His Face Shines on You

"The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you"

Numbers 6:25

There is nothing that brings greater satisfaction, nor more fulfillment than to know that God is looking upon you with favor. Not because of who you are or what you've done, but because you are in Christ Jesus. When you are in that place of grace, You can rest in Him, assured that your eternal future is secure. That no matter what disappoints you here on earth, a day is coming when you will enter into the glorious presence of the Lord. There all striving will cease. Forever.  "Why should he fret when God smiles? What matters though all the world should censure, if Jehovah countenances his servant. A look of approval from God creates a deep, delightful calm within the soul." (Spurgeon)

God's Gentleness

"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, 

And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great."

Psalm 18:35

Psalm 18 is David's song of deliverance from his enemies. He begins it with declaring his love for the Lord. He recounts his salvation by God's hand. He recognizes that God is his protection; like a shield against the enemy. That it is God who helps him stand. And it is God's gentleness -- His humility to condescend to David -- that makes him great.  "David ascribes all his own greatness to the condescending goodness and graciousness of his Father in heaven. Let us all feel this sentiment in our own hearts, and confess that whatever of goodness or greatness God may have put upon us, we must cast our crowns at his feet and cry, 'thy gentleness hath made me great.'" (Charles Spurgeon).  

Amazing Grace

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

2 Corinthians 4:3-4

"Was blind, but now I see." Those familiar words from John Newton's hymn "Amazing Grace" describe the before and after state of the believer. Before we come to Christ, accepting Him as our personal Savior, we are blinded by the "god of this world", Satan. He puts a veil over our eyes, convincing us that we do not need to be saved. We're fine just as we are. We're so accustomed to sin's darkness, that the light of the gospel seems uncomfortable. Sometimes we even make jokes about our lost condition, saying such things as "Well, all my friends are bound for Hell, too, so I'll have lots of company when I go there." How tragic. Hell is real, indeed, but it is not a country club. It is an evil place of isolation and separation from God for all of eternity (Luke 16:19-31). Until we receive Gods' amazing grace, coming to Him in repentance and receiving His forgiveness, we are perishing.  But what glory we see when our eyes are opened to Jesus Christ, the image of God! Amazing grace, how sweet the sound."

True Freedom

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. "

Galatians 5:13

Freedom in Christ. What does it mean? When we receive Christ as Savior we are free to live within His grace embrace. No longer afraid to approach a holy God, we come to His throne room as a favored child enters her father's study; without fear of reproach. The Lord's love is unconditional and will never diminish. Nor will it increase.  Nothing we do can make Him love us less, or love us more. God's love is never dependent upon our performance. His love is simply constant  and thoroughly ours through Jesus. But we must be careful not to use our freedom to indulge our sinful nature. We're not free to be a stumbling block to others by the way we live. We are free to glorify God by thinking of others and how we can lift them up and encourage them. No longer bound by the selfish way we lived before we came to Christ, we now are free to live the life of love He's always longed to give us. This is true freedom. 

God's Wonderful Grace

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9

God's amazing grace. It exceeds all sin. Every sin for anyone who places their faith in Christ.  No one has ever been able to perfectly keep the Ten Commandments (the Law). They only expose how sinful we are. The law cannot save. Only God can save through His grace, and we are never beyond it. His arm of grace reaches far beyond our greatest fall and brings us to Him. His grace is a free gift that can never be earned. We don't deserve it. And that makes it all the more wonderful.   

A Life that Warms and Enlightens Others

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Titus 2:11-14

It is by the grace of God that salvation has been brought to all people. Once we have received Jesus Christ, the gracious gift of God, we experience the joy of a relationship with Him. And though we still live in the world, we are called to live differently. To live a "godly" life -- a life full of God. This is not a burden, as the world would see it. For the Christian, it is a joy to follow the way of Jesus Christ, and every day with Him brings more delight.  "See what Christ died for, see what Christ lives for, see what we are to live for, that we should not only be a people purified, but purified unto Himself. We are not only to have good works, but we are to be zealous of them; we are to burn with zeal for them, for zeal is a kind of fire, it is to burn and blaze in us until we warm and enlighten others also." (Spurgeon) I want to live a life that warms and enlightens others, don't you?

A Humble Heart - God's Tool

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

   Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

John 21:15

What a beautiful picture of the Lord's grace we see in the restoration of Peter. Even though he denied knowing the Lord three times -- just as Jesus said he would -- Christ didn't hold that against  Peter. Is it significant that the Lord asked Peter three times "do you love me?" I think it is. Jesus could see inside Peter's heart. He knew the sorrow that resided there over His friend's denial of Him. What Peter had done was a serious matter and for the disciple's sake  the Lord would not take it lightly. Peter had to face head on the sin he had committed in denying Jesus. His humble heart was imperative to Christ being able to use him to care for His followers and spread the gospel. A humble heart is always a required tool for God's work.

