“A time to be silent and a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:7b
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Silence
Silence is the hush The cease of a strain; It is the still of a thought Before it needs speaking.
Silence is the thaw Of cold opinionated air; It is the peace of believing That Truth prevails.
Silence is the wait An old want learning; It is a hungry thirst content While it still yearns.
Silence is the calm The reading of His Word; It is the ready of awaiting Until the Lord returns.
~ Petra O. Hefner
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This blog will be silent for a few weeks. I do appreciate your visits, they mean very much and I look forward to more of your edifying feedback in the near future. However, I feel a great need to step away from the techno buzz, the whirring blog world, and the lure to be heard.
There are a couple of great reads I wanted to share before I pull the plug. I hope you will enjoy them.
“Lift up your heads O gates and be lifted up O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.” Psalm 24:7
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When I was young I often felt sorry for the one who I thought was murdered by horrible people for horrible people. What I’ve learned since is that Christ suffered willingly. He suffered purposefully. He suffered horrendously, yes, but no one took His life, He gave it!
“I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. ” Is 50:5-6
Jesus offered Himself for the people of His heart–His beloved–those who would trust Him for the forgiveness of their sin and who would trust Him to fulfill all that He has promised. Yes, feel sorry. Feel very, very sorry for all that you have said or thought or done or didn’t do, for all the futile ways with which you fight for your precious ideals. But don’t pity the obedience of Christ–the awesome grace of God!
Pity yourself and those who do not understand how much it truly cost Him. Pity those who have reduced Christ to their selfish needs and creeds and flippant emotions. Don’t pity Him but rather worship and adore Him. Thank Him, believe Him and believe in Him that you may be blessed to live and enabled to love and obey Him.
“it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief…” Is 53:10
It was the will of God to crush Him! God did not spare His perfect Son, and you think He will spare you because you’ve been good most of your life? Christ was forsaken of God, His own Father whom He loved and obeyed even unto death! What pain this must have been!
It is not enough to say that “He died” – for all men die. It is not enough to say that “He died a noble death” – for martyrs do the same… He died bearing the transgressions of His people and suffering the divine penalty for their sins: He was forsaken of God and crushed under the wrath of God in their place.
~Paul Washer
God, who has always bent His ear toward the cry of His own people, turns His back on His own perfect and unflinchingly faithful Son! God’s holiness expects much! God’s holiness demands full payment for sin! The cost was great and most sufficient to save!
“And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” John 6:39
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37
“‘I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:4
I’m finally beginning to understand the enormous cost and irrefutable effectiveness of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The following are excerpts of Paul Washer’s powerful video sermon, Jesus Died.
When you say things like, “Jesus died,” shouldn’t you stop for a momentor… something?
Yes, we should! Do we really understand its meaning, its magnitude, its worth? Christ gave His life and He also took it up again!
Christ Jesus rose again from the dead. And on the 40th day He ascended up to the right hand of His Father, and for the first time in all the history a man walked up to the doors of heaven and cried out…, “Lift up your heads O gates and be lifted up O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” (Psalm 24:7).
And all of heaven behind those doors are in utter shock and silence and wonder. Finally a brave one lifts his head and begins to speak, “Who is this King of glory? Who DARES speak to these doors? No man has ever dared come this far or lay his hand to the latch of this wall. Who is this King of glory?”
And then all of a sudden the Lord, the Messiah, the Christ, the Man for us, cries out, “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads O gates, lift up your heads, lift them up O ancient door, that the King of glory may come in” (Psalm 24:8-9).
And for the first time of all time, those doors open for a man. He walked through those doors and everything that has ever been made fell on its face!
“All hail the power of Jesus’ name. Let angels prostrate fall, bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all.”
Crown Him with many crowns. This Lamb upon the throne…
“This Jesus whom you crucified, God has made Him both Lord and Christ of all” (Acts 2:36).
Don’t think I will even ask you to make Jesus Lord of your life, that’s the most preposterous thing I could ever tell you to do. Jesus Christ IS Lord of your life whether you serve Him or not, whether you bless Him, curse Him, hate Him or love Him. He is the Lord of your life because God has given Him a Name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee shall bow and tongue confess that he is Lord [Phil 2:9-11).
Some of you will bow out of the grace that has been given to you, and others will bow because your knee caps will be broken by the One who rules the nation with a rod of iron. But I'll not apologize for this God of the Bible.
I want you to know there is a God in heaven and He is worthy of all praise and glory and honor, and He DEMANDS such from you. And He has made it possible in His glory, in His love, for you to come to Him.
