Journal for Christ: 2016

Monday, December 26, 2016

He did it again!

He did it again! It's the morning of the day after Christmas and my wife is still gone. the day did not live up to expectations and a depression crept over my soul. That's when I read this entry from January 19, 2016. In it, I reference a providential reading from a previous entry I had made in my journal and how it helped me. Now I am reading and sharing this journal entry that also referenced a feeling of depression and what I did about it. I will not go into any more details here. You can read below to find those details. What I am testifying to is a chain of entries linked together providentially by my faithful and loving Father to minister to my need. Thank you, Father. Amen!

January 19, 2016

Worship: Lifesong by Casting Crowns

"Lifesong"

Empty hands held high
Such small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord I give my life
A living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Let my lifesong sing to You

Video: https://youtu.be/Gnf1xczuOrA

A-Z Lyrics CASTING CROWNS Lyrics "Lifesong" (2005)

Witness: Today was a day of full frontal attacks by the enemy. He began at work while I was singing in my spirit to the Lord. A spirit of depression seemed to come over me and I paused from singing for a few seconds, then recognizing the source, I began to sing again. Then later, my younger daughter texted me concerning finding porn and an Ashley Madison account on her husband’s phone. I said to myself, the devil is making a full-frontal attack on me”. I then warned myself to watch out for his ambush. When I came home my daughter came over and delivered me the ambush. It was a letter from my wife’s friend asking me to help her with information against her husband in their divorce case. However, he wasn’t finished. I shared my daughter’s situation with my friend, who then sought to give me advice. I then responded with how I saw it. Later tonight he texted back, basically attacking my thoughts about it and belittling my ability to analyze her husband’s problem. I have responded with a few words and a prayer. I am hoping that God will bring peace to this situation.

On the good side let me share what I said as an introduction to my blog today:

This entry from August 14 just astounded me. God, in His providence, allowed me to read this just at the right time. You see, I just received a letter from my wife's friend’s wife asking me to call her about the situation and the pending divorce she is seeking from my wife's friend. I prayed for wisdom on whether to respond, though I felt I shouldn't. This confirms that decision. Pray that the truth is revealed to my wife. The Word section also was especially powerful and relevant to my present circumstances, as I deal not only with the situation with my wife, but also my younger daughter's situation with her narcissistic, sex addicted, unfaithful husband.

http://journal4christ.blogspot.com/2016/01/this-entry-from-august-14-just.html

WORD:

Ps 24:6

Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, O God of Jacob.^b Selah

NIV

24:6 b Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts face, Jacob

NIV

Ps 24:6

This is the generation of those who seek Him,

Who seek Your face — even Jacob. Selah.

NASU

Such is the character of those who seek him,

of Ya‘akov, who seeks your face. (Selah)

CJB

This [is] a generation of those seeking Him. Seeking Thy face, O Jacob!

YLT

I spent a long time on the phone with another friend getting advice on my son-in-law’s problems with sexual addiction and narcissism. Left me little time for study. I want to close this section with a quote from Spurgeon. There is so much more I could address in this passage, especially in the area of “seeking”.

Even seeking has a sanctifying influence; what a consecrating power must lie in finding and enjoying the Lord's face and favour! To desire communion with God is a purifying thing. Oh, to hunger and thirst more and more after a clear vision of the face of God; this will lead us to purge ourselves from all filthiness, and to walk with heavenly circumspection. He who longs to see his friend when he passes takes care to clear the mist from the window, lest by any means his friend should go by unobserved. Really awakened souls seek the Lord above everything, and as this is not the usual desire of mankind, they constitute a generation by themselves; a people despised of men but beloved of God.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

"This is the generation of them that reverently seek Him"

Journal entry from:

January 18, 2016

Worship: Psalm 24 by Jason Silver

Psalm 24
Entrance into the Temple
Of David. A Psalm.

