Mercy: A Boundless Sea

 

Tozer was a wise writer... and well used by The Lord...
How often do we just tire of those that we see around us that know they should do better... those that know the truth but want to live for thier own flesh a bit longer... how frustrated to we get with those people when we see them sin openly and don't have a care in the world...
Do we even sometimes think it's not fair...
God is fair... God is righteous... God is never wrong...

We each need to remember as the wise prophet Jeremiah wrote ages ago... 'but most righteous acts are but filthy wrags in His sight...'

God, who is rich in mercy... even when we were dead in sins. Ephesians 2:4-5

"A human being is never really aware of the great boundless sea of the mercy of God until by faith he comes across the threshold of the kingdom of God and recognizes it and identifies it!
My father was sixty years old when he bowed before Jesus Christ and was born again. That was a near lifetime in which he had sinned and lied and cursed. But to him, the mercy of God that took him to heaven was no greater than the mercy of God that had endured and kept him for sixty years.
I recall the story of an ancient rabbi who consented to take a weary old traveler into his house for a night of rest. In conversation, the rabbi discovered the visitor was almost 100 years old and a confirmed atheist. Infuriated, the rabbi arose, opened the door and ordered the man out into the night.
Then, sitting down by his candle and Old Testament, it seemed he heard a voice, God's voice: "I have endured that sinner for almost a century. Could you not endure him for a night?" The rabbi ran out and overtaking the old man, brought him back to the hospitality of his home for the night." Tozer

"Father, You are gloriously patient with mankind. I praise You for that, and I pray that You will prod Your believing children to go out and find those who are on the cusp of belief." Tozer

Until next time,
Jean

More Than a Name

 

It's amazing how the Lord will direct us in our life as we allow... or leave us to wander aimlessly as we try to direct our own...

Have you ever been just so distraught... not knowing what to expect... not knowing which direction to go...

He really does have all the answers... no He doesn't just speak right out loud to us like He did to Moses... today for Christians He talks to us through His Word... the Bible... through others like our ministers, family members, friends... and even through a stranger in the grocery store line...

 

This morning He spoke to me here in my faithful "Morning With Tozer"...

I love to share with all of you His wonderful works in my life... I pray that this will be a testimony to Him... to His ever faithful love for me... even when I stumble and fall... He is always there to pick me up and carry me through...

 

Enjoy His precious promises and love...

 

Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19

 

"There have always been professing Christians who argue and insist: "I am all right—I worship in the name of Jesus." They seem to believe that worship of God is based on a formula. They seem to think there is a kind of magic in saying the name of Jesus!

 

Study the Bible carefully with the help of the Holy Spirit and you will find that the name and the nature of Jesus are one. It is not enough to know how to spell Jesus' name!

 

If we have come to be like Him in nature, if we have come to the place of being able to ask in accordance with His will, He will give us the good things we desire and need. (emphasis minie)

 

We worship God as the result of a new birth from above in which God has been pleased to give us more than a name.

 

He has given us a nature transformed, and Peter expresses that truth in this way: "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4)." Tozer

 

Until next time,

Jean

Today's Idolarty

 

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. Exodus 20:5

"It has been proven often in history that whoever entertains an unworthy conception of God is throwing his or her being wide open to the sin of idolatry, which is in essence a defamation of the divine character.

It is vitally important that we think soundly about God. Because He is the foundation of all our religious belief, it follows that if we err in our ideas of God, we will go astray in everything else.

We would like to believe that there are no longer false gods in the world, but actually we recognize some of them in our own society. What about the glorified "Chairman of the Board" of the modern businessman? Or the storytelling, backslapping god of some of the service clubs? Think of the dreamy-eyed god of the unregenerate poet—cozy, aesthetic and willing to fellowship with anybody who thinks high thoughts and believes in moral equality. We often encounter the tricky, unscrupulous god of the superstitious; and the list goes on!

Thankfully, we have found that to know and follow Christ is to be saved from all forms of idolatry!" Tozer

"Lord, it is definitely a challenge not to be swept up by the latest media craze or the hot-selling electronic gadget or the most recent fitness or diet program. I pray, Lord, that none of these "things" will ever supplant You as the focus and purpose of my life."  Tozer

... The bold emphasis is my doing...
I thought about this and pondered on what forms of idolatry I may be entertaining...
What do I love more than the Lord... although I dare never truly admit it... maybe gardening...
Whatever pulls me away from my time with the Lord can become a form of idolatry.  In today's society we don't offer sacrifices or have burning alters in the parks... but lets truly look into our homes.

