"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16
Today, as usual during Sunday Service in church, we all come to a time of Holy Communion. This time I hold the cup in my hands as always. The bread in another. There is someone leading the Holy Communion and I was waiting for the person to finish. The communion cup was a small transparent sized cup and I noticed my own fingers holding the cup. I saw my fingers through the crimson drink within the communion cup. For a moment it struck me. This is how God sees me, through the crimson blood of Christ. My sins, my shames, my guilts, all cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and God look at me with eyes of grace through the blood of Christ. Blood shed in Calvary to seal my pardon that I can come blameless before God. It was a meaningful communion, partaken meaningfully, remembering what Christ has done.
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:17
The temple of the Holy Spirit, our body. Yet we still have control over our bodies, to do what we would want to do, be it good or bad, the choice on how to use our bodies lies with us. God give us the responsibilities to take care of our own bodies and to direct our bodies and the usage of our bodies. "So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. The Lord intends for us to discipline our bodies and submit it to good usage and for more Godly purposes rather than let our bodies be enslaved to temporal satisfactions that only drains us. That said, the temple of the Holy Spirit is in our bodies yet the Lord does not control our bodies like a puppet, the Holy Spirit exists in us to help us in our spiritual walk with the Lord and helps us to be victorious over the flesh. It helps us not to let the flesh control our mind and spirituality but helps us to use our mind and spirituality to control the body. Apostle Paul mentions this a lot in the book of Acts, Romans and also 1st Corinthians, constantly reminding us of the difference between a spirit led life and the life led by the desires of the flesh. He also mentions a lot on the control of our body and living a life worthy in our body for the calling by which we are placed by God. When we sin, the Holy Spirit in us is grieved. The Holy Spirit in us is the seal and guarantee of the salvation of the Lord.
"Holy Spirit" by Kari Jobe ft. Cody Carnes
There's nothing worth more that will ever come close
No thing can compare, You're our living hope
Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord
Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen, of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free, and my shame is undone
"Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15:1-7
The parable of the lost sheep. Most of us have had been a lost sheep once. Lost in sin. Lost in the things of this world. Lost and directionless in life. Lost and unable to untangle ourselves from that mess that we are in. Lost and most of the times feeling condemned. Often the world outside the sheep pent looked more interesting, tempting and often cheated us and brings our life upside down. It feels us with fear and leaves us out in the open for the foxes and wolves that lie in wait. The sins and temptations, the condemnations and the evilness all flings themselves at us the moment we are out in the open and away from The Shepherd. The Shepherd comes looking for us, knowing what danger we are in, knowing that He needs to find us because we probably cannot find the way back or even sometimes we don't even want to go back because we don't understand the love of The Shepherd, we choose to hide like Adam in the garden after his fall. When you are lost and too confused to get out and the hands of grace just comes in and pulls you out of that situation of being lost and then clothed you with love and warmth, that is a beautiful moment. It is hard to forget such moments because in that moment we get to see the beauty of His Love, the extent by which He will reach out and the extend by which He searches for us even when we run away from Him. The most beautiful moment is He brings us back, when we are all so entangled in our sins and the things of this world, not when we have untangled ourselves. The beauty of His grace, His love is just so great. It brings repentance and conviction, there's totally no condemnation. That's love in the highest standards.
Matthew 28:5-6 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay."
I once had a sheep who asked me. "How do I strengthen the foundation of my faith? Is it by reading the Bible and praying more during devotion?" The typical answer that I would have replied is "Yes" But in reflecting the question, the real question that should be asked is "What really is the foundation of our faith? What is it that compels us to read the Bible and what is it that enables and drives us to pray?" To build the foundation of our faith, it is undoubtedly to read the Bible and to pray often and also to join in the fellowship of the brothers and sisters in Christ. We have come to think of this as the building of the strong foundation, but Bible reading and praying and fellow shipping comes to nothing when we do not understand the very thing that compels us to build these foundations, it becomes routine that happens because our leaders, our parents, our elder siblings and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ ask us to do. The true foundations of our faith is the death and resurrection of Christ. That is really the foundation of our faith, because when we fully understands Christ and what He has done upon the cross, when the reality of the spiritual exchange that was made on the cross dawned upon us, when the significance of how the death cleansed and saved us and the resurrection gives us a victorious choice of life and salvation just strikes the chords of our hearts, when all these happens within our hearts, minds and souls, it just compels us to have a passion and a desire to want to know more of God and to want to go deeper in that relationship with Him and that passion and desire will be the thing that compels us to read the Bible and to pray and to join in the fellowship of the brothers and sisters in Christ. The true foundation of our faith is understanding and really knowing what Christ has done for us upon that cross and living each day based upon that. The strength of the foundation of our faith is not what we do to strengthen the foundation, it is living in what Christ has done for us.
