Journal for Christ

Friday, January 12, 2018

January 12, 2018

Worship: My Delight is in You by Christy Nockels

Several times today I asked the Lord to lead me to a song to open up in worship with tonight. My Logos Bible Software mentions a song written by Isaac Watts on Psalm 27:1-6. So I went to YouTube to see if anyone had recorded the song. Alas, no one had, but in my research, I providentially came upon this song that fits so well with the Psalm that I had to use it to open my quiet-time.

Verse)
My delight is in You, Lord
On Your word I set my heart
You are peace, You are calm for my restless soul
You light my way through the dark

(Verse)
I want to know You even more
Holiness is my desire
Purify, burning me, come and make me clean
You refine me in Your fire

(Chorus)
Here I am, open arms
Draw me close to Your heart
You’re my life, You’re my refuge
My delight, my delight is in You
My delight is in You

(Verse)
My delight is in You, Lord
You’re the treasure I have found
You’re the rock where I stand
I will not be moved
All my life is in Your hands

(Chorus x2)
Here I am, open arms
Draw me close to Your heart
You’re my life, You’re my refuge
My delight, my delight is in You
My delight is in You

My delight is in You
My delight is in You
My delight is in You

What I found is a new love
All about showing you Jesus
Oh I found You, spring up from who you are love
All our days left, all our days left, Lord

Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You my master
Ready to do your will

(Chorus)
Here I am, open arms
Draw me close to Your heart
You’re my life, You’re my refuge
My delight, my delight is in You

(Chorus)
Here I am, open arms
Draw me close to Your heart
You’re my life, You’re my refuge
My delight, my delight is in You
My delight is in You
My delight is in You

Songwriters: Chris Tomlin / Christy Nockels / Jesse Reeves

My Delight Is in You lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group

Lyrics: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/christynockels/mydelightisinyou.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-J3zQAx2ak

Witness:

I have many resources on my phone which I can open and listen to a message, teaching, devotional thought, or scripture passage. Having such a privilege makes it easy to take a “vending machine” approach to all that is available to me. As I consider the titles, I often choose or reject what is displayed merely on whether it seems relevant to my life. However, sometimes I try to “force” myself to listen to something because it may help me minister to others who ARE dealing with the subject at hand or even that God might have a word for me embedded in the seemingly irrelevant topic. Such was the case the other day. I like to listen to a program called “Ask Pastor John” which is found on the Desiring God website. The question for the day was “What’s wrong with dressing immodestly to get attention?” Now nothing in that title seemed remotely relevant to me, but the title intrigued me because I thought, “who in their right mind would ask such a question?” When I began to listen, it became clear that the woman asking was asking with better motives than the question implied. The fuller question she was asking was this:

“Pastor John, thank you for this podcast and for your honesty. I will speak honestly here. I am a 22-year-old single woman, consumed with my physical appearance and how pretty others think I am. God is definitely working on me, though, because I don’t buy clothes or other material things nearly as much as I used to. He’s also given me a desire to dress modestly. But I still care a lot about how I look and find it hard to buy modest clothing because I think more revealing clothing is sexier. I trust in my looks to get me a husband more than God, that’s the root issue, I think. I continuously look for compliments, and when I do get one, my ego is fed. When I don’t get one, my ego craves attention. I hate judging myself and others on their physical appearance — it’s tiring, disgusting, and not at all pleasing to the Lord. I don’t want to be like the women in Isaiah 3:16–26. Can you help me know how to cultivate beauty in my heart and in my faith in God alone?”
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-s-wrong-with-dressing-immodestly-for-attention

As you can see from the question that even though her thought process was a little muddled at times (“I trust in my looks to get me a husband more than God, that’s the root issue, I think”) her desire to please God was paramount to her. John Piper’s response was an excellent example of 2 Timothy 3:16.

2 Tim 3:16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousnessNIV

You can access the audio and written manuscript through the link I have given above.

What caught my attention and made me realize that God had providentially led me to listen to this particular program the other day was John’s answer to a statement embedded in the question this 22-year old was asking. Here is the specific comment she made that Piper’s response arrested my thoughts and made me recognize God was speaking to me as well.

I continuously look for compliments, and when I do get one, my ego is fed. When I don’t get one, my ego craves attention.

If you have read any of my entries in the past you know that this is a struggle I face as well. Not about my appearance 😊 but about my writings, poems, and my singing. It’s pride born of a lack of confidence. Because I think that what I say may not be profound or helpful I search for any sort of recognition that might help me to think that what I have said is actually good. When I sing I want people to turn around and say “you have a wonderful voice.” That is why I struggle at church when we are singing praises to God. I want praises to be hailed to my voice as well.

