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Thoughts on the Trinity

 
Praise be to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Triune Lord, Creator and King.
 
The fact that you are one Being with three Persons is one proof that you are truly God; for no human or angel, devil or demon has ever thought up an idea like the Trinity. You are totally other than anything in your creation, having a character so complete and complex, so far above us that we cannot comprehend it.
 
Your being a Trinity means that you need nothing to complete you. Within your Being there is perfect love, full relationship and rich complimentarity. I praise you for the marvel of your majestic unity, where there is full cooperation, joyful submission and perfect, lovely leadership amongst your Persons.
 
I praise you that you are the One(s) who created all, rule all, and are bringing all to a conclusion. In you there is the hope of help, the goodness of your guidance, the power of your protection, the purity of your purpose and the stability of your shepherding.
 
I praise you that when turmoil comes, I can cling to the certainty of your presence, the comfort of your help, the constancy of your goodness and the completeness of your power.
 
You have provided solutions for the three aspects of the curse flowing from the Fall. You have given us forgiveness and cleansing for our guilt, honor and glory for our shame, and power and strength for our weakness and fear.
 
I praise you, Lord God, for what you are doing in and amongst us. To you be glory forever. In response to your goodness, may I live wholeheartedly for you, trusting you by rejecting complaining and grumbling through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Fill me so full with your Holy Spirit that He will overflow onto all those I will meet today and thereby give you a continual flow of honor and exaltation. Amen.
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The 3D Gospel

 
Recently a little book Josh recommended to me brought together a number of truths I’d collected over the years. “The 3-D Gospel” by Jason Georges explains the three terrible results of the fall and the three wonderful ways God has provided restoration for each in the death and resurrection of Christ.
 
When Adam choose to trust Satan and himself, he ate of the forbidden fruit and Immediately he became guilty. He and his wife also became ashamed, and tried to cover their shame with leaves. And they became afraid, hiding from God when He came to talk with them.
 
While different cultures tend to emphasize just one of these results over the others (Western “guilt culture”, Eastern “shame culture” and animistic tribal “fear culture,”) we all suffer the twisting effects of each part of this trinity of guilt, shame and fear.
 
In our Western culture, the gospel is presented mainly as dealing with our guilt (think of the Romans Road presentation—and this is certainly correct). However, little or nothing is taught about how the gospel also provides a solution for our shame and our fear.
 
Many (if not all) of us have a sense of shame, maybe from past experiences where we were abused verbally, emotionally or physically. We also have failed to measure up to biblical and church culture standards. And we all have done foolish and destructive things we know are wrong. Shame is there, but often not acknowledged. Undealt with, it is a weight and blight on our souls, keeping us from loving ourselves so we can love our neighbors well.
 
Fear also is a big factor for us, as the world seems to be falling apart, as Christianity is more and more marginalized, denigrated and portrayed as evil. We wonder where this all is going, and are filled with fear. Look at how many believers are consumed with worry, experience anxiety attacks and need medical help to cope.
 
God knows all about this and has provided a solution to each one. When the Holy Spirit does His work of conviction, He addresses each of our areas of need: guilt, shame and fear. As it says in John 16:9-11. “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong…
–“about sin, because people do not believe in me” [there is guilt];
–“about righteousness, because I am going to the Father” [there is shame as we stand humiliated before the righteous One, who exposes the emptiness of our futile, selfish attempts to make ourselves look good];
–“and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” [There is fear as we, too, stand judged and worthy of condemnation.]
 
However, for those who respond to the Spirit’s work, Ephesians 1:18-19 tells us what God has given to free us from each one of these: Paul writes, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know:
–“the hope to which he has called you” [forgiveness in place of guilt],
–“the riches of his glorious inheritance in his saints,” [honor in place of shame]
–“and his incomparably great power for us who believe” [power in place of fear].
 
