Permeating Holiness

"but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."" -1 Peter 1:15-16


God is holy. I know that. I sing songs about God's holiness. I preach about God's holiness. I even share with others about God's holiness. Yet my functional view of holiness isn't always biblical. I say that because I don't always live my life like I believe God is holy. Often my days are rank with my own unholiness. Mentally I affirm this sound, scriptural truth: God is holy. But practically, I am far from perfect.

Does this describe your life at all? If you are anything like me then you will sympathize with me on this. I want to take some time to remind you that the one who called you is holy. God above, Lord of all the earth, the living God, Jehovah of Hosts, is a holy God. He is holy in that He never sins. He is absolutely and totally morally pure. There is no evil in God. He is also holy in that He is totally separate from sinners. God's holiness sets Him apart from our sinful lives. Sin drives us from the presence of the Lord and sets up a barrier between us. There is no one like the Lord.

But...

"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." -Hebrews 10:14


If you've trusted Christ as your Savior, God has positionally made you holy. If you are saved, when God looks at you, a sinner saved by His grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, He sees the righteousness of Christ. In His eyes, you are holy. You may draw near to God and He will draw near to you because of this positional holiness. Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." What a privilege to be considered to be completely holy by a holy God.

Yet we still sin. Practically we are still unholy human beings. Our flesh desires to fulfill its lusts. Our pride desires to exalt itself high above the throne of heaven. That is why God is making us holy. He is working in us. He will complete the work until the day of Jesus Christ. He will finish the job. And He expects us to do our part. The Holy Spirit commands through the words of the apostle Peter, "be holy in all your conduct". That means we need to put an effort forth. Do your best. Be holy. Positionally you are holy. Now go and work towards making it practical as well. Let God's holiness permeate your entire life and practice until it is complete and grown to full maturity. You will always have room for progress. God desires that from you.

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse oursleves from al filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." -2 Corinthians 7:1

Where Is Your God?

 Where is Your God? (Psalm 42)

• He is above us. Deut. 4:39, Josh. 2:11, Is. 55:8-9

God is above every person, everything, every obstacle, and anything that could be against us. Eph. 1:19-23, 1 Chr. 29:11

You can’t understand Him, you can’t see Him, you can’t touch Him, and you can’t be in His presence without recognizing that God is above you.

• He is around us. Ps. 125:2, Ps. 34

Wherever you go, God will be there. There is no problem that is greater than God.

• He is before us. Ex. 13:21

Verse 22: God isn’t going anywhere. He won’t leave us! Deut. 1:30. We don’t have to fight alone. We just need to keep going forward. God is before us, fighting for us. Don’t give up! God guarantees the victory.

• He is behind us. Ex. 14:19

God is always watching our backs. 1 Cor. 10:4.

• He is beneath us. Deut. 33:27

When we fall, God will always hold us up. Ps. 37:24, Jude 24-25

• He is with us. Is. 41:10, Mat. 28:20

Genesis 28:15 We all go through hard times in life. We worry so much about things we cannot control and we are busy complaining and drowning in our problems and we completely forget about God. God loves you and if you are saved, He is with you in every moment.

• He is within us. Jn. 14:16-17

Unlike believers in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit lives in each one of us that has received Jesus as our Savior.

It is sad that there are so many Christian people that are discouraged and worrying about stuff. It’s sad because there is a God above them, around them, before them, behind them, beneath them, with them, and within them. Isaiah 43:2. When we say or think we don’t have the strength to go on, it’s because we’re not depending on God. Matthew 11:28

                Psalm 42. Where is your God?

Thoughts Men Don't Like to Think

In American culture, men are taught to be independent. Men are portrayed as not needing anyone, any place, or anything. All men need is themselves. In fact, the most iconic illustration of an American man is still the western cowboy, totally free from all cares. He is a man's man--independent, self-sufficient, and free. All the cowboy needed was the horizon to ride into. The problem with this cultural mindset is that no one can live an independent life. The image that our culture wants to put on men is not real. The fact is, even the manliest of men have needs that they cannot meet. We all need clothing, shelter, food, and more. Even the breath we breathe must be given to us.

David records in Psalm 139 a meditation that men in American culture don't like to think. But Psalm 139 opens our eyes to a reality that we must face in order to live successfully as Christian men in a society that desperately wants us to believe in a false reality. The reality is that we are not autonomous. We are dependent. We are not the highest beings in the universe. We are all under God. I've broken following psalm down into four basic points:

1. God knows us completely - v. 1-6

Verse one is a summary statement for the following 5 verses. David reflects, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me." God knows everything about me. He has searched me out. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows our sitting down and rising up. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He knows and understands the paths we take. Proverbs 16:9 even tells us that God directs our steps. God is acquainted with all our ways. He knows our words before we speak them. His hand is upon our lives.

Men in our culture are not trained to think this way. We are trained to think that we are not known by anyone. We are trained to think that being completely known is a weakness. But being fully known is not weakness. The fact that God fully knows us ought to be a relief. We don't even fully know ourselves. Being fully known by God is proof that we are dependent upon Him.

