Today's Tozer

Nothing Can Change His Tender Mercies

If we could remember that the divine mercy is not a temporary mood but an attribute of God's eternal being, we would no longer fear that it will someday cease to be. Mercy never began to be, but from eternity was; so it will never cease to be. It will never be more since it is in itself infinite; and it will never be less because the infinite cannot suffer diminution. Nothing that has occurred or will occur in heaven or earth or hell can change the tender mercies of our God. Forever His mercy stands, a boundless, overwhelming immensity of divine pity and compassion.

As judgment is God's justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt. Were there no guilt in the world, no pain and no tears, God would yet be infinitely merciful; but His mercy might well remain hidden in His heart, unknown to the created universe. No voice would be raised to celebrate the mercy of which none felt the need. It is human misery and sin that call forth the divine mercy.

"Kyrie eleison! Christe eleison!" the Church has pleaded through the centuries; but if I mistake not I hear in the voice of its pleading a note of sadness and despair. Its plaintive cry, so often repeated in that tone of resigned dejection, compels one to infer that it is praying for a boon it never actually expects to receive. It may go on dutifully to sing of the greatness of God and to recite the creed times beyond number, but its plea for mercy sounds like a forlorn hope and no more, as if mercy were a heavenly gift to be longed for but never really enjoyed.

Verse

For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, / and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."Romans 9:15

Thought

As judgment is God's justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt.

Prayer

How great You are, Father, and how great are Your mercies!

Wonderful grace song

I really love this song I heard years ago. 

I don't know who wrote it.

"What a morning it will be,

When I see You face to face.

Every trial and tribulation

Will be worth it in that moment of:

(Chorus)

Wonderful grace, wonderful grace, Jesus

Wonderful grace, wonderful grace

What a morning it will be!

What a morning it will be,

When I gaze into Your eyes.

Every tear and every sorrow

Will be wiped away in that moment of:

 (Chorus)

What a morning it will be,

When I hear You say my name.

All my fear and all my doubting

Will be washed away in that moment of:

(Chorus)

Food for thought: a quote from Benjamin Franklin

Proverbs 12 ponderings

So I was pondering these verses today. I think they're pretty amazing and it's definitely worth paying attention to them. Don't you want to declare righteousness, promote health, be established forever, have joy, and delight the Lord? It seems simple: Love Him, Obey Him, Speak the truth.

I'm looking forward to that day!

Just a couple of verses from Jude

I'm just processing this out loud...

This tells us that our faith is most holy, we should build ourselves up on it.

It would seem to be a command, along with praying in the Holy Spirit, 

and keeping ourselves in God's love,

and looking for mercy from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we keep doing these things, Jesus gives us eternal life.

How amazing is that!

Excerpt from "In Green Pastures" for October 22nd

"Living out God's thoughts.
Let your highest ambition be to become what God has planned for you. Lay all your plans at his feet. Let God's will be your will, and he will lead you to just that life which will be for you the most beautiful, the most honourable, and the most blessed. If you would have God's thoughts to live out in your life, you must go to God for them. You must sit down often with him in the silence. You must look reverently into the divine Word and ponder deeply its holy sentences. You must turn your steps habitually to the place of prayer. You will not have heavenly visions if you never look upward for them."

J.R. Miller D.D.

My Refuge

Years ago when I took my first holiday abroad without my parents, my Mum wrote a note and
put it in my bag for me to read when I got on the plane. I don't remember anything else it said, but this verse was a great reminder for me. Just recently I read the verse again and I've found it very comforting and encouraging. Whatever life throws at us, God is our refuge and He will carry us through.

and 3 chapters previously, Deuteronomy 30:20 :
"love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..."

Marching to Zion

 I'm guessing this is a fairly well known hymn, but I didn't know, before today, that there were originally 10 stanzas. Most versions I've seen have only 4 verses. I thought that all 10 were pretty good and worth sharing.

"Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known;

Join in a song with sweet accord, And thus surround the throne.

The sorrows of the mind be banished from the place:

Religion never was designed to make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing That never knew our God;

But favourites of the Heavenly King May speak their joys abroad.

