Psalm 149 - The Meek are Beautified with Salvation

Throughout my advanced training at Ellerslie we, the advanced students, had the opportunity to write and share a short meditation on either a Psalm or attribute of God.  These were wonderful times as we would all gather and hear beautiful truths expounded on by our fellow classmates.  I loved hearing each person share what God had been showing them in His Word and how different personalities expressed it.  Recently the meditation I gave this past fall has been on my mind.  So I thought I'd share it here on my blog!  May the Lord bless you through His word and may we each continually be pressed into a deeper measure of humility as we gaze upon our God's face. 

A Meditation on Psalms 149:1-4

"Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.”

Oh what a beautiful promise that last verse holds, but oh what conviction to my soul.  “He [the awesome, mighty, holy God] will beautify [He will adorn] the meek [the humble] with Salvation." With JESUS.

This promise has a condition; meekness… a humility which comes from a fear and awe of God, acknowledging the correct relation man has to God most high.  Oswald Chambers says: ”Humility is not an ideal, it is the unconscious result of the life being rightly related to God and centered in Him..”

How, in light of God almighty can there be an ounce of pride?  Pride is to set oneself above others, it relies on self sufficiency and is confident in it’s own strength.  We read in James that God resisteth, He literally sets Himself against the proud.  Pride could never come before the Lord and bend in absolute dependency of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  This takes humility and meekness.

Seeing and acknowledging the greatness and holiness of God leads to a deep realization of sin and the need for Salvation.  The meek are conscious of their own weakness and unworthiness.  A soul becomes humble under the awareness of sin, which requires all pride to be pushed aside. It takes humility to confess sin & weakness, and to live dependent on someone else.  But how incredible is the One who we must be dependent on. 

Oh the amazing promise that verse contains; the Lord beautifies the humble.  A man of pride doesn’t even see his great need to be beautified.  He is too busy admiring and boasting in his filthy, ragged coat of good works to look up and see the marvelous coat of righteousness which the Lord beautifies the meek with.  But to those who humbly come to God, realizing and acknowledging their great sin and need for a Savior - Unto him will the Lord adorn the beauty of salvation with, washing him white as snow, creating a new creature.  And thus the meek, being beautified by Christ, walk with a boldness and confidence, proclaiming the blood of Jesus as all their righteousness.

We as Christians must be the most humble people on earth, bringing absolutely no attention to ourselves.  Yet being a people who overflow with joy and boasting in the Lord Jesus Christ, in His salvation that adorns us.  For this is our purpose, to proclaim the glory of God almighty. 

Psalm 149 continues “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth…!

Oh all ye people, let everything that has breath praise ye the Lord, 

God of our Salvation!

Walk His Ways

“…keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways.”  Deuteronomy 19:9a

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Colossians 2:6

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 2:6

“Oh what joy to walk His ways” – Ben Zornes

The Almost Christian

Time is flying by here at Ellerslie, yet at the same time every day is long and full.  My favorite advanced class right now is "Greatest Sermons" in which we listen to and read through some amazing sermons by men of old; A.W. Tozer, Johnathan Edwards, Major Ian Thomas, Martin Luther...  I never thought I would have enjoyed and learned so much by reading these old sermons!  Thanks to Ben Zornes (who is teaching this class) I've have a new desire to read sermons!

One sermon that has greatly impacted and challenged me is "The Almost Christian" by John Wesley.  The basis is that you can have all forms of godliness, live morally pure and "believe" in the Gospel yet merely be an almost Christian. It convicted me in many ways as I look at the motives and my "forms of godliness".  If you have some extra time and would like to read some convicting words form Wesley, I found the sermon text online

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/2/.  It is old language and takes time to follow but it's well worth it!  I do encourage you to at least read the quote below.

Following is a quote as Wesley begins to do describe what the difference is between an almost Christian and the absolute Christian.  There are many things but first and foremost it is the love of God:

“...what is implied in the being altogether a Christian?" I answer first, the love of God.  For thus saith his word, "Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all they strength." Such a love as this, as engrosses the whole heart, as rakes up all the affections, as fills the entire capacity of the soul and employs the utmost extent of all its faculties.  He that thus loves the Lord his God, his spirit continually “rejoiceth in God his Savior.”  His delight is in the Lord, his Lord and his All, to whom “in everything he giveth thanks.  All his desire is unto God, and to the remembrance of his name.”  His heart is ever crying out, Whom have I in heaven but Thee?  And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.”  Indeed, what can he desire beside God?

