Isaiah 43
Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Pathway in the Sea
Ever see a butterfly flutter by? John 3:7-8
Psalm 77:19
Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
"The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick along side it."
( These are not the domino clownfish I 'm looking for but I'm amused by the unexpected results of my search.)
No. I'm looking for images of a childhood scene in the Tony Scott movie, Domino. Her father had won her a goldfish at an arcade. The booth was festooned with dozens of stuffed orange clownfish and little else. Her goldfish, which survived her father but not boarding school, became a symbol of bereavement to her and was immortalized in a tattoo on her neck. In the next scene, at her father's funeral, our Lord is quoted as saying something like "...I am with you always, even to the end of the system of things." This is a highly unorthodox but superior conveyance of the meaning of the quote. Not your typical memorial service fare,either. Later in her life, another goldfish dies, and she says the goldfish was a sign from a Higher Power. The day I watched this movie, my last call at work was a toilet repair at one of my employer's apartments. (Update: also one of my employers' homes on 7-29-16) There was an image of a clownfish on a calendar on the bathroom wall. I regard clownfish as a divine token of my testimony, and I was wondering if I was mistaken in doing so. That movie was as direct a refutation of that thought as it could possibly be, right down to the fish betokening something significant. (This divine capacity to orchestrate human events to this degree should shake human unbelief to its core, but as "Amazing Grace" implies,the fear of God is something only the grace of God can impart.) So why clownfish? Well, Nemo has nothing to do with it, that's for sure. It originated with an episode of NCIS.
312 - Deception
We found the pervert. Where? The computer he was using traces back to 23346 Maple Street. - Mr. Clown-Fish? - William Lafferty? Come on, let's roll. Just give me 1 0 seconds and l'll-- DiNozzo, we're in position. And all Ron does is spray. Ron, what if this gets on some area of our skin that we don't want it? - DiNozzo coming in. - Clear. Back of the house is clear, boss. Looks like this guy left in a hurry. - You think, DiNozzo? - And he won't be coming back. - Bleach. - He poisoned his fish? Because he couldn't take them with him. These fish were his prized possessions. lf he can't have them, no one can. Fits the profile of a malignant narcissist.
You see, I'm the clownfish, and my ex-wife is the malignant narcissist that poured bleach into my aquarium. Thing is, the aquarium was the habitat of my earthly persona and identity. The domain wherein men may kill the body and nothing beyond. The authentic Christian life transcends this domain and manifests the world-demolishing power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. What do I mean? With God's help and blessing, let me enter the report into the Record. Firstly, this term "malignant narcissist".
While narcissists are common malignant narcissists are less common. A notable difference between the two is the feature sadism or the gratuitous enjoyment in the pain of others. A narcissist will deliberately damage other people in pursuit of their own selfish desires but may regret doing so and will in some circumstances show remorse for doing so, however a malignant narcissist will harm others and enjoy doing so, showing little empathy or regret for the damage they have caused.
Amusingly, my musical muse, Rush, has a piece by that title (of which I was unaware until after learning the term from NCIS}:
They also have a song entitled "The Trees". A tree is a physical example of fractal progression.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
In the early stages of the dissolution of our marriage, I contacted my ex-wife's attorney and former mutual friend, Cheryl Lebow-Knox and we had an informal face-to-face at her office because I wanted to dissuade her from taking sides in the matter. (I believe I said she was making a big mistake.) One of the things she said to me was that she was a direct descendant of Moses' brother, Aaron. (I had been communicating ex parte with the Judge, Josanna Berkow about Jesus Christ's identity as the Messiah and Redeemer of the Jewish people, among other things.) She also babbled something about a Messiah-less "messianic age".
Leviticus 10
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.
2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 117. What is the longest? Psalm 119. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after it. 594 x 2=1188. Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
The whole message of Holy Writ can be summed up in that verse. Coincidence? You be the judge. On second thought, you'd better let the LORD be the Judge. (I refer you to our text.)