David's conclusion in verse 6: "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it." What a glorious, unreachable--nigh incomprehensible thought. We are fully known.

2. God surrounds us completely- v. 7-12

Again, verse 7 serves as a summary statement for this section of verses. David writes, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" Anywhere we could go, God would be there. Follow David's thoughts here: If we were to go up to heaven, God is there. If we were to go down to Sheol, God is there. If we were to fly away or go to the deepest part of the sea, God is there. If we were to try to hide in the darkness, we would see that even the darkness is as light to God. Darkness cannot hide us from Him. We cannot flee from God's presence.

If being fully known is anti-cultural to our western, independent, self-sufficient minds, than being completely surrounded by God is worse. We like to think that we get alone when we want to. If that were true, we could to whatever we wanted to with no consequence. But we need to realize that God is everywhere we go and He sees everything we do.

I like what Spurgeon says here: "We must be, whether we will it or not, as near to God as our soul is to our body. This makes it dreadful work to sin; for we offend the Almighty to his face, and commit acts of treason at the very foot of his throne. Go from him, or flee from him we cannot: neither by patient travel nor by hasty flight can we withdraw from the all-surrounding Deity. His mind is in our mind; himself within ourselves. His spirit is over our spirit; our presence is ever in his presence."

We are completely known and completely surrounded by God.

3. God makes us completely - v. 13-18

This next stretch of verses also challenges our American independent manly mindset. The American man is a self-made man. The American man is who he is because he has done what he has done. While there is some truth to that statement, it is not true that the American man is self-made. All mankind, according to David (and God), has been intricately created by God.

Look at David's description of God's creative power in verses 13-18: "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You."

God is intimately involved in the forming of each and every person. But it doesn't stop there. God is also intricately involved in every person's life. Indeed, He knows the number of our days before we even experience one of them. David realized how involved God was in his life. From beginning to end, God was his Maker, Sustainer, and God. The self-made man rejects this truth. To admit that God created him and even numbered his days before he even knew one of them goes against the very nature of the autonomous, independent man. But reject it or not, every man has been completely formed by God.

4. God protects us completely - v. 19-24

This is a thread of thought that is woven throughout this meditation by David. Verse 5 - "You have hedged me behind and before". Verse 10 - "Your right hand shall hold me". God protects us completely. Consider these verses: "Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.


David had plenty of enemies. David had victory in many battles and defeated many kings. There was no shortage of wicked men that wanted to see David dead. He needed protection. For his protection, David turned to God, the all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere-present God. American, self-made, self-sufficient men don't think they need protection. They think that they are able to protect themselves. There is no danger that the self-made man cannot handle...so it seems. But sooner or later, the self-made man will realize that life can throw a mean curve-ball and this man will find himself in want of protection and provision. They must turn to God or face destruction--turn to God or face despair.

Not only did David have enemies seeking to destroy his life, David also realized that he had an enemy within--the sinful flesh--that was seeking to destroy him. David makes a prayer of commitment to end this psalm: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." 


We must all see the reality of life: we are not self-made, self-sufficient, autonomous men. We are men completely known, completely surrounded, completely made, and completely protected--both outwardly and inwardly--by the all-wise, all-powerful, everywhere-present, holy God. Reject what culture seeks to impress upon you. Reject the false reality that you are independent. Accept that you are completely dependent upon God.

The Best Thing About Heaven

“…and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” –Ezekiel 48:35b

Do you ever wonder what heaven will be like? Ezekiel 1, Revelation 21-22, Isaiah 6 all give us a vivid picture of what heaven is like. But this last verse in Ezekiel shows us why heaven will be so great. The Lord is there.The dwelling place of the Lord is in heaven. It is as simple as that.

Often we long for heaven to see loved ones that have passed on, or to be rid of all the evil of this world. We desire to see the end of suffering and war. Our focus often becomes temporal things. But the fact that we can be with the Lord is the best part about heaven. Think about it, our sinfulness taken away, replaced with a glorified body allowing us to dwell with the Lord. Nothing hindering our relationship with Him. I long for that day!

The God of Restoration

“Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.” –Ezekiel 37:21-22

Israel didn’t have a very good history with kings. First Saul reigned for a while. He started well, but ended his reign in suicide. David reigned after Saul. David was the godliest king that the land would ever know. But David had his failures too. His sin with Bathsheba began a downward spiral to the end of his reign. His son Solomon took over as king, and he started out pretty good as well. Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom, and as a result he became the wisest, wealthiest king the land would know. But Solomon loved many foreign women, and they caused his heart to be turned away from the Lord. He ended poorly.

After Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two parts: the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Throughout the rest of the monarchy in these kingdoms, they mostly experienced bad kings. There were a few kings that ‘followed in the footsteps of their father David’ and did what was right in the sight of God, but most of them had major flaws. Their sins had torn Israel apart even more.

