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Beholding and Believing

November 11, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.  The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.  They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have and anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.  He will come and save you.”  (Isaiah 35:1-4)

Truth of the Week:  Beholding  and Believing…applying these two words could truly transform our lives.

Beholding the glory of God is how our souls are satisfied.  This only makes sense, since His glory is what we were created for.  His glory is the purpose of our lives. When the eyes of our hearts are enlightened to see God for who He really is, we experience genuine joy – not the shallow and fleeting kind that comes from the counterfeit pleasures of the world, but the deep and abiding kind that can only come from seeing and experiencing the infinite perfections of our Creator.  When we learn to lift our eyes beyond our circumstances and fix them on the all-wise, all-loving, all-sovereign God who works all things for our ultimate good, we can taste the gladness we were designed to enjoy. 

 If joy flows from beholding who God is, strength for daily life is found in believing that God will do what He has promised to do.  He will never fail to act like who He is.  He will never leave us or abandon us or betray us.  He will never mislead us or be unfaithful to us. He will never withhold what is good from us. We can count on him to equip us with all that we need to walk in His will.  We can depend on Him to keep us from all harm – not from all hardship, as this is often the arena where we see more glory and gain greater joy, but from all harm –  only allowing those things to touch the lives of His children that, in the end, will prove to  be for our everlasting benefit.

 Beholding and believing….it should be easy, but it’s not.  Applying these two words to our everyday lives is a constant battle – but not one that we are called to enter without weapons, and not one that we are called to fight alone.  God has given us His Word which, from cover to cover, reveals both His glory and His promises to us.  If we want to have joy and strength we cannot neglect drinking deeply and drinking often from the Scriptures.  He has also given us fellow believers to exhort us to seek our pleasure from His presence and our strength from His promises.  Beholding and believing are best accomplished in a community of others who are hungering to know and enjoy God as a reality in their day-to-day living.

Beholding and believing…may we make this our all-surpassing pursuit until the day when we see Him face to face and bask in the eternal pleasures found only at His right hand.

Quote of the Week:  “There is no more important issue in life than seeing Jesus for who he really is and savoring what we see above all else.”  (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ)

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Open Wide

November 4, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.  Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”  (Psalm 81:10)

Truth of the Week:  Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.  Two simple truths stand out to me in this statement: 1) God is the one who fills me, and 2) I am in need of filling!

I can’t help but wonder how different my life would look if I lived in light of this verse – if I stopped turning to other things to try and be filled.  God is an abundant supply of all that I need and of all that I long for.  He never tires of meeting my needs.  He is never depleted.  When He gives to me, I gain but He is never less than when He started.  There is no need that I have that is the slightest bit hard for Him. 

Not only is God able to fill me, He is willing.  He does not give to me grudgingly or sparingly.  He bids me to open my mouth wide.  He willingly and gladly pours Himself into my soul, calling me to drink deeply and be satisfied.  He offers Himself as a feast before me and beckons my hungry heart to come and partake freely and fully. 

God has rescued me from the false promises, the futile pursuits, and the fleeting pleasures of Egypt.  May I refuse to return to that barren land in search of fulfillment, for only the fullness found in God can fill the emptiness found in me.

Quote of the Week:  “The more we discern the vanity and emptiness of the world and its utter insufficiency to make us happy, the closer we will cling to God, and the more intimately we will converse with Him.  Then we will find the satisfaction in the Father of spirits that we sought for in vain in material things.”  (Mathew Henry, Experiencing God’s Presence)

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The Fine Art Of Building Walls

October 28, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: ‘We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.”  (Isaiah 26:1)

Truth of the Week:  As a culture, we have become quite proficient at “setting boundaries” and erecting barriers in an attempt to guard our hearts from being hurt or taken advantage of.  We excel at wearing masks and are experts in concealing our innermost selves, especially those areas that feel the most vulnerable.  We don’t want to be wounded or disappointed, so we do whatever it takes to protect ourselves.  We have indeed mastered the fine art of wall building.  The sad irony is that the very walls we build to keep us safe, end up enslaving us and blocking us from the intimacy that we long for – intimacy with God and with others.

Rather than work so hard to protect ourselves (and I’m talking to my own heart here), why not labor to entrust ourselves to the God who is more than able and more than willing to stand sentry over our lives?  Why not allow God to be our “wall of protection?” 

When we come to the point where we can say with confidence that God is for us, and know with certainty that He will not withhold good from His children, and believe whole-heartedly that anything that touches our heart must first pass through His hands, then we are truly on the path to freedom and the road to greater richness of relationship.