In that vein, based on 1Cor.6:1-10, I elected not to reciprocate in the legal process with my ex-wife when she engaged it in a campaign to subjugate me, and, failing that, to abandon and destroy me. I have related the precipitating circumstances in a previous blog post, and for the purposes of pertinence, I direct your attention to the portion that begins with "Now let me give an account of
myself to my children."
It's funny, really. After I was released on parole, I inquired of my employer, who kept my job for me, whether they would resume the wage garnishment for child support that was in place before I was incarcerated. The bookkeeper said they needed an order from the court. I asked my parole officer about it and she looked at me as though I had asked if I could move to Mars. (The planet.) I could not contact my ex-wife because I was a "high control" parolee due to of all my "threats" against public officials, my ex-wife and her husband.The only statement I ever made that could be misconstrued as a threat was when I informed my wife while she was still "married" to me, and therefore bound to me, that I would kill her if I caught her with another man. As for her husband, I invoked Joshua 1;5 in his case. Communicating my belief that God would intervene for me against my enemies because He said He would is not making a threat. It is a statement of faith that is predicated on the intervention of God. (I've kinda been left holding the bag, but it ain't over 'til God, and no one else, says it's over.)
To illustrate how seriously the District Attorney's office took my "threats", initially I was charged with disobeying a court order( the one my ex-wife obtained by perjury), a misdemeanor, and ordered to appear in a lower court than the one that had issued the order. Mind you, I had filed a responsive declaration with the court that had issued the order that proved my ex-wife had perjured herself in statements she made to obtain the order. The judge ordered a long cause hearing and set a subsequent date. I was to face the misdemeanor charge prior to that date. I was already facing charges for contempt of court for violating the order in the first court. This was double jeopardy for the same offense. The deputy D.A. that filed the charge shared the same surname as my ex-wife's new husband. I wrote the judge ex-parte questioning whether the filing of the charges violated unilateral restraining orders issued at the time I filed my responsive declaration, whether the deputy D.A. was related to my ex-wife's new husband, and I ridiculed the action on the basis that if I was dangerous, I should have been taken into custody as a danger to myself or others and that if I wasn't, her actions were malicious and harassing and did not further the cause of justice. I used the analogy of isolating a bomb before you disarm it and I referred to the deputy D.A. as "just another cunt with power to abuse."(Her demeanor toward me throughout bore that description out in spades.) I also stated explicitly that nothing in the letter was a threat to any person. I was arrested for violating Ca. Penal Code Section 71 on March 17,1995. While the sherriff's deputies at county jail had no problem getting me to every court session where I was a defendant, somehow only my court appointed public defender (who could barely bring herself to stand by me when I pled no contest to the charge of disobeying the aforementioned fraudulent court order) was allowed to appear at my long cause hearing. My presence could not be arranged, despite the fact that I certainly had nowhere else to be. In summary, the legal system had ensnared me using the restraining order that my ex-wife had obtained by perjury before it could be thrown out in the long cause hearing, and now they had concocted a new set of charges to "get me" with. This resulted in my having two public defenders. One for the family law issues and charges and one for the P.C. 71 case.