Here is John Piper’s response:

Seeking ApprovalHere’s another sentence that goes deeper, I think. She got this one. It goes deeper than the desire for a husband, and this is the heart of the matter. She says, “I continuously look for compliments, and when I do get one, my ego is fed. When I don’t get one, my ego craves attention.”Now that’s right, and it’s not unique to women. John Piper is as vulnerable to that as anybody. It is utterly and deeply human. It is very near the core of what makes us fallen sinners. The Pharisees, Jesus said, lived for the approval and praise of other people, and he called it one of the most deadly dispositions in the world. He said in John 5:44 that it’ll keep you from believing in Jesus: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” This is one of the most damning sentences in the Bible for those who live for the praise of other people, because it cuts them off from what it means to embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord and Treasure.

Like a needed slap in the face or a splash of cold water to wake me up is the statement made in the last paragraph of this quote. It can be said that seeking the praise of others is nothing short of idolatry. That is a very sobering thought and one we too often overlook when examining our walk with Christ.

Phil 2:3-4Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.NIV

WORD:

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

NIV (84)

Ps 27:4-6

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord's perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

KJV

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

ESV

It’s been almost two months since I have Journaled anything. Coming back hasn’t been easy. I began by reviewing what I had written back in November of 2017. I discovered that I had actually written something after November 22 which actually was suppose to be included with what I shared on my last blog. You see I have a separate document which I use to compose my entry before I enter into my actually Journal. When I opened that document tonight, I discovered the fuller entry. In other words, my previous blog entry was actually incomplete because I had not included these thoughts in it. I remember now that I had not finished my thoughts and intended to continue to add some more ideas on the passage before I ended the entry. I actually thought that when I came back and looked at where I finished that I had written more than what was there but at the time hadn’t consulted my separate draft document. Therefore, I will include those thoughts in this Journal entry.

From November 2017

In my last study, I briefly observed the details of David’s desire - to dwell, to gaze, and to seek or inquire. Notice that his desires were not just feelings but actions he wanted to perform. I also discerned three movements in verses 4-6 – presence (v. 4), protection (v. 5), and praise (v. 6). I should also add another movement under the title of promotion which can be placed in between protection and praise and is also found in verse 6. Additionally, it should be observed that the first and last movements are David’s and the middle two are God’s. In these verses, we can see that there is a beauty to observe and blessings to obtain.

First, let us discover the beauty that David observed. It is found in verse 4. David prayed for and sought after the privilege of being in God’s presence. We know from other writings of David that he could never really be in a place where he wasn’t in God’s presence (see Ps. 139). So what’s the big deal? I don’t know if I can adequately explain it. The Tabernacle (and later the temple) was the place where God’s special presence was. It was the house of worship. It was God’s house - His palace as it were. It was where a sacrifice of atonement for sin was made, and sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise as well. Worship and sacrifices were ministered by a human mediator. It was the place where the faithful could gather in corporate worship. In those days Praise and Worship were important, but the Place was paramount. When Christ came and died the ultimate and actual sacrifice (for all the ones before were but a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice of atonement) the vail was torn, a human mediator was replaced by a divine mediator, and the true worshipper was not confined to one place to offer their sacrifice of praise.

But David was not privileged to live in our present dispensation, so his desire to be in God’s special dwelling place was of paramount importance to him. He desired to be in the tabernacle to experience God’s special presence in God’s special place. A presence that not only was felt but observed, and not only observed but inquired of.

I’m out of time. I will continue my thoughts in the coming days.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Presencece, Protection, and Praise

As you can see it has been a long time since I have made any entries in my journal. Holidays, fatigue, a project I needed to get done, and vacations all contributed to my hiatus. Today is no different regarding fatigue. I am still feeling the effects of the long hours spent Sunday night and Monday night to complete a project I was working on for my kids. Even now I am struggling to stay awake long enough to get this introduction finished and then I am going to lay down to rest before I go to work. You who might read this, please pray for me that I get sufficient rest and can again spend time in the study of God's word. A little response from those who do read this telling me you are praying for me would be appreciated.

November 22, 2017

Worship: In Your Presence by Paul Wilbur

In Your presence

That's where I am strong

In Your presence

O Lord my God

In Your presence

That's where I belong

Seeking Your face

Touching Your grace

In the cleft of the Rock

In Your presence O God

I want to go

Where the rivers

Cannot overflow me

Where my feet are

On the rock

I want to hide

Where the blazing

Fire cannot burn me

In Your presence O God

I want to hide

Where the flood of

Evil cannot reach me

Where I'm covered by the blood

I want to be where

The schemes of darkness

Cannot touch me

In Your presence O God

You are my firm foundation

I trust in You all day long

I am Your child

And Your servant

And You are my

Strength and my song

You're my song

Seeking Your face

Touching Your grace

In the cleft of the Rock

In Your presence O God

In Your presence

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Paul-wilbur-in-your-presence-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/g5MFhZLO73A