Quote of the Week:  “The true story of every person in this world is not the story you see, the external story.  The true story of each person is the journey of his or her heart.”  (Curtis and Eldredge, The Sacred Romance)

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Astonish Me With Your Majesty

October 26, 2009 by kathydoremus

Lyrics for October…

“Astonish Me With Your Majesty”

Awaken me from my slumber
Astonish me with Your majesty
Fill my heart with wonder
Oh, Spirit come and ravish me -
With love I cannot fathom
And mercy robed in mystery
You’re more than I can imagine
Open up my eyes to see

Chorus:
That nothing in this world could ever captivate my soul
And heaven’s only heaven ’cause You’re there
I was made to stand amazed at who You really are
To marvel at Your worth beyond compare
To marvel at Your worth beyond compare
Oh, heaven’s only heaven ’cause You’re there

Lead me out of this darkness
Rescue me from my empty ways
Heal my heart of its hardness
Oh, Jesus full of truth and grace -
Almighty Rock and Refuge
My shelter’s underneath Your wings
Don’t let me stray from Your presence
And forever I will gladly sing

repeat chorus

Send forth Your light and truth and lead me to the place
Where every lesser thing’s consumed by the beauty of Your face
Send forth Your holiness and bring me to my knees
With majesty and glory, Lord, oh please – astonish me

Awaken me from my slumber
Astonish me with Your majesty
Astonish me with Your majesty

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Not Settling For Superficial

October 21, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”  (Colossians 4:6)

Truth of the Week:  I am not a fan of “chit-chat.”  Perhaps this is because I am so unskilled at it, or perhaps it is because in light of the brief time we have to live on this earth it seems so meaningless.  Regardless of my reasons, I would wager that God is not a fan of the idle conversations that seem to dominate our dialogue either.  Sure, talking about the weather, or the latest fashion trends, or what sports our kids are playing can be a bridge to connect with others and provide the foundation for deeper discourse, but if our conversations never delve beneath the surface, then our words run the great risk of being empty and insignificant. 

If we are being conformed into the image of our Savior, then the words that we speak should reflect this.  When we look at the account of the life of Jesus in the gospels, we never once hear him saying to the disciples, “How ’bout them chariot races?”  His words, to both strangers and friends, were full of grace and seasoned with salt.  His words were a source of life and nourishment.

Not every dialogue we engage in will be a weighty discourse on the gospel, but shouldn’t our desire be that our words carry with them at least a hint of God’s glory and a taste of His grace?  After all, this is what each person that God places in our path is starving for – whether they know it or not.  Shouldn’t we pray for God to train our minds and tame our tongues so that when we engage in conversations with those around us we leave them with the flavor of Christ?

May God rescue us from our propensity to settle for being safe and superficial.  May He give us the lips of the righteous, which nourish many.

Quote of the Week:  “It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best in us is wrong.  I disapprove of the usual practice of talking “small talk” whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls.  If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul.”  (Frank Laubach, Practicing His Presence)

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Pondering Paul’s Question

October 18, 2009 by kathydoremus

I have been reading through the book of Romans lately, and yesterday was contemplating the verses in the eighth chapter where Paul poses the question – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”  He then goes on to list several possibilities: “shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”  His conclusion is that no, for those who have been chosen by God to be called His own, there is “nothing in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The battles that I face day by day pale in comparison to those listed by Paul.  I confess that in my life thus far I have never had to worry about famine, nakedness or sword and the danger that I encounter comes more in the form of teaching a teenager to drive.  My list would read more like – “shall sickness, or stress, or conflict, or my own stubborn indwelling sin separate me from the love of God?”  Although my battles seem more like skirmishes, the answer remains the same – nothing can separate me from the love of God.  For certain, these things may distract me and cloud my thinking, causing me to lose sight of the promise that the sovereign God who drew me to Himself will keep me for Himself, but nevertheless, the truth remains that  nothing and no one can snatch me from the strong hands of my Father.  I did nothing to earn His love and I can do nothing to lose it.

On the days when I am overcome by unworthiness or feel that I am faltering in the battles of everyday life, this truth encourages me – nothing can separate me from the unchanging, unfailing, unfathomable, undeserved, love of God.

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All By Himself – All For Himself

October 14, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “Behold, God is my salvation.”  (Isaiah 12:2a)

Truth of the Week:  God is my salvation.  I am saved by God, and I am saved for God.  He is both the means and the goal of my salvation. 

When we think of being saved by God, often what comes to mind is what we are saved from.  We are saved from the penalty of our sins, we are saved from the guilt of our past, we are saved from the anger of God, and we are saved from a future spent in hell.  While this is indeed good news, the better news is what we are saved for.  We are saved for experiencing intimacy with God.  We are saved to be reconciled to God and to rejoice in who He is.  We are saved to be eternally satisfied by His glory.  We are saved to praise Him, to exalt Him, and to behold His incomparable beauty.  We are saved  for a noble and richly fulfilling purpose: to see and proclaim and delight in the excellencies of the One who brought us out of darkness into light. 

When I was helpless, hopeless, and dead in my sins, Jesus offered up His life in my place.  He did this not merely to purchase my pardon, but that I might know Him and belong to Him and delight in His awesome glory.  He saved me all by Himself, but He also saved me all for Himself.  This is good news!