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. " Hebrews 11:1
What is faith? Faith is defined by dictionary as a belief, confidence or trust in a person, object, religion, idea or view despite the absence of proof to support it. Faith is knowing that God is real. That every step that we take in life is watched by a God and knowing our strength to go on living is being sustained by a God. Faith is having that confidence to live out the reality of knowing that God is real. Faith is knowing whenever we do something for God's kingdom and it is challenging us to go deeper and seek to further our relationship with God and in all that we just surrender to God's plans and wills. faith is knowing our security is placed upon the hands of God and not within the mind of ours. Faith is the willingness to live out God's words in our life without hesitation. Faith is learning to lean towards God in everything that we do. Faith is admitting our spiritual helplessness and that our spiritual perfection can only be found in God. Faith is knowing that we believe not in what we see through our eyes but we believe in what we see through our hearts. Faith is putting full trust, hope and assurance. People always say "Dont give up hope", I say the correct term would be "Keep the faith strong".
"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Brian Johnson Live
Deuteronomy 4:29-31 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Seeking the Lord. The desire of entering His sanctuary, feeling His embrace, knowing His presence and drowning in His love. That passion for fellowship with God and before we even seek Him, He already seek us out by sending His son Jesus to die for our sins and bridging a spiritual gap that separated us from Him. Have you ever felt that sometimes seeking God has become only a necessity, that we only seek Him when we are in need? When we fall sick, when bad things happen, when we are out of ways to go, and only then that we remember God. God perfectly knew this for He said "When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him." But how wonderful it will be if we can seek Him not only for His help to answer our prayers and take us out of our distress but seek Him so that we can be with Him, to feel His love, to just be close with Him. How wonderful a life in which we live it in a way that be it mountains or valleys, we go through life with Him the like of just as parents goes through life together with their children through ups and downs of life or that of a husband and wife going through life together, that He become more than just religion or a belief or a place we go to when we are in the downs of our life, but He becomes a part of our life. We often seek many things in life; money, properties, fame, power, knowledge and some of these things we seek is important so that we can live a comfortable life and so that we can be secure in life. The truth of seeking this things is that we often find ourselves seeking for more and more because of unable to fill the emptiness in the heart. true security comes from seeking the Lord. In seeking the Lord, there is fulfillment of joy, peace, strength and love, such things which money, power, fame, properties and knowledge cannot buy or trade with.
Around last year, I went to a youth camp in Singapore. The theme of the camp was "I am Not Ashamed" and the symbol of their camp logo was a diamond. A friend of mine in the camp told me his interpretation of the symbol, "Well, when you have a diamond, you will wear it around with you to show off because it is precious to you. The Gospel is the same as the diamond. When you have the Gospel, you don't keep it, you show it to others." I like the interpretation from my friend.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 "God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?" - quoted from John Stott
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16
"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9)
Indeed, the Spirit of God lives in us when we received Christ and are baptized in water and Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a helper sent to us by Christ in His promise before He goes back to the Father after the resurrection.
"Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear." (Acts 2:33)
A Spirit led life enables us to understand the things of God, to fully grasp the understanding of His Word, to know of His great love, to relate with Him and to reach out to the world that is lost. Without being spirit led, the things of God is foolishness to us. The Spirit helps us know the things of God and helps us grow as a part of the branch that is fruitful in the vine.
"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." (1st Corinthians 2:12 - 14)
In Revelation 2: 29, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Knowing that we have the Spirit of the Living God in us lets us know that we can be victorious over the flesh and that we are led towards greater things that what the world and the flesh has to offer.
Marvelous. Once we quiet ourselves down for a moment and just look at the things that the Lord has done, is doing and is going to do, we just cannot help but marvel at the works of His hands and marvel at how the Lord that created the universe showed so much love to us, a very small dot of His creation compared to the whole universe. The heavens and the earth are His and none can compare to Him. Such is our God, the great and almighty God. Sometimes in life, we just drown in the many things that we face and we live in the shadow of such things in life that troubles us or consumes us. We live in the shadow of such things. Come to think of it, nothing compares to the Lord. If we live in the shadow of such things, then I believe very strongly that we live in the shadow of the Lord almighty and even the thing that overshadows us is overshadowed by the Lord!! Surely the Lord is in control and knows each of our situations. Whatever shadows we live in, that shadow is surely covered in the shadow of the Lord for the Lord is bigger and greater than all things. Whatever situation we face in life, surely we do not fight a helpless battle but we go through the battles and challenges of life together with the Lord watching over us. The Lord created this universe, He surely knows what we go through in this life and He does not give us the easy way out, but He is there to guide us, teach us, disciple us and let us learn and mature through hardships in life.