The God that rules on high, And thunders when he please,

That rides upon the stormy sky, And manages the seas,

This awful* God is ours, Our Father and our love,

He shall send down His heavenly powers to carry us above.

 (N.B. *I think the author meant this awful as in the sense of power and majesty, i.e. we should be full of awe!)

Then we shall see His face, And never, never sin:

There, from the rivers of His grace Drink endless pleasures in.

Yes, and before we rise to that immortal state,

The thoughts of such amazing bliss should constant joys create.

The men of grace have found Glory begun below;

Celestial fruits on earthly ground From faith and hope may grow.

The hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets,

Before we reach the heavenly fields, or walk the golden streets.

Then let our songs abound, and every tear be dry:

We’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground to fairer worlds on high."

Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Music: Robert Lowry who added the chorus:

We’re marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion,

We’re marching upward to Zion, beautiful city of God.

And yes, it's going to go round my head for a few days. It's a very catchy tune. 

How about you? Did you know more than 4 stanzas?

Another excerpt from a Susan Warner book

"Paul said he was an apostle 'by the will of God'; and whatever I may be, it shall be by the same will.
I am the Lord's servant; what He wants me to do, I will do, and He will show me what that is."

   "But Stephen, everything in this world is not for duty? Don't you allow some little chink or cranny where pleasure comes in?"

Stephen smiled, a smile that astonished his friend, and almost silenced him. "I have no greater pleasure than to do the will of God," he said. "See Charles, you do not understand it, because you do not know Him, but I know Him. He has redeemed me, and forgiven me, and adopted me; He has made me inexpressibly happy with His presence: I am not living without pleasure, I am full of it; and the only thing I wish for further in this world is to do what work my Lord has for me to do, and so please Him."

"Stephen M.D."

Today's reading: Visions in the Words of Christ

Another Spurgeon gem

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm glad of this reminder. :)

A hymn by Robert Murray M'Cheyne

I don't believe I'd come across this hymn before today. 

I do enjoy coming across "new" old ones.

And to save you looking it up if you don't know, 

Jehovah Tsidkenu means "The Lord our Righteousness".

A Susan Warner quote

So, I've been thoroughly enjoying reading some good old books. 

I came across this quote and thought it very good and comforting.

So often, we're confused by many things in life, but our Heavenly Father 

is never confused and He has promised to guide us if we will look to Him.

Hebron are coming to Brookhouse Methodist Church

If you're in the area, do come along. All welcome. :)

Another challenging quote

Attributed to Amy Carmichael (but I came across a couple of variations, so I don't know which one is most authentic.)

I needed this reminder today.

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. (Exod 14:15)

In the past he said to them, “This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found.” But they refused to listen. (Isa 28:12)

Why dost thou worry thyself? What use can thy fretting serve? Thou art on board a vessel which thou couldst not steer even if the great Captain put thee at the helm, of which thou couldst not so much as reef a sail, yet thou worriest as if thou wert captain and helmsman. Oh, be quiet; God is Master!

Dost thou think that all this din and hurly-burly that is abroad betokens that God has left His throne?

No, man, His coursers rush furiously on, and His chariot is the storm; but there is a bit between their jaws, and He holds the reins, and guides them as He wills! Jehovah is Master yet; believe it; peace be unto thee! be not afraid.
--C. H. Spurgeon

“Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
The storms are raging on God’s deep—
God’s deep, not thine; be still and sleep.

“Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God’s hands shall still the tempter’s sweep—
God’s hands, not thine; be still and sleep.

“Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God’s love is strong while night hours creep—
God’s love, not thine; be still and sleep.

“Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God’s heaven will comfort those who weep—
God’s heaven, not thine; be still and sleep."

I entreat you, give no place to despondency. This is a dangerous temptation—a refined, not a gross temptation of the adversary. Melancholy contracts and withers the heart, and renders it unfit to receive the impressions of grace. It magnifies and gives a false coloring to objects, and thus renders your burdens too heavy to bear. God’s designs regarding you, and His methods of bringing about these designs, are infinitely wise.
--Madame Guyon

found here: https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/desert/

3 challenging reminders from the message I heard this morning.