1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[a]Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.Selah

Video: https://youtu.be/v_E-l0aYnqM

Witness:

I was grocery shopping the other day and trying to buy healthy. I was doing very well. I would occasionally come across something that looks really good, but I resisted, knowing that while it may have looked good, it wasn’t really good for me. Looking at the label helped when it came to resisting. However, as I am coming to the end of my shopping I was strolling by the bakery and my eyes lighted on the Cinnamon Buns and some Apple Danishes. I said, “come on you only live once, and it won’t hurt you to cheat a little”, so I put them in the shopping cart along with the good and healthy food. It came to me later that this was how we treat our Christian walk. We are enjoying the blessings of God. We are walking according to the Word and listening to the Holy Spirit and following our Shepherd in the paths of righteousness. Then the enemy whispers, “come on, you only live once and besides it won’t hurt you to cheat just a little”. Now, it may not hurt you to cheat a little on your diet in the short run, though it may in the long run. However, in our walk with the Lord, such an attitude can have devastating results. I remember David, seeing and lusting after a woman bathing on the rooftop in sight of the palace. Perhaps he rationalized that it was just going to be one little fling, yet it led not only to adultery but also deceit and murder and the loss of the child that was conceived in this “one little act of indiscretion”. We may rationalize that our “indiscretion” (i.e. sin) is not as great as David’s, but the body of a Snowman is made from a little snowball.

WORD:

Ps 24:6

Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, O God of Jacob.^b Selah

NIV

24:6 b Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts face, Jacob

NIV

Ps 24:6

This is the generation of those who seek Him,

Who seek Your face — even Jacob. Selah.

NASU

Such is the character of those who seek him,

of Ya‘akov, who seeks your face. (Selah)

CJB

This [is] a generation of those seeking Him. Seeking Thy face, O Jacob!

YLT

I hesitate to go on. I think my allergy medicine makes me very tired. I can’t seem to keep my eyes open. I also hesitate to complete what I began yesterday. I am not sure how fruitful such an adventure will be. Never-the-less, let me just share a few things about this textual issue.

Adam Clarke says:

[That seek thy face, O Jacob.] It is most certain that ’Eloheey, O God, has been lost out of the Hebrew text in most MSS., but it is preserved in two of Kennicott's MSS., and also in the Syriac, the Vulgate, Septuagint, the AEthiopic, the Arabic, and the Anglo-Saxon. "Who seek thy face, O God of Jacob."

Barnes says:

[That seek thy face, O Jacob] Margin, O "God of" Jacob. DeWette understands this as meaning that they would seek the face of God AMONG His people; or that they who belonged to the race of Jacob, and who were sincere, thus sought the face of God. There is supposed to be, according to this interpretation, a distinction between the true and the false Israel; between those who professed to be the people of God and those who really were His people (compare Rom 9:6-8). It seems to me that the word is not used here as it is in the margin to denote the "God of Jacob," which would be a harsh and an unusual construction, but that it is in apposition with the preceding words, as denoting what constituted the true Jacob, or the true people of God. "This is the generation of them that seek him; this is the true Jacob, that seek thy face, O Lord." That is, this is the characteristic of all who properly belong to the race of Jacob, or who properly belong to God as his true people. The sense, however, is not materially affected if we adopt the reading in the margin.

Pulpit Commentary:

This is the generation of them that seek him. Men with this character impressed upon them are the "generation," the stamp of men, whom God will recognize and accept as his worshippers, true seekers after him. That seek thy face, O Jacob. The LXX. have,

Zhtou/ntwn to\ >pro/swpon tou Qeou Iakw/b, whence some suppose yhla to have fallen out of the Hebrew text. This, no doubt, is possible, and removes all difficulty. But it is better to loose a Gordian knot than to cut it. We may keep the present text, and obtain a satisfactory sense, by regarding "Jacob" as grammatically in apposition with "generation," and translating, "This is the generation of them that seek him - that seek thy face - even Jacob." All they are not Israel who are of Israel (Rom 9:6). The true Jacob consisted of those Israelites who answered to the character described in ver. 4.

