All Mixed Up And Ready To Pour

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8

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• Can you say, It Is Well With My Soul? because “A saved soul has many sorrows.” A J.C. Ryle gem!

• I don’t really know Tricia, and she doesn’t know me. I don’t even remember how I happened across her blog, but it’s not left my heart since I’ve found it. Enlarged is a powerful poem that she quotes, one that might help us all.

• The Old Adam Lives and calls for More Forde. I can see why. Can you?

• Here’s a question I must answer honestly again and again, how important is My So-Called Online Life? I actually stepped away from it once to see what would happen. I got a lot done and I’ve learned quite a bit. You can read about it here.

• And while we’re at it, “It is not busyness that eats the life out of the soul...“

• Other than that, I love my boring life, how about you? I think The Church Usher is starting a “stick in the mud club”, and I’m tempted to join.

• Oh, before I forget, “You are the salt of the world”, not the sugar candy… Did you know that? Don’t miss this Gem, but take an umbrella, the Slinger’s got Ink.

But wait… there’s more!

• The beautiful photo at the top is from my friend Becky’s photo journey. Not only are her photos beautiful, they also capture her God-honoring heart and its edifying reflections.

And, last but not least…

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“God can’t give us peace and happiness apart from Himself
because there is no such thing.” — C.S. Lewis

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Thanks for reading!

I Am The Lord That Healeth Thee

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

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For all who need His touch!

 

JEHOVAH–ROPHI
I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Heal us, EMMANUEL, here we are,
Waiting to feel Thy touch;
Deep wounded souls to Thee repair,
And, Savior we are such.

Our faith is feeble we confess,
We faintly trust Thy word;
But wilt Thou pity us the less?
Be that far from Thee, Lord!

Remember him who once applied
With trembling for relief;
“Lord, I believe, with tears he cried,
O help my unbelief.”

She too, who touched Thee in the press,
And healing virtue stole;
Was answered, “Daughter, go in peace,
Thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Concealed amid the gath’ring throng,
She would have shunned Thy view;
And if her faith was firm and strong,
Had strong misgivings too.

Like her, with hopes and fears, we come,
To touch Thee if we may;
O! send us not despairing home,
Send none unhealed away.

~William Cowper (Olney Hymns)

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Thank you for reading. God bless!

 

 

Homophones

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

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From the lure of a lie
to the ear within
is the hole of a sigh
and the whole of sin.

From the red of a fire
to the blue of blame
is the tail of a liar
and a tale of shame.

From the rise of a smile
to the deepest sea
is the wait of a while
and the weight of me.

From the pit of a cry
to a soaring dove
is a piece of clear sky
and the peace of His love.

Petra O. Hefner

 

Thank you for reading!

Photo by XiXiDu – Alexander Kruel – Flickr

Related Articles

• The Sap Will Rise (pennedpebbles.wordpress.com)
• Who Made Thee (pennedpebbles.wordpress.com)
• Unutterable Grace (pennedpebbles.wordpress.com)

All Mixed Up And Colorful

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15

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• It Matters What We Sing… really it does! But if you’d rather, you can learn How To Write An Awful Worship Song here.

• Is it my imagination or has Christianity become a hot Commercial Enterprise? Just asking.

• Temperatures are rising, layers are peeling, so please Sister Show Mercy. Pretty please?

• Do we defend the gospel truth or ourselves? If you’re like the rest of us, then you might need to be reminded that The Insatiable Appetite To Be Right Is Wrong.

• Well, we’re all sinners anyway, right? Right! But move on, God won’t accept that excuse, even if scripture backs it up!

• Maybe this video will help remind us of the One who came to serve and to save. Can others see Him when they look at our smile-less faces and impatient stares?

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But wait, that’s not all….

Wanna blog from A-Z?

Rules:
Post something on your blog that corresponds with each consecutive letter of the alphabet every day (except Sundays) for the month of April. That’s a total of 26 post. On April 1st, your post would be about something that corresponds with the letter A, on April 2nd with the letter B, and so forth. Your posts can be about anything as long as they’re tailored to the letter of the alphabet for each given day.

Why Join?
Why not?! Meet other bloggers! Make new friends! Gain greater discipline! Embrace a new challenge! Lose some sleep, maybe even some weight, lol!

You can sign up by clicking the above picture or this Arlee Bird link.

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“I’ve got so much work to do today,
I’d better spend two hours in prayer instead of one.”
— Martin Luther

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As always, thanks for reading!

Unutterable Grace

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8

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Unutterable grace,
eternity has not time
enough to tell of it—listen,
its words are robed in deeds.