What about sports and Hollywood in todays world... I always tend to think of this as such blatant idolatry. The world even calls them teen 'idols'  and sports 'idols'. 

Wake up Christians and look around you with an honest eye of self inspection...
One day we will all stand before the judgement seat of God and we will give account for all the bowing down to the worlds idols that we have engaged in.

Until next time,
Jean 

Getting God in Focus

 

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God. Acts 7:55

Today is Thanksgiving and we do have so much to be thankful for...
This was one of my daily devotions today...
The highlighted verse below was what spoke out to me most.  I thought on it and yes we can get so distracted with the things of the world... with the daily cares that are just a part of each of our lives. We need to remember that our Lord Jesus never walks away from us, He never forgets about us and He most certainly never gets distracted away from taking care of me and you.
We are the ones that wander away and get distracted. We are the ones that put Him on the back burner and think we'll get back to 'that' once this job or that responsibility is over with... 
What really happens is we get lazy and lax in our Christian walk.
But Hallelujah He is faithful and is waiting for our return...

If you have wandered away... if you are lonely and weary from the fight...  If you are standing there looking around thinking, "How did I get to this point?", it's not too late, He is there with out stretched arms ready and waiting for you to return...

The Lord loves a broken and contrite heart... reach out... He loves you.

"While many are busy trying to set forth satisfactory definitions of the word faith, we do well to simply consider that believing is directing the heart's attention to Jesus!
It is lifting the mind to "behold the Lamb of God," and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain.
Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him, the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.
I would emphasize this one great volitional act which establishes the heart intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances He must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. So, faith is a redirecting of our sight, getting God in our focus, and when we lift our inward eyes upon God, we are sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us!" Tozer

"Lord, this morning I pray that the inward eyes of my soul will put You in clear focus throughout this day." Tozer

Today if you will hear His voice harden not your hearts...
Until next time,
Jean

Will It Bloom?

When you walk through the garden, do you ever wonder if they are going to bloom?   Do you look at the beautiful bud and ever even dream it won't open into that magnificant rose you've been waiting to see... to smell... to touch... 

When you wake up in the morning do you wonder if the sun will rise?  Do you go through the day in a haze thinking if it will set?  I've sat on the edge of the lake and watched this magnificant wonder happen several times, and never once did I wonder is it would quit...

These are roses in my pergola garden... I planted it two years ago and they are by far my favorite. One morning as I was strolling through the gardens, this duo caught my eye... it was just perfect... It reminded me immediately of how I feel as I trust that the Lord Jesus is walking by my side...

Last night I doubted... I laid in bed and I questioned... you see my little boy lost his glasses after only a week and we cannot find them. Evan and I held hands and we prayed and asked God to show us where they are... we still haven't found them... I laid in bed last night and questioned why... why wouldn't He answer this little boys prayer...  then this morning he gave me this...

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. Hebrews 3:12

 

"The Bible tells about man's being alienated from and an enemy to God. Should this sound harsh or extreme, you have only to imagine your closest friend coming to you and stating in cold seriousness that he no longer has any confidence in you.

"I do not trust you. I have lost confidence in your character. I am forced to suspect every move you make"—such a declaration would instantly alienate friends by destroying the foundation upon which every friendship is built. Until your former friend's opinion of you had been reversed, there could be no further communion.

People do not go boldly to God and profess that they have no confidence in Him, and they usually do not witness publicly to their low view of God. The frightful thing, however, is that people everywhere act out their unbelief with a consistency that is more convincing than words.

