wait on Him... Jude 17-23...

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions

of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you,

"In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own

ungodly passions." It is these who cause divisions, worldly people,

devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up

in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep

yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our

Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy

on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire;

to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained

by the flesh.

Jude 17-23 ESV

Another Word on waiting in the last time...

there will be scoffers... worldly... Spirit-less people...

dividers... both in the church... and outside the church...

They will follow their own passions... and not God...

we wait with these people...

and in a way... wait on...

Through holy faith... and Spirit-filled prayer...

we prepare to wait...

offering mercy to doubters...

snatching some right out of the fire... by our love and witness...

showing fearful mercy... to those whose garments are stained...

remembering to love the person... but hate the sin of the flesh...

Through faith and prayer...

we keep ourselves in love with God...

who enables us to love as He does...

to truly love... with Spirit-filled godly love...

and not the perverted sympathetic love of the flesh...

True love sees right from wrong...

let's God define sin...

and hates to see anyone led astray from His Truth...

Love does not allow a child to play in the street...

Love does not allow a brother in Christ to play around with sin...

both deadly games...

We now reside in the last time...

waiting on Him...

How are you at loving scoffers...?

being merciful to the lost...?

offering love to those with ungodly passions?

The temptation I've faced lately...

one pointed out to me recently...

is to check out... back off...

quit offering what I have...

because nobody seems interested...

in Truth... in His Word... in His Way...

As the thought flew threw my mind Why continue...?

He quickly brought to mind His Word...

"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar

or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter

may see the light. ..."

Luke 11:33 ESV

Light... those of us who know Him...

have Him shining in our hearts...

have an obligation... to let Him shine...

share Him with others...

even the scoffers...

the uninterested...

and those who don't want it...

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

That's what we're called to do...

in the last time... in a dark world...

shine with all the faith He blessed us with...

This last time message...

is the last in the series of...

wait on Him...

So now I wait...

to see what's next...

Amen...

remembrance... fresh mercies...

Today... I remember... Your mercies are new every morning...

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Fresh... like that first cup of coffee...

Alive... like the pre-dawn singing of the birds...

New... like the dawning of the day...

Yes... today... I remember Your mercies...
fresh...
alive...
new...

Thank You... Lord... for Your fresh mercies...

unfailing love... and great faithfulness...

What's going on in your life... today...? Can it be seen in a new light... because you remember His fresh mercies...?

mercy triumphs

God includes everyone in the death sentence in Exodus 11:5: "Every firstborn son in Egypt will die." God must do the just thing because He is God, but He balances His righteousness with His loving mercy. He decrees judgment for all sinners; then He provides a way of escape, a kiporah, or covering. While rain falls on everyone, those who have an umbrella do not get wet. For those who seek His way to satisfy the demands of His Law, God provides the blood of the lamb as a covering.

---Ceil & Moishe Rosen, Christ in the Passover

Mercy... fulfilled the law...

Mercy... defeated death...

Mercy... saves...

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:13 ESV

blessed by His mercy...

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, 

whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

 and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psalm 32:1-2 ESV

Blessed... in Hebrew... esher... a word meaning... happiness... blessedness... one resource translates it... to be envied with desire (Theological Wordbook of the OT)... a state of such happiness that everyone wants what you have...

A spirit free... void of the need to deceive... others... Him... regarding sin...

He's dealt with it... we don't have to...

This is the blessing of His forgiveness... the blessing found in His mercy...

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away 

through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; 

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

Psalm 32:2-4 ESV

To keep silent... hide our sins... cover them ourselves... is the way of the flesh...

And [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees...

Genesis 3:8 ESV

But the way of the flesh leads to groaning... the oppressive hand of guilt weighing day and night... strength sapped dry...

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Psalm 32:5 ESV

The pain of godly sorrow... drives us to confession... repentance... and there we find the blessing of His merciful forgiveness...

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 ESV

His mercy on the cross... stands ready... to hear and receive any confession... cleanse any stain...

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you

at a time when you may be found; 

surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; 

you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Psalm 32:6-7 ESV

...let everyone who is godly... know the blessing of His mercy... it is for everyone who is godly... those willing to place their faith and trust in His merciful loving kindness... and follow His Way...

Anyone... may offer prayer to receive His forgiveness and mercy... to receive His shield of salvation... a true hiding place... that preserves us from trouble...

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8 ESV

His mercy comes with counsel... 

instruction... 

guidance... 

in the Way... 

Those who listen faithfully... receive the blessing of His watchful direction...

Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

which must be curbed with bit and bridle,

or it will not stay near you.

Psalm 32:9 ESV

The godly come willingly...

He will not make you follow His Way... 

He will not force you... like a farmer driving an obstinate mule...

Free will... to reject or receive... His mercy... His blessing... 

is the basis of faith... and love...

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

but steadfast love surrounds the one

who trusts in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 32:10-11 ESV

Discover the blessing of His mercy... 

trust in Him... 

know His love...

praise His name...