God is the God of restoration. He makes whole what sin tears apart. And here in Ezekiel 37, the Lord promises that He will bring back the House of Israel from the nations among which they were scattered. Once again, they will have their own land to possess. God will put one king over them. They will be a united kingdom once again, and this kingdom shall never be divided again.

Our lives have been torn apart by sin. We fail in so many ways each day. Our sin breaks our communion with God. Our sin sends us into a depression that we often can’t get out of. Our sense of shame and guilt controls our thoughts and emotions as we shrink back from God and try to hide in the shadows. Our sin—ugly, revolting, disgusting in the eyes of God—divides and controls our life, breaking it to pieces, stopping us from enjoying life as God intended us to have it.

Our God is the God of restoration. He can make whole what sin has smashed into pieces. Do you need the restoration of God? Do you need Him to heal what sin has broken? I love Job 5:17-18: “Behold, happy is the man who God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.”

Place yourself in the hands of the Almighty who is able to bind up and make your life whole. It may hurt for a time, for chastening is never any fun, but God will heal what sin has destroyed in your life. He is the God of restoration. Remember, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

The True Shepherd

“I will make  them and the places all around My hill a blessing: and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing…Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they , the house of Israel are my people, says the Lord GOD. You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD.” –Ezekiel 35:26, 30-31

Israel had some good shepherds and some bad shepherds. They had King David, who “shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.” (Psalm 78:72). King David was a good shepherd. He shepherded by godliness and giftedness. But Israel also had some pretty bad shepherds. They had evil kings who made deals with the wicked, Gentile nations. These kings cared only for themselves. They failed to feed God’s flock and they effectively scattered God’s people among the nations.

After pronouncing judgment upon these wicked shepherds, God describes how He would be the True Shepherd for the people.  He would gather them from the nations to which they were scattered. He would feed them. He would care for them. He would rain showers of blessing upon them, and upon all the places around them. Then the people would know that God is with them.

The Lord Jesus is the True Shepherd described in Ezekiel 35. He tells us in John 10 that He is the good shepherd and “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This claim that Jesus makes attests to His deity. Only God could be described as the Good Shepherd. 

The True Shepherd takes good care of His sheep. He provides their needs, feeds them when they are hungry, protects them when they are in danger, and blesses them beyond measure with His presence. Jesus is always with His sheep. He dwells in us as individuals, and among us as His flock. We are truly blessed with showers of blessing by the True Shepherd.

Are you one of Jesus’ sheep? Do you hear His voice? Does He know you? Do you follow the True Shepherd? 

Protection and Peace

“Thus says the Lord GOD: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.” –Ezekiel 28:25-26

This portion of verses falls right in the middle of a number of chapters that focus on God’s judgment of the wicked nations. The location of these verses demonstrates what they are saying. Israel shall be gathered together in their own land and they shall exalt the Lord in their midst. Then, they shall safely dwell while the Lord executes judgment on all the nations around them. 

In the Christian life we often feel like this. We look around and see horrible things all around us. Sometimes we even see horrible things in our own lives. Yet, for the believer, there is incredible peace because safety and security does not lie in our circumstances or our ability to keep the events of life stable. Our safety and security lies in the hands of our Savior, our Creator, our God. He holds all things together. He keeps those in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him.

This section of verses ends with this often repeated phrase in Ezekiel: “Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.” The trials of life and the judgments of the Lord should point us to Him. They should be a reminder to us that He is God and we are not. They should encourage believers in that their faith is in the one true God, the Lord of glory, the Redeemer.

That's Not Fair!...Or Is It?

"Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair? "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!" -Ezekiel 18:29-32

When things don't go our way we often complain against the Lord and tell Him that 'it isn't fair.' We complain because our sense of justice has been violated. We complain because we don't get our way. We complain because the Lord hasn't acted how we want Him to act. Let me ask you a question: Is it not possible that God's sense of justice and fairness is higher than yours?

I would say that it is not only possible, it is probable. God had dealt justly with Israel. He had blessed their obedience in the past, and now He is going to punish their disobedience. He had told them that if they followed Him they would be blessed and would live, but if they followed other gods, they would be punished and die. That is completely fair according to God's standards.

But Israel didn't like this. Israel wanted to live according to their standards, do whatever they wanted, seek whatever gods they wanted. Therefore, the Lord was going to punish them. But the Lord didn't punish them without giving them another opportunity to make things right. God issued another call to repentance. He gave them another chance. He offered them life through turning from their sin to God. He offered them a new heart and a new spirit. 

Do you, like Israel, believe that God is not fair? Do you think that He should act according to your standards? O, sinner, repent from your evil way, cast aside your sin and live! God will give you a new heart and a new spirit. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. 

God's sense of justice is so much more perfect than ours. He acts according to His standard. He judges rightly. But He is also a merciful God. He rewards those who turn to Him with life. Turn to the Lord and live!

Discovering God through Experience

“Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts.” –Jeremiah 32:17-18

Jeremiah learned just who God was from personal experience. He had witnessed the protection of the Lord when all the people around him wanted to kill him. Jeremiah had seen impossible situations worked out only by the hand of God. He also knew that despite the destruction and captivity that God had pronounced against Israel, God was still a God of lovingkindness and mercy.

