Author: S.M. Wibberley

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The Unimaginable Suffering

The death of Jesus on the cross was one he shrank back from, so horrendous was the prospect.  In Gethsemane, “horror and dismay overcame him, and he said,…“My heart is ready to break with grief.” (Mark 14:4, NEB).

Three main things brought this horror, and none of them had to do with the excruciating physical pain he would suffer in scourging and crucifixion, or the emotional pain he would suffer in being abandoned and betrayed by his disciples. The horror before Him was far greater than those.

First He was to become sin.  The ugliness, the stench, the squalor, the repulsiveness of sin, these he would become.  Think of being lowered into a pit of liquid manure, its greenish surface roiling with maggots, the stench overwhelming; and as you go down into it, it gets into your eyes, nose, mouth, and then lungs, engulfing you in its terribleness.  This is nothing compared to Christ’s becoming sin for us, the evil of it entering His very being.

Then He was under the righteous wrath of God which had been stored up from the beginning of the world against all the sin ever committed and which would be committed.  The unimaginably immense weight of wrath crashed down on Jesus, breaking and crushing him.

In the third and most painful suffering, Jesus was ripped out of the relationship of the Trinity, the perfect place, the unflawed unity, the beautiful balance, the wonderful warmth that had existed from eternity. As He became sin and had wrath poured upon Him, He could not stay in that intimate relationship with the Father and Spirit.    The fabric of the Trinity was torn, the essence smashed, the unity destroyed. This brought the greatest suffering of His sacrifice, not only to Jesus, but to the Father and the Spirit also.

The amount of horror for Jesus in this experience was immeasurably, unimaginably huge.  It was an infinite suffering borne by an infinite heart of love under an infinite wrath.  And it brought about an infinite solution for finite beings.  Only the God who is Love could do this.  Only Jesus could be our Savior, willing to go through suffering which was beyond the comprehension of angels. And He did it to save those who are lower than Angels.  Halleluah!

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Psalm 25:4,5

Praise you for what you will do today, Lord, bringing what is good, protecting from what is evil. I thank you now for your guidance and grace which you have prepared, for your wisdom which you have given for me to use, for your love shown in your thinking through my day and making all the arrangements.

Praise you for the opportunities you have prepared for me to give you glory and honor in faith, praising you in and for all things, whether I like them or not. You are good and gracious, kind and loving. I praise you for your purity and wisdom.

Psa 25:4  “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;” [Praise be to you, Lord Jehovah, the holy One who loves to reveal your ways to us. I give you glory and honor, praise and exaltation for what you have shown through your Word, what you will show through your Spirit. ]

Psa 25:5  “guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,” [Praise you for your consistent desire to keep us in your way, showing us your truth through your Word, giving us the needed input so we can obey you. You do this lovingly, whole-heartedly, consistently, for I belong to you.

You are Elohim, the powerful and faithful One who has provided salvation through your powerful and personal suffering. Having paid the highest price possible, you will certainly follow through in the small acts of applying that salvation to me every day. You are worthy of worship! You are worthy of obedience!]

“and my hope is in you all day long.” [In what else, in whom else can I hope? There is no one else powerful enough, big enough, loving enough, wise enough to hope in. And there is no one else who is faithful, gracious, good and great like you, you who cares for your sheep, protects your lambs, leads your flock.

You are the God of hope who desires to fill us with all joy and peace, if we will only trust in you. Then our lives will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13)

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for what you will do in this day, in the large situations before me as well as the small details. I praise you that you will do this in your goodness and grace, in your wisdom and love. I praise you for the need to wait, for the opportunity to trust, for the chance to give the sacrifice of thanksgiving, for the privilege of giving you honor by responding in faith rather than in nature.

You are worthy, O Lord, of our trust, our worship, our obedience, our praise. May you be exalted in my life today, O Lord God, King of glory, Lord of all.