Psalm 89:1-18
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigues and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. Desiderata was a poem written by Max Ehrmann. The Desiderata poem, a beautiful poem in itself has a controversy in its copyright. It was used by rev Frederick Kates from St Paul's Church in Baltimore for devotional materials where he wrote "Old St Paul's Church, Baltimore A.C. 1692" which caused people to think that the Desiderata poem was found in the church. A court ruling mentioned that Max Ehrmann had forfeited his right to have the copyright of Desiderata protected so that other can use the work gratuitously although later courts ruled in favor of the copyright with the Supreme Court declining to listen to the case. But despite all this confusion on the copyright of the poem, it is a poem that really touches on many wisdom concerning human behaviors and is nicely composed. Cheers to Max Ehrmann.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. Love. A powerful emotion. As disciples of Christ we are asked to love. Because the world understood love and through love we will be known as disciples of Christ. "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1 And Christ asked us to love one another because power and miracles can only so much move mountains and give prophecies but does not move the heart as much as how it moved the mountains if love was not the main ingredient in the power and miracles. Power without love and prophecies without love brings pride to accomplishments of miracles and good deeds done because we boast in our ability to do things and makes us thirst after compliments for the accomplishment of all these deeds done. But power with love and prophecies with love brings humility and lets us boast in the Lord instead of in ourselves, its makes us thirst to long for more of Christ and what He can do through us, not what we can do through Him. Love brings us back to why we do what we do, why we prophesy, why we do good deeds and love lets us surrender to the will of Christ rather than building our own will upon Christ. Love brings us back to the basics and lets us know that before all these, God loved us first, demonstrated through Christ. He loved us first, "Love one another. As I have loved you," that we may learn to love as He did. To experience love first hand from the Lord and pass it on to another.
1 John 4:7-21
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 'All I Have is Christ' by Sovereign Grace Music
“Tough times never last. Tough people do.” (by Robert H. Schuller) Tough times. Everybody has different tough times. Different scales. Different issues. Different consequences. Different impact. Tough times comes in different packages to everyone and has different impression towards everyone. And these tough times have different time scales, some last longer and some shorter but we all know one thing, that it will end at a certain point just like how Job's testing comes to an end and Noah's ark did not have to float on the flood until forever. However, Job didn't go through the testing by hiding in the cave until all the things has been successfully taken and replaced and Noah didn't go through the flood by floating in the air. Job has to watch all things taken and was taunted by his friends and he has to go through it until the restoration by God. Noah has to built the ark, be on the ark and wait until the flood is over. There's no shortcut. There never was. Because shortcuts makes us lazy and we learn nothing out of being lazy. One thing for sure, Job and Noah knew that God is with them as they walk through the heat of their tough times. They held on to God, drew strength from God and hope was alive in their hearts because they know the deliverance of God will come, but they must first go through those tough times and completely trust in God. God's unfailing love also has proven to be the thing that kept King David going through most of his trials. In most of King David's psalms, he often mentions going through those times with God and by holding on to God's refuge and His unfailing love. These people are unshaken, because they know that they have a God that is bigger than the tough times and that God is faithful and in His unfailing love, He will bring us through those tough times and deliver us. Unshaken, not because we are strong by ourselves or because we believe ourselves to be tough. Unshaken, because we know we are not in the battle alone, that we are not helpless in our struggle, God is there for us.
Psalm 16
A miktam of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. We Will Not Be Shaken Lyric by Bethel Music
For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken x 3 (repeat)
Though the battle rages
We will stand in the fight
Though the armise rise up
Against us on all sides
We will not be shaken x 3
For in the hour of our darkest day
We will not tremble, we won't be afraid
Hope is rising like the light of dawn
Our god is for us he has overcome
For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken x 3 (repeat)
All those against him will fall
For our God is stronger he can do all things
No higher name we can call
For Jesus is greater, We can do all things (repeat)
"The cross before me, the world behind me." (Christ is enough by Hillsong) Lead me to the cross, and in saying that does not simply, just be led to Christ only to enjoy His presence and what He has done on the cross, but also to partake in the sufferings of Christ and understanding His death and resurrection, to take up our cross as well, to deny ourselves and live our very lives crucifying the old self to the cross and living the new victorious life in Christ, in which part of the process will include the letting go of certain things we hold dear in this world that contradicts us in our walk with God. Christ said Himself in Luke 9:23-25 "Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" The thing we hold dear might not necessarily be materialistic things, but also can be our certain characteristics, titles, pride, positions and so forth.The other day I read an interesting article online by Jason Brooks on worthy living and this is what he wrote concerning Apostle Paul: "That’s why the Apostle Paul said that he considered his life as “rubbish” (in some translations, “dung”) when compared to Christ. Not his race, or his religion, or his reputation were worth a thing when compared to the Savior. Paul knew that the things that make us human – where we come from, how we were raised, what people think of us – are the very things that separate us from God. And despite his fierce love for each of those things, Paul saw them all as worthless when placed beside the Holy Christ, because it is in Christ that we find life." (by Jason Brooks). So how many of us is ready to become disciples of Christ, to take up our cross as well and follow Christ, to dive deeper in our relationship with Christ, instead of just enjoying His finished works and His presence on the surface only?