For fairest talk has no heart
and fawning words fall listless
as they have not hands or feet
nor do they know love’s labor.

Lo! The Word Infinite, for whom
and by whom all things were made,
would shake the symphonies of heaven
to be a maiden’s Maker and her babe.

The Author of all love and life
would trade His diadem of glory,
His dignity and royal gown
for a crown of thorns.

O Master! Almighty!
tempted and suffering, yet holy
and unangered—God weeping
a perfect sacrifice for us?

The fruit of life was nailed
upon a tree, its love poured out
like crimson water and like wax its heart
did melt when it beheld the cost of sin.

And nothing moves us except
escalators to some imagined high
as we sly with driest eye His love,
His wisdom and His warnings.

For lack of knowledge and faith
we toil for everything and perish
with coveting eyes and mouthfuls
of sheepish smiles and poisoned lies.

Yet His love begins with us who spat
upon His brow, His mouth which spoke
all life into its being—it was not ever
our merit but our sin that moved Him.

God hung not His head for saints—
not for the ninety-nine who knew so well
their virtue—No! He bled for sinners
black as night and fit for hell.

Unasked for and unsought He died
for the sick and the loathsome covered in
their rotten stench of sin and pride, in love
He wept and bled for His unfaithful bride.

Can she not see this grace unspeakable,
love’s life spilling all of itself—the righteous
for the unrighteous? No love was ever penned
in surer ink as this, blood that forgives all sin!

And will she not run to His pasture
and away from her death and her grave;
will she not enter His garden of life
to taste of His goodness, and live?

Or will she wait ’til all of His heaven
and earth roll away, when lightning tears
the blue from His sky, when all stars drop
and her thirst bursts rivers into flames?

And what shall His just and final answer be
when His heart thunders to her endlessly
self-serving plea to be spared not of love
for Him but for her lust and love of self?

“Depart from me!”

Petra O. Hefner

 

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12

Scripture:
Matthew 25
Joel 2

Thank you for reading!

Our Love: He Would Only Pick This Flower

I made you grow like a plant of the field. Ezekiel 16:7

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It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. All the strength in men or angels cannot make the heart love God. Ordinances will not do it of themselves, nor judgments; it is only the almighty and invincible power of the Spirit of God can infuse love into the soul.

Love is the most noble and excellent grace. It is a pure flame kindled from heaven; by it we resemble God, who is love. Believing and obeying do not make us like God, but by love we grow like Him. Love is a grace which most delights in God, and is most delightful to Him. Faith is not true, unless it works by love. The waters of repentance are not pure, unless they flow from the spring of love. Love is the incense which makes all our services fragrant and acceptable to God.

Is that unreasonable which God requires? It is but our love. If He should ask our estate, or the fruit of our bodies, could we deny Him? But He asks only our love: He would only pick this flower. Is this a hard request? Was there ever any debt so easily paid as this? We do not at all impoverish ourselves by paying it. Love is no burden.

God desires our love. We have lost our beauty, and stained our blood, yet the King of heaven is a suitor to us. What is there in our love, that God should seek it? What is God the better for our love? He does not need it, He is infinitely blessed in Himself. If we deny Him our love, He has more sublime creatures who pay the cheerful tribute of love to Him. God does not need our love, yet He seeks it.

God has deserved our love; how has He loved us! Our affections should be kindled at the fire of God’s love. What a miracle of love is it, that God should love us, when there was nothing lovely in us. We had something in us to provoke fury, but nothing to excite love. What love, passing understanding, was it, to give Christ to us! That Christ should die for sinners! God has set all the angels in heaven wondering at this love.

If you do not love God, you will love something else, either the world or sin; and are those worthy of your love? Is it not better to love God than these? If you set your love on worldly things, they will not satisfy. You may as well satisfy your body with air, as your soul with earth. If you love worldly things, they cannot remove trouble of mind. If there be a thorn in the conscience, all the world cannot pluck it out.

When you love the world, you love that which is worse than yourselves. But if you love God, you place your love on the most noble and sublime object: you love that which is better than yourselves. God is better than the soul, better than angels, better than heaven.

You may over-love the creature. You may love wine too much, and silver too much; but you cannot love God too much. If we could love God far more than we do, yet it were not proportionate to His worth; so that there is no danger of excess in our love to God. You may love worldly things, and they die and leave you. But if you love God, He is “ a portion for ever” (Psalm 73:26).

If it is better to love God than the world, surely also it is better to love God than sin. What is there in sin, that any should love it? Sin is a debt. Sin is a disease. “The whole head is sick” (Isa. 1: 5). Sin is a misshapen monster. Sin is an enemy. God will save you, sin will damn you; is he not become foolish who loves damnation?