The JFB Commentary has this long but enlightening comment:

Psalms 24:6

The generation of them that seek - i.e., that seek to be among the true sons of Jacob, a seeker after God, and so a representative head of the Church. As to the "face" of Jacob, whom true Israelites look up to as a spiritual father, cf. Isa 29:22. But the parallelism of "seek Him" and "seek thy face, O Jacob," would hardly be theologically correct. For seeking Jacob, a man, though representing Church, cannot stand, on a similar footing with seeking God. Rather, 'This is the generation of them that reverence, Him; they that seek thy face, (O God, are) Jacob' - i.e., wrestling suppliants before Gods "face" (Gen 32:30; Hos 12:4). The Hebrew for the former "seek" is not the same as that for the latter. The first (daarash) means to diligently regard or reverence; the latter (baaqash) is to "seek." Others may be descendants of Jacob after the flesh; they alone are his true sons who, like him, are reverent seekers after God's face in the way of holiness (Rom 2:28). Margin, ellipsis is harsh, 'that seek thy face, (O God of) Jacob:' though 2 MSS. of Kennicott and the Syriac support it. The Arabic, Ethiopic, and the Septuagint read, 'that seek the face of the God of Jacob.' The English version may be retained with slight change-`This is the generation of them that reverently seek Him, that seek thy face (being the true) Jacob.' The sudden address to God, "that seek thy face," gives emphasis to the sentiment as declared before God Himself.

So, it seems that even if the phrase “O God” is not in the original, we can still make sense of this passage. The Psalmist is distinguishing between the true and false believer by describing the character of the true believer. The true believer is described as one who “seeks” reverently after God’s presence, who “seeks” for His blessing and favor. Some commentators helpfully remind us of Jacob’s wrestling with God.

The Expositor’s Commentary says:.

[T]he declaration that such seekers are the true people of God is a worthy close of the whole description, and the reference to the "face" of God verbally, recalls Peniel and that wonderful incident when Jacob became Israel. The seeker after God will have that scene repeated, and be able to say, "I have seen God."

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/expositors/psalms/24.htm

Starke says:

Many men inquire after the way to heaven; but they do not like to tread it or to travel it.—There is always a difference between the world and the Church in the world, between God’s places and the devil’s places, and that difference is diligence in sanctification.—Examine yourself whether you are a subject of the King of glory; the mere outer confession does not suffice; that must be accompanied by indubitable marks of faith.—The surest mark of the true Church is the disposition of Jacob, struggling and striving for the blessing and righteousness from the God of our salvation.—He who takes a great deal with him, cannot enter in through a narrow gate; Christ comes to us with many heavenly blessings, therefore the doors must be made wide and opened for His entrance.—

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/lange/psalms/24.htm

Let me end by quoting from Waren Weirsbe again as a fitting close:

The only way we can enter into God's presence is through the merits of Jesus Christ, which means we must repent of our sins and put our faith in Him. Only Jesus Christ qualifies to enter the Father's presence, and He has gone to heaven to represent His people and intercede for them before the Father's throne. To "seek God's face" means to have an audience with the King (Gen 44:23; Ex 10:28; 2 Sam 14:24,28,32), and this is now possible through the work of Christ on the cross (Heb 10:1-25). God's righteousness is a gift, not a reward for good works (Rom 3:21-4:9; 5:17; 10:1-10). David compared the generation of God-seeking people to their ancestor Jacob, who saw the face of God and held on by faith until he received a blessing (Gen 32:24-32). Jacob certainly wasn't a perfect man, but the Lord saved him and even is called "the God of Jacob" (Ps 46:7,11).

O Lord examine my heart

And reveal to me whether it is

A heart that truly seeks after You

A heart that has been redeemed and

A heart that has been cleansed by Your

Holy and loving and righteous right hand

With the atoning blood of the crucified Lamb

!אָמֵן……………..….Amen!......................ἀμήν!

