September 18, 2016
Worship: Under the Grace by Phil Keaggy
I lie awake in the middle of the night again
I try to make some sense of it all rushing in
There's so much I feel within this heart of mine
I well up inside and my eyes, they overflow
For I know it is grace.
The look of love in the shape of your face I have known
It speaks of this deep sacrifice you have shown
And the wonder of it all is I didn't deserve this, I couldn't have planned it so right
And so my eyes, they overflow, let it rain, let it pour, let it go
For I know this, yes, I know, it is grace.
And the hungry in heart seeks for its place and a home,
It may tear you apart when you see what this grace here has done
Fly, fly all you burdens, go fly away
It's here I remain, under the grace, the grace.
It seems there's so little time to make amends here
If not for you, well, then I'm without a friend here.
And the hungry in heart seeks for its place and a home
It may tear you apart when you see what this grace here has done
Fly, fly all you burdens, go fly away
It's here I remain, under the grace, the grace.
I lie awake in the middle of the night again, again.
I try to make some sense of it all rushing in
There's so much I feel within this heart of mine
I well up inside and my eyes, they overflow
For I know it is grace.
The look of love in the shape of your face I have known
It speaks of this deep sacrifice you have shown
And the wonder of it all is I didn't deserve this, I couldn't have planned it so right
And so my eyes, they overflow, let it rain, let it pour, let it go
For I know this, yes, I know, it is grace.
And the hungry in heart seeks for its place and a home,
It may tear you apart when you see what this grace here has done
Fly, fly all you burdens, go fly away
It's here I remain, under the grace, the grace.
It seems there's so little time to make amends here
If not for you, well, then I'm without a friend here.
And the hungry in heart seeks for its place and a home
It may tear you apart when you see what this grace here has done
Fly, fly all you burdens, go fly away
It's here I remain, under the grace, the grace.
I lie awake in the middle of the night again, again.
Witness:
Every day can be a struggle:
· The tyranny of the urgent
· The relentless routine we face every day
· The stress and guilt we feel because of unmet goals, deadlines, personal failures or expectations
· circumstances and experiences in our lives such as the death of a loved one, divorce, loss of employment or health
These all can suck the life out of us. Our spiritual
well-being, our emotional balance, and our physical strength. In those times,
we can choose to wallow in our weaknesses and burdens or worship the One whose
grace is sufficient in our weakness (2
Cor. 12:9). Yes, I know it isn’t a simple thing to do. Many times I
find myself worshiping only to find myself wallowing again in the mire of my
own despair. Thoughts are a funny thing. One
minute you are reveling in the heights of ecstasy, as you contemplate on the
greatness of our Lord and Savior. The next moment you are down in the depths of
misery as the enemy reminds you of your present circumstances (somElijahetimes
he doesn’t even have to do this – we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to
our own thoughts). I call this the Elijah syndrome (see my September 15, 2015 “Witness “entry). One minute Elijah is facing the prophets of Baal up
on the mountain and the next minute running for his life down into the desert.
When this occurs in our day, we must
remember the words of David and his prescription for overcoming this syndrome.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
Ps 42:5-6 NIV
Hope and praise are the answer.
Don’t wallow… worship! I found myself in this dilemma on Saturday. I had shared
this principle in the Saturday morning Lifegroup I attend. That very same day
and all through the night I was tested on this. I found it at once to be very
disquieting and perplexing to my soul to be faced with an onslaught of
circumstances and thoughts that sought to defeat me. I was not sufficient for
such an attack, but my God was. I
declared every time I slipped into the wallow hole that my enemy could not keep me
there and worshiped in song and by
quoting Scripture, which is the sword of the Spirit. I confessed that the enemy
may have frustrated me at times during
the night when I slipped back into the mire of despondency, but my victory was assured
because I was more than a conqueror through Him who loved me (Rom. 8:37).
One song that brought tears of praise and joy was the song I heard Saturday
night while getting ready for work. It is the song I have used for my “Worship”
portion of this journal entry. These words arrested my attention and brought me
with upraised hand and tear-filled eyes to the throne of grace!
“And the hungry in heart seeks for its place and a home
It may tear you apart when you see what this grace here has done
Fly, fly all you burdens, go fly away
It's here I remain, under the grace, the grace.”
Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword? Even as it is written,
For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter. [Ps 44:22.]
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom. 8:35-39 AMP
WORD:
Ps 25:8-10
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs
sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in
what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord
are loving and faithful
for those who keep the
demands of his covenant. NIV (1984)
|
Ps 25:8-10
8 The LORD is good and does
what is right;
he shows the proper path to
those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in
doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with
unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and
obey his demands.
Holy Bible, New Living
Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
|
Ps 25:8-10
8 Good and upright is the LORD
therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he
teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such
as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
KJV
|
Ps 25:8-10
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and
faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. ESV
|
Question:
Why would we fail to follow the way that God points out to us?
8
reasons:
1.
fear
2.
Pride
3.
doubt (towards God)
4. ignoring
5.
rebellion
6. distractions
7.
presumption (of His forgiveness)
8.
doubtfulness (in yourself)
As if to drive home the
meaning of this word (and with a little ironic humor from the Lord I believe) I
was distracted by a guitar jam by Phil Keaggy who is playing in the background
as I was trying to begin this portion of my journal. Even now, I
want to go back and watch the video. Now my dog, Prince, wants me to pet
him. Distractions, they meet us at every crucial
juncture in our lives. We have an important decision to make concerning serving the Lord, or in spending
time in the Word, and we let distractions
get in our way. They seem innocent enough. They may even have spiritual significance, but when we allow them to
distract us, we are taking our eyes off
the path the Lord wants us to choose whether it be a time in the word or a task he wants us to accomplish.
