Just as I am - Purity 580
Purity 580 11/19/2021 Purity 580 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s photo of morning “down by The River” where the Hudson splits into
the Schodack Creek next to State Route 9J comes to us from yours truly as I
stopped for a second from the hectic pace of getting off to work Tuesday
morning to recognize how God has blessed me with a beautiful view that is available
to me 24/7 right outside my front door.
Before I emailed this picture to myself from my phone to my laptop I was
tempted to crop the photo to make it “more presentable”. I thought I should crop out the highway or
the utility pole to highlight God’s creation and eliminate the things of
man.
But then I thought better of it and decided to share it in its unedited
simplicity. This was the photo I took as I was brought to a moment of wonder
and gratitude, and this was what I will share with the world. And
while the highway and the utility pole may not be a pretty part of the picture,
they were part of the overall scene and provide the context and contribute to
the beauty of the photo by contrast if nothing else.
Just like this photo there are parts of our lives that we would like to
edit out of the overall picture of what we show the world. The sins of the past, or present, the
mistakes we make, and the things we have suffered through can fill us with
shame, guilt or embarrassment and make us want to hide that part of our story
from the world.
After all, now that we have come to faith in Jesus Christ shouldn’t we
just focus on the good things in our lives and present a pretty picture to the
world of our victories and “crop out” the details of our lives that are not so
flattering?
I’m not sure what other Christians might say, it makes me shudder to
think what some might recommend in this area quite frankly, but I prefer to
speak honestly about my life and how I have not arrived at a state of Christian
perfection to encourage others that Christianity is the faith of the redeemed.
Christians didn’t do anything in and of themselves to earn the
revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ when they saw the light and made Jesus
their Lord and Savior and Christ didn’t require any of us to clean up our acts
before He saved us. He welcomed us into His grace and God’s kingdom just as we
were.
After I got saved I was still ensnared in the throws of addiction and I
took great comfort in the fact that God accepted me just as I was, that He knew
all about me and chose me anyway.
In the early days of my salvation I enjoyed watching old Billy Graham
crusades on TV and was delighted by Graham’s use of the song “Just as I am”
because it acknowledged that God welcomes us into His family knowing full well
who we are.
So today on this Friday, I am happy just being who I am in Christ and
thought I would share the lyrics to that song, the Mahalia Jackson version
according to Google (and will do my best to not break down emotionally as I
recite them on the podcast!)
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God, I come! I come
Just as I am, though tossed
about
With many a conflict, many a doubt
Fighting and fears within without
O Lamb of God, I come, I come
Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot
O Lamb of God, I come, I come
Just as I am, poor, wretched,
blind
Sight, riches, healing of the mind
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve
Because Thy promise I believe
O Lamb of God, I come, I come
Because Thy promise I believe
O Lamb of God, I come, I come
Billy Graham - "Invitation" -Just As I am
So as we enter another Friday, let’s thank God for the day and for
sending Jesus Christ to redeem us and to make us new and for accepting a “wretch
like me”: Just as I am.
Today’s Bible verses
are drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verses are:
Psalm 19:9-11 (NLT2)
9 Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws
of the LORD are true; each one is
fair.
10 They are more desirable
than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey
dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your
servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
Today’s verses speak of our reverence for the Lord and highlight
the purpose and immeasurable value of the word of God.
The first commandment of the ten Commandments in
Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
3 You shall have no other
gods before Me.
and the first and
great commandment from Christ Himself in
Matthew 22:37 (NKJV) says
37 …, "'You
shall love the LORD your God with
all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
So if we do nothing else as Christians, we should love the
Lord and have reverence for Him, for all He has done and for all that He is.
In the world that is corrupted by sin, the one pure thing
about us, and which can lead us into a lifestyle of purity, is our reverence
for the Lord. The word says our
reverence for the Lord is pure and because His chosen ones are brought in His
kingdom forever, it will last forever.
Here on earth we can show the Lord and those around us that
we have reverence for the Lord by reading, meditating on, and following His
word.
Today’s verses tell us that God’s word, “the laws of the
Lord” and remember that “law” is properly understood from the original Hebrew
to mean instruction, are true, fair, and if are properly understood are more
desirable that the finest gold and are sweeter than the purest honey. And while God’s word acts as a warning to us
His servants, we will be greatly rewarded if we obey them.
So have reverence for the Lord, read His word and obey how He
tells you to live your life. When you do that you come into harmony with the
One who created all things and the
rewards you can experience can be limitless.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work.
B. Why Would God Cause Pain and Suffering?
All too often, pain and suffering are the most effective tools used by God
to mold us and make us into the person He designed us to be. During our
pain-free days, we go on our self-sufficient, carefree way, making a mess of
our lives and distorting the image our divine Designer planned long ago.
But our Maker, who loves us too much to leave us in this misshapen mess,
picks us up with His perfect plan in mind, places us on His potter's wheel, and
puts intentional pressure on us—painful pressure—so that we will adapt to His
design.
Once we are willing to be conformed to His likeness, He does His specialized
work on us, in us, and through us. By respecting His right to us,
realizing His power over us, and resting in His purpose for us,
we will rejoice in His results... regardless of the pressure.
Realize that for you, nothing will ever be more fulfilling than to be
fashioned by God—even if by the tools of pain and suffering—in order to become
the person He created you to be.
"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd
among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are
you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands?'... Yet, O Lord, you are our
Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your
hand." (Isaiah
45:9; 64:8)
God's Purpose for Causing Pain
The
Bible says...
- Suffering—when
we are being disciplined—is a great demonstration of God's fatherly love.
"The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6 ESV). - Suffering
disciplines us—just as children are disciplined—for our good, to conform
us to His character.
"Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness." (Hebrews 12:10) - Suffering—when
we respond the right way—brings us into right relationship with God and
produces supernatural peace.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11) - Suffering
brings glory to God—amazing, spectacular glory—when He performs a
miraculous healing.
"Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.'" (John 11:4) - Suffering
keeps us humble—preventing some of us from becoming conceited. The apostle
Paul said ...
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." (2 Corinthians 12:7) - Suffering
requires us to live our lives being dependent on God's power—we would not
do so otherwise! In Paul's weakened state, the Lord said to him...
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Question: "Why doesn't God heal all those who ask
for healing?"
Answer:
Being a Christian does not prevent one's body from succumbing to illness and
disease. God desires to be glorified in our lives. Sometimes God uses an act of
healing to glorify Himself, and sometimes He uses a particular, ongoing
infirmity to glorify Himself.
- —Healing
is accomplished for some only after death, when God completely heals by
giving that person a new, perfect, and eternal body.
- —It would
be accurate to say that God always heals—but not always when we ask for
healing to occur.
- —Additionally,
if God healed in this life everyone who asked for healing, eventually
everyone would ask and everyone would be healed. Subsequently, all
suffering would cease, and sin would run rampant because God would have
altered the consequences of sin.
Clearly, God does not immediately heal all who ask, but He can continue to
give us grace in our times of need ...
"[Jesus said to Paul] 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I [Paul] will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.
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tomorrow------------------------
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