The Gospel in 6 (or 3) Words

In Is 53.11 this morning where Isaiah writes: And he shall bear their iniquities. 6 words. Six words that contain the whole of the gospel, the whole message of redemption. In Hebrew it is three words. Implicit in this statement is the fact that 1) People have iniquities; 2) That someone needs to bear the punishment for their iniquities; and 3) That the Suffering Servant is able to bear their iniquities. The whole of the gospel of redemption, in three words.

"How kind the LORD is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours!" - Ps 116.5

A good example of why I love the NLT, especially in the Psalms. If our own lives aren't saturated with praise in the way that the writers of the Psalms were, then reading this will leave us dry, dead, and lifeless. This kind of expression comes, not from a life free from trouble, but from a life drenched with relationship; with pursuit of our God. This relationship sustains us through the vagaries of live. May my life cry out that our God is kind, good, and merciful!

- "Grace is the glory of God, not the merit of him who has been freed." Prosper of Aquitaine

Sobering Words Indeed

Revelation 20:15
15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

In Rev 20.15, this morning where we find the above sobering words. No room for squirming or arguing or debating, if your name is not found in the book of life, you will be thrown into the lake of fire. Whether it is a literal or figurative fire is the least of my concerns. The point to take under consideration is that the Scriptures describe it as a lake of fire. That is all I need to know. I choose Jesus Christ and him crucified for my sins.




- "Grace is the glory of God, not the merit of him who has been freed." Prosper of Aquitaine

Location:MEM

I Will Carry You

In Isaiah 46.3,4, this morning, a favorite passage. Precious promises from the Lord to his people here. I have carried you from before your birth. I will carry you. I will save you. To your old age. I will.

You're Gonna Worry

"Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Pet 5.7)

I'm studying through 1 Pet 5.6-11. In verse 7 Peter makes the assumption that we are going to have anxieties and worries. He doesn't say IF you have anxieties because he makes the (correct) assumption that you ARE going to have them, which he himself obviously had.

I like that. The Scriptures never assume that we are or have to be super saints. God understands who we are. He understands our weaknesses. He does not call us to perfection, he calls us to follow as we are, with our shortcomings, weaknesses, and anxieties.

Yep. You are going to have worries. Take them to the right place.


- "Grace is the glory of God, not the merit of him who has been freed." Prosper of Aquitaine

A Politically Incorrect God

I'm reading in Isaiah 34, today. The language and imagery is, shall we say, a little difficult for the modern ear to take: “For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.” (Is 34:5–6 ESV). Do you see what I mean?

God seems not in the least concerned about appearing politically correct, nor for our approbation of his actions. I like this, even though I do not understand it. If we understood everything about God and could pass judgment on all his actions, then we would have a genie for a God. I do not want a genie for a God. I want God to be God, and for him to be God, there will be times when I do not understand his actions, or his words. This is one of those times.

I am happy to worship a God whom I do not fully understand, because the alternative is to either a. create a God in my own image who is politically correct, or b. live in a world with no meaning, not ultimate foundation for morality, and no ultimate purpose. I do not want to live in that world, and do not believe we are in that kind of world.

As Mr. Tumnus said to Lucy in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe: "He (Aslan) is not a tame lion, but he is good."

The Lord our Mighty One

21 The Lord will be our Mighty One.
He will be like a wide river of protection
that no enemy can cross,
that no enemy ship can sail upon.

In Isaiah 33.21, this morning, reading it in the NLT. I am loving the NLT! It helps to read in a version of the Bible that I have not read very much because it helps me to read with "new eyes."

When God brings peace to his people, he will be a "wide river of protection" for us, our guardian, our protector, our peace, our Mighty One.

Promises to rest in.


- "Grace is the glory of God, not the merit of him who has been freed." Prosper of Aquitaine