I've been singing this song for Alice's family and friends all day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comfort those who mourn in Zion,
Comfort those who weep alone.
Holy Spirit, pour Your oil
Holy Spirit, come.
I cry out to You for help
My soul is bowed in sorrow
Will I ever see Your face again
Will there be some hope tomorrow?
Comfort those who mourn in Zion
Comfort those who weep alone
Holy Spirit pour Your oil
Holy Spirit come.
I will comfort those who mourn o'er their sins
I will heal the broken-hearted
I will defend and protect
what is precious to you,
I will pour my oil in Zion.
Will you be my hiding place
In the midst of the raging storm?
Will you be my guiding light-
there is darkness all around...
Comfort those who mourn in Zion
Comfort those who weep alone
Holy Spirit pour Your oil
Holy Spirit, come.
I will come to you in the darkest of night
I will come whenever you call
I have loved you my child with an unfailing love
I will comfort you in Zion
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Wisdom and Folly
I was reading in my Mother's journal about Solomon.
She was saying that she always wondered how such a wise man
could have fallen so far. Then she read his words in Ecclesiastes,
"I set my heart to know wisdom and folly."
She thought that this mixture of seeking caused his downfall.
I've been thinking about this.
In the garden of Eden,
God forbade them to eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
They knew only good and He wanted to keep it that way.
The apostle Paul exhorted the Christians
to be innocent about what was evil
and knowledgeable about what was good;
to think on the things that are true, noble,
just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous,
and praiseworthy.
Yesterday,
I heard the story of an acquaintance of ours
who grew up in the "church"
and has a believing wife
and several small children.
Awhile ago, he began going into chat rooms
with atheists to argue for the case
of Christianity.
Recently,
he called his friends and family
and said, "You're wasting your time.
There is no God."
When I heard about this yesterday,
my heart went out to him
and I thought about the recent events in his life
that may have made him vulnerable to
the thought 'There is no God.'
But then,
I read my mother's journal.
If the wisest man in the world
could not withstand the pursuit
of the knowledge of folly,-
for the fool says in his heart,
there is no God,-
how can any of us
enter into folly's chat room
and expect to come out of that room
with wisdom as a trophy?
But our hearts still go out to him
and I know the Great Shepherd's
heart goes out to him, too.
She was saying that she always wondered how such a wise man
could have fallen so far. Then she read his words in Ecclesiastes,
"I set my heart to know wisdom and folly."
She thought that this mixture of seeking caused his downfall.
I've been thinking about this.
In the garden of Eden,
God forbade them to eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
They knew only good and He wanted to keep it that way.
The apostle Paul exhorted the Christians
to be innocent about what was evil
and knowledgeable about what was good;
to think on the things that are true, noble,
just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous,
and praiseworthy.
Yesterday,
I heard the story of an acquaintance of ours
who grew up in the "church"
and has a believing wife
and several small children.
Awhile ago, he began going into chat rooms
with atheists to argue for the case
of Christianity.
Recently,
he called his friends and family
and said, "You're wasting your time.
There is no God."
When I heard about this yesterday,
my heart went out to him
and I thought about the recent events in his life
that may have made him vulnerable to
the thought 'There is no God.'
But then,
I read my mother's journal.
If the wisest man in the world
could not withstand the pursuit
of the knowledge of folly,-
for the fool says in his heart,
there is no God,-
how can any of us
enter into folly's chat room
and expect to come out of that room
with wisdom as a trophy?
But our hearts still go out to him
and I know the Great Shepherd's
heart goes out to him, too.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sufficiency
It is my opinion that Paul's letters to the Corinthians contain some of his best teachings.
Today I noticed the word 'sufficiency.'
According to Webster,
sufficiency means that we have an ample amount
of what is needed; an adequate supply.
Ample means large in size, scope; more than enough; abundant.
11 Cor. 3:5 says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant..."
So, through God's sufficiency working in us, we are sufficient as ministers of the law of the Spirit which gives life. We have more than enough and an abundant supply because of His power that works in us.
11 Cor 9:8-(My husband has been soaking in this one for days. I heard him saying it to himself as he put on his boots the other morning.) "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency for all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
Again, it is His grace that abounds toward us that will give us everything we need to complete the good works we are called to do.
11 Cor. 12:9-"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Yet again, it is His power resting on us through His abundance of grace,
working best in our weakness, which reveals the perfection of His strength.
One of Paul's final exhortations to the Corinthians was this in 11 Cor. 13:11b-"Become complete."
I love that. How do we become complete? Through His sufficiency. Is Christ sufficient? Is He lacking in anything? What does it mean to have Him as our portion? We try so hard, don't we? But He has given us rest from our labors because it is His sufficiency that does His work through us. We are not sufficient and we need His grace.
With our nothingness and His fullness, we will have sufficiency in all things.
We will be complete.
Today I noticed the word 'sufficiency.'
According to Webster,
sufficiency means that we have an ample amount
of what is needed; an adequate supply.
Ample means large in size, scope; more than enough; abundant.
11 Cor. 3:5 says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant..."
So, through God's sufficiency working in us, we are sufficient as ministers of the law of the Spirit which gives life. We have more than enough and an abundant supply because of His power that works in us.
11 Cor 9:8-(My husband has been soaking in this one for days. I heard him saying it to himself as he put on his boots the other morning.) "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency for all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
Again, it is His grace that abounds toward us that will give us everything we need to complete the good works we are called to do.
11 Cor. 12:9-"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Yet again, it is His power resting on us through His abundance of grace,
working best in our weakness, which reveals the perfection of His strength.
One of Paul's final exhortations to the Corinthians was this in 11 Cor. 13:11b-"Become complete."
I love that. How do we become complete? Through His sufficiency. Is Christ sufficient? Is He lacking in anything? What does it mean to have Him as our portion? We try so hard, don't we? But He has given us rest from our labors because it is His sufficiency that does His work through us. We are not sufficient and we need His grace.
With our nothingness and His fullness, we will have sufficiency in all things.
We will be complete.
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