Christianity provides a way back from this place of unbelief and alienation: "He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). God took the wrong upon Himself in order that the one who committed the wrong might be saved!" Tozer

 

"Father, You have pursued us passionately and diligently in order that our relationship with You might be restored. Yet so many have turned a cold shoulder to You. Jesus, I love You and appreciate all that You have done for me and my family and friends." Tozer

 

... we still haven't found them... but I believe with all my heart we will...

this is my testimony... He is faithful,

 

Until next time,

Jean

Problems and Pressures

Problems and Pressures

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35

"Jesus did not promise any of us that consistent Christian living would be easy!
He did not promise a release from daily problems and pressures. He did not promise to take us to our heavenly home on a fluffy pink cloud!
We live our lives in the knowledge of the grace of God, but we dare not forget that our Lord came to die for us and to express the never-changing moral and redemptive will of God for His people.
Before we condemn the Jews of Bible history for their failures, we must be sure that we are not overlooking spiritual and moral shortcomings of our own!
As Christian believers, you and I must be careful about the reasons we give for not heeding God's Word and God's warning from heaven.
Have we taken His grace seriously enough that we have sought forgiveness for spiritual carelessness, indifference and apathy?"  Tozer

"I praise You, Lord, that You have equipped Your true followers to live a moral life in an immoral world. Help me make each day count for Your kingdom, Lord." Tozer

Why do we think that life should be easy and without trials just because we are Christians?
Life is filled with wonders and joy as well as trials and tribulations...
Let us look up to Him is able to keep us from falling...

Until next time,
Jean

 

 

Our Daily Problems

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful. 1 Corinthians 10:13

"Christian believers are wrongly taught if they believe that the Christian life is a guarantee against human trials and problems. If they believe that, they have mistaken earth for heaven and expect conditions here below which can never be realized until we reach the better world above.
There is a sense in which God makes no difference between the saint and the sinner. He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). It is strange that we rarely notice the other side of this truth: that God also visits His children with the usual problems common to all the sons of men.
If we cannot remove our problems, then we must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. We will learn too that problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. Think of our Lord and Savior—He was surrounded by enemies from the moment of His birth. They constituted a real and lasting problem which He simply had to endure for the period of His earthly life. He escaped it only by dying!"  Tozer

"Lord, I pray for Your strength to carry me through the problems I will be facing today. Thank You that Your Spirit is a "resident" Helper in my life." Tozer

This was one of my daily devotions a couple weeks back...
I thought how true this is... It is amazing when we think we are the only ones who are going through something. That is purely the devil that want's us to think that.  he is always looking to discourage us with the daily grind... but The Lord is true, HE is faithful, and He is just. 
He will never give us anymore than we can personally bear, and He is with us all the way... if we seek His fellowship. 
Why do we as Christians think we can just go on our own merry way, with not a thought to Him and what He want's for our lives, and then get upset because something fell apart?
We need to ask ourselves, did we seek Him in this plan? Did we look to Him for guildance?  Did we pray about the sitution?
God never leaves us, it is we who leave Him...
Just like the Isrealites of old, we are not much differnent...
We need to focus on Christ and our walk in this life with Him...
Would I take Jesus with me here or there? Would I listen to this with my Lord & Saviour? Would I say that to Him or in front of Him? 

We need to remember He is always our unseen guest... He is always there and all we do we need to do unto Him...



Oh for wisdom... seek it and ye shall find it...
Until next time,
Jean

 

The World Is Scared

 

My devotions today... thought this would bless many...
The truth of God's word is so enlightening... when we trust and obey He will continually lead and direct our paths...
...but there is that looking up in faith... lifting our heads to Him who will redeam our lost and weary souls as we cry unto to Him that is faithful...
... look up and believe...

Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28

"A fear-stricken church cannot help a scared world; and it needs to be said that surely a fear-ridden Christian has never examined his or her defense!
No one can blame humans for being afraid. Beyond the continuing times of crisis and terror and violence, God has also warned that the world is in a baptism of fire, sooner or later. God has declared this by the voice of all of the holy prophets since time began—there is no escaping it!
Bible-reading Christians should be the last persons on earth to give way to hysteria. We have been given a prophetic preview of all those things that are to come to pass upon the earth. Can anything take us unaware?
We who are in God's secret place of safety must begin to talk and act like it! We, above all who dwell on the earth, should be calm, hopeful, buoyant and cheerful. We will never convince the scared world that there is peace and assurance at the cross if we continue to exhibit the same fears as those who make no profession of Christianity!" Tozer

 

 "Lord, I pray that Your peace will show through my behavior today. Give me an opportunity to help someone who is dealing with fear or pain." Tozer

 

See how the Word show's this truth and gives light to those who seek it...

