Psalm 46

"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
"Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold."

We have an awesome, powerful God. Let us serve our awesome God!

He is our strength. He is a shield about us. What can we fear, for God is on our side!

Behold the Lamb

I was having some quiet times this week listening to Keith and Kristyn Getty's new CD, "Awaken the Dawn." I love their song, "Behold the Lamb" (Communion Hymn) which speaks about the sacrifice of Jesus, bearing our sin away on the cross. The first verse goes like this:

Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away,
Slain for us - and we remember
The promise made that all who come in faith
Find forgiveness at the cross.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who "bears our sins away."
"Slain for us." That is a powerful statement. He was slain for us, that we might have life. And now we have a promise, that those who "come in faith find forgiveness at the cross." How wonderful to know that God has provided a remedy for our sin in giving His only Son that we, in faith, might receive forgiveness.

Chorus:
So we share in this bread of life,
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of peace
Around the table of the King.

The body of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Torn for you - eat and remember
The wounds that heal, the death that brings us life
Paid the price to make us one.

His body was torn for us. Isaiah 53:5 says, "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed." The paradox of Christ's death is that He was wounded and we were healed; His death made us alive.
Jesus bought us with His own blood; our freedom is written in red by the One who makes us whole.

The blood that cleanses every stain of sin,
Shed for you - drink and remember
He drained death's cup that all may enter in
To receive the life of God.

He took our dirty, sin-stained, hard-hearted hearts and immersed them in His blood, making us white as snow. He purified us. He drank the cup of death that we might "receive the life of God."

And so with thankfulness and faith we rise
To respond, - and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ
As His body here on earth.
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again!
And we’ll join in the feast of heaven
Around the table of the King

This last verse and chorus really spoke to me. If we know that Christ has died such a death and now He lives again, He calls us to rise "with thankfulness and faith to respond." I think that "respond" is a what stands out to me. He calls us to follow in His footsteps, to reach out to the lost, to rescue to orphan, comfort the widow, and preach the Word, knowing that to live is Christ and to die is gain. And as the song says, we share in His suffering and we proclaim that Christ will come again. Then the reward, to spend eternity with the King of kings. I know that I often fail to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. The more I learn of His sacrifice, the more I see my sinfulness, but also, stronger grows my desire to be changed into His image.

A few weeks ago I posted a something written by Dr. Bob Moorehead. It can be found on "The Way of the Master" website. I was struck by the last line most of all:

"In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:

“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”

O Jesus, You died for me. Help me to live for you. Give me the strength to fight for Your truth and proclaim it with boldness. When You come again, may You know me because my banner had been waving clear and strong. I will know You, as the hymn writer wrote, "by the print of the nails in Your hands." Amen

Matthew 20:20-28

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.
But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to Him, "We are able."
He said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on Me left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.
And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Again I was reminded this week of my Saviour’s humble attitude. The greatest act of love was when the Son of God lay down His life. He drank the cup of death that we may have eternal life. And now He asks us, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” “Are You prepared to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me?” “Are you willing to go to the ends of the earth with My Gospel message that may cost you your life?” The Greatest became the Least. The King became the Servant. The One who deserved glory hung on a scornful cross.

The passage goes on to say,

“As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.
And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened."
Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.”

I am struck by this right now as I read it. We are all born blind. Spiritually blind. There is only one way to see the Light, and only the Light can make us see. He has placed His Light in our hearts and drawn us to its brilliance and splendour. He has caused our darkness to vanish, opening up our eyes to see His glory. He gives us the realization of our own sin and He gives us a remedy: “What do you want Me to do for you?” to which we cry, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” And He, the great I Am, “moved with compassion”, touches our hearts and opens our eyes.

Now what are we to do?

Follow Him.