Often we learn from experience the attributes of God. We learn that God is holy, for He often seems so distant (because of our sin). We learn that He is just when He deals with our sin. We learn that God is all-powerful through seeing Him heal the sick. We discover that God is all-knowing through His provisions for us. We learn so many things about God through our personal experiences.

We need to learn more about God through our experiences. Look for God’s outstretched hand in your life. Look for the things that only He can do. Learn to discover who God is through the difficult trials and the joyous days of victory. When you open your eyes and look for God in your life, you will find that He is working great and mighty things. You will find that He is the Great, the Mighty God—El Gabor—and you will find that He shows lovingkindness to thousands.

Frustrated with God?

"Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make." -Jeremiah 18:3-4

These are some of my favorite verses in Scripture. The Lord revealed to Jeremiah that we are just like clay in the hands of a potter. We also get a glimpse at what God is doing in each one of us. Look at what it says the potter is doing. The clay was marred in the hand of the potter, so he made it again into another vessel.

God is doing something amazing in your life. He is taking you, a marred vessel, and making you into something new. Right now you are broken and imperfect, you have sinful character flaws and sinful habits. You try to be a good 'vessel' but you can't. Be encouraged. The Lord, the Potter, is making you into something new. He is fixing you and soon you will be a new vessel.

So don't get discouraged with what God is doing. He is the Potter, you are the clay. You have no right to question what He is doing. Just let Him work, trusting yourself fully to His sovereign will. Soon you will be a new vessel, completely useful to the Potter. Don't get frustrated with God.

True or False?

"Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; a wooden idol is a worthless doctrine...But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King." -Jeremiah 10:7,8,10a


Did you ever consider that the Lord is the only true God? Or did you ever consider that He is the only living God and everlasting King? Did you ever consider that despite all that is seemingly out of control in our world, He is still the King of the nations?

I know that we all mentally affirm these facts about God, but often we don't live like it is true. We often worship our 'wooden idols' as we go throughout the day. We look to Facebook for advice before we stop and pray to the living God. We act as if we are supreme rulers of our own lives.

I encourage you this morning to bow to the King of the nations. Submit yourself to the only true God. Give the living God and everlasting King complete rule of your life. Seek his counsel, fear Him, for this is His rightful due.

One Thing the Lord Delights In

“Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.” -Jeremiah 9:23-24

Scripture teaches that there is no one who seeks after God and that there is no one that even measures up to His holy standard (Romans 3). Since this is true, no man has anything to boast about. No one has done anything of merit. No one is born with any inherent value. No one knows or understands any wisdom of real value. No one has any reason to boast or glory in himself.

The Lord says something significant here in Jeremiah 9. The Lord delights in those that know and understand who He is. The Lord delights in those that know and understand His mercy, His judgment, and His righteousness. Think about it—the Lord delights in this sort of people. Sinful people.

Jesus shared a similar thought in John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Eternal life is in knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul demonstrates this for us in Philippians 3:10 – “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…”

There is one thing of value to pursue. There is one thing that the Lord delights in—knowing Him. Reader, pursue this one thing with all that you are. Put all your effort into it. Know Him. Seek to understand the character of God. Seek to know Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. See how it transforms your life completely.

Our Filthiness, His Mercy

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities.” – Isaiah 64:6-7

There is no such thing as a good man. We all know this. Each one of us can attest to our own wickedness. So it would be pointless to stand before God and claim some sort of righteousness before Him. Isaiah tells God the truth for us. We are all unclean. All our righteousnesses are merely filthiness before God. I love the imagery of the next line. Our sins have taken us away like a leaf in the wind. We are swept out of the presence of the Lord simply by our sins. In fact, apart from God moving in us, no one would call upon the name of the Lord.

Lately, there has been much controversy over sin, hell, and the destiny of every person that ever lived. People talk as if sin is not a serious issue. They talk as if the real problem is God not accepting us or loving us for who we are. Isaiah has news for them. God hates who we are. He absolutely despises our filthiness and can’t stand our sin.

Our sin is a serious issue. Our sin drives us from God’s presence and makes us completely unable to seek the Lord. But God in His mercy has withheld his immediate punishment for sin. He has provided salvation through the substitutionary atonement of Christ. He has also issued a call to all mankind to repent and seek Him.

Praise God for His salvation! Praise Him for his mercy to us. Praise Him for his longsuffering! Praise Him for His call to repentance, without which no one would seek the Lord!

The Glory of God in the Church

6.26.2011

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” -Ephesians 3:20-4:1

What is the purpose of the church?

Some say that it is to reach the world for Christ. Others reference Acts 2:42 – “and they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers”, saying that this is the purpose of the church. Still others say that the purpose of the church is to show unbelievers the love of God by providing physical and spiritual care for the sick and dying in this world.

