Stalida Sea StormbyNat Pikozh
Beloved,
What a whirlwind of a day..I’m weary. It feels good to sink into His Word so I’ll dispense with the normal and dive in. I need to meet with my God..come join me..
First allow me to quote Charles Spurgeon…
Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, a a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead. —Charles Spurgeon, quoted in J. I. Packer, Knowing God(InterVarsity Press, 1993), 17.
I’m lifting my head. If my Noah was here, I’d pull out my earplugs. He’s a HUGE Mandisa fan. (What you learn about him…HA!) I gotta find a way to get him to a concert. He actually got me hooked onto her music. And what’s funny..TobyMac got him hooked onto her! 🙂
So, I lift up my hands. I lift them up.
This next song…I’m listening..I’m listening Lord Jesus…you’ll find it on this site. It’s called Speak To Me by Geoff Moore. My husband can tell you what a huge fan of Moore I am (does that make sense?). Mercy…
Romans 12
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
I [Paul] appeal to you…
…to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc. Paul even goes so far as to beg..
in view of [all] the mercies of God…
…compassion, pity, mercy a) bowels in which compassion resides, a heart of compassion b) emotions, longings, manifestations of pity. Consider with me: His mercies.
4 But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great andwonderful and intense love with which He loved us,
5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).
6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness andgoodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved ([c]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), [d]recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties]… How Paul weaves together his words and his sentences..I love it..well, let me correct..the Lord’s words. God we love YOUR Word! (BTW, I’m listening to TobyMac and Mandisa rock it out on Pandora now and I’m singing with ear buds in. It’s driving the kids a bit batty. 🙂 ) The word dedication, or presenting…metaphor. i.e to bring into one’s fellowship or intimacy,to present (show) by argument, to prove, to stand beside, stand by or near, to be at hand, be present.. of your bodies..well, bodies, beloved, means the body both of men or animals and the animals as if in sacrifice…make sense? Well, to bring the untidy strings into a neat bow, hopefully, Paul is saying, present/dedicate your body which is a sacrifice. You are a sacrifice. (And we haven’t even gotten to the next part yet..) He’s already saying to give your body up! Let it go to the Author and Finisher of your faith.
Part 2…tomorrow. Love you..
Calm sea, Broadands beach, Torbay The cloud cover creates a sheen across the relatively still waters of the bay.by Tom Jolliffe
Pray on…
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