As the rain and snow

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women… I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ Those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice… And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

“And Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ At that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.  Why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’” Acts 22:3-16

The Lord Jesus’s supernatural confrontation with Paul that drastically saved and redirected his life was a story he never tired of telling. Assumingly relayed firsthand to Luke, who recorded the initial meeting on the road to Damascus as well as subsequent accounts to the Jerusalem crowds, Governor Felix, and King Agrippa, Paul’s description is retold with passion and particular meaning each time. His experience of the Lord’s pursuing, revealing Himself, and removing his spiritual blinders was the gospel come to life. His aim was to proclaim and spread that gospel with every breath so people would “turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness.” (Acts 9:1-18; 24:14-15; 26:2-20)

May we never get over the wonder of Christ Jesus’s costly gift of salvation! Do we ponder His remarkable love and grace, and how He broke into our hearts to redeem? Does the thought of His setting His affection on me, a wandering rebel, still thrill my soul? Would I thank Him anew today?

Do we love to tell the story of how the Lord sought and delivered us? If not, will we pray for fresh gratitude and humility, and take time to marvel at His life-giving death and resurrection? If we ask for opportunities, compulsion, and courage to tell the gospel story, He will answer. When we speak, God can effect an eternal difference. Whom will we tell today?

Lord, may Your gospel story be the theme of all my days, to other’s awakening and Your glory.

“‘Your Maker is your husband,
    the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    the God of the whole earth he is called…
In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’
    says the Lord, your Redeemer…

“‘For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:5,8,10

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?..

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:34,36-39

Israel could have felt abandoned, miserable and hopeless, reeling in the consequences of rebellion against their Lord. The prophet taught them that though God turned His back momentarily, He would never abandon His covenant with them. He was their Maker, Redeemer, and loyal Husband whose steadfast and everlasting love would never betray or depart from them. No matter their temporary circumstances, His eternal love was near and would forever hold them.

It gives the child of God great security to know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Many are the strains in life and on fidelity in relationships. Pressures, jealousies, betrayals, offenses abound. External opposition and internal conflicts vie for emotional currency. We can be whiplashed at a word, a moment, an unexpected turn of circumstances, yet the Lord remains steady and steadfast. In the whirl and turmoil of worldly disruptions, His love holds.

Are we as believers anchored in this assurance? The Lord has proclaimed what is true, and proves it over and over. By our will we must reckon it so. How real are His vows to us? Do we take Him at His word and trust His promises? Are we standing strong in the fiercest of onslaughts in His safe and surrounding love?

What doubts poke at our assurance, and stoke fear? What outside forces, pestering accusations, or internal shaming attempts to separate us from God’s love? If past repented sin, we must by faith claim His finished work and full forgiveness. If uncertainty over present or future security, we can apply His promise of sufficiency and supply. If pervading sin habits that pepper our souls with unworthiness, we must immediately renounce them and yield to Christ’s sanctifying power. Visible or invisible, blatant and bold or insidious and deceptive, opposing forces will not relent, but we can meet them safe in the Lord’s relentless love.

“Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free—
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of His love—
Leading onward, leading homeward
To His glorious rest above.” ~S. Trevor Francis

Lord, help me continually rest and rejoice in Your amazing love.

“This is the covenant I will make with Israel, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

“Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
    and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
    the Lord of hosts is his name:
‘If this fixed order departs
    from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
    from being a nation before me forever.’

“Thus says the Lord:
‘If the heavens above can be measured,
    and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
    for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.’” Jeremiah 31:33-37

“Forever, O Lord, your word
    is firmly fixed in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89

God’s fixed word and order are the foundation of fixed hope. His promises are pledged in sure conviction, His will is fixed in eternal purpose. His Word is as dependable as His arranged course of day and night, tides and moon phases, blooms and seasons. The order of creation and His creatures’ fruitfulness testify to the Lord’s divine imagination, unchanging nature, and constancy. (Genesis 8:22; Job 14:5; Psalm 74:16-17; 90:1; Isaiah 14:24; Jeremiah 33:25-26)

When we come to know Jesus, He plants in us His Spirit, fixing our eternal security. He draws us into His ordered plan of time and space to know and glorify Him. As we daily seek Him in His word for insight, inspiration, and direction, He empowers us to do His will. (John 15:5; Acts 17:25-27)

How firmly fixed in God’s word are my priorities? How do my time, work, and service reflect His divine order? How will I secure anew my identity, purpose, and hope in Him? Fixed in Christ, hope is certain.

“God, all nature sings Thy glory, and Thy works proclaim Thy might;
Ordered vastness in the heavens, ordered course of day and night;
Beauty in the changing seasons, beauty in the storming sea;
All the changing moods of nature praise the changeless Trinity. 

Clearer still we see Thy hand in man whom Thou hast made for Thee;
Ruler of creation’s glory, image of Thy majesty.
Music, art, the fruitful garden, all the labor of his days,
Are the calling of his Maker to the harvest feast of praise. 

But our sins have spoiled Thine image; nature, conscience only serve
As unceasing, grim reminders of the wrath which we deserve.
Yet Thy grace and saving mercy in Thy Word of truth revealed
Claim the praise of all who know Thee, in the blood of Jesus sealed. 

God of glory, power, mercy, all creation praises Thee;
We, Thy creatures, would adore Thee now and through eternity.
Saved to magnify Thy goodness, grant us strength to do Thy will;
With our acts as with our voices Thy commandments to fulfill.” ~ David Clowney (1970)

Father, fix my energy, efforts, and affection on You, so my life exemplifies Your faithfulness and extols Your glory.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26

“Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry… In these you too once walked… Now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator…

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and… forgiving each other… as the Lord has forgiven you… Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:5–10,12-17

Repeatedly in the gospels, Jesus cast out unclean spirits to free individuals to life anew, to see, love, and serve Him. Upon salvation, the old life is gone, the new has come. When evil and the old heart is removed, good and a new heart must replace them. By instruction and parable, He taught that His people cannot serve two masters: serve Me, or serve another. If you do not put into practice a new way of living, the old will return and infest your devotion and habits. Only one Lord can reside on your throne. (Matthew 6:24; 8:28-32; 12:22; Mark 10:45; Luke 4:33-36; 16:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Whom we put first determines whom we worship determines whom we solicit and surrender to and serve. If we are in Christ, we’ve made the choice to put away the old and be filled with the Holy Spirit. This life in Christ necessitates a constant exchange of self and flesh inclinations for Him.

It is one thing to be convicted of, and put away practices that dishonor God and demean his people, yet it is another to put on Christ instead. Unless we replace wrong thinking, selfish mindsets, and bad practices with right and Christ-ward and good ones, the void will invite back the impulses and nonsense of former custom. Are we willing to make the effort to put on Christ and His graces?

Where can we make the exchanges today? What grousing will we replace with gratitude, what irritation with graciousness, what temper or gluttony with self-control? What impatience can we meet with peace, what anger or callousness with compassion, what deception with truth, what malice with love? The Lord faithfully fills us with His Spirit as we trust and obey.

Father, remove whatever dishonors You, and keep me filled with Your Spirit and light.

“’Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail…’ Peter said to him, ‘Even though they all fall away, I will not. Jesus said, ‘Truly,.. this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you.’

“And they went to Gethsemane…. He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. He said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.’ And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him… ‘Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’ And he came and found them sleeping, and said, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went and prayed… And again he found them sleeping… And he came the third time and said, ‘Are you still sleeping?'” Luke 22:31-32; Mark 14:29-41a

Peter held great confidence in his fidelity to Jesus. He would die before he’d deny his Master. But he boasted in the flesh without watching in spirit. Jesus warned him, urging him to watch and pray, yet he slept, and succumbed to Satan’s insidious sifting through the suspicious comments of strangers. (Mark 14:54,66-72)

Jesus’ commands always come with the ability to triumph over weakness… when we take them seriously. He knows all, is gracious to alert us to dangers, and offers the way out of temptation. Our responsibility is to distrust our own strength and take strength in Him, to heed His warnings, be diligent to watch, and pray, and resist. (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 4:15-16)

Yet, we get preoccupied with personal endeavors. We grow blind to subtle, lurking dangers, the teasing greed, alluring tokens of exaggeration, self-promotion, praise, pleasure, at the expense of His honor and truth. How easily we slip from arrogant assertions to the first denial, which opens the gate to one more, and another. (Psalm 141:3-4)

How well do we even know God’s warnings to us? As we read the scriptures, do we mark them and digest their importance? The Lord mercifully exposes the devil’s wiles and man’s weakness so we will watch and pray. What time and attention do we take to do so? This must be a regular and constant practice to remain effective. (Joshua 24:19,23; Psalm 1:1-3; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8)

With what areas of weakness do we struggle? When thoughts puff and detour to condescension of others, covetousness, shame over forgiven sin, or gnarly complaint, we must watch and pray to have the mind of Christ, to focus on things above. When the flesh stews or burns with sloth, jealousy, lust, greed, or rage, we must watch and pray, surrendering the whole self. Whatever our weakness, we will be sifted, and God’s strength can protect and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10; Colossians 3:1-2; 1 John 1:9)

Lord, keep me vigilant to watch, diligent in prayer, and triumphant over temptation, to Your praise.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts… to all the exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare… Do not let your prophets and diviners deceive you… for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.

“When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,.. and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:4-14

Jeremiah’s letter to the exiled religious leaders and people encouraged them to vibrant hope. They were to be fruitful with families and industry, and to seek the good of the alien cities where they’d been taken, through prayer and contribution. They may not be where they chose, but they could benefit in God’s name where they were. If they sought Him they would find Him, and be reassured in His good plans. He would fulfill His promises for their wholeness and restoration in His time.

When we are in places strange and unwanted, the Lord’s call is for us: ‘Seek Me. Seek My good in this situation through selfless investment where I’ve planted you for a season. I’ll hear and answer and assure. I hold your future, and it is good.’

Our nature instigates us to rebel against unchosen circumstances. We chafe at undesired, uncomfortable work conditions. We feel malice toward those who exercise unwanted authority over us. Exasperation breeds negativity, contempt, and discontent, not hope, benevolence, and fruitfulness.

The Lord reminds us He is in the midst. He intends that we grow and give where we are. He trains through times of exclusion, hardship, unfamiliar territory. Do we seek Him first in these unsought places?

What present situation has caught us by surprise or discomfort? What job changes or health or relationship has imposed harsh limitations or challenges? What or whom do we seek first? Would we call out and seek Jesus? Would we look for His lessons, people in need, and how we can contribute good, light, and life? He will draw nigh with supply and assurance that He holds the present and future.

Lord, may I seek You and Your good wherever I am, so You are seen, known, and magnified.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

“In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.’ And his disciples answered him, ‘How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?’ And he asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘Seven.’ And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.  And they ate and were satisfied.” Mark 8:1-8

Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the conquering King of kings and Lord of lords, was full of compassion. As the perfect embodiment of every good and perfect attribute, the Son of Man was compelled in all He did on earth by love and concern for people. He invited His followers to participate in alleviating hunger and meeting needs of the helpless, and blessed and satisfied beyond imagining when they did. (Isaiah 31:4; Revelation 5:5; 19:16)

The world is congested with strife and need. Crowds at work and home, in cities and nations, are harassed by external pressures and internal gnawing, temptation to doubt and despair. A heart given to safety will not risk reaching out, one given to self-gratification will not consider stepping beyond their comfort zone to do dirty work. A tender heart will see with eyes of love and sympathy, and thrum with desire to help. How responds our heart to the many?

Do I have the inclination and awareness to recognize needs around me? Is there room in my heart for compassion? Have I so crowded my life and hours with interests and self pampering and entertainment and strange loves and posts and opinions of people I do not know that I have no space or bandwidth to notice others? When I do, am I critical, demeaning, condescending, or judgmental? Would I pray instead to see and love with mercy as Christ does? Would I confess where I’m fixated on my needs to the exclusion of others’, and begin to care? (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:3-4)

The Lord Jesus invites us to model His character wherever we are. As we practice His attributes, they not only come more naturally in response to observed or stated needs, but they draw others to the Christ who inspires them. How will we stir up and sprinkle the salt of compassion to those the Lord has put in our path? Compassion breeds compassion as it engages our outward vision and enlarges our heart toward others. (Mark 9:50)

Lord, so work in my eyes, mind, and impulses that I see others and respond to them as You do, to Your honor.

“He began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”  And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do?” Mark 12:1-9a

Jesus deftly exposed the stubborn, greedy hearts of Israel’s religious leaders. By parable, He described their repeated refusal, though provided with every perk and opportunity, to tend to and take advantage of what God had entrusted to them. They’d spurned the prophets who’d announced His coming, and presently rejected His message. There would be a day of reckoning.

The heavenly Father has planted for each of us a vineyard. Designed with fruitfulness in mind, He assigns us a place and time, determines boundaries, provides for needs, supplies wisdom and warnings through His word, hems us in with supernatural protection, gives full access to Himself by prayer, and guards us with His Spirit. All this He gives, then in love lets us decide how we’ll tend our allotment. (Psalm 16:6; 119:105; 139:5; Acts 17:25-27; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:11; Philippians 4:19)

It is easy in life’s demands to get caught in the grind with nary a thought for accountability, influence, or eternity. We’re intent on today’s responsibilities, present productivity, and tomorrow’s dreams, and forget we’re merely stewards who answer to an infinite Sovereign. We dismiss questions and chafe at interruptions, wanting only to do and keep for ourselves. All the while, the Lord awaits a return.

Have we recently taken stock of what the Lord has graciously given us this season in life, and will we take thoughtful time to thank Him? What present resources and opportunities has He entrusted, and what do we think He expects? How are we taking advantage of the visible and invisible bounty from His hand? Is there good health? Or poor health with new relationships, or time to pray? A workplace or neighborhood ripe for harvest? Energy, financial means, gifts of hospitality, wisdom? What will we offer upon His return? (Matthew 9:37-38; 1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

“A charge to keep I have, 
a God to glorify, 
a never-dying soul to save, 
and fit it for the sky. 

To serve the present age, 
my calling to fulfill, 
O may it all my pow’rs engage 
to do my Master’s will! 

Arm me with watchful care 
as in Thy sight to live, 
and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare 
a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
and still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray,
but press to realms on high.” ~ Charles Wesley (1762)

Amen!

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.^‘ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat… And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?^‘ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?^‘ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” Mark 4:35-41

I looked out the window
And saw only grey,
Looming and charcoal,
Will rain soak the day?

Here at my perch
With limited view
My attitude darkens
Beginning to stew

Slopping and dripping
My hours will be spent,
It’s bound to be soggy
And inconvenient

I fret and I whine
Reconsider my plans
How I might change them
And give up demands

After all don’t I have
The right to arrange
To serve my good pleasure
Void anything strange?

To manage my wants
And doings and ways,
To spend as I choose my Resources and days?

As I desire
Without conflict or pause
I want to do my thing
No defending my cause!

Then I go and look farther
And see now the cloud
Low in vast blue
No longer so loud

It’s a beautiful mess
In one part of the whole
Designed by my God
To show me my soul

It’s threat is not all
I will face in my day
But reveals the dark tendency
I must put away

I rue what is hard
I want what is easy
My time to go my way
Unfettered and breezy

Now seeing the obstacles
As part of the whole
God’s blesséd design
And purposeful goal

Considering Jesus
His love and His pain
I see that rich life comes
From sun and from rain

My Savior endured
The worst men could give
Surrendered and willing
So believers can live

With hope and deep joy
Through all kinds of days
As we learn to accept
And keep on and praise

To dwell on clouds only
Is hopeless and dreary
Blocking out the vast sky
Spreads infectious misery

What clouds now shadow Stirring up my mood Dampening optimism Causing me to brood?

Why not behold
The expanse He spreads wide
And rejoice that He’s Sovereign
Through it all by my side?

Over stormy and pleasant
His hand’s in control
To teach of His grace
And sustaining of soul

To show me His providence
In every kind of weather
His strength all-sufficient
His favor and pleasure

He paints the broad picture
He writes the whole story
For the good of His people
To shine forth His glory

So when I look out
Sense the grumbling begin
Look wider and trust Him
And praise Him again! (PEB)

Lord, help me receive and rejoice in Your design of each day, and praise Your majesty in all I feel, do, and say.