Uncategorized

Uncategorized

God’s Glory

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 21, 2018
Continuing with “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands,” the third grand theme of the Bible: God’s glory.
 
The center of the story of the Bible is the Lord. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Rom. 11:36). We are made for his glory and are called to display his gory in everything we do. However, sin leads us to be glory thieves, [taking His glory for ourselves].
At the bottom of every broken marriage, every shattered family, every forsaken friendship you will always find stolen glory. We want to be the center of our story and are willing to step on one another to get glory, credit, praise and attention. Sin leads us to steal God’s story and rewrite it with ourselves as the lead.
 
But, there is only one stage and it belongs to the Lord. Any attempt to put ourselves in his place puts us in a war with him…a fight for divine glory, a plot to take the very position of God.
 
[Think of how often we use humor to put someone down: “Hey, nerd, how’s your homework coming?” Why? Because it puts us at the center, makes the one who is better, smarter, in control. But it is the Lord who is truly better, smarter and in control because of His character. I just tried to steal His glory by stepping on someone weaker.]
 
We do not suffer well, because suffering interferes with our lust for glory. We do not find relationships easy, because others are always competing with us for glory. We do not serve well, because we want to be served.
 
But the story of Scripture is the story of the Lord’s glory. It calls me to an agenda that if far bigger than myself. It offers me something truly worth living for. There is no deeper personal joy and satisfaction than to live committed to his glory.
 
[This means thinking consistently of how to honor Him, how to please Him, how to serve Him rather than how to make myself look good.] Living for God’s glory would revolutionize every marriage, family, friendship and church.
 
[Let’s consider how we can stop being glory grabbers and instead become glory givers. The most simple and important step is to give thanks in all things. In doing so we affirm that our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, is sovereign, full of grace and worthy of glory].
Image may contain: flower, plant, nature and outdoor
 
Filed under:

Being Grace Receivers and Grace Givers

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 20, 2018
Continuing with Paul David Tripp’s description of the three great themes of the God’s story. My added comments are in brackets [ ].
 
The second grand theme of the Bible is God’s grace. This theme confronts and encourages me at the deepest personal level, diagnosing the problems that affect my relationship and giving me the only reliable reason to press on. [In spite of what I am and what I have done, God loves me unconditionally, deeply, consistently. Grace is giving us the opposite of what we deserve.]
 
God is not only sovereign, he is also abounding in grace. Immediately after Adam and Eve disobeyed him, God made it clear that he was going to do more than punish them. He would send the seed of the woman (Christ) to defeat the Enemy and provide redemption for his people (see Gen. 3:15). God’s response to the willful rebellion of his creatures was grace!
 
This grace justifies, providing complete forgiveness and unwavering acceptance with God. This grace adopts, welcoming us into his family with all the rights and privileges of true sons and daughters. This grace enables, empowering me to think, say, and do things I could not do in my own strength. This grace transforms, radically changing every aspect of my life.
 
God’s grace is most powerful and effective at the moment of my greatest weakness, [as He forgives and pours out His unending love on me]. Only in the presence of grace, [as we extend to others the opposite of what they deserve] can the biblical principles for healthy relationships bear lasting fruit.
 
[God’s call to us is to be grace receivers (accepting His forgiveness, forgiving ourselves) and grace givers (forgiving others as He has forgiven us). Grace brings God’s Kingdom, opening the way for transformation in us and in those around us. Let’s determine to consistently be grace receivers and grace givers.]
Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people standing, beard and shoes
Filed under:

More from “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hand”

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 20, 2018
In his book, “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands” Paul David Tripp writes about the three grand themes of the story of redemption: God’s sovereignty, His grace and His glory. today we will look at Tripp’s description of God’s sovereignty.
 