The public defender that handled the P.C. 71 case filed a motion to have the D.A.'s office recused because it could not exercise proper discretion in my case. The attorney arguing against the motion cited the SAME case law that my attorney had. My attorney lost. Amusingly, while I was incarcerated in California State Prison in Vacaville I wrote my ex-wife again. The violation was referred to the Solano County D.A. They exercised THEIR discretion in refusing to get involved. THEN, some months later, when I was released on parole, and had resumed working, etc. in Contra Costa County, a sherriff's deputy showed up at my place of employment to arrest me for a warrant related to that violation.The bond was for $3500. I was out in the field the first day. The next day he showed up around the time we normally returned to the shop. (My employer was reported to have said that at least they could get another day of work out of me as they rushed me out that morning.) The deputy approached me and asked me to accompany him about 75 feet away from the other people. He then said something like "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." I told him to do his job and take me in. I HAVE NEVER THREATENED NOR ASSAULTED ANY PUBLIC OFFICIAL!!! But this officer had been told to expect trouble from me and was sent to arrest me for a $3500 warrant. My compliance with the arrest was something he did not expect. (Quite the contrast to Michael Brown's encounter with law enforcement, don't ya think? Somehow, I don't expect people will be taking to the streets on my behalf anytime soon.) When I appeared in court the judge asked me why I was IN JAIL. I could not account for it. He then stated his belief, without any evidence, or the actual existence of any other charges pending against me,that "there must be something else" and declined to release me. In other words, the arrest was NOT routine nor customary for that kind of warrant. Furthermore, after I posted bail, my parole officer informed me that the D.A.'s Office should have placed a hold on me and taken custody of me BEFORE I was released on parole. Seems like a set up to get me into legal trouble with the arresting officer if you ask me, I get the impression that the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office had some trouble exercising discretion in my case. The motion for recusal, however, was DENIED.
From my point of view, my "crime" was standing up for my legal and Constitutional rights against my ex-wife and the lawless family judicial system. Every time I failed to cow before their aggression on her behalf, they escalated the stakes. It is she and they who are the actual criminals. I go for about a year abiding by the court order. I find out she remarried the DAY our divorce was final. I write letters to her expressing my interest in reconciling and to her husband expressing my EXTREME disapproval of him personally due to his taking things of mine that were not my ex-wife's to give. (My reasons for doing so at that point is that she would have to come clean about her conduct without being able to conceal it behind some other issue or pretext,) She files the complaint in the court that issued the order with a request for finding me in contempt. I file a responsive declaration that included PROOF she obtained it by perjury. The judge continues the case to a long cause hearing. The D.A charges me with disobeying a court order in a lower court before the order can be thrown out in the long cause hearing. I write the judge in the issuing court SCREAMING "FOUL". The D.A.'s office charges me with "threatening a public official" and puts me in jail. In light of the spuriousness of the charge,they offer me a plea bargain to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, attend "battered women's alternative" and walk. I refuse because I was not guilty and the whole narrative that this was about me abusing my ex-wife and children was BULLSHIT. (It was about her dominating and subjugating me.) They proceed to trial but convert the offense to a felony. I am found guilty by a jury of my peers due to an incompetent defense (see motion for recusal, above) and the jury's exposure to my highly unpopular views. The prosecution offers felony probation prior to sentencing. I basically tell them to shove it. They sentence me to the mid-term of two years in prison and the judge orders a psychiatric evaluation. (The ex-wife has me sign off on my half of a tax refund, elects to attend sentencing, then calls my mother that evening to chit-chat as though nothing significant had happened. MALIGNANT NARCISSIST! Our paths crossed as she was leaving the building and I was being escorted back to jail. She had a puzzled look on her face before she noticed me. Maybe it was the prosecutor's comment that this was one of the toughest cases of his career. What's so tough about a "slam dunk"?) I do my time and am paroled with a "high control" stipulation. I complete parole. I remarry. My current spouse was aware of all the relevant facts of my prior life when we married in June of 1999.
In August of 2012 I find a Father's Day Facebook message from my son, Joseph, who I hadn't seen since 1994. (I overlooked the little red alert on the message button because I don't have a lot of correspondence.) One of the things he informs me of is that his mother entrusted him to a family friend of my ex-mother-in-law's as a father figure in his life who could participate in a Christian version of the Boy Scouts with him. Let's just say he doesn't find Adam Sandler's "Canteen Boy" sketches funny at all. The guy is arrested and charged with his sexual offenses. His defense was that I was the one that had abused my son and he was "confused" about it. My ex-wife was in no position to have me testify in the case because she had cried "wolf" on me and would be exposed as the criminal malignant narcissist that she is. I also still had parental rights at that point, but I have proven what happens to me when I assert my "rights". The Contra Costa County D.A.'s Office' complicity with her in her crimes speaks for itself. My son's actual abuser walked. (I told him that I would respect his privacy, but he informed me recently that I could not be in his home with his foster kids because of my "history". I asked who had divulged my "history" to the agency. He informed me that he had. So much for respecting privacy.) Around the time I circulated "An Open Letter to the People of the Jews", John Hagee appeared on Benny Hinn's telecast and was deriding "first year Bible students" sharing the Gospel with Jews without understanding their sensibilities, etc. Then he invited anyone who was being sexually abused in their home to call his ministry and they would see to it that the offenders went to jail where they belong. (I had also circulated "Separation of Church and State" around the same time.) Hey John, why don't you see to it that my son's now dead abuser pays his debt to society?
