Testimony Highlights, or, Experiences of God's Grace Summarized [to date]

• Having parents and grandparents who knew Christ as their Lord and Savior.
• Coming to saving faith of my own at a young age (I identify with Timothy).
• Surviving what ought to have been a fatal accident shortly after graduating from college (June 1971).
• Experiencing His provision during the 50 weeks Garry was without full time work and having mine cut back at the same time (August 31, 1993-August 15, 1994).
• Surviving major surgery, a visit to the emergency room, and outpatient surgery all within six months (2005).
• Celebrating 50 years of His sanctifying grace since my salvation began (see Philippians 2:13-14).
• What am I most grateful for? God's patient grace as I have been in some ways slow to understand His word and His ways.

The Trinity and Prayer


For a long time, when I learned of a need someone had, I would apologetically say, All I can do is pray. Let that sink in for a second. All I can do is pray. One day, I realized what that was implying, and it wasn't godly. In essence, I was calling the Trinity's current work something less than it is. What do I mean?

We know from John 17: 20-26 that Christ prayed for us when here the first time:
"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as yo, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, who you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

And in Hebrews 7:23-25, we learn: The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he abides forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. [ital. added]

We know too from Romans 8:26-27, that the Holy Spirit He promised is present to help us, interceding for us with groanings too deep for words. "And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." [ital. added]

Since Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding, and the indwelling Holy Spirit intercedes also, who am I to say, or even to think, All I can do is pray? When I pray, I have the honor of entering in with the Trinity into a work they continue in even now.

Thank you, God, for the privilege of sharing with you in your work. May all I ask always be in accord with your will, and so honor you. Amen.

Control

In the fantasy movie, STAR WARS, a frustrated Yoda demanded of a weary Luke Skywalker, "Control, you must learn control."

In Galatians 5:22-23, in God's Word, self-control is listed as a fruit of the Spirit.

Have you ever noticed how hard self-control is to develop and then maintain?

In thinking about control and self-control, I reflected on the notes from the chapel presentation Garry made this summer at Trail Ridge, and which appear as a special guest post on this blog.

He reviewed both major and minor issues we'd faced in the last 18 months and then listed several lessons we'd learned from them. The first lesson regarded the sovereignty of God. This sovereignty extends over every aspect of every life, but not every person recognizes it. Someday everyone will, however.

I realized that self-control is needed every time I realize I have no control. Let me explain. There are times I know I have little or no control over circumstances, in meta matters, and so can let go and bring the issues of my heart to the Lord in prayer [i.e., Philippians 4]. Then there are the other things over which I think [unrealistically] that I ought to, or do, have some control and when I don't--ugly sin.

Control is something only God fully has at all times over all creation. When He wishes to, He will delegate control to a person or to a group to accomplish His will. He delegates control in keeping with responsibility.

And He requires self-control of His family, but also provides the means through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. God never asks what He does not provide the means to accomplish.

So when I recognize a situation over which I have been given no control--and there are many--it is my responsibility to exert self-control and to pray, committing the situation to the One who has control over all circumstances.

Notes from Bible Reading: Ezekiel
The theme and focus of Ezekiel is the holiness of God.

Reading Ezekiel, note recurrence of the expression, "Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD," or variation of same, commonly follows a prophecy of destruction and what will follow destruction. Phrases repeated in Ezekiel:
--He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious heart [house?]
--I am the LORD; I have spoken
--and you [or they] will know that I am the Lord
--And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity
--I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst

But not all is negative and depressing in this book.

Ezekiel 11:19-20
"And I will give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may walk in My statues and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."

Ezekiel 18:20
"The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."

Ezekiel 34:11-16 [The True Shepherd]
For thus says the Lord GOD, "behold, I Myself will search the earth for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. And I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and in all the inhabited places of the land. And I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing ground, and they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will head them to rest," declares the Lord GOD. "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment." Note: This passage reminds me of the various references to the sheep and the Shepherd in the NT, especially the parable in Luke 15 for some reason. And of course Psalm 23.

Read Ezekiel 36:22-32; God will act for the sake of His holy name; as then, so now. v. 36b: "I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it." This is both comforting and foreboding, depending on your relationship with Him. He guarantees He will accomplish His will.