Sunday, November 27, 2016

. Grant me wisdom, Lord, to redeem the time

January 17, 2016

Worship: Psalm 24 by the Son’s of Korah

The Earth is the Lords and Everything in it.
The world and all men who live in her lands
for He founded it upon the seas,
Who may ascend to the Hill of the Lord
and who may stand in his Holy Place
He who has clean hands and pure hearts
Who lifts not his soul or swears by and idol
He will receive blessing from God and vindication from God His savior
Such is the generation of those who seek your face, O God O God of Jacob
Lift up your heads, you gates, be Lifted up you ancient doors
So that the King, The King of glory may enter in may enter in
And who is the king who is the king? Oh
the Lord strong and Mighty. Mighty in battle
and who is the King, who is the King? oh
The Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle
The Lord strong and Mighty The Lord king of Glory
The Lord and all the earth belongs to Him for He's the Lord and He's the King
He is the Lord and all the earth belongs to Him and He will fight and we will sing
The Lord and so be lifted up you doors, be lifted high up for the King, you ancient
Doors be lifted up so that the Lord may enter in!

Lyrics: http://jgospel.net/family-faith/hymns/psalms-24-sons-of-korah.c29236.aspx

Video: https://youtu.be/pO77-m4SS3M

Witness:

Wow, it has been 7 days since I made a new entry in my journal. Actually, I have been working on the same entry for all those days between. I thought it might take me 3 days, but it took several more than that. My nights have been shortened by various distraction, fatigue etc. Even now it is really the 18^th. I started on the other side of midnight around 10 pm but was interrupted by a call from my mom (that is an important call you don’t cut short!), the wash, my dog and a short nap. So, here I am again. Hopefully, this week will run smoother. However, whatever comes my way, let me not be stressed, knowing my times are in Your hands. Only, let me not be the cause of time misspent. Grant me wisdom, Lord, to redeem the time. Amen!

Eph 5:15-16

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. KJV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ESV

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. NIV

WORD:

Ps 24:6

Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, O God of Jacob.^b Selah

NIV

24:6 b Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts face, Jacob

NIV

Ps 24:6

This is the generation of those who seek Him,

Who seek Your face — even Jacob. Selah.

NASU

Such is the character of those who seek him,

of Ya‘akov, who seeks your face. (Selah)

CJB

This [is] a generation of those seeking Him. Seeking Thy face, O Jacob!

YLT

Before I move on, I want to look at a textual and interpretive issue. As you can see from above, this passage is handled several different ways. This is because of the issue pointed out by the note found in the NIV box above. Most modern translations follow the NIV in translating it “O God of Jacob”. They feel that following the minority of Hebrew manuscripts and the Greek translation of the OT called the Septuagint makes the most sense here. Others, following the majority of Hebrew manuscripts translate it several different ways according to how they understand the text without having the phrase “O God” in it. I will come back later on today and try to finish up this portion of Psalm 24.

Monday, November 7, 2016

What does it mean to seek His face?

Journal entry from

January 11 -16, 2016

Worship: Can I Accent (I’m Coming Up The Mountain) by Matt Redman

Can I ascend the hill of the Lord?
Can I stand in that holy place?
There to approach the glory of my God;
Come towards to seek your face.
Purify my heart and purify my hands.
For I know it is on holy ground I'll stand.

I'm coming up the mountain, Lord;
I'm seeking you and you alone.
I know that I will be transformed,
My heart unveiled before you.
I'm longing for your presence, Lord;
Envelop me within the cloud.
I'm coming up the mountain, Lord,
My heart unveiled before you,
I will come.

I'm coming to worship,
I'm coming to bow down,
I'm coming to meet with you.