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6
It’s tempting to think of faith as a kind of magic formula. If you muster up enough of it, you’ll get rich, stay healthy, and live a contented life with automatic answers to all your prayers. But life does not work according to such neat formulas. As proof, the author of Hebrews presents a stirring reminder of what constitutes “true faith” by reviewing the lives of some Old Testament giants of faith (Heb. 11).
“Without faith,” the author says bluntly, “it is impossible to please God” (11:6). In describing faith he uses the word persevered (v. 27). As a result of their faith, some heroes triumphed: They routed armies, escaped the sword, survived lions. But others met less happy ends: They were flogged, stoned, sawed in two. The chapter concludes, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (v. 39).
The picture of faith that emerges does not fit into an easy formula. Sometimes it leads to victory and triumph. Sometimes it requires a gritty determination to “hang on at any cost.” Of such people, “God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (v. 16).
What our faith rests on is the belief that God is in ultimate control and will indeed keep His promises—whether that happens in this life or the next.
Give me a faith that trusts You wholeheartedly, Lord.
Our greatest comfort in sorrow is to know that God is in control.
INSIGHT:
Hebrews 11 has been called the Hall of Faith. In it we read of diverse people who faced trials and tribulations far beyond what most of us face. Yet all persevered by trusting the Lord. By the grace of God, we can do the same.
I love being with people . . . most of the time. There is a special joy that resonates in our hearts when we are with people we enjoy. But unfortunately we are not always with those we like to be around. Sometimes people can be prickly, which may be why someone has said, “The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog!” When we don’t find joy in a relationship, we tend to blame the other person; then we excuse ourselves as we exit to be with people we like.
The apostle Paul asks us to lovingly engage with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, he calls all of us to be “of one accord,” to look out “for the interests of others,” and to “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:2-5). Think about it. Jesus gave up His own prerogatives and privileges for us; He chose to live as a servant and paid the ultimate sacrifice that He might bring us into a joy-filled relationship with Him (see Heb. 12:2). And He did all that in spite of our prickliness (see Rom. 5:8).
So next time you are with someone who is not easy to get along with, ask Jesus to help you find a way to extend His love. In time, you might be surprised by how God can change your attitude about people.
Lord, thank You that while I was still offensive to You,
You saved me with Your sacrificial love. Give me the
same courage and grace to extend to others the love
that You have so graciously extended to me.
The key to getting along with others
is having the mind of Christ.
Classics: Streams in the Desert
Gentle Leading by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman.
"I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure"(Gen. 33:14).
What a beautiful picture of Jacob's thoughtfulness for the cattle and the children! He would not allow them to be overdriven even for one day. He would not lead on according to what a strong man like Esau could do and expected them to do, but only according to what they were able to endure. He knew exactly how far they could go in a day; and he made that his only consideration in arranging the marches. He had gone the same wilderness journey years before, and knew all about its roughness and heat and length, by personal experience. And so he said, "I will lead on softly." "For ye have not passed this way heretofore" (Josh.3:4.).