I’d like to suggest to you this morning that the purpose of the church is none of those things. The purpose of the church is not to get people saved. The purpose of the church is not to put on programs. The purpose of the church is not even to sing songs, listen to sermons, or to celebrate baptism and communion. The purpose of the church is not to have a social club with fun little activities. The purpose of the church is not to feed the hungry, provide for the poor, give shelter to the homeless, or to show the love of God. Though all these things may happen at church, they are not the purpose of the church.

The purpose of the church is to glorify God.

“The highest value that God holds is His own glory. Everything He does is for His own glory—everything He does for the praise and adoration of His name.” – Thabiti Anyabwile

God is entirely God-centered. All that God has ever done has been for His glory:

a.       Predestination – 1:5-6

b.      Creation – Isaiah 43:7

c.       Effective Calling – I Corinthians 1:26-31

d.      Incarnation of Christ – Romans 15:8-9

e.      Propitiation – Romans 3:25-26

f.        Sanctification of the Believer – Philippians 1:9-11

g.       Forgiveness – Isaiah 43:25

h.      Christ’s Suffering – John 17:1

i.         Christ’s Resurrection – John 17:5

j.        Sending of the Holy Spirit – John 16:14

It is all about Him. God is the central focus of all eternity past, and He will continue to be the central focus of all eternity future.

Now let’s look at Ephesians 3:20-4:1

1.       To Display God’s Glory is God’s Decree for the church - “to Him be the glory in the church”

In Psalm 19 we read of how creation declares God’s glory. From the stars above to depths of the sea, there is not a part of creation that does not bring glory to God. We also read in Isaiah 6 that the whole earth is full of His glory.

Psalm 19:1-4 –“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,”

Isaiah 6:1-4 – “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”

"His wisdom and power are displayed in the angelic hosts; in sun, moon, and stars; in animals, birds, and fish; in fire, hail, snow, and mist; in wind; in mountains, hills, trees; in kings and people, old men and young; in Israel and the nations. All these are intended to praise the name of the Lord (Ps. 148).” – The Believer’s Bible Commentary

The church joins creation in displaying God’s glory. The church, the collective whole of all those who have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation, has been designed by God to display His glory. The church has been saved, and separated by Christ for one purpose: “That He might present her to Himself a glorious church…” Ephesians 5:27

Christ is entirely God-centered. Everything He does is to bring glory to Himself, for He is God. In our daily practice, we often forget that Christ is the head of the church, and the church is His body. We often fail to pray and seek His mind for what is said and done in the church. We forget that the church is intrinsically connected to Christ, the second person of the triune Godhead. It is a mystery that we cannot fully explain. But all that the church is must give glory to God because it is Christ’s body.

When we rebel against Christ’s headship over the church and seek to obey our own desires for the church we elevate ourselves in our practice to His rightful position. We rob Christ of His glory. We seek to run the church how we want it to run and seek to glorify ourselves instead of Christ. We are glory thieves, stealing glory from the Almighty God and giving it to ourselves.

Not only is God to be glorified because Christ is the head of the church, but the Holy Spirit also indwells believers and gives believers common ground to gather and give glory to God. In essence, each believer is living each day with God Himself dwelling within them. The Holy Spirit is entirely God-centered and brings glory to God in all that He does, for He is God. This is why believers must submit to the Spirit’s control and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through them. Allow the fruit of the Spirit to be displayed in your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to give glory to God through your life.

When we fail to submit to the Spirit’s control, we give in to the lusts of the flesh and give in to sin. In addition to acting against God and contrary to His will, when we fulfill the lusts of the flesh we have robbed God of the glory that He demands and deserves. We become glory thieves seeking to elevate ourselves instead of elevate God. We steal God’s glory by doing our own will instead of His. We steal God’s glory by displaying fruit of unrighteousness instead of the righteous fruit that He saved us to display.

To display God’s glory is God’s Decree for the church just as it is for the rest of creation. To do anything else is to act contrary to the command of God.

2.       To Distribute God’s Glory is God’s Daily Design for the church -

How do you see God’s Glory today? By looking at the church. Indeed, the church is responsible for distributing the Glory of God to the rest of mankind. All the world has the general revelation of God’s glory through creation, but the church alone has God’s special revelation of the salvation of man through Christ revealed to us in the Bible.

“Jesus is the clearest picture of the invisible God to us in this world. But Jesus is no longer visible, at least not in the sense that you and I are. He is not open to inspection by the physical eye. And yet, one of the most common images for the local church is that of ‘the body of Christ.’ It is in the church that God’s Sprit—the Spirit of Jesus—rules and reigns, and is made visible in the lives of love that we live.” – Mark Dever

The church can’t just exist by floating along through time without doing anything. There must be a working out of God’s glory in the daily life of the church. This is where all those things mentioned in the introduction come into play. Acts 2:42 – begins to make sense in light of the daily design of the church to display God’s glory. The programs we run, the evangelism and discipleship that we do, the poor we seek to feed, the homeless we seek to help, the sick we seek to cure, the messages we preach, the songs that we sing all begin to make sense in light of the fact that God’s daily design for the church is to bring Him glory.