Philippians 3:7-1 "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
"Where there was sin your love rushed in, where sin runs deep your grace runs deeper." (Seas of Crimson by Brian Johnson) Easter celebration and Good Friday is around the corner. The sacrifice of Christ, traded places with us, experiencing spiritual separation from the Father and then death, and resurrected again on the third day, that we too may have a new life in Him, a life of victory through Christ. The cross remains as a reminder as to what Christ has done, the amount of pain that He suffered for our sake, both physical and spiritual pain. The cross is an item of punishment, an item used by Romans for a punishment method called crucifixion, a punishment that causes a slow and painful death. Looking at the cross should remind us of punishment, where we should be punished for our sins, but Christ's love for us compels Him to replace us and take our place instead and took that punishment upon Himself and that has brought peace to us. Today, where sin crept into our souls, so does grace which floods into our souls even deeper than our sins and this grace seeks to free us from condemnation and compels us to repentance. "Now here is the connection with the death of Christ. When Jesus died, he secured for us the removal of our deadness, and purchased for us the gift of life and faith. In other words, God’s “great love” could make us alive, because in Christ that same great love had provided the punishment of all our sins and the provision of all our righteousness. (John Piper)"
Isaiah 53 1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
Faster cars. More money. Bigger houses. More power. More influence. More professional skills in sports.More good looking. More branded. In the position of good, better and best, people usually always take themselves to be at just good and always opt for better in the struggle to try and be the best, even if they are at the best at their competition, they will usually just place themselves at good because they will still be searching for better. The search for better in this world sometimes clouds our judgement of many things, disrupt the priorities of our life, reshape our characteristic and all these comes down to creating a hole in our heart, where we can never find satisfaction because there will always be someone who have something better or someone who have better possessions that scratches our heart's jealousy and pulls the covetous out of us. The psalmist mentions in Psalm 73 of this struggle of the heart, but goes to mention that ultimately at the end of the psalm, the psalmist saw that he desires of nothing on earth except the Lord, and this happens when in the middle of the psalm, he entered into the Lord's sanctuary and has his eyes opened. And this should be how it is. The hole in our heart has only one sink stopper and that is the fellowship of the Lord. We all have a hole in our heart, we cant be satisfied with so many things and only when we surrender and enter into His sanctuary can we fully know and understand that He alone satisfies us. He is good, better and the best all three in one and even goes beyond just good, better and best.
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
You Satisfy My Soul by Laura Hackett
You satisfy my soul, You satisfy my soul
You satisfy my soul, With Your love
You make my heart sing
You lift me on eagles wings
Just when I thought that my heart it would faint
You take the darknest night and turn it to shining light
When was the last time that we have all paused and take a moment to just stay amazed at God, just to pour out praises to Him, just to exalt Him. We're so busy chasing after things in life or perhaps it was things in life that was chasing after us and we're busy running from it all. When was the last time we paused to marvel at His fingerprints in our life to praise Him for His hands upon things in our life or we just take a short "Thank You" as the best we give back to God for whatever marvelous works He has done in our life. The psalmist King David wrote the full psalm just to praise God's splendors and praise God endlessly for His love and His works. Not only one psalm but many psalms as well were praises were given when should. Have you ever felt tired serving in church? Tired of doings things and chasing schedules or may be it was getting tired of things chasing you to get done and schedules chasing after you. If it is so, then perhaps, we're so busy chasing after church, so busy building His body, that we forgot to take time off and marvel at the hands that guided us as we build the church, to take time to wonder and praise the works He has done through us in our service to the church. May be it is time to take a pause, step back from the busy life and open our eyes to see His fingerprints in our life, how His hands beautifully guided us and worked for our good and open our mouth to give Him full praise instead of a mere "Thank You".
Psalm 145
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Stay Amazed by Gateway Worship
You are enthroned above the heavens
The earth and all creation bow before You
You are crowned with strength and glory
The angels crying holy all surround You
Forever You will stand
Your kingdom has no end
Oh Holy God
I stay amazed
You are so much than words could ever say
Oh Holy God I pour out my praise
On the One who never ceases to amaze
You are loving beyond measure
Your presence is a treasure I am seeking
You are all consuming fire and I am Your desire and You are mine