We have not passed this way heretofore, but the Lord Jesus has. It is all untrodden and unknown ground to us, but He knows it all by personal experience. The steep bits that take away our breath, the stony bits that make our feet ache so, the hot shadeless stretches that make us feel so exhausted, the rushing rivers that we have to pass through--Jesus has gone through it all before us. "He was wearied with his journey." Not some, but all the many waters went over Him, and yet did not quench His love. He was made a perfect Leader by the things which He suffered. "He knoweth our frame; heremembereth that we are dust." Think of that when you are tempted to question the gentleness of His leading. He is remembering all the time; and not one step will He make you take beyond what your foot is able to endure. Never mind if you think it will not be able for the step that seems to come next; either He will so strengthen it that it shall be able, or He will call a sudden halt, and you shall not have to take it at all. --Frances Ridley Havergal In "pastures green"? Not always; sometimes He Who knowest best, in kindness leadeth me In weary ways, where heavy shadows be. So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where The shadows lie, what matter? He is there.
--Barry
Classics: Joy and Strength
The Divine Shepherd Hears His Sheep by Mary Wilder Tileston
He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee.
ISAIAH 30:19
THAT Was the Shepherd of the flock; He knew
The distant voice of one poor sheep astray;
It had forsaken Him, but He was true,
And listened for its bleating night and day.
And thou, fallen soul, afraid to live or die
In the deep pit that will not set thee free,
Lift up to Him the helpless homeward cry,
For all that tender love is seeking thee.
ANNA L. WARING
OUR Divine Shepherd followed after His lost sheep for three and thirty years, in a way so painful and so thorny that He spilt His heart's blood and left His life there. The poor sheep now follows Him through obedience to His commands, or through a desire (though at times but faint) to obey Him, calling upon Him and beseeching Him earnestly for help; is it possible that He should now refuse to turn upon it His life-giving look? Will He not give ear to it, and lay it upon His divine shoulders, rejoicing over it with all His friends and with the angels of Heaven? For if our Lord ceased not to search most diligently and lovingly for the blind and deaf sinner, the lost drachma of the Gospel, till He found it, how is it possible that He should abandon him who, as a lost sheep, cries and calls upon his Shepherd?
LORENZO SCUPOLI
Classics: Morning and Evening
He Knows Us by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
--Genesis 42:8This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to consider a kindred topic, namely, our heavenly Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly perfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of Him. "His eyes beheld our substance, yet being imperfect, and in His book all our members were written, when as yet there was none of them." Before we had a being in the world we had a being in His heart. When we were enemies to Him, He knew us, our misery, our madness, and our wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed Him only as a judge and a ruler, He viewed us as His brethren well beloved, and His bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook His chosen, but always beheld them as objects of His infinite affection. "The Lord knoweth them that are His," is as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the children who sit at the table.
But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of this ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from Him, and allowed Him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted Him, and gave no credit to His words. We rebelled against Him, and paid Him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, and we could not see Him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with us; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared with what He knows of us. We have but begun to study Him, but He knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the ignorance is not on His side, for then it would be a hopeless case for us. He will not say to us, "I never knew you," but He will confess our names in the day of His appearing, and meanwhile will manifest Himself to us as He doth not unto the world.
Today's Devotions
Morning
January 3
Genesis 1:3-4 (NIV) 3And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
In the beginning God... and the Spirit of God... and God said (the Word of God). Right in the first three verses we have God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. We can understand the eternal Godhead by what we see in creation. Wherever the light goes, the darkness flees. God has always had an illustration of those which are His, separated from the darkness. Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. The Scriptures call us children of the light, of the day and not of the night. Those who love truth come to the light. They come so that the darkness in them will flee and every space will be filled with light. Is every area of your life open to the Light? Do you readily come to the Light to be sure that there is no darkness in you? Allow the Lord access to every area of your life so that you may be full of light.
We are in the world but not of the world. If we are filled with light, we should be causing the darkness around us to flee, not being overcome by the darkness. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 KJV)
Meditation: Is every area of my heart open to the Light?
Evening
January 3
Hosea 10:4, 12-13 (NIV) 4They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
12Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. 13But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors...