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJV)
^{1Th 4:13} But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

The Lord is coming to gather His saints home. It could be any moment.

Be ready and watching!

It is a time of joy and comfort for those who are ready.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-12 (KJV)
^{1Th 5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
² For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
³ For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
⁴ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
⁷ For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
⁸ But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
⁹ For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Until next time,
Jean

Confidence in God

 

Our lives here at the farm are filled with days of peace and joy as well as choas and misery...
That probably sounds pretty harsh... but it is the truth. We are all humans here and the trials that some days present to us can seem overwhelming...
That is when I have to look up... to Him who knows... to Him that will never give me any more than I can bear... My trust must be stayed and focused on Him...
I know that I can do all things through him that strengthens me...
But it is ultimately up to me... will I trust? will I obey? will I know and beleive that He means all for good to those that love Him? 
Life's challenges are ever present... life with a family continually presents complexities that we never in our wildest imaginations thought we would encounter... but He did... He knew. 

What we often fail to realize in the heat of it all, is more often than not, we reap what we sow...
and so here is one of my devotions that I recieved this week... as always... He knows...

A few words from wise Tozer...

"If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. " 1 John 3:21

"This is surely one of the great realizations that can come to us in the Christian life—we can put our complete confidence in the God who has revealed Himself to us!

It was a gracious day in my early Christian experience when I realized that it was not in God's character to pounce upon me in judgment. He knows that we are dust, and as our God He is loving and patient towards us.

If it were true that the Lord would put the Christian on the shelf every time he failed or blundered or did something wrong, I would have been a piece of statuary by this time! (Amen!)
It is surely true that God will bring judgment when judgment is necessary, but the Scriptures say that judgment is God's strange work. Where there is a lifetime of rebellion, hardened unbelief and love of sin, judgment will come.

But God watches over us for spiritual growth and maturity, trying to teach us the necessity for fully trusting Him and coming to the place of complete distrust of ourselves.

We have met God and can now say with Paul, "That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7)."  Tozer

Emphasis mine!

Until next time,
Jean

"Our Inner Sights", Tozer

This was one of my devotions this morning...

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord works in my life...
As I seek Him, He will be there... as I ask for spiritual wisdom and discernment, He is there to answer my hearts cry... day after day.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling. Ephesians 1:18

Revival and blessing come to the church when we stop looking at a picture of God and look at God Himself! Revival comes when, no longer satisfied to know about a God in history, we meet the conditions of finding Him in living, personal experience.
Conversely, revival cannot come if we are far removed from God. It cannot come if, instead of hearing His voice, we are content with only an echo!
Put those deficiencies together and you have the reason why we are dissatisfied and empty. You have the reason why there is so little of vivid, vibrant joy in the things of God.
I hold fast to the opinion that our God is ever trying to reveal Himself to us. There is no way for sinful men and women to find their way into God's presence unless He reveals Himself and appears to us. I do not mean that God is trying to appear to our physical eyesight. Rather, He is trying to appear to the eye of our soul through an inner consciousness. Never apologize for your inner eyes! They are the real eyes for discerning the nature of issues important to God." Tozer

"Lord, there are so many difficult but important decisions to make in life. Sharpen the eyes of my inner soul to be able to discern Your presence and guidance in my life." Tozer

Until next time,
Jean

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness." Matthew 5:6

"There is no way that any of us can talk ourselves into getting a "longing for God." Spiritual desire and hunger must come from God Himself! It cannot be whipped up."  Tozer

This was a quote from one of my daily devotions today that struck me. As I thought on this I became so aware of how blessed that I am to have that desire deep within my soul.  So often I have felt as that hart on the mountainside panting after the water brook, my soul has longed after Him.
I remember as a youth, before I would have been a professing Christian yet still knowing and fearing God, although in a different way... I had a longing for Him... I just didn't know how to get to Him.   I remember as a small child talking to Him in the storms. So childish was I when I would ask Him questions and ask Him to answer in one lightening and two claps of thunder... then I would know the deep secrets I was asking of Him... but He always seemed to answer.  He never dismisses a child... one looking to Him for reasurance.   I remember driving after my grandmother died and wondering why... I was angry with Him back then...
...but after a long journey He brought my soul home to Him...
Now my life is a training ground... one where there are valleys and plains along with the mountain tops...  It seems like it's been a long time since I drifted in the clouds... but I know they are there... waiting for me.

