Jesus-- Our Light, Our Life, Our Righteousness

Quatrain found in The Journals of Jim Elliot:

"My soul is night, my heart is steel.
I cannot see, I cannot feel:
For light, for life, I must appeal
In simple faith to Jesus."
-James Proctor


Verse that has been going through my head incessantly the past day or so:

"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3,4, emphasis mine)

Jesus is... (Part 3)

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, 'Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?'

And they said, 'Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.'

He saith unto them, 'But whom say ye that I am?'

And Simon Peter answered and said,

'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.'

And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:

for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.'"

I think this passage has become so well known that it is easy to read without realizing the meaning and the force in Peter's words. This Man they had been learning under and following, this poor, humble Man-- Peter now declares that He is the long-awaited Christ; even more than that, the Son of the One True God.

The Jews expected a great military hero who would suddenly burst on the scene and revolutionize the world in an incredible way. Jesus did revolutionize the world-- but in a way quite different than the Jews were expecting.

He was born in a lowly manger, because the rest of the world had no room for Him.

He grew up known as the son of a carpenter.

He lived at the "beck and call" of everyone, healing, teaching.

He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross-- the most humiliating and painful death imaginable.

He was buried in a borrowed tomb, not even His own property-- for He had no property according to an earthly perspective.

This was so unlike anything teh Jews as a whole were expecting from a Messiah! No armies, no revolution, no great military leader or earthly king overthrowing the power of Rome...

Yet Peter realized, as the Father opened his eyes, that Jesus was no ordinary man. He was indeed the Messiah, promised from the very beginning of the world-- the King of Israel, the Son of the Living God. He was the perfect Prophet, Priest, and King that the whole Old Testament had led up to. This was the Christ-- the Messiah!

This is information very familiar to our brains, but let it settle into your heart. We don't just live in memory of a great historical figure. We serve the promised Christ, who died and is now alive, the Son of the Living God, the Saviour of the world. He came not to revolutionize nations-- He came to revolutionize individual hearts. Think about it.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Happy New Year!

As I write, it is about three hours until the New Year. Tonight we ate a delicious crab and cream cheese wan-ton (sp??) dinner, I sat down with a delicious cuppachino (sp?) to watch "Jane Eyre" with my sisters and mamma, and then I wrote half a post, clicked on a link to check to make sure it was right, and lost all that I had written. So now I am rewriting it! :-P (It will give me a chance to rethink and reword what I was going to say; perhaps the Lord wanted to remind me of something else to share or a better way to share it. Even something so small as losing a post you wrote can be used to bring God glory. There can be no greater joy. So here I go.)

I am sitting in our dining room, listening to Bethany play her violin and Mommy checking out the new laptop we just got her for a late Christmas present. It is dark in this room, but light is coming in from the adjoining living room. It's very lovely and peaceful and good for reflection. It is good for me to quiet my heart and reflect.

As I think of the new year coming, I cannot help but feel a bit of dread about it. I may sound a little fatalistic-- I do worry about what will happen to my country, and thereby to my family, my dear friends, and myself. Even in my selfishness I think, "What about my writing career? What about marrying? Having kids? Having a sweet, lovely little family out in the country, attending Heritage every Sunday, having people over during the week, enjoying visits with my sisters and their families....?" (The list goes on.)

Then the Holy Spirit whispers in my heart: "Take therefore no thought [do not be anxious] or the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."

Allow me to share part of an Instant Messenger conversation I had with one of my best friends today. It is a little edited to avoid the confusion of several messages going on at the same time. This is the jist of it.

L: "Wow! How exciting it is that there is a whole year ahead of us!"
Me: "Well, I'm a little scared of it. But we'll see what the Lord has in store."
L: "You are? If you are, then so am I. Why are you scared?"
Me (here's the confession): (well, in short I said Obama-- Juli, you'll understand! :-) I won't say what I called him though.)
L: "Me too."
Me: "It's hard not to know what's going to happen."
L: "But-- not to be light-- our God is in control. We should pray for each other, to take each day as it comes and not to be afraid of what happens..."
Me: "and be diligent in growing closer to God NOW, not waiting 'til then..."
L: "'Cause all we can do is be secured in Christ!"
Me: "And He's more powerful than 1,000 Obamas, so we are safe in Him, with Him on our side."

Then I shared the verse I had been memorizing, in Psalms, about the Lord being on our side-- what can man do to us? We are children of God, secure in Him, sealed by Him... yes, we know all that. But even better than that, who IS God?

"This high rock, eternity, He is,
The Maker of the sky and sea, He is.
He is, and through Him all things came to be,
The one whose breath gave life to me,
Creator of the galaxies, He is, Jesus is...