Quote of the Week:  “Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven – none of these is good news except for one reason; they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him…The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God.  It’s a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God.”  (John Piper, God is the Gospel)

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Three Precious “P’s”

October 7, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”  (Psalm 33:8-11)

Truth of the Week:  God always does as He pleases.  He is constantly accomplishing His purposes.  There is never a moment where His plans and desires are thwarted or threatened.  Even the evil that exists in the world, ultimately, is an instrument for the display of the glory of God.

One of the speakers at this years Desiring God conference, Dr. Julius Kim, spoke of God’s providence in both the affairs of the world and in our everyday lives.  He shared three important truths to keep in mind, especially in the midst of heartache and hardship.

1) God is powerful.  Nothing is too hard for Him.  Nothing perplexes Him, frustrates Him, or causes Him to wring His hands in worry or confusion.  He is never weak or weary.  He is always in absolute control with complete authority.  His perfect strength and wisdom are continually at work to bring about the display of His glory for our everlasting good.

2) God is personal.  He is intimately aware of every detail of our lives.  No moment of our existence escapes His attention.  He is never aloof, unaware, or uninvolved.  He knows the number of hairs on our heads, He counts every tear that we cry, He sees every longing of our heart, and He supplies every breath that we breathe.  Nothing about us is hidden from Him.

3) God is purposeful.  There is nothing accidental or coincidental that occurs in our lives.  Nothing that we experience is random or meaningless.  Anything that touches our lives has first been “Father-filtered” – ordained by the hand of a God who has purposes for our lives that He is bringing about (Psalm 57:2).

Powerful – Personal – Purposeful.  God is never just one without the others.  He is always all three.

Powerful – Personal – Purposeful.  Not only are these words delightful to  lovers of  alliteration,  they are also precious promises capable of providing profound peace for persevering pilgrims as they ponder life’s pain, pressures, and perplexities.  Sorry – I couldn’t resist!

Quote of the Week:  “‘We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.’  The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact.  Everything has worked for good as yet:  the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing.  Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that he governs wisely, that he brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes.  The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, ‘Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from thee; never came there an ill portion from thy table to any of thy children.”  (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening)

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Crucified and Risen

October 3, 2009 by kathydoremus

I was finishing up reading the last chapter of Luke this morning, and the words of Jesus to His disciples spoke comfort and conviction to my soul.  In the passage that I read, the disciples are in a state of confusion and disbelief.  They have seen Jesus crucified, and now they are hearing that the tomb has been found empty.  They don’t know what to think.  As they are pondering what could possibly be going on, Jesus appears in their midst, leaving them startled, bewildered and quite frightened.  He says to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.  Touch me, and see.  For a spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see that I have.” 

What hit me is that when I am “troubled” and “doubts arise in my heart”, no matter what the cause, the remedy for my fears and uncertainties is the same one that Jesus provided for the disciples.  I need to see Him.  I need to experience the truth that He is real and that He is near.  I need the assurance that yes, He was crucified (which gives me the confidence that whatever trouble I am facing is not a punishment from God, for that was paid in full on the cross) but that now He is risen (which reminds me that my Savior is alive and is actively at work to accomplish His perfect purposes in my life – even in the midst of circumstances that I would not choose and do not understand.)

Whatever trials a day may bring, I need to speak this truth to my heart: I have a living, loving, reigning Savior who has promised to work all things for my everlasting good.  He is both crucified and risen.  May this reality have a transforming effect on my everyday life.

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The Futility of Idolatry

September 30, 2009 by kathydoremus

Verse of the Week:  “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.  They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish.  Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob.”  (Jeremiah 51:17-18)

Truth of the Week:  helpless…powerless…worthless…breathless…useless…lifeless…
These are words that describe the idols in our lives.  They always fail to keep the promises they make.  In the day of trouble (and we can be assured that God, in His grace, will bring a day of trouble) they will show their true colors and will be exposed as being empty and insufficient.  Whatever our idol of choice - whether it be prosperity, pleasure, or the praise of man, money, ministry, or material gain – all will disappoint us if we are hoping to find in them or receive from them what can only be found in God.

“But not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob.”  What wonderful words to contemplate.  Our God is never helpless, powerless, worthless, breathless, useless or lifeless.  He is the infinite opposite of all these things.  The one true God is so superior to the idols in our lives that they shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence!  In the day of trouble we are sure to find that God is all-sufficient, never failing, and always worthy of our complete confidence.  To be sure, He is not a genie in a bottle or a puppet on a string – He is the Almighty God who always does as He pleases and who always does what is right.

Quote of the Week:  “The deepest issues of the human struggle are not issues of pain and suffering, but the issue of worship, because what rules our hearts will control the way we respond to both suffering and blessing.”  (Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands)

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