The Temple Veil

And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Mark 15:37-39

At the precise moment Jesus breathed his final breath, the temple veil that separated man from a holy God (Exodus 26:33) was torn in two. Not from the bottom up, which any man could do, but from the top to the bottom, which only God Himself could accomplish. Because of Christ's perfect sacrifice for the remission of sins, the separation between God and man was removed. Man was given access to God's throne of grace through the cross of Christ. The Roman guard, an eye witness to all that happened on Calvary proclaims "Truly this man was the Son of God!" Every person who comes to Jesus through the cross utters those words or something like them. They see Jesus Christ in all His glory and they know the truth. He is God's Son. He is their Savior.

Prone to Wander

You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
         The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling,
         The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
    "The LORD shall reign forever and ever."
Exodus 15:17-18

Exodus 15 is a song of celebration in honor of what God had done. He had brought the Israelites safely out of Egypt and now would guide them to the promised land. Moses leads his people in praise and worship of God. But in a short time, when faced with discomfort, Israel would revert to grumbling and complaining against the Lord. I wonder how the Israelites could be so fickle, and then I consider my own wandering heart. When God is delivering me from some trial, it is easy to exalt Him, and I am confident that my praise won't fade. But it isn't long before something comes up that makes me doubt God's good intentions and I am prone to moan and groan. Thank God for His amazing grace. He gently points out my weakness and calls me into His glorious strength through Christ. The LORD is great and greatly to be praised. He reigns forever and ever. 

Always Blessed

"The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning;"  Job 42:12a

So often when we speak of Job, it is in the context of his troubles and not his blessings. True, Job was severely tested. He lost everything. His estate, his children, his health. Only his life, his peevish wife and a few judgmental friends remained. But, after a certain period of trial, God restored Job's health, his estate, and his family. In fact, Job's blessings at the end of his life far exceeded his blessings at the beginning. He lived another 140 years and saw his son's sons to the fourth generation. The outcome of Job's suffering shows us that God is able to restore what we have lost and bless us with more than we had to begin with, if He chooses to do so. If, on the other hand, He doesn't take away the object of our suffering, as in the Apostle Paul's case, then we are still abundantly blessed. For we have the blessing of Christ's sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:8-9a) to sustain us.

God Will Not Wait Forever

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9

Those of us who love the Lord long for His return.  Especially if we are in the midst of pain. For we know that when He comes for us we will leave the darkness of sorrow and disappointment behind and enter into the glorious light of His presence. Just as there were scoffers in Peter's day who mocked the second coming (see 2 Peter 3:3-4), there are people today who make jokes about Jesus coming back and ask what's taking Him so long. Peter answers the skeptics with wisdom that could only come from God Himself. The Lord hasn't forgotten His promise, nor is He too busy. He is holding back to give more sinners an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. God is compassionate and loving. Slow to anger and quick to forgive. He is waiting with a gracious heart. But He will not wait forever.

Grace In Suffering

"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

God does not always answer our prayers the way we would like. Like Paul, we may ask the Lord to remove the pain we are enduring, and He may decline. It is His sovereign right to do so. For the Lord knows best what we need. Perhaps our greatest need is spiritual growth. And to that end we may need to be in a place where we can only survive by leaning on His grace. It is always sufficient. The fact that we rise the next morning to face another day shows this is so. We don't know what Paul asked the Lord to remove, but we do know that the Apostle boasted in his weaknesses to the glory of Christ. 

God's Idea of a Blessing

'The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace.'

Numbers 6:24-26

This beautiful benediction was spoken over the people of Israel by Aaron. Of particular interest is that the words were given by God Himself. The Lord wants to bless you, but His idea of blessing may be quite different from yours. He may not choose to give you material wealth, but would have you find your wealth in your relationship with Him. The Lord wants to keep you and give you His character. He wants to smile upon you and extend His grace to you. The Lord wants to lift His head and pay attention to you, and He wants to give you His peace. This is God's idea of a blessing over you. What a marvelous way for us to pray over ourselves and our families.

The Blessed Ones

Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
John 20:27-29


Jesus' reaction to the doubt of Thomas is a wonderful example of the Lord's patience and grace. Instead of chastising Thomas for his unbelief, Jesus gives him the proof he asked for (see John 20:25). Thomas immediately makes a profession of faith, Jesus is his "Lord and God". The Lord is not put off by those who find it difficult to believe His testimony, but He does commend those who accept Him on faith alone, "Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

God's Influence

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

         Be acceptable in Your sight,

         O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer." 

Psalm 19:14

God cares about what we say and think. Cursing and coarse talk are easy to identify as unpleasing to the Lord. But what about gossiping, complaining and grumbling? Instead of speaking negatively, we ought to talk in ways that bless others and give praise to God. Our thoughts should be honoring to God, as well. If we examine ourselves honestly, in light of God's word, and find our speech and thoughts are unacceptable, we have the grace of God on our side. We can confess our failings to the Lord and ask Him to influence what we say and think. He loves it when we come to Him humbly and ask for help. It's a prayer He'll eagerly answer. That's the kind of rock and Redeemer He is.