There are three things that the Church must do in order to distribute God’s glory day by day.

a.       The Church must follow the biblical pattern for the church

This is where Acts 2:42, 46 makes complete sense – “They continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers…So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house…” The early church committed themselves to this daily practice of doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. These are the basic functions of church activity. Anything beyond this must be in addition to, not in replacement of these things.

There is another aspect of following the biblical pattern for the church. It involves the actual leadership structure of the church. We won’t go into great detail right now, for that is not our focus. But suffice it to say that the biblical pattern for Church leadership is Christ as the head of the church, biblically qualified elders to serve Christ as His under-shepherds through shepherding, teaching, and leading, and biblically qualified deacons to serve Christ through taking care of the physical needs of the flock. Until the church structure looks like that, we cannot consider ourselves to be following the biblical pattern. God is glorified through His design of the church, not ours.

In order for the church to fully follow the biblical pattern for the church every believer must also commit themselves to being equipped for “the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:12-16. Until the church is “joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.” we cannot consider ourselves to be following the biblical pattern for the church. Yes, churches must have a vibrant church membership in order to display God’s glory.

God is glorified in the church when the church follows the biblical pattern that God has established.

b.      The Church must obey the commands of Christ

In Matthew 28:19-20 we read Christ’s command to his disciples to “go and make disciples of every nation…teaching them to obey all I have commanded you.” We must be faithful to this command of Christ. We must exemplify and teach that each command of Christ is important. Evangelism and discipleship are the tools to reach the world with the gospel of Christ and the glory of God.

“All that are baptized, are thereby obliged, (1.) To make the command of Christ their rule. There is a law of faith, and we are said to be under the law to Christ; we are by baptism bound, and must obey. (2.) To observe what Christ has commanded. Due obedience to the commands of Christ requires a diligent observation; we are in danger of missing, if we take not good heed: and in all our obedience, we must have an eye to the command, and do what we do as unto the Lord. (3.) To observe all things, that he has commanded, without exception; all the moral duties, and all the instituted ordinances. Our obedience to the laws of Christ is not sincere, if it be not universal; we must stand complete in his whole will. (4.) To confine themselves to the commands of Christ, and as not to diminish from them, so not to add to them. (5.) To learn their duty according to the law of Christ, from those whom he has appointed to be teachers in his school, for therefore we were entered into his school.” –Matthew Henry

God’s glory is displayed in the church when we follow all of Christ’s commands.

c.       The Church must eagerly await the return of Christ

Titus 2:13 – “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

God is being glorified in the church today and He will receive ultimate glory in the church when Christ returns. The return of Christ for His church marks the most glorious event in the church since the beginning of the church. What a glorious day that will be! All the saints, from all history will be raised for the biggest family reunion of all time.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” -1Thessalonians 4:16-17

The return of Christ also gives God glory because it will be the purest church since its inception on the day of Pentecost.

“that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” –Eph 5:27

Church we must eagerly await that day when God will be completely glorified in His Church.

3.       To Devote ourselves to God’s Glory is the Desire of the church

The apostles and writers of the New Testament were devoted to God’s glory:

• Romans 16:27 – to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever, Amen
• Philippians 4:20 – Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
• 1Timothy 1:17 – Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
• Hebrews 13:21 – make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
• 1 Peter 5:11 – To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
• 2 Peter 3:18 – but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
• Jude 24-25 – Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
• Revelation 1:4-6 - John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Do you get it? Do you see how devoted the New Testament writers were to the glory of God? Everything they did and wrote for us was for God’s glory! Did you notice the timeframe? God’s glory is forever, and ever. Amen! As a church, we must devote ourselves to God’s glory. God’s glory is the reason the church exists. God’s glory is the reason we do anything we do. When we sing praises and adoration to God as a church we elevate His glory. When we gather around His Word we elevate His glory. When we lift our hearts to Him in prayer we elevate His glory. We must be passionate about what God is passionate about. God is entirely God-centered and God-glorifying. We must be entirely God-centered and God-glorifying.

There is one thing that can hinder the glory of God in the church—sin. Sin stains the church. Sin divides believers who are supposed to be united in Christ. Sin in the church destroys the witness of the gospel in the world. Sin hinders the display of God’s glory in the church.

So as we gather this day to worship and praise our great God, we gather this morning to give Him glory. Is there sin in the church hindering the display of God’s glory? Is there any sin staining the witness of the gospel of this church? Is there any sin dividing believers who ought to be united for the cause of Christ—for the cause of God’s glory?

Spurgeon said, “Although sanctification may not now be perfected in you, it must be evident in all you actions, for there cannot be the appearance of holiness in one place and sin reigning in another.”

In a sense, the church should be in a process of becoming more and more holy. The church is composed of believers that are all in a process of becoming more holy—more like Christ. This means that at a collective whole, the church ought to be more holy each day.  