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Nurturing Revival In Your Life

Yesterday was a test for me as I set off to do errands, 14 in all.  I’d prayed about them and most of them went smoothly except two: the last, and most desired ones.  My natural reaction was to focus on these unaccomplished items, to be distressed and upset.

However, as part of the on-going revival in my life, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the habitual sins I had “confessed ahead” just that morning: complaining instead of praising, idol worship (“If this doesn’t work out, I can’t be happy), critical, negative thinking and selfishness.  So, with His help, I deliberately chose to reject these and instead to praise Him for what couldn’t be done, to thank Him for what was accomplished.

With His guidance, I chose to “let go of the temporal, hold on to the eternal and rise above.”   There is such freedom in this; when I got home, I could be pleasant and positive with my little wife, having no burden of discontent.

What keeps this revival going?   There are four principles which open the way to continual refreshment in my life.

1.  Small things repeated often are powerful.

Taking vitamins and brushing your teeth regularly bring long term results.

Regular quiet time brings bigger changes:  the disciplines of daily worship, confession, being in  the Word and prayer–these are cooperation with the Spirit in being transformed.

Then, asking for revival every day will bring it, if we add the next 3 principles.

2.  Deal with the next sin God is pointing out.

What is God convicting me of?  This “next sin” is often something that appears to be small, unimportant, (grouchiness, unnecessary snacks, staying up too late, etc) but is a key to a significant issue in my life.  Deal with it: name it, confess it, forsake it.

—“What we believe we obey; all the rest is religious talk” Adrian Rogers.

3.  Confess ahead.

Another small act that adds up.  It is powerful to regularly confess my tendency to commit certain sins (at present I have a list of 42!), ask for help and commit to obedience.  Doing this reminds me of my weaknesses, helps me to be alert to my tendency to react naturally, and to instead choose the supernatural response.

4.  Be aware of how our worldview blinds and binds us.

Ask God to help us discern what is of the world, the flesh and the devil so we can reject them and do the opposite, obeying Him.

If we Live by these principles,  your love will  “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness…to the glory and praise of God.” Phil 1:9-11

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Psalm 118:27-29

“The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.”

John 1:9 “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”  2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”   Proverbs 4:18  “…the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”

You have done this, Lord Jesus, bringing our dark souls out of the night into the light! May we continually walk further in the light you shed into our lives.
“You are my God, and I will give you thanks;”  Yes!  I will give thanks every day and forever and ever, for you are worthy!

“you are my God, and I will exalt you.”  I will lift up your name, praise you, glorify you, honor you, obey you, for you are worthy!  You are the Creator of all, Maker of history, Spinner of the earth, Bringer of the dawn, Savior of mankind, Ender of time.  You are worth of worship!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  And we will praise you forever, O Lord, the Great One, the Good One, the Holy One, the Savior, Sustainer, Transformer and Sanctifier.

How wonderful to know you, how marvelous to be in your family, how incredible to be your bride.  To you be glory today in my motives, thoughts, words and actions.

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You Are The Measure Of All Good

Praise you, Lord: my Triune, Eternal, Holy and Personal God. You are utterly other, entirely independent, simply sinless, incomprehensibly complex.

You created me, chose me, cleansed me, claimed me as your child, commissioned me to special service, and I stand before you dearly loved, delighted in, deeply cared for, doted on and dependent on you.

What a wonder–for what I actually deserve is condemnation, punishment, eternal separation, failure, suffering and hell.  In spite of this, your great and marvelous grace–ever flowing, never ending, always giving–pours continually into our lives, bringing undeserved forgiveness, cleansing, transformation, strengthening, guidance, goodness, power and wisdom.

To live in the light of your presence, to walk in the paths of your righteousness, to bask in the radiance of your love, to see by the brilliance of your Word—these are the privileges of the children of God. We praise you for them.

We are saved by grace, sanctified by grace, strengthened by grace, sealed by grace.  In you, Lord Jesus, we are safe, for you are the Most High, you are the Almighty, undefeated and undefeatable.