Witness:

This song has so much to do with the words found in Psalm 27. If I were to change any of the lyrics, it would be the line which says “touching Your grace.” These lyrics are vague and subject to misunderstanding. Taken literally they don’t make much sense. I don’t want to just touch His grace, I want to be gripped by it. As I think about those words, I can only see them as a veiled way of saying what I think the lyrics here should be. I want to say, “standing in Your grace,” or “surrounded by Your grace.” These seem more biblically sound for they express the truth found in Romans 5:2. Perhaps the author of the song may have felt “touching Your grace” flowed better lyrically. If that is the case, he was speaking metaphorically, and in a roundabout way was trying to say what I am saying. Usually when we use the word “touch,” we think of our fingers touching something. However, if we think of putting on clothes, there is a sense in which our bodies are “touching” the clothing. I think this is what the author meant.

Having said that, I want to say that if it were not for grace, I would not want to seek His presence. For I would only experience His wrath, which is what I deserve.

It is only by God’s gracious love,

And the precious blood of Lamb -

Because of His great mercy,

And a Savior who understands

The weakness of our mortal flesh

And our prevalence to sin -

Our doubts and fears are cast out

And with boldness, we enter in.

Eph 2:4-8But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.NIV

Rom 5:8-10But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
NIV

Heb 4:14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
ESV

WORD:

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

NIV (84)

Ps 27:4-6

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord's perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

KJV

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

ESV

In my last study, I looked at the lifelong singular desire David had as a “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). Now, I want to look at the direction that desire took. Today I will give just a general outline and follow-up in the future with a more in-depth look at this portion of Scripture.

First, let me identify what David desired, which is revealed in verse 4. While his desire is singular (“one thing”), he delineates it under three points:

· “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” NIV

· “to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” NIV

· “to seek him in his temple” NIV or “to inquire in his temple” ESV

Lastly, for today that is, I see three movements in these verses:

1. Presence - David earnestly desired to personally experience God’s presence – v. 4

2. Protection – Which led to experiencing God’s protection – vs. 5

3. Praise –And experiencing exaltation and culminating in God’s praise– v. 6

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Presence, Protection, Praise

This entry date is inaccurate for I started this entry probably a week and a half to two weeks ago and am just finalizing and publishing it. It has been a rough two weeks. I have been exhausted during the time and have not been able to devote much time to study. The corpus of this work only took several days and then I tweaked it over the rest of the time. For all the time lapse this entry is rather short compared to other entries. During tis season I expect that my time in journalling will be brief and sporadic. Hopefully, with the new year, I will be able to pick up the pace.

November 22, 2017

Worship: In Your Presence by Paul Wilbur

In Your presence

That's where I am strong

In Your presence

O Lord my God

In Your presence

That's where I belong

Seeking Your face

Touching Your grace

In the cleft of the Rock

In Your presence O God

I want to go

Where the rivers

Cannot overflow me

Where my feet are

On the rock

I want to hide

Where the blazing

Fire cannot burn me

In Your presence O God

I want to hide

Where the flood of

Evil cannot reach me

Where I'm covered by the blood

I want to be where

The schemes of darkness

Cannot touch me

In Your presence O God

You are my firm foundation

I trust in You all day long

I am Your child

And Your servant

And You are my

Strength and my song

You're my song

Seeking Your face

Touching Your grace

In the cleft of the Rock

In Your presence O God

In Your presence

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Paul-wilbur-in-your-presence-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/g5MFhZLO73A

Witness:

Having said that, I want to say that if it were not for grace, I would not want to seek His presence. For I would only experience His wrath, which is what I deserve.

It is only by God’s gracious love,

And the precious blood of Lamb -

Because of His great mercy,

And a Savior who understands

The weakness of our mortal flesh

And our prevalence to sin -

Our doubts and fears are cast out

And with boldness, we enter in.

Eph 2:4-8But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.NIV

Rom 5:8-10But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
NIV

Heb 4:14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
ESV

WORD:

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

NIV (84)

Ps 27:4-6

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord's perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

KJV

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

ESV

First, let me identify what David desired, which is revealed in verse 4. While his desire is singular (“one thing”), he delineates it under three points:

· “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” NIV

· “to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” NIV

· “to seek him in his temple” NIV or “to inquire in his temple” ESV

Lastly, for today that is, I see three movements in these verses:

1. Presence - David earnestly desired to personally experience God’s presence – v. 4

2. Protection – Which led to experiencing God’s protection – vs. 5

3. Praise –And experiencing exaltation and culminating in God’s praise– v. 6

Friday, January 12, 2018

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Presencece, Protection, and Praise

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Presence, Protection, Praise

About Me