Folks, we must deal with sin in order to fully devote ourselves to God’s glory. We must confess all known sins to God and the people we have offended. 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Come before the Lord and tell Him you have failed. Tell Him that you cannot get rid of sin without His help. Tell Him you need his forgiveness and cleansing. Then go and do the same with the people you have offended. God will not only forgive us of our sins, but He will cleanse us of our sins, “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 3:20-4:3

The Paradox of Pride

“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” –Isaiah 57:15

Pride gives us a false view of reality. Pride is like wearing a pair of glasses with magnifying lenses. It distorts how we view the world and how we view ourselves. Let me show you: The proud man lifts himself up. He has an elevated view of himself. He considers himself more important and more prestigious then his peers. In fact, the proud man is higher, in his own mind, than anyone else on the earth. He needs no one’s help. He desires to have no equal, and definitely desires no superior. But the reality is this throne of pride that he has put himself upon is lower than any position on earth. The reality is that pride has drained the very life from him.

If pride is the pair of glasses that distorts our vision, then humility is the pair of glasses with the correct prescription. Humility sharpens our view of reality. Humility helps us to see ourselves in the light of who God is. Isaiah proves this to us. Just look at his description of the Lord—look at this glimpse of reality: God is the High and Lofty one. God inhabits eternity. His name is Holy. He dwells in a high and holy place. Indeed, our God is great than any other. He is what we could never be. He does what we could never do. He dwells where, in our pride we can never dwell.

The amazing thing about this verse is that “God…dwells with him who has a contrite and humble spirit.” Humility brings us close to God. James 4:10 puts it in a concise statement: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” When you get a good glimpse at the reality of who God is, you will realize that you are nothing. That very moment when you see yourself as nothing, God lifts you up.

God intended human life to be connected with Him. He desired that relationship right from the beginning. Pride destroyed that fellowship when Adam and Eve desired to be like God knowing good and evil. Humility before God also restores your life to be the way God intended it to be. “to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the spirit of the contrite ones.” God restores your life. God gives you back what pride took away.

Pride brings us low, distorts our view of reality, and separates us from God. But humility lifts us up, restores life to the way God intended, and allows us to dwell with God in that high and holy place. What grace! What love! We can dwell with the High and Lofty One!

Seek the Lord

“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” –Isaiah 55:6-7

These verses should serve as a comfort and a warning to all people. They are a comfort because the Lord is available. He may be found. He is near. If only men would turn from our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts, and would return to the Lord, they would find that He is the God of all mercy. They would experience his abundant pardon. But this also serves as a warning. There is coming a day when God will not be available. The time will be too late to turn from sin and seek the Lord. Judgment Day will arrive. And I believe it will arrive soon.

The unbeliever is running out of time to repent. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Judgment is coming, and that is our motivation for ministry. We must urge people to turn from sin and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation. In a world where the vast majority has never even heard that God is calling men everywhere to repent and turn to Jesus, we do not have time to waste.

There is no greater calling for our lives then to evangelism. And if you are a believer, you are commanded to go preach the gospel to every living creature (Mark 16:15). Evangelism is far greater than just a command. It is an honor. It is a privilege. It is a gift from God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 says, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, no imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

God is the God of everlasting, infinite mercy. He is awaiting sinners to forsake their wickedness and turn to Him in faith. You, my fellow-laborer, have been abundantly pardoned by the Lord, and you have been given the message and the ministry of reconciliation. Be faithful in persuading men of the truth. There is a world out there that desperately needs the abundant mercy of God. As David Platt has said, “Church we are plan A, and there is no plan B.”

Divine Righteouness

“For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.” Isaiah 45:18-19

God is righteous—eternally righteous. Everything He does, everything He says, every way He deals with mankind, every decision He makes, and every purpose of His is clothed in His righteousness. This means that there are no mistakes in God. Nothing is ever wrong. Nothing is ever flawed. It is always right.

When you think about it enough, you’ll realize that this means that there is no indecision with God. God never hesitates or second-guesses anything that He has done or said. He acts definitively and rightly in every situation. That includes His placing you where you are, and making you the way you are.

We often have the tendency to think of ourselves as meaningless and worthless. We see our many mistakes and sins and think that God must have been mistaken to make us the way He did. Be encouraged—God did not make a mistake with you. He has formed you and placed you on this earth for a purpose—a righteous purpose: You are made for God’s glory.

Listen to the words of Isaiah 48:10-11: “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.”

So here you are, a human being, placed on this earth to fulfill God’s purpose—His glory. In all your failures, in all your flaws, in all your bad decisions, be encouraged that you are not a mistake. When it feels as if God is raising the temperature in the ‘furnace of affliction’, trust yourself to Him who speaks righteousness. He is refining you for His glory.

Book Review: The Knowledge of the Holy

The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer, 1961

If I were to pick a book that is completely opposite of Rob Bell’s “Love Wins”, this would be it. While I concluded that Rob Bell wrote of God in a flippant, disrespectful way, A. W. Tozer writes in such a way that leaves the reader in awe of who God is. I find it ironic that both books are published by the same publisher: HarperCollins Publishers.

