And ye shall

And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
God promises to be found when sought after with our whole hearts. How wonderful then, that it is He who places that longing within us. It is He who gives our hearts of stone to be hearts of flesh. Glory to God that He is merciful to draw us near! Praise to the Lord that He first loved us! Live now as righteous, taking heart in the gospel joy of the Lord!

Sunday, September 7, 2014 The Wisdom of Respect

Sunday, September 7, 2014
The Wisdom of Respect
Titus 3:1-3
Dear Father,
Help me to have respect for rulers and authorities, to be submissive and obedient.
Help me to be ready for any honest work, and to speak evil of no one.
Help me to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy to every one.
Help me not to be foolish, disobedient, or led astray. Help me not to be a slave to various passions and pleasures, or to pass my days in malice or envy, hating others or being hated by them.
In the name of Jesus, the all-wise and blessed Savior. Amen.

For if ye

For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children [shall find] compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God [is] gracious and merciful, and will not turn away [his] face from you, if ye return unto him. (2 Chronicles 30:9)
This verse simply states the wonderful character of the God we serve. He is abounding in grace and compassion as He is faithful to never leave His children. Could there be any better promise? To consider the gracious nature of our God only causes us to rejoice and praise His magnificent name!

For the LORD

For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. (Psalm 37:28)
Eternal is the abundant life of God's people! Praise God forever! We shall be preserved and we shall delight in glorifying God unto everlasting! Hallelujah! Fear no rejection for you are His and all things are bound together for your good. Trust in the incredible love of the Lord and proceed in that same love to preach this gospel of preservation to the ripened fields of the lost!

The LORD taketh pleasure

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:11)
A Prayer: Oh Lord, may there be in our hearts, at the same time, both a reverence of Your majesty and a resting in Your goodness, both a believing dread of Your wrath and a believing expectation of Your favour; not that we must hang in suspense between hope and fear, but we must act under the gracious influences of hope and fear. May our fear save our hope from swelling into presumption, and our hope save our fear from sinking into despair. May we hope in Your mercy, even when we cannot find a particular promise to stay ourselves upon!

-Matthew Henry

And wisdom and knowledge

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, [and] strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD [is] his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)
What a faithful God we serve! By His tender love for us, our incredible salvation is our strength and firm stability. His wealth of infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge affords us the privilege of trusting in God throughout our lives. Surely we worship an awesome and great Lord!

Who gave himself

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)
Our redemption and future life is assured: for Jesus Christ, the Lamb, was stricken down for our sakes and so every spiritual blessing is even now granted us! Christ demanded Himself a people and so He duly paid for one! We are His people! We are His sheep! We are His workmanship! We who believe are assured our salvation for the winning of it lay in the hand of He who has already won it!