"But it is a different story when we consider the spiritual life. No one but God through His Spirit is able to stir up spiritual desire among us. Those who have accepted a common state of spiritual living and have no deep desire for Him will never be stirred by human means." Tozer

Until next time,
Jean

"Christ, the Blessed One", Tozer

Beautiful words to the Christian's ears...
Beautiful words to those that love the Lord...
Here was a devotion that I received awhile ago...

 

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30

"I feel great sorrow for those who read the Sermon on the Mount and then conclude that Jesus was providing a word picture of men and women comprising the human race. In this world, we find nothing approaching the virtues of which Jesus spoke in the Beatitudes.

Instead of poverty of spirit, we find the rankest kind of pride. Instead of mourners, we find pleasure seekers.

Instead of meekness, we find only arrogance, and instead of hunger after righteousness, we hear men saying, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17).

Instead of mercy, we find cruelty. Instead of purity of heart, we encounter corrupt imaginings. Instead of peacemakers, we find men quarrelsome and resentful, fighting back with every weapon at their command.

Jesus said He came to release us from our sad heritage of sin. Blessed is the sinner who finds that Christ's words are the Truth itself, that He is the Blessed One who came from above to confer blessedness upon mankind!

Thank You, Father, for Your open-armed invitation for Your children to cast all of their worldly cares upon You. Lord, teach me how to trust You more deeply."  Tozer.

"Unfair! Unfair!"

Life is full of unfairness don't you think... full of uncertainties and sadness...
Life is also filled with joys unheard of if we allow the unfortunate circumstances to take hold of our minds and our life...
This was one of my devotions this morning and it just fit in this blog...
May we look up in hopes of a new, bright day... one that we will be in Heaven with our Saviour... one that there will be not whiners or scab pickers...
God is in Heaven... all is well!

"Unfair! Unfair!"

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth... neither was any deceit in his mouth." Isaiah 53:7, 9

"Christians who understand the true meaning of Christ's cross will never whine about being treated unfairly. Whether or not they are given fair treatment will never enter their heads. They know they have been called to follow Christ, and certainly the Savior did not receive anything approaching fair treatment from mankind.
In language the word unfair seems altogether innocent, but it indicates an inner attitude that has no place among Christians.
The man who cries "Unfair!" is not a victorious man. He is inwardly defeated and in self-defense appeals to the referee to note that he has been fouled. This gives him an alibi when they carry him out on a stretcher and saves his face while his bruises heal.
It is a certainty that Christians will suffer wrongs; but if they take them in good spirit and without complaint, they have conquered their enemy. They remember that Jesus was reviled—but any thought of His shouting for fair play simply cannot be entertained by the reverent heart!

"Lord, remind me to think of Your example whenever I am tempted to complain that "life is unfair." You suffered the greatest injustice of all; yet You remained silent."  Tozer

Look to Him who loves you so much... He will never leave nor forsake thee...

Until next time,

Jean

God's Saving Grace

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8

"Grace is the goodness of God confronting human demerit. So, grace is what God is—unchanging, infinite, eternal!

This throws light on God's dealings with men and women throughout the Old Testament dispensations and history. It is certainly the truth, and a proper concept for us to hold, that no one was ever saved, no one is now saved, and no one will ever be saved except by the grace of God.

Before Moses came with the Law, men were saved only by grace. During the time of Moses, no one was saved except by grace. After Moses, before the cross, and after the cross, and during all of the dispensations, anywhere, anytime, no one was ever saved by anything but the grace of God!

We can say this with assurance because God dealt in grace with mankind looking forward to the Incarnation and the atoning death of Christ.

If God had not always operated in grace, He would have swept the sinning human race away. This, then, is the good news: God is gracious all the time, and when His grace becomes operative through our faith in Jesus Christ, then there is the new birth from above!"  Tozer

"Thank You, Father, that by Your grace—that is, the death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus Christ—we are saved and restored to a right relationship with You."  Tozer

This was one of my morning devotions today... I thought on how God's grace has always been suffienceint for me... when I fail, He is always there to graciously pick me up... carry me throught the storms and trials of life... He is faithful...

Until next time,

Jean