Tozer doesn’t waste any words in this book. In fact, one of the ideas that Tozer repeats throughout this little book is that any words used to describe God are merely human, finite words, and thus, man can never reach an accurate description of God. It is this type of writing that leaves the reader careful of not only what he will say of God, but how he will think about God. “The Knowledge of the Holy” is an incredibly simple book. Tozer writes with no biases, no bent toward one theological extreme. He writes with incredible clarity and gives helpful insights towards a good number of God’s attributes. There is not a chapter in the book that does not contain some small, understandable quote that leaves the reader with a nugget of truth to mull over. Indeed, it is the sort of book that could take weeks to read in spite of its small number of pages.

Tozer begins with three chapters to establish the rest of the book: 1) “Why We Must Think Rightly of God”; 2) “God Incomprehensible”; and 3) “A Divine Attribute: Something True About God.” In these chapters, Tozer stresses our total inability to fully understand any single truth about God, but why we must strive to understand as rightly as we can about God. He explains exactly what he means by the word ‘attribute’: “If an attribute is something true of God, it is also something that we can conceive as being true of Him. God, being infinite, must possess attributes about which we can know nothing. And attribute, as we can know it, is a mental concept, an intellectual response to God’s self-revelation. It is an answer to a question, the reply God makes to our interrogation concerning Himself.”

This is an incredibly simple book. The chapters are no more than 3-7 pages long. Each small chapter seeks to take an attribute of God and explain what we mean by it, why we use the words we do, what that means in relation to God’s other attributes, and why it is important for the Christian to think of God in this way. Let me give you an example from the chapter on the Love of God: “From God’s other known attributes we may learn much about His love. We can know, for instance, that because God is self-existent, His love had no beginning; because He is eternal, His love can have no end; because He is infinite, it has no limit; because He is immense, His love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea before which we kneel in joyful silence and from which the loftiest eloquence retreats confused and abashed.” Such is the nature of this book!

My favorite chapter is on the Mercy of God. My personal experience with God’s Mercy thus far has been that of fear. I thank God each time He withholds judgment from me, but at the same time I am cowering before Him fearful that the next time I fail Him He will unleash His wrath upon me. Tozer has helped me to see differently. Listen to this: “If we could remember that the divine mercy is not a temporary mood but an attribute of God’s eternal being, we would no longer fear that it will someday cease to be. Mercy never began to be, but from eternity was; so it will never cease to be. It will never be more since it is itself infinite; and it will never be less because the infinite can never suffer diminution. Nothing that has occurred or will occur in heaven or earth or hell can change the tender mercies of our God. Forever His mercy stands, a boundless, overwhelming immensity of divine pity and compassion.” That totally rocked my feeble understanding of God’s mercy!

This book will strengthen your mind. This book will encourage your heart. This book will uplift your spirit to worship the one, true God. This book will open your eyes to the vast, incomprehensible God described so eloquently in the Bible. I will read “The Knowledge of the Holy” again, soon. Thank you A. W. Tozer for your helpful words.

Divine Forgiveness

"I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel." -Isaiah 44:22-23


God is merciful to His people. Israel had turned form the Lord to serve other gods countless times, yet God still was merciful to them. He blotted out the thick cloud of their transgressions and sins. I can imagine a great cosmic accounting page with all the sins of Israel on it. God blotted them all out. Paid in full. God had redeemed His people.

We are not much different from Israel. Here we sit, 2500 years after these words were penned, experiencing the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. God has blotted out our sins, cast them into the depths of the sea. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us. God has purchased us with the blood of Christ. To God be all the glory for his mercy! We can do nothing to deserve His divine forgiveness.

There is no more fitting response than to praise the Lord. Praise Him with singing! The Lord has redeemed His people. "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities..." -Psalm 103:1-3

Power for the Weak

Isaiah 40:28-29 – “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary, His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

These verses truly amaze me. Each time I read them I try to wrap my mind around what they really mean. Think about it. God is in heaven. We are on earth. Here God is described as everlasting, Jehovah, Creator, He never faints or grows weary, and we can’t even know how much He understands or knows—not to mention the rest of the description of God in Isaiah 40:12-26. Yet in all His greatness we read that He gives power to the weak and increases strength to those who have no might.

It is a humbling thing to study the attributes of God. Look deeply into His perfections and you will see not only how great and vast He is, but also how incredibly small you are. Many people think themselves to be truly great and mighty, but they have never taken a good long look at the Lord of hosts, the everlasting God—the Creator. If you really think you are great, I want you to try something. Why don’t you try creating something? Start out small. Let’s see you create an amoeba. Oh, and by the way, start with nothing. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? After all, you do consider yourself to be great and mighty.

The point is that when anyone stands next to God and compares themselves to Him, they can’t measure up. In fact, it is not even close. How can a created being measure up to an infinite being? We are all weak. We are all without strength. We need the power of God. We need His might. In His grace and mercy He has provided exactly what we need if we are humble before Him. James 4:6 - “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

I praise God for His tremendous care for His people! Isaiah 40:11 – “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”