A perfect example of
distraction is found in the Gospel of Luke:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.Luke 10:38-40 NIV
And there are other
examples as well:
Distracted by the stormy
waves, Peter sank (Mt. 14:30). Distracted by the world, Demas
abandoned his ministry with Paul (2 Tim.
4:10). Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a distraction until he learned
that God’s grace was sufficient, for His power
was made perfect in weakness (2
Cor. 12:9).
Some distractions that keep
us from following the path of the Lord are the idols and lusts that line the way seeking to distract us with their wares
(lust is a form of idolatry because it is the
inordinate over desiring of something that may be morally neutral in
itself such as sex or money or food). Think of Solomon enticed to idolatry by
his many foreign wives (1 Kings 11:4). The Apostle Paul speaks of the
person distracted by a desire to be rich wandering from the faith and being
pierced with all kinds of grief (1
Tim. 6:10) and while food is not the only meaning tied into
Philippians 3:19 it is undoubtedly one of them.
Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.Phil 3:19 ESV
It is interesting to note where this phrase “god is their belly” comes from. Some commentators say Paul had borrowed the thought from the story of the Cyclops of Euripides who said:
"My flocks which I sacrifice to no one but myself, and not to the gods, and to this my belly the greatest of the gods: for to eat and drink each day, and to give oneself no trouble, this is the god for wise men" ("Cyclops," 334-338).(from Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Herein are the distractions that keep us from following God’s path. It is the mind set on the things of this earth. John says this about these things:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17 ESV
It is also interesting to note what John’s last words are in this same epistle:
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.1 John 5:21 NIV
What steps can we take to avoid these distractions? I came up with six. Perhaps these will help us to keep the distractions out as we focus on glorifying the Lord in our thoughts and actions.
Set –
your mind –
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Col 3:1-4 NIV
Your eyes –
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal2 Cor 4:18 NIV
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of GodHeb 12:2 NIV
Slay (I have Warren Wiersbe to thank for this one, “Slay the Earthly (Col. 3:5-9)”
(from The Bible Exposition Commentary. Copyright © 1989 by Chariot Victor Publishing, and imprint of Cook Communication Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)) –
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Col 3:5-10 NIV
Seek –
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.Matt 6:33 NIV
Serve –
Serve the Lord with gladness!Come into his presence with singing!Ps 100:2 ESV
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.
Heb 12:28-29 NASB
Saturate –
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.KJV
Blessed is the manwho does not walk in the counsel of the wickedor stand in the way of sinnersor sit in the seat of mockers. (i.e. the distractors!)
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,and on his law he meditates day and night.
Ps 1:1-2 NIV
Set Apart –
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."(i.e. the distractions) But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
1 Peter 3:13-17 NIV
Or as the Message paraphrases verses 15-16:
Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.
1 Peter 3:15-16 (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Finally, we must sometimes
let other things go for that which is most important. I have sat here working
on this journal since sometime after 10 pm yesterday till now, which is 4 am. I know most people don’t have that kind of time
and usually, I don’t. However, I have the
time today on my day off to do it. Yet the only way this was accomplished was
by forgetting about the dishes and the laundry to
do that which is more important – to worship the Lord, witness to something the
Lord is teaching me, and meditate on truths found in His WORD. He is my “one
thing” (Luke
10:42).
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Ps 73:24-26 NIV
My One Thing by Rich Mullins
"Everybody
I know says they need just one thing
And
what they really mean is that they need just one thing more
And
everybody seems to think they've got it coming
Well I
know that I don't deserve You
Still I
want to love and serve You more and more
You're
my one thing
Save me
from those things that might distract me
Please
take them away and purify my heart
I don't
want to lose the eternal for the things that are passing
'Cause
what will I have when the world is gone
If it
isn't for the love that goes on and on with
My one
thing
You're
my one thing
And the
pure in heart shall see God
You're
my one thing
You're
my one thing
And the
pure in heart shall see God
Who
have I in Heaven but You Jesus
And
what better could I hope to find down here on earth
I could
cross the most distant reaches
Of this
world but I'd just be wasting my time
'Cause
I'm certain already I'm sure I'd find
You're
my one thing (one thing)
You're
my one thing (one thing)
And the
pure in heart shall see God
You're
my one thing (one thing)
You're
my one thing (one thing)
And the
pure in heart shall see God
Every
night and every day
You
hold on tight
Or you
drift away
And
you're left to live
With
the choices you make
Oh Lord
please give me the strength
To
watch and work and love and sing and pray
'Cause
who have I in Heaven but You Jesus
And
what better could I hope to find down here on earth
Well I
could cross the most distant reaches
Of this
world but I'd just be wasting my time
'Cause
I'm certain already I'm sure I'd find
You're
my one thing (one thing)
You're
my one thing (one thing)
And the
pure in heart shall see God
You're
my one thing (one thing)
You're
my one thing (one thing)
And the
pure in heart shall see God
You're
my one thing
One
thing
You're
my one thing
The
pure in heart the pure in heart
One
thing
And I
know that the pure
That
the pure in heart (that the pure in heart shall see God)
And I
know that the pure in heart shall see God
And I
know that the pure
That
the pure in heart (that the pure in heart shall see God)
And I
know that the pure in heart shall see God
And I
know that the pure
That
the pure in heart (that the pure in heart shall see God)
And I
know that the pure in heart shall see God
That
the pure in heart (that the pure in heart shall see God)
And I
know that the pure in heart shall see God"
Lyrics:
Lyrics:
Video: https://youtu.be/9aqP-A4tKCA
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