Strong Word of Challenge from A W Tozer

Written in the 20th century, but for today....??? Aiden Wilson Tozer 1897 - 1963 "This frightening hour calls aloud for men with the gift of prophetic insight. Instead we have men who conduct surveys, polls and panel discussions. We need men with the gift of knowledge. In their place we have men with scholarship---nothing more. If the church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist---Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy. Christianity is so entangled with the world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern. Compromise is everywhere. Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment. Perhaps our greatest present need may be the coming of a prophet to dash the stones at the foot of the mountain and call the Church out to repentance or to judgment. For a man to understand revealed truth requires an act of God equal to the original act which inspired the text. We need to learn that truth consists not in correct doctrine, but in correct doctrine plus the inward enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Men who have been used of God in any generation from Calvary down to this hour have not invented and preached new truths. They have simply had the anointed vision to discover truths that had been obscured by the overemphasis of certain other truths. The church has lost her testimony. She has no longer anything to say to the world. Her once robust shout of assurance has faded away to an apologetic whisper. She who one time went out to declare now goes out to inquire. Her dogmatic declaration has become a respectful suggestion, a word of religious advice, given with the understanding that it is after all only an opinion and not meant to sound bigoted. Pure Christianity, instead of being shaped by its environment, actually stands in sharp opposition to it. Could it be that too many of God's true children, and especially the preachers, are sinning against God by guilty silence?...I for one am waiting to hear the loud voices of the prophets and reformers sounding once more over a sluggish and drowsy church. They'll pay a price for their boldness, but the results will be worth it. To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men. This is such a common truth that one hesitates to mention it, yet it appears to have been overlooked by the majority of Christians today. Apart from God nothing matters. We think that health matters, that freedom matters, or knowledge or art or civilization. And but for one insistent word they would matter indeed. That word is eternity. We are in real need of a reformation that will lead to revival among the churches. The man who has been taught by the Holy Spirit will be a seer rather than a scholar. The difference is that the scholar sees and the seer sees through; and that is a mighty difference indeed. The apostles went to jail, and that is not too revealing because they went against their will; but when they got out of jail and could go where they would they immediately went to the praying company. The choices of life, not the compulsions, reveal character. Moral power has always accompanied definitive beliefs. Great saints have always been dogmatic. We need right now a return to a gentle dogmatism that smiles while it stands stubborn and firm on the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way. The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. I believe that the imperative need of the day is not simply revival, but a radical reformation that will go to the root of our moral and spiritual maladies and deal with causes rather than with consequences, with the disease rather than with symptoms. When the children of God accept the world's values it is time some Christians spoke up. Babylon may have her gods, her own way of life and moral standards. It is when Israel begins to adopt them that the prophet of God becomes responsible to rise and cry out against them. Truth consists not merely in correct doctrine but in correct doctrine to which is added the inward enlightenment of the Holy Spirit...John the Baptist said, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John 3:27). He was not referring to men's gifts. He was speaking of spiritual truth. The radical element in testimony and life that once made Christians hated by the world is missing from present-day evangelicalism. It is useless for large companies of believers to spend long hours begging God to send revival. Unless we intend to reform we may as well not pray. Unless praying men have the insight and faith to amend their whole way of life to conform to the New Testament pattern there can be no true revival. The fact is that we are not today producing saints. We are making converts to an effete type of Christianity that bears little resemblance to that of the New Testament. The average so-called Bible Christian in our times is but a wretched parody on true sainthood. Yet we put millions of dollars behind movements to perpetuate this degenerate form of religion and attack the man who dares to challenge the wisdom of it. And when the deliverers come---reformers, revivalists, prophets---they will be men of God and men of courage. They will have God on their side because they will be careful to stay on God's side. They will be co-workers with Christ and instruments in the hand of the Holy Ghost. Such men will be baptized with the Spirit indeed... Our only hope is that renewed spiritual pressure will be exerted increasingly by self-effacing and courageous men who desire nothing but the glory of God and the purity of the church. May God send us many of them. Today we need prophetic preachers; not preachers of prophecy merely, but preachers with a gift of prophecy. The word of wisdom is missing. We need the gift of discernment again in our pulpits. What is needed desperately today is prophetic insight. Scholars can interpret the past; it takes prophets to interpret the present. Any spirit that permits compromise with the world is a false spirit. Any religious movement that imitates the world in any of its manifestations is false to the cross of Christ and on the side of the devil. The popular notion that the first obligation of the church is to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth is false. Her first obligation is to be spiritually worthy of it. Some who desire to be teachers of the Word, but who understand neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm, insist upon "naked" faith as the only way to know spiritual things. By this they mean a conviction of the trustworthiness of the Word of God (a conviction, it may be noted, which the devils share with them). But the man who has been taught even slightly by the Spirit of Truth will rebel at this perversion. His language will be, "I have heard Him and observed Him. What have I to do any more with idols?" For he cannot love a God who is no more than a deduction from a text. The man who preaches truth and applies it to the lives of his hearers will feel the nails and the thorns. He will lead a hard life, but a glorious one. May God raise up many such prophets. The church needs them badly. The truly spiritual man is indeed something of an oddity. He lives not for himself but to promote the interests of Another...He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens."   found here:  https://www.christianstogether.net/Articles/101379/Christians_Together_in/Christian_Life/Is_there_any/A_word_for.aspx