Almighty God, the great "I Am", He is
The prince of peace, the spotless Lamb, He is.
He is our counsellor, eternal friend
Beyond what we can comprehend
The Word made flesh and here to dwell, He is,

He is the loving hand that formed me
And fills my heart with song,
The voice that stirs inside me
When all hope is gone;
The morning star that guides me,
The light that glows before me,
The one whose praise is on my lips, He is,

The One who died to set me free He is,
When no one else is there for me He is,
He is the same tomorrow as today
The life, the truth, the only way
The one who paid the price to make me His, He is,

He is the loving hand that formed me
And fills my heart with song
The voice that stirs inside me when all hope is gone
The morning star the guides me
The light that glows before me,
The one whose praise is on my lips He is,

He is the first and last, the cornerstone He is,
King of kings and Lord of lords he is,
He is the mighty God!"

Funny, just as I wrote "Who IS God?" this song came on (I was listening to music) and it was so appropriate that I impromptu-ly decided to record the words. (I'm afraid I can't tell you the author, publisher, or anything, but it is sung by Kevin Inafuku on his new CD "He Is" .) In any case, I had been going to elaborate in my own words the greatness and dependability of our everlasting, all-knowing God, but instead I'll have you read and re-read that song and realize for yourself that with this God, we need fear nothing. HE IS in control! :-D

I suppose a New Year's post can't go by without stating my resolutions, or at least talking about it a little. I don't necessarily hold to what they call "New Year's Resolutions", as anyone can "resolve" to do something and never go through with it. I will state my New Year's Wish, though-- my Prayer. That God would ever increasing make me like Him; that "Melanie" would decrease in people's eyes and that God in Melanie may increase more and more, shining to the dark world through me, as a light shines in a lantern. That the things of this world would grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. That He would indeed be my all.

Some more material things I wish for in this new year are
* To memorize much more Scripture. This was my wish last year, and I am ashamed to say I didn't follow through with it faithfully until November. I particularly wish to memorize Psalm 147, Revelation 1-5, and Revelation 21-22-- and much more, by God's grace!
* To finish and possibly work towards publishing one of my books. That also has been a desire for several New Years. I hope this year I can follow through with it. We'll see how it goes! :-)
* To continue to grow in domestic abilities to be a suitable wife, in God's time, but even more to develop the Godly character that a wife and mother ought to have. One doesn't automatically become an angel and a perfect housekeeper and a delightful person to live with the day she gets married. It must be cultivated in the single years. So that is what I want to do.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the new year and perhaps your own resolutions or prayers for the New Year. I love to hear from you all. You are all very dear to me and I pray that this New Year would be one in which you would also continually draw closer to our precious Lord and see Him display His power and glory in Your life.

Happy New Year!

"For this God is our God for ever and ever:

he will be our guide even unto death."

Psa 48:14

P.S. Sorry for such a loooong post! I felt a little ramblingish tonight. :-)
P.S.S. Now only an hour and a half til 2009! When you all read this it will already be 2009! :-P

Jesus Is... (Part 2 expounded upon)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Text: Ezekiel 34

Sheep are naturally very stupid creatures. They need to have someone to guide them or else they will come to utter ruin out of sheer stupidity. God set up shepherds for His sheep-- kings, priests, etc.-- but they did not do as He had commanded them; rather, they used their position to serve themselves. They fed off of the "sheep" (people) and did not lead and watch after them as they should have. So the sheep wandered and were lost. Because there was no sufficient shepherd (prophet, priest, and king), the Great Shepherd (Prophet, Priest, and King) stepped in. He searched for the lost sheep, and found them. He led His sheep to fresh pastures and still waters. He cared for the weak and the wounded among them. He judged the sheep who were all about themselves, striving to get all they could first.

In this chapter of Ezekiel, there is a very exciting prophecy: "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it" (verse 23,24). This instantly turns my mind to the words of Jesus Christ: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." "My servant David" refers to Jesus Christ, who was of the lineage of David, yet also the Son of God. He indeed is a Shepherd to His people.

So here I am: Melanie the Bewildered. I am a very stupid (as in, silly) sheep who never really knows where she is going or what to do. Yesterday morning when I read this passage, I had begun with a mind clouded by a million things that would like to veil the pathway from my eyes. I worry, I fret, I wander, I forget... and yet my Jesus guides me when I don't know the way; He carries me when I am too weak to go on by myself; He leads me on when I begin to trample the ground around me (spiritual stagnance); He gives me hope when otherwise I would have none. What a wonderful, dear Shepherd! How lost I would be without Him! I am totally insufficient, unable to guide my own self. If I was left to myself, I would go directly to destruction. I must stay close to my Shepherd, for there is safety and hope. He will lead me on to better pastures and fresh water. He will care for me when I am hurt or sick, and He will provide protection from the cold and the weather.