You are Elohim, the Triune One who is immeasurably powerful and unbendingly faithful to your character, your Word and your ways.  Nothing can stop you, nothing can change you, no one can hamper you, no one can prevent you.  Your plans will come to pass.  You can use any failure of man, any evil of man, any attack of Satan, and transform them into an advance for your Kingdom.

Your wisdom, your purity, your power, your goodness and your greatness are beyond our comprehension both in quality and scope: you can do more than we can ask or imagine; your glorious riches are immeasurable; your purity continues forever.

You are the Measure of all good; you are the Means of all righteousness; you are the Mighty Ruler of everything.  To you belongs all glory and honor and worship.

To you we must bow, to you we must surrender, to you we must give praise, for you are worthy of all glory, both now and forever more.

I lay down my superficial strength and take up your supernatural strength; I lay down my worthless wisdom and take up your wonderous wisdom; I lay down my pitiful patience and take up your  powerful patience; I lay down my puny plans and take up your  perfect plans.

May you, Lord Jesus, be glorified in my life both today and forever!

 

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Things To Teach Our Children Part 6

<Read Previous Part

Teaching our children about the goodness of God.

I reached for my wallet and then realized that I had forgotten it when I changed pants before going shopping. Now I will have to drive all the way home for my credit card and then back again to get this part for my mower so I can get the lawn mowed before it rains tonight.

This situation presents me with a choice; I can get upset and grumble, or I can praise God for His goodness, guidance and protection while I’m driving home with the kids.

If I complain, I will communicate to the my sons that God is not always good—“Why didn’t He remind me to take my wallet? Look at all the time I’ve wasted. It just isn’t fair.”

On the other hand, if I choose to praise, I can build into my children’s lives the knowledge that our God is always good, always at work for good, no matter how things may appear.

God knows what He’s doing in allowing our mistakes. For one thing, I now have this much more time to spend with the boys in the car, giving their mother a quiet afternoon. I have the chance to help them “catch” faith through my positive response.  Psalm 50:23, Romans 8:28, 2 Cor 12:9,10 give us plenty of biblical support for responding in trust to whatever comes. I can talk with them about these verses that I’ve memorized. I can help them memorize one as we drive.

As we provide continuing examples  for our children of how to respond with praise and trust in a good God, this will build faith into them in a way that ten thousand Sunday School classes couldn’t match.

The bigger the event, the more powerful the lesson.  When they see how I respond to having an accident, to losing my job or to being treated badly by the neighbor, I am either setting them free to praise or binding them to selfishness.

God is good, all the time. Let’s live that truth before our family, giving glory to God and faith to them.

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You, Lord, Are All, thoughts from Psalm 18

Lord, you are the King of glory, the God of goodness, the Prince of peace, the Shepherd of supply, the Lord of Love, the Light of life, the Bride-groom of beauty.

You are the Creator of All, the Sovereign of Eternity, the Shield of your servants, the Stronghold of safety, the Fortress of protection, the Rock of stability, the Arm of strength, the Source of support, the Giver of grace, the Provider of power, the Widener of ways, the Protector of all who take refuge in you.

Praise you, Lord Jesus, Savior of the universe, Redeemer of all, Transformer of all who believe. You are active, powerful and on time in answering the cry of  all who submit to your leadership.  You are deeply caring, wise in working, godly in guiding, persistent in protecting. You are the only One we can trust, all others and all else are shifting sands.

Praise be to you for your lavish love, your gracious goodness, your wise work, your firm faithfulness, your cherishing in chastening, your proper punishing, your teaching through trials, your shepherding through suffering, your working through our weakness, your maturing us through miserable times.

You are marvelous, Lord Jesus, you are majestic, you are mighty, you are magnificent, you are worthy of worship and deserving of dedication. “I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.” Ps. 18:3

Praise be to you, Lord God, King of glory. May you be honored in my life today through faith, obedience, kindness, patience, wisdom and grace.  Amen.