Nebuchadnezzar offered one of the best singe summaries of this theme after God had taken away his sanity and then restored it. He wrote:
 
His dominion is an eternal dominion, his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: What have you done?” (Dan. 4:34-35)
 
God’s sovereignty is not only about power and position, but also about a plan. Scripture clearly teaches that God has a plan for his world and the people in it. God is calling a people to himself, forming them into his likeness, and preparing them for an eternity with him.
 
This is his overarching plan of the ages, revealed in history, present in current events and in the lives of everyone who has ever lived. At any moment in time , the right answer to the question, “What is God doing?” is, “Accomplishing his plan.”
 
In response to humanity’s deepest, heartfelt questions, God sweetly speaks of his sovereignty. “Take heart, I am in complete control. I am the definition of holiness and love. All of my ways are right and true, all of my decisions are best, and I will not rest until my plan [for you] has been completed.
 
What does this mean for each of us? It means peace when I can’t understand what is happening, because our peace always rests on the presence, power and character of the Lord. Because He is sovereign and rules all, your life has meaning and purpose as you are included not only in His plan, but also in His family!
Filed under:

Psalm 9:17-18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 18, 2018
 
Psalm 9:17 “The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.”
 
[Those who forget you, Lord, will be forgotten. You are the most important One in existence, the most signficant Being in history, the most central Point of all the Universe.
 
How could we forget you–you who are the source of all good–and not be guilty of the fatal sin of unbelief (John 16:9)? You, O Lord, are worthy, not just of remembering, but of totally absorbing our attention, our affection, our adoration!]
 
Psalm 9:18 “But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.”
 
[You, O Mighty and Loving Heavenly Father, remember and watch over the needy–and we are all needy–you see each one, you care for every one. You are the God of goodness, giving comfort to those who are hurting, support to those who are suffering, help to those who are hopeless. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18).
 
I praise you that you are the God of hope, giving “joy and peace to those who trust in you so” our lives can “overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
 
In you, Lord God, there is all we need and desire: there is belonging, there is worth, there is meaning, there is purpose, there is a certain and positive future because you are moving history to a definite conclusion and taking us, your children, with you.
 
Help us to keep our eyes on you, Lord Jesus, to let go of what is temporal, to hold on to what is eternal and to rise above the turmoil and tragedy of life in a fallen world. Help us to remember that we are destined for a re-created and perfect world, where there will be no sin, no rebellion, no evil. In you, Lord Jesus, we are safe, secure and can be satisfied, no matter what our situation may be.
 
Help us, Heavenly Father, to live out today this truth of your faithful guidance, your powerful protection, your bountiful provision and your perfect plan, by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in every circumstance (Ps. 50:23), thereby honoring you in faith and cooperating with you in being open to the help you will bring.]
Filed under:

From My Worship Journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 17, 2018
Written after lifting my troubled soul to God (telling Him transparently what I was thinking, feeling, wanting), and receiving His insight, conviction and forgiveness.
 
Praise you, Lord God, for you are the King of Glory and the Lord of Grace, who reaches down into my life consistently: guiding, providing, protecting, teaching, correcting, forgiving and transforming. “You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, abounding in mercy to all who call on you” (Ps. 86:5).
 
It is such a wonder to belong to you, the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, the Ender of all. On the level of universe-wide thinking, I live on a tiny speck of cosmic dust, tucked under one arm of the Milky Way, which itself is a small, inconsequential galaxy among millions of others.
 
And yet you, the Great One who stoops to look upon us, have the desire and commitment to be intimately, consistently involved in my life: “From his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Ps. 33:14,15).
 
You can do this because you are infinite, you are powerful, you are loving and good, and you are filled with Grace, giving your enemies the opposite of what we deserve.
 
Forgive me for taking your mighty, rich love for me for granted–I so easily forget how great you are, how huge the universe is, and how much I deserve the opposite of your tender care.
 
You are marvelous in your love, magnificent in your forgiveness, munificent (splendidly generous) in your provision and magnanimous in your grace. You are truly worthy of wholehearted worship, lavish love, supreme surrender and outlandish obedience.
 