God's love amazes me! Who am I, that He would search for me time and time again and always find me and bring me back? How is it that He doesn't ever "write me off" (as Dan says in Last Flight Out)? What overwhelming mercy and goodness. What a wonderful Shepherd we have in Jesus Christ.

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:11)

"For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day" (Ezekiel 34:11,12)

"For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25)

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20, 21)

Jesus Is... (Part 2)

~Psalm 23~

"The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. I am His sheep. Sheep are very silly creatures. They cannot take care of themselves, as much as they'd like to think they can. If left to themselves, they would get lost, sick, malnourished, or attacked by wolves or other animals. They need someone to lead them and take care of them and bring them to better pastures. They are desperately in need of a shepherd. And we have a Shepherd in Jesus Christ our Lord! He is loving, gentle, and wise. He knows where the verdant meadows are. He knows all the safeties and dangers of the path that leads thereto, as He has been up it before, and He will take care of us as we travel it. He would not lead us that way if He knew the struggle would be too great for us. He knows how to take care of our smallest and our greatest needs. He protects us from our enemies. He knows what is best for us, and lovingly supplies it. As we know the character of our Good Shepherd, we sheep should have no problem being under His care. Rather, we will flee to Him, and desire to be as near to Him as we possibly can. In Mr. Stauffer's message on this topic last night in church, he made the point that the sheep far away from the shepherd are more susceptible to the enemies around. The safest place for me to be is right beside my Shepherd.

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10:14)

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
Psalm 23, Paraphrased by Isaac Watts

"My Shepherd will supply my need; Jehovah is His name:

In pastures fresh He makes me feed, beside the living stream.

He brings my wand'ring spirit back when I forsake His ways;

And leads me, for His mercy's sake, in paths of truth and grace.

"When I walk through shades of death Thy presence is my stay;

One word of Thy supporting breath drives all my fears away.

Thy hand, in sight of all my foes, doth still my table spread;

My cup with blessings overflows, Thine oil anoints my head.

"The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;

O may Thy house be my above, and all my work be praise.

There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come;

No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home. Amen."

Graphics in this article are taken from http://lovelywhatevers.blogspot.com/.

Jesus Is... (Part 1)

Hello, Blog World! I am thinking about starting a little series on the character of Jesus Christ, and how He is revealed in the Scriptures. Sometimes we need to just quiet our hearts, still our minds, and just praise Him for WHO HE IS. Jim Berg (Bob Jones University) says, when you read the Scriptures, ask yourself, "What does this passage reveal about Jesus Christ?" So this is what I am trying to do, and I hope it will be as encouraging to you as it is to me. Try looking for descriptions on the character of Jesus as you read the Bible, and maybe you can keep track of your own findings about the character of Jesus in a journal or notebook. You'll be amazed how encouraging it is!!

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"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually" (Jeremiah 33:15-18).

I read this passage in Jeremiah this morning and was very encouraged and blessed by what I found. Here are some thoughts I had on the passage above.

• Jesus is our Righteous Judge. "He shall execute judgment [justice] and righteousness in the land." Jesus governs righteously. He judges sin and blesses righteousness. He calls people to holiness.
• Jesus is our Savior. "In those days shall Judah be saved." This could be talking about the earthly salvation of Israel eventually; it also could mean that He is the Savior of our hearts. He saves us not only from the consequences of our sin (death and hell), but, more importantly, He saves us from the power of sin. He unshackles us from sin's power and gives us freedom to live in the Spirit.
• Jesus is our Security. "Jerusalem shall dwell safely." In Christ we need fear nothing-- whether it be external or internal foes. He delivers us from evil and will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him. He will not lose us and will cannot lose Him; we are safe in His arms.
• Jesus is our Righteousness. "The Lord our Righteousness." Jesus takes our sin upon Himself and clothes us with the robes of righteousness. It is through Him that we stand before the Father clean and whole and righteous.
• Jesus is our King. "David shall never want [lack] a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel." Jesus was in the line of David, and He is the eternal King. He reigns now in our hearts; one day He will rule the world. We live according to His laws, we walk according to His statutes, we look to Him to guide us and to lead us into battle against the enemy, we serve Him wholeheartedly as humble servants.
• Jesus is our High Priest. "Neither shall the priests the Levites want [lack] a man bfeore me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually." The priests' job was to make atonement for the people. Jesus has done this by offering up Himself-- the spotless Lamb, the final sacrifice-- and He daily stands before the Father making intercession for us.

What a wonderful, glorious God we serve!! He truly is worthy of our praise and devotion!