Blessed... by... His... mercy...

Lord Jesus... open my eyes to the many aspects of Your mercies... fill my life with its enviable blessings... may others see... and be drawn to You... 

connected by His mercy...

The cross... a sign of His mercy... connects us to Him... and to each other...

In the first place [Christ's] union with the [human] race as "the last Adam" began historically at Bethlehem and ended at the cross and the tomb. In it He gathered up into Himself all that was in Adam and took it to judgment and death. In the second place our union with Him as "the second man" begins in resurrection and ends in eternity --- which is to say, it never ends --- for having in His death done away with the first man in whom God's purpose was frustrated, He rose again as Head of a new race of men in whom that purpose will at length be fully realized. ...

The cross is thus the mighty act of God which translates us from Adam to Christ.

---Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

 Jesus... connected Himself to humanity... through incarnation... and from there gave Himself up to death on the cross... to bear our sins...

Through belief... trust... in His work of grace... we are connected with Him...

His cross... our cross...

We know that our old self was crucified with him

in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,

so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:6 ESV

By faith... we know we died with Him...

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,

but Christ who lives in me.

Galatians 2:20 ESV

By faith... we know He lives in us...

Not only that... because of His mercy... we receive the Holy Spirit... and by His Spirit we are connected to all other Believers... becoming the Body of Christ...

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;

and there are varieties of activities,

but the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit

for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 ESV

We remember... the power of these connections... through Communion...

In Communion... we connect with Him... remembering His blood shed for our salvation... and His crucifixion... of which we are a part by faith... destroying the dominion of sin and death in our lives...

Through Communion... each of us gather... eating the Bread of Life... the single loaf broken for us all...

Connected... by... His... mercy... 

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"... Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ..." --- Jesus

Revelation 3:20 ESV

Lord Jesus... keep me attentive to Your mercy that connects...

I don't want to miss... Your invitation to communion...

saved by His mercy...

The reading through of Leviticus has me considering His mercy... and the magnitude of His grace through Jesus... and the provision of blood for atonement... for forgiveness...

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Leviticus 17:11 ESV

All the blood in the tabernacle... a foreshadowing of what was to come... the perfect sacrifice... to end all sacrifices...

God presented [Christ Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement,

through faith in his blood.

Romans 3:25

Each of us... in Christ... should greatly identify with Isaac... and his trek up the hill with his father Abraham...

Isaac carried the means for offering a sacrifice... the wood... the fire... the only thing missing... the offering...

"...but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Genesis 22:7 ESV

Abraham... the father of the faithful... told his son whom he had been commanded to sacrifice... "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering..."

Yet... Isaac found himself bound to the wood... a knife to his throat... about to die at the hand of his father... when a voice said...

"Abraham, Abraham!... Do not lay your hand on the boy..."

Genesis 22:11-12 ESV

Imagine Isaac's relief... his joy... his wonder... at the ram in the bushes... provided for his salvation...

We too... should recognize the provision God made for us... saving us from judgment... and the shedding of our own blood... for our own sins...

We too... should breathe a sigh of relief... a grateful prayer... and offer an obedient heart... to the One who took our place... who saved us by grace...

Jesus... the ultimate Lamb of God... the final sacrifice... the One who came to take away the sins of the world... because of His mercy...

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy...

Titus 3:4-5 ESV

Saved... by... His... mercy...

Do you see it...?

Do you know it...?

Are you grateful for it...?

Father God... help me to more fully comprehend... 

Your mercy that saves... and the provision You've made... 

so I may live my life... in grateful obedience... for Your glory...

This week's readings for The Journey...

Monday                      Leviticus 20

Tuesday                      Leviticus 21-22

Wednesday                 Leviticus 23

Thursday                     Leviticus 24:1 - 25:22

Friday                         Leviticus 25:23-55

do not be deceived... by self...

Thoughts of a loved one struggling... cause me to consider our capacity for self-deception...

This morning's waking thought... Do not be deceived...

Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside). [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality), will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:7-8 Amp

We deceive... and delude... self... when our professions of faith are only words... no heart engaged... no surrender... to His will and way...

Sowing to the flesh... to our sensual nature... we reap only destruction...

And I see a misunderstanding... by which we often delude self... a truth about His nature... often misconstrued...

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 103:6 ESV

Yes... He is... slow to anger... merciful... gracious...

Self-deceit begins... when we mistake His slowness of anger... as acceptance of our worldly ways... or believe Him indifferent... when we wander...

Hearts grow hard... as sin... and sowing to flesh... continues... conviction suppressed... no immediate consequence experienced... when His quiet voice warns... 

Self... unwittingly... mocks Him... 

No... do... not... be... deceived...

You will reap what you sow... what you bury in your heart... in the secret place... it grows... it manifests... and growth... takes... time...

Consider with me today... His mercy... grace... and slowness of anger...

Where are you mistaking His grace... for tolerance... acceptance... of what you're sowing in your life...? 

each day... evidence of a diligent God...