Help me today to remember your greatness, my unworthiness and your rich, redeeming love, so that I may respond by living worthy of your Name and the calling you have given me.
Filed under:

Psalm 9:15-16

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 16, 2018
Psalm 9:15 “The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.”
 
[Praise you for your faithfulness to judge in righteousness, Lord, for evil without justice brings hopelessness. Therefore you bring upon evil doers what they have prepared for others. At the top of the list is Satan himself, who has been judged and will end up in the lake of fire where he has sought to send so many others.
 
I think of the destruction that came on Germany and Japan after WWII for the cruel and oppressive regimes that ruled there. I think of how the dictators ruling in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were taken down in the Arab Spring. In the end, evil doers are consumed by their own plans.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, that you bring justice at the right time: “Fret not yourself because of the man who prospers in his way…for evil men shall be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord shall inherit the land.” (Ps. 37:7,9)]
 
Psalm 9:16 “The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.”
 
[Your justice, O Lord, is strong and broad, sure and right, certain and consistent. You will bring judgment on all who, in their evil independence, refuse the refuge of your love and forgiveness. This actually is the most wicked thing we can do, to reject the salvation Jesus provided at such great cost.
 
Praise you, Lord God, that your character is the measure of all. You are all we truly seek: Great Good, Perfect Peace, Total Truth, Wholly Holiness and Lavish Love. To you belongs exaltation, glory, praise and honor. To you I bow in worship, for you I rise to obey, with you I go forth into the day to join you in your great and beautiful plans. May you be glorified in my life today.
Image may contain: sky, cloud, plant, tree, grass, house, outdoor and nature
Filed under:

Psalm 9:13

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 15, 2018
 
Psalm 9:13 “O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,”
 
[Lord, there are so many believers around the world, in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, India, Nigeria and Eritrea, who are literally being pursued to the gates of death. Recently a suicide bomber entered a church in Egypt and killed dozens of worshipers. In a second incident, the gate keeper prevented a bomber from entering a church, saving many lives, but was himself killed by the blast.
 
Praise you that you are there, helping them, strengthening them, delivering them, whether it be through the gates of splendor into eternity or out of the clutches of groups like ISIS, Al Kaida and Boko Haram. You are both faithful and merciful in the help you powerfully provide.
 
Protect them, Lord, embrace them, help them to respond to persecution with your thoughts: praising for the privilege of suffering, forgiving and praying for their persecutors, blessing those who misuse them (Matt. 5:11,12,43,44).
 
The widow of the martyred gate keeper responded with biblical grace on national television, forgiving the man who killed her husband, astounding the Muslim news commentator listening to her interview. He was literally speechless! May this powerful testimony of Christian grace result in many coming to faith in Christ.]
 
Psalm 9:14 “that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.”
 
[One major purpose of deliverance is to give you glory, Lord, to praise you for your goodness, to rejoice in you–not just to be relieved at the end of our pain and turn back to our self-centered, futile living.
 
Praise be to you for your power to preserve, for your strength to save, for your promise to protect, and your commitment to keep. May we live in the light of that today, passing through difficulties with the power of the Spirit, and praising you for your deliverance–past, present and future.]
 
In the picture below, taken in the bombed church in Egypt, a bloodied page with text from Matthew 16:24-28 includes these words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Filed under:

Psalm 9:11-12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 14, 2018
 
Psalm 9:11-12 “Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; for he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.”
 
[Praise you, O Great and Mighty Lord, for you are just; you will avenge evil; you will not forget.
 
I thank you that you pay close attention to the cry of the afflicted, that you know each person’s heart, each person’s suffering, each person’s deep desire for security and significance, for belonging, worth and competence.
 
As it says in Isaiah 51:12-15, “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction?
 
For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD Almighty is his name.”
 
We all long for freedom from the oppression of the enemy, and you, the LORD Almighty, have provided that for us in the death and resurrection of Christ.
 
