His Mercy Is EverLasting

Lamentations 3: 16-24

With the horrible destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy, this seems an appropriate time to meditate on Affliction and Hope, with the assurance of hope which the afflicted can have in God and his providence.   Those of us who have suffered tragedies, death, loss, and chronic illness in our families most certainly can identify with the pain of the prophet, for it is believed Lamentations was written by the Prophet Jeremiah, although that is not an absolute certainty. The person of whom we can always be sure is God.  

Hear the words of affliction:  He has made me to cower in the dust.   My soul has been rejected from peace;  I have forgotten happiness.  So I say,  My strength has perished and so has my hope from the Lord" (Lamentations 3: 16b-18).  What deep grief the writer feels:  he is suffering from loss of home, health, and emotional peace.  He is disturbed within, and he feels this to the innermost part of his soul.  The pain seems too much to bear; but then, there is a flicker of hope.  He says, Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness.  Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me.  This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope (Lamentations 3:19-21).

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His words of hope lift the heart and the soul:  God's light shines into the cave in which he sits.
Listen:  The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning;  great is Your faithfulness.  "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore, I have hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:22-24).  

What precious knowledge to store within our hearts.   There is no end to God's lovingkindness:  He is full of compassion and mercy.  Moreover, His compassions never fail (Lam 3: 22b)  Every morning  His compassions are new, which means there is freshness and new hope for  us to look forward to tomorrow morning, the next and the next with no end in sight.  We can wait when we know the Lord and we hope;  for then, we know we will have His mercy.  For His mercy is everlasting and His compassions never fail  (Lam 3:22b).  Amen.

All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).  
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Our Heavenly Father of Lights

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.  In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of the truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (NASB, James 1:17-18).

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How I love these verses!  Can you picture our Father-God in the heavens, the creator -- not the created?  He exercised His will to bring  forth man -- that's us;  moreover, he made us to be special -- a kind of first fruits among His creatures (v. 18).  Man is not ordinary:  he is beloved by God.  

Not only that, but God brought Jesus Christ into our world in the form of man, and He is a kind of first fruits, as well.  He is the only-begotten son of God (John 3:16), he died , was buried, was resurrected and lives in a glorified body.  According to 1 Corinthians 15:20, Jesus is a kind of first fruits of those who have died and will be resurrected.   And someday, we who believe will be with Him.  

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There is more that touches me in this passage:  God is the Father of lights (v. 17).  All the stars that we see in the skies, the planets, the beautiful pictures that astronomers have taken of nebulae and other things that exist in outer space.  That is His territory too.  He made it, and it is wondrous and beautiful.  

Finally, James tells us with whom [God] there is no variation or shifting shadow (v.17).  God never changes:  we can always depend on Him to be God.  He has no hidden agendas:  we can trust Him.  And we can trust the words that He sent us in the Bible.  Our God is loving, faithful, and reliable.  He loves you and me.

Prayer:  Father of lights, Creator of all that is good, I praise you.  I lift my voice up in thanksgiving for your many blessings.  And, I thank you for the reminders of your great power and love You have left in the heavens for us to see.  As I watch the night sky, I am in awe of the immensity of your creation and You.  There are not enough words to express how You fill my heart.  In Jesus Name,  Amen

But I Like Fruit

But, but, but, but -- this is probably the most famous word for excuses.  Often, excuses are valid in the case of someone being ill or having an accident.  However, when one's dog has been blamed for eating the homework, and it wasn't done;  or, one was late, because he/she waited until 25 minutes before he or she had to leave the house to just make it; then, it is the fault of that person.   And then there are the times we make excuses to ourselves about getting a second helping or having that extra piece of cake.  Sometimes, it is hard to know if we are doing something we ought not do.  The bad looks good, and it gets confusing.  I wonder if that is what Eve felt in the Garden of Eden.  What went through her mind, as she disobeyed God?

First, let's look at the serpent of the field.  Do you notice there is a lower-case "s" used in the Bible, which leads me to believe there was an actual serpent talking to her.  God made serpents, and we always assume it was Satan talking to her.  Also, Revelation 20:2 says this:  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years...In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan is described as [transforming] himself into an angel of light  (KJV).  Therefore, I am going to propose that maybe he really is a serpent, because he is also called a serpent in 2 Corinthians 11:14.  However, whether this is actually his appearance, whether he actually spoke aloud, or he spoke to Eve in her thoughts is not the important thing.  

It is important to know the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. (KJV, Genesis 3:1a).  Therefore, we know God created him and he had intelligence.  And as he spoke to Eve, he lied...

Defined by His Mercy

Does God define you by your illnesses or your human imperfections?  No, He doesn't measure us by the world's standards.  It is not our emotional, mental, and physical strengths that are the standard God measures for salvation. What counts is that we love God and follow Jesus Christ.  Psalm 147:1-11 fills me with peace as I read it, and I immediately offer praise to the  Lord.  It speaks of building up Jerusalem and of gathering together the outcasts of Israel; and...

I Choose Jesus

If we love God, then we will love His Son Jesus Christ.  Someone who does not recognize Jesus Christ has missed the signs that God made clear.  And it possible they missed the signs, because they do not really love God;   because their eyes are blinded by the things of the world and their own desires.

It is true that as human beings, we all have desires and most of us have our favorite things in this world;  but, if these things are more important than God's commandments  and the teachings of Jesus, we should examine ourselves and see if the truth is in us.  What is the truth?  God's Spirit...

Love Demonstrated

 "Love And Friendship" by xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Many of us are well acquainted with 1 Corinthians 13 as being the "love chapter" in the Bible.  We hear it at weddings and funerals.  We look to it for the proof we will understand the things we do not presently understand.  However, 1 Corinthians 13 is not the the only chapter in the New Testament that speaks at length about love...