Love is the most abiding grace. This will stay with us when other graces take their farewell. In heaven we shall need no repentance, because we shall have no sin. In heaven we shall not need patience, because there will be no affliction. In heaven we shall need no faith because faith looks at things unseen (Heb.  11:1). But then we shall see God face to face; and where there is vision, there is no need of faith. But when the other graces are out of date, love continues…

Excerpts (arranged and condensed) from
A Divine Cordial by Thomas Watson

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Thank you for reading!

So Blind, So Deaf, So Dumb, So Lame, So Dead

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8

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So blind, so deaf, so dumb, so lame, so dead

The holy Christian is the greatest miracle.

He can tell you that he was so blind—but now God
has given him eyes to see sin to be the greatest evil;
and Christ to be the choicest good.

He can tell you that once he was so deaf—that though
God called very often and very loudly to him—by His
word and by His works, by His rods at home and by
His judgments abroad, and by his Spirit and conscience,
which were still a-preaching in his bosom—sometimes life,
sometimes death, sometimes heaven, and sometimes hell
—yet he could not hear! But now God has given him a
hearing ear, so that now he can with delight hear the
sweet music of the promises on the one hand; and
with a holy trembling listen to the voice of divine
threatenings on the other hand.

He can tell you that once he was so dumb—that if he
might have had the whole world, he could not have
spoken a good word for God, nor for His ways, nor for
His people, nor for any of His concernments. Oh! but
now his tongue is as the pen of a ready writer—and
he is never better, than when he is a-speaking either
of God, or for God and His concerns. Now he can
contend for the faith, and speak for saints. And though
in some cases he may lack power to act for God—yet he
never lacks a tongue to speak for God. The spouse’s lips
drop honeycombs in Canticles 4:11. Yes, his tongue now
becomes a tree of life, whose leaves are medicinal.

He can tell you that once he was so lame—that he was
not able to move one foot heaven-wards, nor Christ-wards,
nor holiness-wards, etc. But now his feet delight, not only
to go—but to run in all the ways of God’s commands!

Yes, he can tell you that once he was so dead—as to all
his soul-concerns. But now he is alive, and the life that
he leads in the flesh, is by faith in the Son of God, who
has loved him and given Himself for him, Gal. 2:20.

It was by a miracle that the Red Sea was driven back;
and it is no less a miracle—to see a sinner who was
accustomed to do evil—now habituated to do good.

That the tide of sin, which before did run so strong
—should be so easily turned; that the sinner who, a
little before was sailing hellward, and lacked neither
wind nor tide to carry him there—should now suddenly
alter his course, and tack about for heaven—what a
miracle is this! To see . . .
an earthly man become heavenly,
a carnal man become spiritual,
a loose man become precise,
a proud man become humble,
a covetous man become liberal, and
a harsh man become meek, etc.,
is to behold the greatest of miracles!

from The Crown and Glory of Christianity, or,
HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
by Thomas Brooks, 1662

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Thank you for reading!

Related Articles

• All About Love (pennedpebbles.wordpress.com)
• The Cross Of Christ: Do We Really Understand It? (pennedpebbles.wordpress.com)
• Lessons From My Silence (pennedpebbles.wordpress.com)

All Mixed Up And Ready To Roll

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1

…

• The Ordinary Pastor is showing us How to Live a Miserable Christian Life. That’s what we want, yes? No? Looking at some of us, I just don’t know sometimes.

• And Jeff Peterson, the Lighthearted Calvinist (the best kind), is Just Asking. Don’t miss it! (Just sayin’.)

• Here is something that caught my attention over at the Reformed Bibliophile: When Being Too Polite, Is Deadly . Hmmm?!

• The Woulda-coulda-shouldas have been around for a while but it’s good to meet them again.

• If you like good stories, and this is a good story, you’ll definitely not want to miss The God of Hope and A Dog Named Life at Wrestling With an Angel. It’s Good!

• And last but not least, a thank you note from ThXThXTHX:

I thank them for that too… a bunch!

God bless!

 

Photo by Graela

All About Love

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

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Three Love Themes by Spurgeon.

Plus, a question worth asking!

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Love’s Logic

“We love him because he first loved us.”—1 John 4:19.

God’s love is evidently prior to ours: “He first loved us.” It is also clear enough from the text that God’s love is the cause of ours, for “We love him because he first loved us.” Therefore, going back to old time, or rather before all time, when we find God loving us with an everlasting love, we gather that the reason of his choice is not because we loved him, but because he willed to love us. His reasons, and he had reasons (for we read of the counsel of his will), are known to himself, but they are not to be found in any inherent goodness in us, or which was foreseen to be in us. We were chosen simply because he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. He loved us because he would love us.