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Things To Teach Our Children Part 5

<Read Part 4

Teach Our Children About The Glory of God

Three year old Nat was crying. “What’s wrong, son?”

“I can’t find the wagon to my tractor!”

“Really? I’m sorry to hear that. But I know someone who knows were it is.”

“Who?”

“God knows where it is. Let’s ask Him to help us find it.”

“OK. You pray, Daddy.”

“Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are our God who knows everything. We praise you that you know where Nat’s trailer is. Please help us to find it at the right time, whether it be now, tomorrow or next week. Thank you that you will help us.”

If you lead your child in this way, you teach him about the glory of God’s character: His omnipresence, His all-seeing eyes, His loving heart, His willingness to hear and answer prayer.

When we worked this way with our own children, in the end we always found the toy, whether it was sooner or later. Then we would remind them that we’d prayed for this and that God had answered. This taught them that they could pray about everything, for God was big enough to care for them. His power, His wisdom, His knowledge, His grace, His goodness were always there and at work. They could trust Him to help in the best way as they turned to Him.

Every time Nat was frightened, from the time he could speak, he would immediately say, “Pray about this, Daddy!” He knew God was there to help. He knew we could cry out to Him.  He knew some of the glory of God.

Read Part 6 >

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I Find You Waiting For Me, Lord Psalm 18

Praise be to you, my marvelous Lord and Shepherd. I awake in the night, and find you  there, watching over me. I awake in the morning and find you waiting for me.

You are faithful in your love, passionate in you care, gracious in your provision and persistent in your protection. As thoughts of evil presence came in the night, I could easily reject them by thinking of your presence and power presented in Psalm 18.

You are the protector of the weak and the provider of grace, I can trust you. Your Word corrects my churning thoughts, sooths my soul, provides perspective and shields me from Satan.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength” (Ps 18:1)—you have drawn me graciously into a relationship with you, making yourself my Lord, pouring into my life your strength, sharing with me your power, even though you know I will miss use it, rebel, disobey and disbelieve, wounding your heart.

Your love is lavished on your lazy and illogical sheep because your of what you are: faithful and forgiving, gracious and good, pure and positive. We do not deserve your love and presence, but you are insistent in having a relationship with us, pouring your time, grace, care, protection and guidance into our lives 24/7.

You are faithful in the face of our faithlessness. You are good in the face of our rebellion. You are constant in the face of our unbelief.

I praise you, my Lord, my Rock, my Fortress, my Defender, my Shield, my Tower of power, my Stronghold. I call to you, who are worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. (Ps 18:3)

I praise you for your protection, glorify you for your deliverance, exalt you for your unbelievably wonderful grace at work in me each day.

You are Lord, you are Life, you are Light, you are Love. You are my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Deliverer, my Protection. You are worthy of praise, worthy of exaltation, worthy of obedience. To you I bow down, to you I surrender, to you I give myself, this day with my desires, my plans, my preferences. I give you my will and take yours in its place.

May you be glorified in me this day, may my responses be from your heart, your Word, your power. May your Spirit overflow from my life onto all those around me so they, too, may taste of your goodness. May your Name be lifted up before all I meet today.

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Poem of Worship 2 from Psalm 118

Psa 118:6  “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”

You, O Lord God, are Trustable, men are manipulative;
you are Mighty, men are microscopic;
you are Eternal, men are momentary;
you are Infinite, men are minuscule;
you are All-seeing, men are myopic;
you are in the future, men are mired in the now;
you are good by nature, men are manifestly evil by the fall;
you are loving, men are madly selfish.

Therefore:

To believe you is always best

To trust you is always wise,
To take refuge in you is always good,
To rest in you is always possible.
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus:
Creator,
King,
Lord,
Savior,
Judge
Victor