All of this I vaguely comprehended, but now they have come into full 3D focus and it makes a difference. I have wholeheartedly looked at my hidden shame from my failures and sins, as well as from others’ opinions of me, and am embracing the honor Jesus has given me by taking my shame on Himself in His suffering before and on the cross.
 
I have also confronted my fears more directly, embracing the fact that “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7 KJV). This is making a difference in my life, and in the lives of those I am sharing this with.
 
So I encourage you, too, to embrace the full trinity of the gospel, internalizing the fact that Jesus died to save us from our sin, our shame and our fear. “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge” (Ps. 62:7).
 
As Corrie Ten Boom said, “If we look around us, we will be distressed; if we look within us, we will be depressed; if we look to Jesus we will find rest.”
 
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Meditations on Psalm 23:1

 

Meditating on, “The Lord is my shepherd….” Ps. 23:1
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the great Shepherd of the universe. You are wise, powerful, all knowing, all seeing, all present. You are the One who sets up and takes down rulers, who controls the flow of history, who will bring all existence to an end.
 
Your power is infinite: what we see in hurricanes, tornadoes and tsunamis is just a tiny bit of your strength. We cannot begin to imagine a power that could create a galaxy like the Milky Way: 100,000 light years in diameter, containing billions of stars, many much bigger than our sun. You simply spoke and they came into existence.
 
Your power and attention to detail is unbelievable. To make carbon-based life possible, you created the sun a million times larger than the earth, burning at just the right and incredible temperature. You placed the earth at exactly the right distance from the sun so it won’t be too hot or too cold. You put it in an orbit just the right shape so summer is long enough for crops and winter isn’t so long that people would starve. You spun the earth at the optimal speed so night isn’t so long that we’d freeze, and day isn’t so long that we’d get too tired. And you tilted the earth at exactly the right angle to make the different seasons and climates. You did everything perfectly.
 
In this you show what a wise, strong, good and trustable Shepherd you are. I praise you for the wonder of your Character, seen in your being the Creator, the Redeemer, our Savior, Provider, Protector and Great Guide.
 
You are Love, you are Light, you are Life. And you have declared yourself to be my Shepherd: you wanted me as your sheep; you chose me before the foundation of the world; you arranged all the influences I needed in life so I could come to you.
 
What I actually deserve, as a rebellious sinner, is continual punishment, rejection, suffering, failure, hopelessness, despair, death and eternity in Hell apart from you.
 
However, you had mercy on me, you wanted me as your child. So you suffered, died and rose again to make it possible that I would be your sheep. You called me, you cleansed and transformed me, you claimed me as your own, you commissioned me to special service and you cherish me.
 
I stand before you now dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. In you, Lord Jesus, I am fully forgiven, fully loved, fully accepted, fully yours. I revel in your love, I bask in your desire for an ever-expanding relationship with me. I rejoice in your unconditional, deep, rich acceptance of me as your child, your sheep, your beloved.
 
I bow before you in awe and reverence; I rise up today to return your love in obedience to your Word, to walk in the joy of being yours, to reflect the light of your love to those around me, living in the perspective of Psalm 73:25: “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

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Psalm 26:8-12

Psalm 26:8 “I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.”

[Praise you, Lord, that you now dwell in each believer, in each of us, and together as living stones we make up your church, your bride. Help me to live the reality of that, to love the church universal and the church local. Help all of us to be in awe of you and live in such a way as to bring you honor, both personally and as local congregations.]

Psalm 26:9,10 “Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.”

[Praise you that, although I am naturally one of these sinners, in you I am made an innocent, being cleansed and forgiven, transformed and adopted. Therefore I will not have to go with the wicked into punishment, but with you into an eternity of joy and peace, of goodness and grace. Help me to recognize my tendency to do the natural, negative, nasty things, to reject them, and to live instead in the freedom of wisdom, submission and obedience to your Word and Spirit.]

Psalm 26:11 “But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me.”