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/matt_redman/im_coming_up_the_mountain_lyrics.html

Video: https://youtu.be/zDca7estt44

Witness:

This journal entry has taken several days to finish. I have battled sleep deprivation and even now was going to skip another day so I could rest. I also was stressing over the lack of accomplishing the mundane things I do in life, such as emptying the dishwasher. Yet, I encouraged myself and told myself that I need not stress over these things. I can work on the journal a little or a lot. I just must not give up on it or give in to my feelings and not enter anything at all. Perhaps I may only sing one day and witness the next and on the third day get into the WORD.

Sometimes it takes some time to bring about something good. I have been cooking beans in a crockpot for several days now and they are finally soft enough to be edible and I have added a portion of them to some chile I made, enhancing the taste of the chile. With what I had leftover I made some baked beans. So, it may be that I take several days to finish a journal entry, but in the end, it will be worth it and who knows what will overflow from what is leftover.

WORD:

Ps 24:1-6

24 The earth is the LORD 's, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to an idol

or swear by what is false.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD

and vindication from God his Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

SELAH

NIV

Ps 24:1-6

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Selah

ESV

I have already shared that the word “generation” in this passage refers to the character of the worshipers described in verses 3-4. They are here described as those who seek His face. What does it mean to seek His face? Perhaps it can be summed up in this simple 3-point outline.

Seeking God’s face means:

I. Seeking His divine presence

II. Seeking His divine favor

III. Seeking His divine direction

I. Seeking His divine presence:

The basic meaning with reference to God is His presence. Unger says this about the word:

FACE. There is nothing peculiar in the use of this word in Scripture, except with reference to God. Applied to God, it denotes His presence. In such phrases as seeing the Lord "face to face," "the face of the Lord is against evildoers," it is evidently all one with God's manifested presence.

The opposite of seeking His presence or face would be to hide from His face as Adam and Eve did from God in the garden of Eden.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:8 ESV

The word translated "presence" in this verse is the Hebrew word paniym, which literally means face.)

II. Seeking His divine favor:

There are reasons for wanting to be in someone’s presence. To desire to be in God’s presence is to seek after His favor. We see this in verses like Psalm 67:1, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us,” NIV. The favor sought or given is manifold including Peace (Numbers 6:24-26); victory (Palm 44:3); strength (Psalm 105:4); forgiveness and healing (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The opposite of seeking favor is seen in the expression “turn their face from”. A helpful discussion is found in ISBE’s:

The range of emotions reflected in facial expressions includes determination (harden or "set" the face; cf. Isa 50:7; Jer 5:3; 42:17; Ezek 3:8; Luke 9:51); indifference, contempt, or rejection ("turn away the face," e.g., 2 Chron 29:6); friendship or gracious favor (the face "shines" upon someone, e.g., Num 6:25); displeasure ("hide the face," e.g., Ps 102:2; Ezek 39:23); and hostility ("set the face against," e.g., Jer 21:10).

The idea of turning away one’s face or hardening one’s face can refer to both God and man. May we never find God turning His face away in displeasure, nor allow life’s circumstances to cause us to turn our face from Him.

III. Seeking His divine direction:

Scripture also uses this phrase or refers to a part of the face's anatomy to speak of God giving direction to His people. So, we read in Psalm 32:8:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye. NIV

Being taught of the LORD is found in the same context as seeking God’s face. The Psalmist in Psalm 27:8-11 declares:

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Ps 27:9-11 NIV

To hide from His guiding eye is to run from His will. To run from His presence is to seek to escape doing God’s will. This is what Jonah sought to do and we know how that ended up. We learn from scripture that in the end, we can never escape His presence. The Psalmist found that out. Look what He declares:

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
Ps 139:7-8 NIV

Here the Psalmist declared he could never be out of God’s presence and the word’s that follow this passage are the words all true seekers will declare:

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Ps 139:9-10 NIV

Come Blessed Ones

O’ come blessed ones - come seek His face

And be ye filled with the glory of His grace

Though time and terror may seek to displace

Let us continue to run the “set before us” race

And when our time on earth doth end its pace

We shall enter into our “prepared for us” place