Hello everyone. Welcome to spring!! This week let us go even further into our study on repentance by doing the Repentence III study along with Pslam 130.
From the depths to the heights! Hello again. I am going to try to remember where I was last night when my message disappeared.....It was when I came to the question of my experience of repentance that I began to think back to the year after Mac died. There came a time when I called out to God that I did not want to be this bitter , distraught, despairing woman who did not know who she was anymore . The result of that was a very real and delightful revelation of the presence of God in my life . His presence was so very real, and beginning at that time he has given my life meaning and a reason to be here without my Mac. The peace and joy he has given me guarantee his presence in my life as I know they are not of me .
It was only recently that I actually saw my call out to the Lord as one of repentance . TK says that the first sign of true repentance is that it breaks through to a greater joy and that certainly happened, and is still happening in my life .
This study has once again reminded me that I can count on the covenant , promised love of God. It is funny that I could not get this message to go last night because today there were some more insights! I watched the #8 DVD for the P.Tripp study on marriage today as a prep for my lesson tomorrow evening . I John4: 7-21 was one of the main passages he used here . Vs 19 is a key verse . “We love him because he first loved us”. Paul says we suffer from identity amnesia. - we forget who we are and all the richness (2Peter 1:3-11) given to us . Jesus did not die just for our future ;he died for the here and now . PT says we should wake up every a.m. saying ‘I cannot believe how much I am loved. I am loved ! I am loved ! I am loved ! If I am a Christian I am dramatically loved every single day ! God loves me !
Studying this, this afternoon really spoke to me because I remember a time..the same one mentioned above , when it occurred to me that I would never be loved that much again.(ie Mac’s love and he was no longer here ) The Lord has since shown me how wrong I was about that ! He loves me every day with a glorious , unbounding , beautiful love ! I want this to splash over on others in my life ! TK says nothing is more wonderful than Jesus; no riches more valuable than his glory and grace . I love the way these lessons “just happen” (not!) to fit together .
It just occurred to me that this message is my response to what God has done / is doing in my life which is what TK said prayer was all about, at the beginning of our study . Is that neat or what ? If this message had gone last night I would not have had that thought . What a day ! A quote I read recently , said , “that neither skill nor knowledge is required to enable us to go to God ,but just a heart determined to turn to him only ,to beat for him only , and to love him only”.
Thanks for this Joyce. Isn't it wonderful how God reveals Himself to us?! How do people cope without the covenant promise in their hearts---can't imagine it!! The despair and hopelessness would be beyond belief---unless of course, Satan began to deceive with "think positive" statements etc.... We are so indebted to our great and wonderful saviour!! "How deep the Father's love for us. How vast beyond all measure..."
Wow, for a short Psalm #130 has alot packed into it. The one thing that I was convicted of this week in reading this and then T. Keller's take on the answers is that I have become very complacent about forgiveness. What I mean is that I just expect it and move on without regard to my actual soul condition with God. I act like a spoiled child who just expects everything from their parents without a deep gratitude for the gifts that have been given. Yesterday Andrew was very good, in God's providnece, of preaching that very thing. I just keep unwrapping all God's wonderful gifts without always acknowledging the giver. For this I need forgiveness and to be more aware of how deeply affected my life is because of who God is and what He did for me.
Hi Kathy, Reading over your last comments , I am guilty of the same things . I feel that this could be one more price we pay for having too many things in / on our agendas. What say you here ? I love your expression “ keep unwrapping all God’s wonderful gifts” and I also , need to acknowledge the giver more . Thank you for stating this so clearly ....I am not certain this would have convicted me with as much certainty if you had not gone there !
Recently in the Tuesday evening study Paul Tripp asked us to think about what our stories might be like if God was not in them . That is a pretty scary thought for me . He also asked what would our marriages be like without God in them . We must keep in mind that we are not perfect , nor are our stories or marriages but God has come to dwell within us . He made us the place he dwells! How awesome is that and what bountiful hope it gives us !