[I do want to live a pure life, but cannot do so on my own; help me to walk with you in your way of purity, positiveness and power. Thank you that you have redeemed me and that I stand in safety because of your blameless life, Lord Jesus. Praise you that you are merciful to me far beyond what I deserve.]

Psalm 26:12 “My feet stand on level ground;”

[Praise you that I have all I need in you for stability, effectiveness and safety. You have set a race out before me; you smooth out the way, you help me forward, and running before me, you guide and direct.]

“in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.”

[Before all, Lord, I want to give you honor and glory, praise and power, exaltation and strength. You are the good One, you are the powerful One, you are the trustable One. So, I bow before you in awe and thankfulness, I rise up in grace and joy, I move ahead in this day with thanksgiving and faith, fully clothed in the armor of God, able to stand no matter what comes.

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Weakness and Wonder

As we move through life with all its unknowns and challenges, it is wonderful, Lord, to know that you are guiding us, that you will lead us in paths of righteousness.
 
I am so small, so ignorant (I couldn’t even buy the right corner piece for the rain gutters today!), so weak, so bound up in my own viewpoint, so influenced by selfishness and sin that in myself I cannot make wise decisions.
 
When I tried to buy tickets for our trip to Germany last week, you prevented the transaction from going through, even though I thought it had. This was because you knew the dates I had picked were wrong, and enabled me to change the dates to better ones with better flights without a problem.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are my wise and all knowing Shepherd who cares for your sheep. You know the future, you know the next things to come, you know the needs I’ll have today, next week, next year.
 
I praise you now for how you will provide and protect, for you are good and pure, you are wise and loving, you are kind and firm, you are powerful and gracious, you are my God.
 
You are also my Rock: unshakable, unassailable, unchanging. You are my Salvation: the One who redeems and rescues. You are my High Tower: giving safety, vision and insight. I can trust you.
 
Help me to know how to deal with things today, Lord. Only with you can I press forward properly, denying self, obeying your Word, listening to your Spirit. I praise you now for your help to come. May I honor you today in all.
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Psalm 26:2-3

Psalm 26:2 “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;”

[This is a scary thing to pray, as there is much unknown sin hidden there in my heart and mind, hidden even from me.

Yet, Lord, you are the only One I can fully trust to examine me, as you are fully good and fully ready to forgive–so I am perfectly safe in praying this, although it doesn’t feel that way.

Certainly there are negatives for you to find, so I need to expect exposure. Then I can repent and be set further free, for you are “good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all those who call upon you” (Ps. 86:5).

So, I ask you to examine my heart and mind, to point out the next sin I need to deal with, and to point out my failures (like not checking in with you in conversations) so I can grow in cooperating more with you. Help me to respond immediately with confession and repentance, with accepting your forgiveness and forgiving myself, with praise and submission; I thank you now for what you will do.

Psalm 26:3 “for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”

I praise you that you are loving, firm and gentle, that in your mercy triumphs over justice, and that you chasten us for the purposes of helping us to walk in your way, to really live, to share in your holiness and to give us peace and righteousness (Heb 2:9-11).

Guide me in your truth this day, O Lord God, protect me from my own evil, keep me safe, watch over me that I may live for your glory. I praise you for your goodness which will surround me, for the care and protection you will give in all things. I bow before you, giving you glory and honor, praise and adoration, for you are worthy.]

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Psalm 26:1

Psalm 26:1 “Vindicate me, O LORD,”
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the only One who can clear the deserved accusations against me; I am, in myself, a sinner only worthy of condemnation. But you are the One who, in your death and resurrection, bought forgiveness, honor, power and transformation, granting me your righteousness.
 
Therefore, you can and do vindicate me before Satan and his accusations, before myself and before others. It is your righteousness that declares my innocence: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8”:33,34).]
 