The world lives in the changing of the day. The day has its own existence, its own form, its own power. . . . The day was God's first creation, something miraculous and mighty in the hand of God.

---Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days With You

The day... God's first creation... evidence of a diligent God...

The Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Psalm 50:1 ESV

Steady in what He has created...
sunup... sundown...
morning... evening...
each promises to follow the other...

Each with a promise of renewal... mercy... grace...

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

A diligent God... steady... earnest... energetic...

Evidence found... in... each... new... day...

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

the name of the Lord is to be praised!

Psalm 113:3

How will you praise Him today...?

as one snatched from the fire...

The elder-in-law... one year and fourteen days... from his step of faith... became separated from his body... temporarily separated from us... through death...

For more than three months now... he's been full-time in a nursing home... his decreasing mobility demanding more... than what we could do...

Last night... as my husband shared the news... of his dad's death... I wondered... Lord... is he with You...?

My failure to disciple well haunted... his decreasing mental state made me wonder... Did he know You...? as best he could...?

I let the question sit...

A short while later... in the midst of another conversation... my husband sharing other aspects of his day... an impression came... the elder-in-law free... for the first time in a long time... from anxiety... fear... all that bound... tears welled...

In the duty of sharing the news with a son... the son said... He's home... that's where he wanted to go...

Yes... the 93-years... he made it... home...

November 19, 1920 - December 5, 2013

Trusting Him...

Be merciful to those who doubt;

snatch others from the fire and save them;

to others show mercy, mixed with fear...

Jude 23

[Related fare...

eternity

more opportunities to trust

growing old

an unbelievable... thanksgiving grace... ]

grateful... for daily...

Our God... He is daily... in His provision...

Give us today our daily bread.

Matthew 6:11

in His mercies...

Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:23 NLT

in His bearing of burdens...

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

Psalm 68:10

Father God... thank You for dividing our days... 

into morning and night... 

Thank You for daily reminders... 

and evidence of Your grace... 

Thank You for each evening rest... 

and every morning... afresh... with Your mercies...

James 2: thoughts... part 5

Read James 2

A transition... two sentences... seemingly singular ideas... yet in the memory work... in the reciting... again and again... a connection developed... for me...

For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn't shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

James 2:13-14

HCSB

The truth that... the one who hasn't shown mercy... does not receive mercy... jumping to... what good is it... to have faith without works... leads to a leap... 

MERCY... A WORK OF FAITH...

A word I've interpreted only as an emotion... a noun... I now see... as a verb... 

Real mercy... works... clothing the naked... feeding the hungry... caring for the sick... holding those who mourn... visiting prisoners... pouring out grace on the lost... treating all as bearers of His image...

A thought that has changed my perception of mercy... it not only feels... it works... by... faith...

James 2: thoughts... part 2

Read James 2

There are phrases in James... that are hard for me to get a handle on... the meaning elusive...

The exercise... practice... of memorizing... sets the words in my mind... they slip off the tongue... sounding like they have deep meaning... which they do... but I don't necessarily get it... yet...

Asking God to explain the bits that seem odd... and waiting with an ear open... He gives insight...

One such verse...

Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.

James 2:12

HCSB

The slippery... judged by the law of freedom... knowing this... how should it make one speak... and act...?

Maybe this is straightforward to you... but to me... not so much... until... it just came... an epiphany... by God's grace...

...the law of freedom... it's the law that sets us free...!

It is only within the law that we find freedom... God created us... He knows the way we are meant to live in order to be happy... joyful... filled with life... and it is within the boundary of His law...

I run in the path of your commands,

for you have set my heart free.

Psalm 119:32

I walk about in freedom,

for I have sought out your precepts.

Psalm 119:45

Speak and act... as those who will be judged... by the law of freedom...

How should this truth... make us speak and act...? 

With grace... mercy...

Anyone... outside the law of freedom... is in bondage... a slave to sin...

Do you see...?

Freedom is only found in God's Way... anyone outside that Way is lost... wandering in darkness... bound...

Speak and act as those who will be judged

by the law of freedom!

The law of freedom says... love your enemy... pray for them... feed them ...

Those who know the law of freedom... who walk within it... know the freedom... and look with pity on those outside... thinking... What are you doing to yourself...?  Come in... come under... this is where true freedom is... joy... peace...

We will not draw those outside by judging harshly... legalistically... with condemnation... but only with grace...

And those who have truly come under the law... know that... they know how He wooed... called... brought us so grace-fully... into the law of freedom...

You see Him... throughout the Gospels... doing the same thing... socializing with sinners... healing on the Sabbath... touching... reaching out to... the unclean...

It was these acts of mercy... compassion... that sent Him to the cross... by those who were religious... legalistic... they killed the One who came to fulfill the law... yet all they saw was Him breaking it...

Speak... act... as those who will be judged... by the law of freedom...

For judgment is without mercy

to the one who hasn't shown mercy.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:13

HCSB

(my emphasis)