Not the world, or the things of the world; for he is "crucified to the world, and the world crucified to him."  He is crucified to "the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life."  Yea, he is dead to pride of every kind: for "love is not puffed up" but "he that dwelling in love, dwelleth in God and God in Him”, is less than nothing in his own eyes."

Colorado and the Gospelteer Class

Hello from Colorado!  I am very excited to be back at Ellerslie for a portion of the advanced training program.  These next 5 months is a season of studying God’s word, growing in the knowledge of the Lord, seeking Him in prayer and learning from many wise counselors.  It is an intense time of training with a very busy schedule and lots of homework (which is a new challenge for me but I'm really learning to enjoy it :).  But my mom has been encouraging me to share more on this blog as I go through this training.  So I am going to attempt to post a couple times a week.  It won’t necessarily be long posts, typically just a quote or simple paragraph of what God is showing me.  I'll need to keep it simple if I want to share at all!

A main advanced class I’m taking here is the Gospelteer Class, in which we study how to be a bearer of the Gospel in words and actions, and understand the fullness of the true Gospel.  Each week I’ll be studying an aspect of the Gospel.  I’m so excited for this time to study God’s word and the dig deeper into truth.

The first assignment which I studied last week is The Need of the Soul in Light of the Holiness of God.  What a wonderful subject to study; the holiness of God.  It’s so huge and vast, and a subject to continually grow in.  Following is a portion of my studies.  It's not eloquent writing, but I pray the subject matter blesses you...

The soul of man is under the judgment of God, and the natural state of man is completely corrupt, vile and guilty of all sin.  There is absolutely nothing that a sinner can do in his own power to plead worthy at the throne of God.  But man does not even begin to understand the vileness of his soul until he begins to see the holiness of God.  The knowledge of the holy is key in understanding mans depraved and sinful nature.   The instance Isaiah came to the realization of his personal depravity was when he had his vision of the holiness of God.  In light of the indescribable holiness of God, man is as dust.  God’s holiness must be proclaimed so man may rightly understand his natural state and unworthiness.

Thus, man is in need of a rescuer, in need of someone or something to save his soul when it comes before the presence of the almighty God.  That rescuer is Jesus Christ who the most holy God sent to cover the sin of every depraved soul.  But the blood of Jesus has no significance to man unless the soul is in utter despair over its natural sinful state and the ineffable Holy Lord God Almighty.

As Proverbs 9:10 so accurately reveals to us; “the knowledge of the holy is understanding”.  It is essential to grow in the knowledge of the holy in order to even begin understanding the gospel.  Thus every increase in knowing God’s holiness brings us to a deeper realization of the gospel.  A.W. Tozer writes in Knowledge of the Holy; “Low views of God destroy the Gospel for all who hold them.”  So as bearers of Christ name and carriers of the gospel we must personally seek to constantly grow in the knowledge of God’s holiness.  And also proclaim His holiness whenever we share the gospel, whether it be by words or actions.

If we... HE shall...

"This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself."

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Sharing the Writings of My Mom

My mom has recently started a website, sharing her thoughts and life lessons.  Mom has always had a desire to write; encouraging and challenging others on a variety of topics.  She has many years of experience being a wife, mother, friend, teacher and now grandmama!  She is my greatest mentor and constantly pushing me to grow in all area's of my life.  I am excited to be able to share her wisdom with you all through her website.  She is an excellant writer, vividly painting a picture through words.  Her one desire is to glorify God whether it be writing about faith, home making, femininity, parenting, marriage, or whatever God has pressed her to share.
Mom is blogging regularly (much better than me... ;-) and I guarantee you will be blessed by her writings.  So steep a cup of tea and read an article or two... and please leave her comments!  I know they encourage her as they do any writer.  May your day be blessed.

A Mom's Many Lessons in Living Above the Noise and For the Glory of God

Behold, the Lamb of God

Behold, the lamb of God

Who takes away our sin
Behold the lamb of God
The life and light of men
Behold the lamb of God
Who died and rose again
Behold the lamb of God who comes
To take away our sin

Broken hearts--behold our broken hearts
Fallen far--we need you
Behold the lamb of God

Son of God--emmanuel
Son of man--we need you
Behold the lamb
The hope of man
Behold the lamb of God

-Andrew Peterson

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year my friends! 

I pray your Christmas week is a joyous celebration of Emmanuel; God with us.  May this coming year be filled with the peace of resting in the blood of His cross and may we each rise up with renewed fervency to serve our King as humble servants.  May we proclaim to the world with our mouth, hands and feet: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." Revelation 5:12

May Christ be constantly in our vision; the lamb of God, the life and light of men.