Pondering Perfection

So, I've been thinking about this a bit recently and did a quick search on the things Scripture calls perfect.

And I've needed to remind myself over and over again that these things will always be true.
God's Ways and Will may not always seem perfect to us, but perhaps that's because we aren't yet!

I was amazed by the amount of times Scripture references people having a perfect heart.

I'm nowhere near there yet, but by His grace, He will "perfect that which concerns me". Psalm 138:8
and " being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Philippians 1:6.
Amen!

Quotes from David Brainerd, some of which are very challenging

"Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am." ~ David Brainerd

"We should always look upon ourselves as God's servants, placed in God's world, to do his work; and accordingly labour faithfully for him; not with a design to grow rich and great, but to glorify God, and do all the good we possibly can." ~ David Brainerd

"There is a God in heaven who overrules all things for the best; and this is the comfort of my soul." ~ David Brainerd

"Let me forget the world and be swallowed up in the desire to glorify God." ~ David Brainerd

"Further, Take heed that you faithfully perform the business you have to do in the world, from a regard to the commands of God; and not from an ambitious desire of being esteemed better than others." ~ David Brainerd

"I have received my all from God. Oh, that I could return my all to God." ~ David Brainerd

"If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world." ~ David Brainerd

"When you cease from labour, fill up your time in reading, meditation, and prayer: and while your hands are labouring, let your heart be employed, as much as possible, in divine thoughts." ~ David Brainerd

"Thirsting desires and longings possessed my soul after perfect holiness. God was so precious to my soul that the world with all its enjoyments appeared vile. I had no more value for the favor of men than for pebbles." ~ David Brainerd

"Once more, never think that you can live to God by your own power or strength; but always look to and rely on him for assistance, yea, for all strength and grace." ~ David Brainerd

"As long as I see anything to be done for God, life is worth having; but O how vain and unworthy it is to live for any lower end!" ~ David Brainerd

"No amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls." ~ David Brainerd

"Oh, that I could spend every moment of my life to God's glory!" ~ David Brainerd


found here:
http://www.azquotes.com/author/1806-David_Brainerd

Thank You Heavenly Father for Your Grace and Mercy!

Aren't you glad that the Lord is so merciful?

Happy Purim!

Well, I had a lovely time making 3 types of hamantashen today, while listening to music (including the video below!)
My new favourite "filling" is marzipan, but the strawberry jam is rather yummy too, and of course chocolate is always a good option.
I think I'll be reading the book of Esther tomorrow. Always been one of my favourites for some reason. :)
Happy Purim!

And of course I love this song with this chorus:
"For such a time as this I was placed upon the earth To hear the voice of God And do His will Whatever it is For such a time as this For now and all the days He gives I am here, I am here And I am His For such a time as this."

A couple of challenges.

Last week, I was challenged by these words, spoken by a local preacher.

I think they're a good reminder.

Have I fully surrendered to Jesus? Has He cleansed and filled me so He can use me?
Am I truly satisfied with Him? and is He satisfied with me?

A Psalm of Life

I came across this today and rather like it.

What think you?

Sing to me of Heaven

This evening I just came across this lovely song. Another new favourite. :)