Israel's sins are the sins of mankind. It doesn't matter which culture you are a part of, or what type of government you have, the experience of Israel is applicable to your situation. The nation had a revelation of God, but they refused to walk in the light of that revelation. Man tries to swindle man for personal gain or pleasure, and so, the legal systems of man are overwhelmed. There is the misuse of the legal systems to gain what is not ours. What a great description of lawsuits, "poisonous weeds in a plowed field"!
We should be deeply plowing the hard soil of our hearts so that they will be receptive soil for the seeds of righteousness. Then we would reap the wonderful fruit of unfailing love. If we would only seek the LORD until he comes and showers righteousness on us! That sounds like "praying through" to me. It is setting everything else aside and refusing to go on until God comes with His healing touch on your soul. "Showers of righteousness" sound so refreshing!
But instead, Hosea saw the planting of wickedness and the reaping of evil. The fruit of their efforts was not unfailing love, but deception. They had deceived themselves into thinking their strength and their warriors could save them. The path without God can only end in destruction.
Consider: What are you sowing? What are you depending on today? Seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness upon you. You will reap unfailing love!
"I will give thee for a covenant of the people." --Isaiah 49:8
Jesus Christ is Himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of its gifts, He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in Christ? "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Consider that word "God" and its infinity, and then meditate upon "perfect man" and all his beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine--out of pure free favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has he power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love? Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, "It is mine." Hath He justice? It may seem a stern attribute, but even that is yours, for He will by His justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you. And all that He has asperfect man is yours. As a perfect man the Father's delight was upon Him. He stood accepted by the Most High. O believer, God's acceptance of Christ is thine acceptance; for knowest thou not that the love which the Father set on a perfect Christ, He sets on thee now? For all that Christ did is thine. That perfect righteousness which Jesus wrought out, when through His stainless life He kept the law and made it honourable, is thine, and is imputed to thee. Christ is in the covenant.
"My God, I am thine--what a comfort divine!
What a blessing to know that the Saviour is mine!
In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of His name."
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." --Luke 3:4
The voice crying in the wilderness demanded a way for the Lord, a way prepared, and a way prepared in the wilderness. I would be attentive to the Master's proclamation, and give Him a road into my heart, cast up by gracious operations, through the desert of my nature. The four directions in the text must have my serious attention.
Every valley must be exalted. Low and grovelling thoughts of God must be given up; doubting and despairing must be removed; and self-seeking and carnal delights must be forsaken. Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of grace must be raised.
Every mountain and hill shall be laid low. Proud creature- sufficiency, and boastful self-righteousness, must be levelled, to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine fellowship is never vouchsafed to haughty, highminded sinners. The Lord hath respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in heart, but the lofty are an abomination unto Him. My soul, beseech the Holy Spirit to set thee right in this respect.
The crooked shall be made straight. The wavering heart must have a straight path of decision for God and holiness marked out for it. Double-minded men are strangers to the God of truth. My soul, take heed that thou be in all things honest and true, as in the sight of the heart-searching God.
The rough places shall be made smooth. Stumbling-blocks of sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must be uprooted. So great a visitor must not find miry ways and stony places when He comes to honour His favoured ones with His company. Oh that this evening the Lord may find in my heart a highway made ready by His grace, that He may make a triumphal progress through the utmost bounds of my soul, from the beginning of this year even to the end of it.
My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not always a lasting one. In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the seed began to take root, its downward growth was hindered by the hard stone and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its green shoot aloft as high as it could, but having no inward moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away. Is this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth takes place upwards and downwards at the same time. Am I rooted in sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and unfertilized by grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must ultimately wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart. Let me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance as Jonah's gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus, above all let me feel the energy of His Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding and enduring seed in my soul. If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield Thee a bounteous harvest.
How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never- ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we arenot praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter--"Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"--what? "But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great blessing. No, it is, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, He does not say, "Satan hath desired to have you." He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to pray for you." No, but "I have prayed for you: I have done it already; I have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.
