trust in God because, besides him there is none other.
The upright are truly blessed but, did you notice these attributes are from us towards God?
Thursday, June 17, 2004
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Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.
David said, make, serve, know, and enter because the Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting. We can sing and be joyful because His goodness and mercy are everlasting. We have something to be joyful about because our God made us and we are His and we are the sheep of His pasture and what is His is as eternal as He is. We should be the happiest people in the world. Because our God is a good God and our God is a merciful God. Our God is an eternal God, His goodness and mercies are everlasting. The word everlasting means to be of continuous existence, a ring is continuous and unending. The goodness and mercies of God toward His people have no beginning and no end. We could say goodness and mercy begins with God but, sense He has no beginning and no end goodness and mercy have no end.
What does this mean for us today? It means that as we look around us and see all the uncertainty in the world around us there is one thing we can always depend on. God. He is still in the heavens and will always be on His throne. We are His creation and will always be His creation. And His goodness and mercy will endure as long as He endures. And that will be forever! Let us sing, “Joyful, Joyful Lord we adore thee”.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
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Altogether Lovely
Song of Solomon 5:16 - His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
When you consider your Savior how do you see him? What to feel in your heart for him? What to you think about him? Solomon said, “he is altogether lovely”. The word altogether means wholly, entirely, completely, or without exception. Solomon is telling us that there is no aspect of his Lord that he did not consider to be lovely.
When we think of our Lord do we see that His scripture is lovely, His inspiration is lovely, His doctrine is lovely, His reproof is lovely, His correction is lovely, His instruction is lovely, His righteousness is lovely, as well as His tender mercies. He is truly altogether lovely.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
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I Need Thee
I need Thee every hour, Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford.
I need Thee every hour, Stay Thou near by; Temptations loose their power When Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, In joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, Or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour, Most Holy One; O make me Thine indeed, Thou Blessed Son.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every Hour I Need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior! I come to Thee.
Monday, June 14, 2004
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I beg
Dear Lord, would thou hear my pleadings this morning. I know that I have not a price to bring before thee to make myself worthy before my Lord and King. I know that I must plead and depend upon thy mercies. Would thou out of thy tenderness forgive me my sins and transgressions?
I beg for those who are sick and want for the return of health. I know that there are many and that you know them all, where they are, and what their needs are. I know that healing comes from thee and thee alone. From thee comes strength to live, heal, and grow. Bless those that need thy healing grace as thy righteous understanding dictates.
I beg blessings for those who have lost loved ones. Touch them O Lord and cause them to understand that life and death are in thy hands. It is you that blesses us with life and you that calleth home. Bless them to understand that what we see as death, and loss is merely a transition from the life we know to life unknown to us but fully known by thee.
I beg this morning for the mothers of this world. Not those women who simply give birth to a child but for those who love and nurture their children. Those bringing children up laboring long and hard to teach them life as it is in thee. Strengthen their hands and their minds that they would be able to do as pleases thee.
I beg thy blessing for the young. I beg that you would protect them and guide them. Those with single parents help them to see thy handy work and to know that there is a God in heaven that watches over them and their family. In those times when they long for the missing parent be there to comfort and assure them that you are their God and that you are there for them.
I beg thee to heal this land by whatever means thou would see is best. Bless those things that would keep us free and able to serve thee according to the dictates of our heart. Bless our leaders and cause them to know that thou and thou alone are God. Remember O Lord those that stand in the gap to protect our liberties.
Finally O Lord I ask a small blessing for myself that I would be able to be a good servant of thine. Bless me as a husband, father, and a son to do thy will in all things. Thou knowest all the trials and weights that are upon me and those that will come in the days ahead, bless me as you see that I have need.
Friday, June 11, 2004
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Spirit and Truth
Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
John 6:44 - No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 4:24 - God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship [Him] in spirit and in truth.
Paul tells us, he that comes to God must believe that he is, John says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:” These scriptures and others like them tell me that belief and understanding of God are gifts that come from God and God alone. They are given to those that God draws close to himself. Belief and understanding are given to those who God has marked for labor in the vineyards of this life.
Labor that is pleasing to God is done in faith; faith that comes from God. Faith enables Gods children to worship/serve him in truth and in spirit. How is it that a person who does not believe “that God is” can serve him in spirit and in truth? Consider a couple that joins themselves together that do not love each other. Can the things done in this relationship be done in truth and love? Things that loving couples do for one another often are rejected in relationships where there is no true love. Likewise many of the things our Lord and Savior requires of his followers are rejected if they have not been drawn of him. If there is no true belief, there is no worship in spirit and in truth.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
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Our Whole Duty
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 - I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also [is] vanity. I said of laughter, [It is] mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what [was] that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all [kind of] fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got [me] servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, [as] musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all [was] vanity and vexation of spirit, and [there was] no profit under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
What words of wisdom can I add to these. Our whole duty is to serve our Lord and Savior, not ourselves.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
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Navigating The Pits
Psalms 37:23 - The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psalms 37:24 - Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.