Psalm 26:1b “for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”
 
[This I cannot say about myself, Lord–I sin every day in my thoughts; I waver every hour in my decisions. I need your help to trust, and then you vindicate me: “Trust in the LORD, and do good… Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday sun” (Psa. 37:3,5,6).
 
Praise you for the new start every day—actually, every minute. I thank you for your grace-filled kindness to me, to your creatures, to your creation.
 
As we wait for the great and total restoration of perfection, we can heed your call in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” As we delight in you, you will put into our hearts the right desires and then fulfill them at the perfect time.
 
Praise you for your great patience, Lord God, waiting until all who are willing to believe are swept into your kingdom, and then you will bring the day of judgment, righting all wrongs and eliminating all evil, ushering in an eternity of Light and Love and unending Life.
 
I revel in your forgiveness and love, I give you glory and honor, Lord, for you are absolutely worthy of it.
 
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Moon Shine

It was a full June moon night. The air was clear and cool, silvered twice by the two shining orbs, one in the sky, one reflected in the perfectly still water.
 
In the near daylight brightness all was quiet–even the frogs seemed awed into stillness by the beauty around them as the cattails and bushes at the edge of the pond put a black frame on the silver scene.
 
This evening was the height of light, the shortest night of the year, the official tipping point of Spring spilling into Summer. And God did it beautifully, magnificently, powerfully, displaying His wonderful wisdom in setting that lovely moon in the sky, using it to give us beauty, the rhythm of months and light we can reflect on.
 
The glory of His creation reveals to us His goodness and grace, His power and presence. He alone is worthy of worship, of surrender and of obedience.
 
May we, like the moon, reflect His beauty to all around us, shining the light of His goodness and grace into all the dark corners of the world, joining Him as He moves history to a conclusion and takes us with Him.
 
“If you look around you, you will be distressed.
If you look within you, you will be depressed.
If you look to Jesus, you will find rest.” –Corrie Ten Boom
 
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Psalm 25:19-22

Psalm 25:19 “See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!”
 
[Satan is always after me, seeking to trap me, to trip me up, even to take me out–if you, Lord, gave permission. I am too weak to stand against him and the people he uses. But I praise you that you are very aware of my situation and are protecting me moment by moment. As your Word says, “The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him and delivers them” (Ps. 34:7).]
 
Psalm 25:20 “Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame,”
 
[Every day I must appeal to you, Lord Jesus, to rescue me from my powerful enemies, from my foes who are too strong for me. Thank you that, instead of shame, you offer us honor–the honor of being your children, of belonging to your Kingdom, of joining you in your work, of keeping on the armor and standing against the enemy, and of living for you.]
 
“for I take refuge in you.”
 
[This is my part, I must flee to you, my High Tower, my Rock of Salvation, instead of trusting in myself. I do this in my weakness and need by offering praise and thanksgiving for whatever comes.
 
You only, Lord God, are my mighty Shield, my high Fortress, my powerful Defender, standing firm against the attacks of the enemy. You are my God, my great Rock in whom I take refuge, my Protector, the Provider of my salvation and my Stronghold. I call to you, O Lord, who are worthy to be praised and so I am saved from my enemies! (Ps. 18:16-19).]
 
Psalm 25:21 “May integrity and uprightness protect me,”
 
[I praise you, Lord Jesus, for the integrity and uprightness of your character and that you have imputed these to us, your children. Help me to live in your integrity (doing what I say I believe) and in your uprightness (obeying what you say is right) so I can give you honor and glory in all.
 
“because my hope is in you.”
 
Praise you that I can do what is difficult and unnatural (like offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in the midst of trouble), because my hope is in you alone. In you there is the certainty of help, guidance, and protection.]
 
Psalm 25:22 “Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!”
 
[Praise you, O God, for your great act of redemption in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this you have provided salvation for all in all our troubles.
 
I pray that you will save me from my present troubles, Lord. Help me in the midst of them to act in wisdom and obedience to you and your Word. I praise you now for how you are going to help me today. Amen.
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