Worship

Sometimes the words from the Word are enough…

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:1–17)

…enough because Jesus is enough. Always.

PRAY: Today my heart is filled with the wonder of God, not because of any special event, or even a good night’s sleep — or even the delightful dream in which I signed up for piano lessons. Jesus, I love You, just because. You are the Lion and the Lamb, my shelter in the time of storm, my joy in a weary land. Today You give me great rest in You, my great Savior and God. Thank You.


 

Jesus died for all

By now, anyone who reads Fortner’s devotionals along with my devotional posts will know that I cannot accept some of what he says. I agree that salvation is by grace through faith and that everyone who believes is drawn to that faith by God. I believe we cannot save ourselves because we will not. Sin ruined our ability to say yes to Him and that is why He must save us.

I agree also that God is sovereign, and in sovereignty gave the first people the ability to choose. They did not yield to what He said, bringing sin into the world and with it, the loss of choice. All humanity is born sinful (resisting God) and without the ability to save ourselves or even call out to Him for mercy. Sin keeps us from God, so God reaches out to us. However, He will not force salvation on anyone who says no to His existence, or refuses to acknowledge their sinfulness.

I also believe that when God reveals truth to us, we must respond. He reveals that He exists. Saying yes brings more revelation from Him, gradually leading people to the Cross and to faith in Christ. I also believe that no one can take any step toward God without God’s grace enabling them. Without Him, people cannot save themselves. The good news from the Bible is that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and whosoever will may come to Him.

However, Fortner says Jesus died only for those who believe. He uses many verses to verify this, yet omits those verses that do not. This seems like attempts to align opposing ideas (God’s sovereignty vs. the will of man) by picking sides. We have no ability to save ourselves, but Fortner also says if Jesus died for all, then all would be saved and since that does not happen, then Jesus did not die for all, but only those who believe.

Today’s devotional adds another thought that surprises me. I’ve never heard this before . . . 

“If Christ died only for a specific people, how can I know that he bore my sin and died for me? I know that Christ died for sinners and I know that I am a sinner. I know that he died for every sinner who believes on him and that all who believe on him will be saved, because God said so. Now as a guilty sinner I do with all my heart trust the Lord Jesus Christ as my only and all-sufficient Savior. Since I trust him, I know that he died for me. Will you trust him too? If you can, then he died for you.”

Is this reasoning backwards? ‘Since I trust him, I know that he died for me . . . . If I can trust Him, then He died for me.’ Isn’t it biblical to say that “Since He died for me, therefore I trust Him”?

Faith is not about itself, but its object. It is about trusting Jesus; who He is and what He has done. He died for my sin — my ability to believe it does not make it true for me and not for others. This illogical reasoning puts salvation in my court. It says that whether or not Jesus died for me a matter of my choice. But I don’t make Him Lord by my faith; He IS Lord, whether I believe it or not!

King David expresses well what God does — and how he and others respond to Him.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:1–17)

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You are my Lord and Savior who delivers me from sin. I know this is true, not because my faith makes it true, but because Your death on the Cross for the sin of the world is a fact. Your grace and mercy are available to me and to everyone. Our response is vital, yet without Your unconditional love there would be no revelation of Your grace, no great mercy made available, and nothing to respond to.

Messages from the Lord . . .

Deuteronomy 26:1–27:26, 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1, Psalm 40:1–17

Sometimes I read these passages with a teacher’s mind, trying to sort them out and write the connections. Sometimes I read them with praise as I see the wonders of God and His Son Jesus Christ. Sometimes I read them and am struck with the way God gets into my head and heart and tells me what to do with a problem, or how to deal with the events of the day and the issues of life. Today, God was giving me good advice. First the verses, then His word to me . . .

“And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 26:5–10)

When I pray, I usually start with worship or confession, praise or keeping short accounts. This passage suggested that I begin with a rehearsal of my spiritual journey, remembering what I was before being delivered from slavery to sin, and how God brought me out of that and into a new life. After that, He says to yield to Him all that He has given me, setting my life before Him in worship. What a great idea, so that is how I began when praying today.

“Then you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.” (Deuteronomy 26:13)

This one speaks for itself, except I spent a bit more time on the way He says to divide actual offerings. It could be money, but also time, intercession, and other sorts of ways to give a blessing to people in need. The list says the Levite, which I interpret as the men of God who give their lives to serve me; my pastors and others who minister the Word of God to me in various ways. Then the list says the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. Orphans and widows I understand, but needed to think more about sojourner. My current online professor gave a definition last week. This is more than a traveler. He says “resident alien” is a good translation except for our sci-fi connotations. It is someone from a foreign place who lives here and has been made welcome. There are many sojourners in our neighborhood. This list gives me good instructions!

“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 6:16–7:1)

An idol is anything I put my trust in or care about when it should be Jesus. This happens. I hear you, God.

“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.” (Psalm 40:8–10)

Praise is never intended to be a ‘closet’ prayer. God’s Word is clear that when He blesses me, I am tp speak of it aloud and to His people. Today, I did that several times with several people. As I post this tonight, may it go out to an even ‘greater congregation’ and encourage each one to also trust the Lord and rely on His steadfast love and faithfulness.