Psalms 119:105 - Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The world we live in is considered by the word of God to not only be darkness but to be in darkness. God and his word are considered to be light, the ONLY light in a world of darkness. David said that the word of God was light for his feet and light for his path.
As we live this life we travel down a path. Our life is not a straight line. It is not always on level ground and we do not always move at the same speed. Sometimes the view is pleasant and some times the things we see and face are down right terrifying. So how do we travel down this path, in this world of darkness; in a land where the inhabitance are dark and in the dark?
In the light of day we can see and make our way around the pitfalls in our path. But we do not live in the light of day. We live in the light of the Lord our God. A pilot whether of a ship or airplane must depend on his navigator. He must trust that he not only knows where they are going but also where they are and the best route to take.
There are three things that we should keep in our minds as we travel. First, God knows all things. Second, this world is dark. Third, the advice of those that are of this world is as dark as the world they live in. So if we want light for our path we must go to the source of light for light.
David said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” and thy word is “light unto my path”. There are pits and bogs that must be navigated around. The word of God will help us to see them and maneuver around them. But just as we must walk carefully at night using the light we have, we live carefully use the word of God at every turn in our lives. When we do to slip or get pulled in to a pit the word of God will not be new to us and will help us to find our way out.
Remember God is the light for our feet and the light for our path.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
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Pit - well, cistern
Psalms 7:15 - He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch [which] he made.
Psalms 28:1 - Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, [if] thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Psalms 40:2 - He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings.
Psalms 143:7 - Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
Some pits are man made and some are made by nature. Some troubles are man made and some come as a course of life. Some troubles we make ourselves and some troubles come from things or situations beyond our control.
I remember as a child watching ants and other small bugs trying to get out of doodle bug holes. The sand around the sides of the hole would be so loose, that every time the captured bug tried to climb out the sides would cave in. And that is the way things stayed unless some outside force lifted the bug out of the hole.
The trials of this life can be the same for us as the doodle bug hole was for the ants and small bugs. We work and work but our situation seems never to change or even gets worse as time goes by. When David was in a pit he said, “Unto to thee will I cry”, “Hear me speedily, O Lord”. David knew that his help not only came from outside the pit but from outside this world.
Help is sent by God in so many different ways. Sometimes it is by a friend or a loved one. Sometimes help comes from someone we do not know or never even seen. Sometimes help is at the hand of a doctor or some form of medicine. Sometimes the Lord will reach down by his own hand and bring relief into our lives.
No matter what the source of manner of the pit. No matter what form the help comes in we must all be as David and say, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit”. We must always remember to give God the praise, honor, and glory for the help and mercies he so gracefully extends to us.
Monday, June 07, 2004
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The Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Friday, June 04, 2004
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Thou Hast Made Me Wiser
O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they [are] ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies [are] my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
The first thought conveyed is that David loved God’s law and that God’s law was on his mind throughout the day. David was not confused about where his wisdom and success came from. He knew that it was God’s guiding hand that put him where he was.
David had more understanding than others because he loved God, he meditated on the law of God, and he keep the law of God. As I read this passage I get the feeling that David’s view of life began and ended with God. How different is that from today. We live our lives and we squeeze God in where we can. We keep God’s instruction if doing so does not interrupt our plans or cause us to much difficulty.
David knew the sweetness of God because of his relationship with God. I wonder if we today would feel the way David did if we held God and godliness as high as David did?
Thursday, June 03, 2004
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Psalm 119:1-8
Blessed [are] the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded [us] to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
David tells us that there are some blessed people and that they are the ones who follow the law of the Lord. David tells us of his desire to keep the commandments of his Lord. He said, “O that my ways were directed to keep thy statues!” not his own but his Lord’s. David says, “I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the righteous judgments.” In my words he is saying I will be able to praise the as I ought to when I learn thy judgments. And finely David says, “O forsake me not utterly.” O Lord do not cast me away while I am learning.
As we live, learn, and grow in this world if God has blessed us to know what we are we learn three very important things. One, we are imperfect and weak. Two, God is wise, his ways are good and ours are not. Three, we need God’s help on every turn.
Amen
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
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Guide Me
In the morning when I wake up my heart looks for thee O God. I need thee to guide my feet, my hands, my thought, and my every action so that my life will point to thee. As I walk bless me to remember that you are always near me. When I speak help me to remember the kindness that you have spoken to me. As I work, help me to remember that all things are to be done as unto thee.
Help me to remember that I am thy servant and that I serve the true and living God. When an evil comes before me this day, and I know it will, grant me strength to turn from it no matter how evil takes its form. When I am confronted by those who do not believe help me to entreat them as a servant of thine should.
Dear Lord, bless me to live this day in such a way that when I lay down to rest tonight I would be able to feel that I have served my Lord and God.
Amen
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
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