I praise you, Lord, for your consistent care for us, your good guidance and your powerful protection, like a father watching over his son (below Josh watching over Kenan). You are truly worthy of worship, glory and honor. Today we offer you praise, exaltation and obedience in and for all that will come from your good hand.
Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, closeup and indoor
Filed under:

God’s Faithfulness to Warn Me

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 12, 2018
Thank you, Lord, for your faithful and good work in my life. I praise you for that disturbing dream this morning, where two attractive, alluring women wanted to hug me long and I cooperated, wanting to. I awoke horrified at what I’d done, but realized immediately this was a warning from you.
 
The warning was that I had grown slack in saying “no” to myself in two areas: eating ice cream out the box (no boundaries) and reading on and on in the L’Amor books when I had determined to stop at the end of the chapter. I had not taken the time to think with you about what was right here.
 
These self-indulgences weakened my resolve to discipline myself well, to set good limits and to organize my day, my eating, my activities according to wisdom, and resulted in self-centered, self-satisfying, unhealthy indulgences.
 
A little erosion in one or two areas will leave me vulnerable when larger temptations come. So, thank you Lord for bringing me up short with a dream rather than a fall in real life. I repent of my selfishness, my lack of seeking your guidance in the simple things and commit myself, with your power, while keeping on the armor, to walking in Godly discipline.
 
I commit afresh to obeying 2 Peter 1:5-7, adding to my faith virtue (full surrender to you); to my virtue, knowledge of the Word, thinking your Truth; to my knowledge self-control according to your Word; and to my self-control, endurance, pressing on in obedience, whatever the difficulty. Help me to stay the course, Lord, to finish well.
Filed under:

From My Morning Worship Journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 11, 2018
 
As I step outside on the porch in the early morning, the moon shines brightly in the west, while Mars, Venus and Jupiter form a clear triangle in the east and the Big Dipper points unfailingly to the North Star.
 
The horizon is touched with the fingers of dawn, a golden line against the lingering black of night. A frost lies on the grass; I can’t see it yet, but feel it in the crispness of the morning darkness.
 
Thank you, Lord, for your greatness, revealed in the glory of this morning. I praise you for your beautiful, pristine character: like this dawn light penetrating the darkness, the brightness of stars and the promise of the day.
 
Your attributes are perfectly balanced. In you there are both justice and mercy, judgment and love, hatred for sin and love for sinners. You are fully sovereign while bestowing the gift of responsibility on your creatures.
 
I praise you for your rich display of your qualties in your Word, showing us that you are eternal, without beginning or end; you are wise and joyful, powerful and kind, mighty and loving, and majestically great while paying attention to every minute detail.
 
You are all knowing while forgiving and choosing to forget sin. You are wonderful beyond conception, and for that I am glad—for that proves you are God, completely separate and outside your creation—no human being could ever think up a Creator like you!
 
This fall season’s display of beauty also reminds me of your character, Lord. The trees are clothed in brilliant shades and fiery glory. Some have three colors at once–red, yellow and green—reminding me both of your triuneness and of your love for variety.
 
This is echoed in maples of bright yellow standing next to pines of soft green and oaks of crisp brown. Everywhere there is diversity, a contrast and compliment of colors. This is truly a reflection of your character, where the diversity doesn’t divide but produces a richer beauty, a deeper grace and a more astounding complexity within a powerful unity.
 
You, Lord God, are the ultimate in every aspect: beauty and wisdom with power, judgment and righteousness with love, sovereignty and control with grace. I praise you, Lord God for how wonderful you are, worthy of our worship, deserving of our adoration, meriting our obedience.
 
May we dwell today in the light of your beauty, in the grace of your unified diversity and in awe of your monumental and majestic greatness. To you be honor and glory in all.
Image may contain: tree, plant, sky, outdoor, nature and water
 
Filed under: