I Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be…

…the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time.

 Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire,
might be found unto praise and honour and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Whom having not seen, ye love;
in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls.

(italics added)

Psalm 103:1-5

Bless the LORD, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-6 (emphasis added)

Romans 8:15-16

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:… Romans 8:15-16

“…the witness and testimony of the Spirit he has spoken of is an inward secret and unspeakable inspiration of the Spirit; the Holy Spirit of God inwardly, secretly , and in an unspeakable manner informing our hearts and inwardly persuading us that God is our Father and pouring into our heart a secret, wonderful and unspeakable sweet sense and feeling of God’s love to us. Not of God’s ordinary or common love, but of His special and Fatherly love, that God loves us with such love as he bears to His only begotten Son Christ Jesus, in Whom we are adopted to be His children. As the Lord Jesus Himself speaks in that excellent prayer of His [John 17:23] that God loves us, we believing in Christ as He hath loved us. And to this purpose the Apostle speaks plainly [Romans 5:5] the Holy Spirit of God given to us doth infuse and pour into our hearts a sense and feeling of God’s love to us in Christ.”

– Edward Eltham,
as quoted in Joy Unspeakable by Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones

Looking unto Jesus…

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

How different each day would be if we were to fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus, and live it looking only to Him…

Such has been my thought today. And when looking in the Scripture reference index in the back of one of our hymnbooks, I came across this hymn, which seemed very apt:

~

May the mind of Christ, my Saviour,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

Katie Barclay Wilkinson

Psalm 142:3

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
then thou knewest my path…

The Lord is not withdrawn to a great distance, but his eye is upon you. He sees you not with the indifference of a mere spectator; but he observes with attention, he knows, he considers your path: yea, he appoints it, and every circumstance about it is under his direction. Your trouble began at the hour he saw best, it could not come before; and he has marked the degree of it to a hair’s breadth, and its duration to a minute. He knows likewise how your spirit is affected; and such supplies of grace and strength, and in such seasons as he sees needful, he will afford in due season. So that when things appear darkest, you shall still be able to say, Though chastened, not killed. Therefore hope in God, for you shall yet praise him.

–John Newton (1725-1807), in “Cardiphonia”,
quoted in Spurgeon’s Treasury of David