gladitudes

Here are some verses that I am going to be thinking about today. They are all verses about the way God feels/acts toward us, His people.

It’s so easy for me to take my human perceptions of authority and project them onto God. In doing so, I begin to expect selfishness and evil from God, but He is not like that; He’s not like man and doesn’t have any of the problems and sin man has. These verses are a good way for me to focus on God’s true nature.

Psalm 9:10

And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 145:18

The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Deuteronomy 4:31

For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.

Psalm 5:3-4

O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning [I direct my prayer to you]* and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.

*This is taken from the alternative translation from the ESV bible in the foot note.

The missionary’s message is the limitless importance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, and a missionary is someone who is immersed in the truth of that revelation.

–From Os Chambers for today.

I was listening to an album of hymns this morning and came across this one. I caught myself almost in tears as I grasped the truth and beauty of the words. Praise the Lord, for He love us so. (I especially love the last verse.)

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love, so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

(The album I was listening to was by Ascend the Hill and was a free download from Come & Live. Listen and download it if you’re interested.)

1 John 5:4-5 ESV

For reveryone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The way that the Christian experiences victory in life (power over sin, peace in turmoil, hope in despair, etc) is by faith in God. Our mighty God is always ready and willing to provide for us, but often we don’t believe and therefore we don’t ask and we don’t receive.

So, the challenge we have is whether or not we will believe our God. Do you believe He is able to provide? Do you believe that in His love He is willing to provide? If so, they what are you waiting for before you trust Him?

Later on in the same chapter, John writes this:

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Take courage, ask, and believe!

Psalm 18:3

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

My God is worthy of praise. When I call on Him, he will save me because of his love and grace. This gives me great hope and courage.