Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

2. Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.”
Romans 3:19 (2)

“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
Galatians 2:16 (3)

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Placing your faith in Christ is the yielding of your voice of self-justification. He gives in that stead a heart to hear, a mouth to speak, and a Lamb to embody – the words of the Lord.

Reflection:

[ ]-Have you been avoiding the wrongness your sin?
[ ]-Do you need to pray to God to “make known [your] abominations” to you?

[ ]-What defensive and blame-averting words have you used lately?
[ ]-Are you trusting or refusing Jesus’ work as sufficient for your forgiveness and approval before God?
[ ]-Is that approval before God sufficient over your reputation before people or yourself?

[ ]-Have you made space to hear and be lead by God’s word?
[ ]-What words of life might God want you to be speaking to those around you?

You are a new creation in Him. Do not hesitate to cast away your old voice in repentance and take hold of His new one in faith.

_______________________________________

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11 (4)

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20 (5)

He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8 (6)

“and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”
Hebrews 12:24

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To whoever the few readers of this blog are, I hope this isn’t too detached (I know I can be like that). All of these words are personal convictions out of His word. They’re here because they are my struggles with trusting God and giving up my own perceived right to defend myself and trust in my works, my ability to make the most subtle of excuses, and my level of grief over what I’ve done wrong. Maybe they’re yours too and you wondered how long the wilderness will last and why God sent you there after His deliverance in the first place. With all the unbelief still in my heart, I’m struggling to trust in His redemptive work too. I’m trying to seek what real gospel rest in the face of my sin and other people’s sin really looks like. I’ll trust though, and I hope you do too because I know there’s a gospel testament in my journey and in your journey and it’s there not for our name’s sake but for our joy and His glory

“It was not just a test to see if they could follow instructions but a test to see if their hearts were inclined to be his covenant people.” 

Douglas Stuart, Exodus, New American Commentary

God’s terms. Was it just red tape, all that policy about gathering only a day’s worth at a time and resting on the seventh day? No, it was God making the daily gathering of provisions a part of his personal relationship with his people. A personal God makes a promise to a people, saying: “I want you to remember me often as you get hungry. I want you to know that I provide for you.” Rather than just leaving a note on the counter that said, “Kids, there’s a lifetime supply of frozen dinners in the fridge. Later,” he invited them to dine with him any time they were hungry.

Mike Wilkerson, Redemption (Re:Lit)

He was delivered from the fish, saw a great revival, but still missed the point. God could so easily have turned his back on Jonah, but he didn’t. God loved him enough to keep working on him. God loves the unlovely and is committed to winning and transforming them. 

[...]

Since God appoints circumstances to change your character, don’t fight everything that comes your way. By all means pray and ask God to intervene and learn the lesson intended. Let him use the scorching heat to form the image of his Son in you and rejoice as you go through it because he does it out of love for you as sons and daughters (Heb. 12:6).

People Are a Work in Progress

’Tis everlasting peace,
Sure as Jehovah’s Name;
’Tis stable as His steadfast throne,
For evermore the same.

The clouds may go and come,
And storms may sweep my sky;
This blood-sealed friendship changes not,
The cross is ever nigh.

I change—He changes not;
The Christ can never die;
His love, not mine, the resting-place;
His truth, not mine, the tie.

My love is oftimes low,
My joy still ebbs and flows;
But peace with Him remains the same,
No change Jehovah knows.

-I Hear the Words of Love

Reblogged from The Works of God:

Pastor John ruined our Thursday morning.

In a good way!

He sent the link for the video below, which I watched early Thursday morning.  I told Dianne she needed to watch it, so we did so together.  Then, as the children got up, they all watched it as well.

We are not a well-oiled machine to begin with, but we generally know we have to keep moving to get everyone where they need to be.  Taking out 30 minutes from our routine basically meant we were in a mad scramble the rest of the …

“Sometimes this world seems bigger than it is
And I just can’t help but see it this way
And I know You’re telling me to cast my cares aside and you know I try
But these walls I’ve built just won’t let me see You
And these walls I’ve built just won’t let me hear You
And these walls are just walls I’ve built between You and me
If I could see You, if I could hear You
Then I’d know I need You just as before
Cause I’ve barricaded these tendencies
My selfish pride, these things inside, they always get the best of me
Show me love, teach me truth, break my heart and bring me back to You
Take these dreams, this is me, all I am here at Your feet
Take me as I am, with You I want to be
Of all this world it’s you I wanna see
So I’m here on my knees
I need only to see Your face again
I need only to hear Your voice again”