The gift of his dear Son, which was a close consequent upon his choice of his people, was too great a sacrifice on God’s part to have been drawn from him by any goodness in the creature. It was not possible for the highest piety to have deserved so vast a boon as the gift of the Only-begotten; it was not possible for any thing in man to have merited the incarnation and the passion of the Redeemer. Our redemption, like our election, springs from the spontaneous self-originating love of God. And our regeneration, in which we are made actual partakers of the divine blessings in Jesus Christ, was not of us, nor by us.

We were not converted because we were already inclined that way, neither were we regenerated because some good thing was in us by nature; but we owe our new birth entirely to his potent love, which dealt with us effectually turning us from death to life, from darkness to light and from the alienation of our mind and the enmity of our spirit into that delightful path of love, in which we are now travelling to the skies. Read all of this sermon here.

Love’s Commendation

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.”–Romans 5:8.

I shall have nothing new to tell you; it will be as old as the everlasting hills, and so simple that a child may understand it. Love’s commendation. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s commendation of himself and of his love is not in words, but in deeds. When the Almighty God would commend his love to poor man, it is not written, “God commendeth his love towards us in an eloquent oration”; it is not written that he commendeth his love by winning professions; but he commendeth his love toward us by an act, by a deed; a surprising deed, the unutterable grace of which eternity itself shall scarce discover. He “commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Let us learn, then upon the threshold of our text, that if we would commend ourselves it must be by deeds, and not by words. Men may talk fairly, and think that thus they shall win esteem; they may order their words aright, and think that so they shall command respect; but let them remember, it is not the wordy oratory of the tongue, but the more powerful eloquence of the hand which wins the affection of “the world’s great heart.” Read all of this sermon here.

Daniel’s Band

“O Daniel, a man greatly beloved.”–Daniel 10:11.

It did not do Daniel any harm to know that he was greatly beloved of God; or else he would not have received that information from heaven. Some people are always afraid that, if Christian people obtain full assurance, and receive a sweet sense of divine love, they will grow proud, and be carried away with conceit. Do not you have any such fear for other people, and especially do not be afraid of it for yourselves. I know of no greater blessing that can happen to any man and woman here, than to be assured by the Spirit of God that they are greatly beloved of the Lord. Such knowledge might do some of us, who are Christians, the greatest conceivable good. Daniel was not injured by knowing that he was greatly beloved. It has often been said that Daniel is the John of the Old Testament, and John is the Daniel of the New Testament. Those two men, Daniel and John, were choice saints. They rose to the greatest height of spiritual obedience, and then to the greatest height of spiritual enjoyment.

The knowledge that they were greatly beloved of God, instead of doing us harm, will be a means of blessings in many ways. If you know, my dear brother, of a surety, that you are a man greatly beloved of God, you will become very humble. You will say, “How could God ever love me? Read all of this sermon here.

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Last but not least, don’t let this special day end without asking, “How do you know that I love you?” Read more about this special idea at A Multitude of Mercies.

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I find it sweet to retire and be alone with my
best Friend. What a privilege to open our whole
heart, and lean, like John, upon the Savior’s
tender, sympathizing bosom!

(Mary Winslow’s, “Heaven Opened”)

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Thank you for reading! May your day be filled with love!

And Soften Hearts Of Stone

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

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Behold I am vile!

O LORD, how vile am I,
Unholy, and unclean!
How can I dare to venture nigh
With such a load of sin?

Is this polluted heart
A dwelling fit for thee?
Swarming, alas! I in every part,
What evils do I see!

If I attempt to pray,
And lisp thy holy name;
My thoughts are hurried soon away,
I know not where I am.

If in thy word I look,
Such darkness fills my mind,
I only read a sealed book,
But no relief can find.

Thy gospel oft I hear,
But hear it still in vain;
Without desire, or love, or fear,
I like a stone remain.

Myself can hardly bear
This wretched heart of mine;
How hateful then must it appear
To those pure eyes of thine?

And must I then indeed
Sink in despair and die?
Fain would I hope that thou didst bleed
For such a wretch as I.

That blood which thou hast spilt;
That grace which is thine own;
Can cleanse the vilest sinner’s guilt,
And soften hearts of stone.

Low at thy feet I bow,
O pity and forgive;
Here will I lie and wait, till thou
Shalt bid me rise and live.

—John Newton
Olney Hymns

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Wishing you a blessed Lord’s Day!

 

Photo By Melina. Flickr