4 comments:
From the depths to the heights! Hello again. I am going to try to remember where I was last night when my message disappeared.....It was when I came to the question of my experience of repentance that I began to think back to the year after Mac died. There came a time when I called out to God that I did not want to be this bitter , distraught, despairing woman who did not know who she was anymore . The result of that was a very real and delightful revelation of the presence of God in my life . His presence was so very real, and beginning at that time he has given my life meaning and a reason to be here without my Mac. The peace and joy he has given me guarantee
his presence in my life as I know they are not of me .
It was only recently that I actually saw my call out to the Lord as one of repentance . TK says that the first sign of true repentance is that it breaks through to a greater joy and that certainly happened, and is still happening in my life .
This study has once again reminded me that I can count on the covenant , promised love of God. It is funny that I could not get this message to go last night because today there were some more insights! I watched the #8 DVD for the P.Tripp study on marriage today as a prep for my lesson tomorrow evening . I John4: 7-21 was one of the main passages he used here . Vs 19 is a key verse . “We love him because he first loved us”. Paul says we suffer from identity amnesia. - we forget who we are and all the richness (2Peter 1:3-11) given to us . Jesus did not die just for our future ;he died for the here and now . PT says we should wake up every a.m. saying ‘I cannot believe how much I am loved. I am loved ! I am loved ! I am loved ! If I am a Christian I am dramatically loved every single day ! God loves me !
Studying this, this afternoon really spoke to me because I remember a time..the same one mentioned above , when it occurred to me that I would never be loved that much again.(ie Mac’s love and he was no longer here ) The Lord has since shown me how wrong I was about that ! He loves me every day with a glorious , unbounding , beautiful love ! I want this to splash over on others in my life ! TK says nothing is more wonderful than Jesus; no riches more valuable than his glory and grace . I love the way these lessons “just happen” (not!) to fit together .
It just occurred to me that this message is my response to what God has done / is doing in my life which is what TK said prayer was all about, at the beginning of our study . Is that neat or what ? If this message had gone last night I would not have had that thought . What a day !
A quote I read recently , said , “that neither skill nor knowledge is required to enable us to go to God ,but just a heart determined to turn to him only ,to beat for him only , and to love him only”.
Thanks for this Joyce. Isn't it wonderful how God reveals Himself to us?! How do people cope without the covenant promise in their hearts---can't imagine it!! The despair and hopelessness would be beyond belief---unless of course, Satan began to deceive with "think positive" statements etc.... We are so indebted to our great and wonderful saviour!! "How deep the Father's love for us. How vast beyond all measure..."
Wow, for a short Psalm #130 has alot packed into it. The one thing that I was convicted of this week in reading this and then T. Keller's take on the answers is that I have become very complacent about forgiveness. What I mean is that I just expect it and move on without regard to my actual soul condition with God. I act like a spoiled child who just expects everything from their parents without a deep gratitude for the gifts that have been given. Yesterday Andrew was very good, in God's providnece, of preaching that very thing. I just keep unwrapping all God's wonderful gifts without always acknowledging the giver. For this I need forgiveness and to be more aware of how deeply affected my life is because of who God is and what He did for me.
Hi Kathy,
Reading over your last comments , I am guilty of the same things . I feel that this could be one more price we pay for having too many things in / on our agendas. What say you here ? I love your expression “ keep unwrapping all God’s wonderful gifts” and I also , need to acknowledge the giver more . Thank you for stating this so clearly ....I am not certain this would have convicted me with as much certainty if you had not gone there !
Recently in the Tuesday evening study Paul Tripp asked us to think about what our stories might be like if God was not in them . That is a pretty scary thought for me . He also asked what would our marriages be like without God in them . We must keep in mind that we are not perfect , nor are our stories or marriages but God has come to dwell within us . He made us the place he dwells! How awesome is that and what bountiful hope it gives us !
Post a Comment