Author: astherainandsnow

“Fear not, you beasts of the field,
    for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
    the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

“Be glad, O children of Zion,
    and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
    he has poured down for you abundant rain,
    the early and the latter rain, as before.

“The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
I will restore to you the years
    that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
    my great army, which I sent among you.

“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
    and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.” Joel 2:22-27

It was a time of natural and national disaster, a locust plague having destroyed crops and subsequent production of both grain and wine. Not only were people and livestock in dire want, but there was no produce with which the priests could make offerings to the Lord. God’s judgment has a way of doing away with our ideas of both supply and appeasement. The heavenly message was a common one: Do not fear, look to the Lord, return to me with all your heart. (Joel 1:4-12,16-18; 2:12-14)

In pressing times of uncertainty and horror, the promises of the God flow like rain, dropping and enriching hope all through life here below. His word gushes forth with the claim of His sovereign rule over history, over early and latter rains of turmoil in the nations and peace among people. His judgment is just and sure, and He rules from beginning to end. (Job 38:12-14,25-27; Psalm 98:9; Isaiah 46:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 4:13)

More personally, Christ’s crimson blood spills forth to wash with eternal vindication, then mercy issues into our waste and shame to renew. Torrents of love overwhelm fear and isolation, and His generosity infuses and nourishes soul soil to bear fruit. His gentle grace permeates to sustain, His power soaks sufficient for every trouble and temptation. (Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 3:23-25; 1 John 1:9; 2:2)

Our seasons change, and we can turn to the Lord for early and latter rain. When convicted of sin, we seek His ministry of cleansing and making all things new. When we desire to think rightly about issues or are unable to discern how to pray, Jesus lets fall His wisdom. When overwhelmed with world political events or natural disasters in personal health or large scale calamities, we can trust that He rules the storms and slakes our soul thirst through every one. (2 Corinthians 5:17; James 1:5)

Do we find ourselves anxious over small and large concerns? Where do we go for supply or satisfaction? Would we come to the One in our midst, humbly expressing our every need, to soak and drink?

Lord, for Your abundant rains and Your wondrous dealings, keep me ever thankful.

“It is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests… [Jesus] has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared:

‘You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.^’

“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God…

“Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

“Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. The law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Hebrews 7:14,16-19,24-28

Sinless, perfect forever, Jesus bore all our sins to win for us a marvelous salvation. The indestructible Life took death, the King of kings became High Priest, the Covenant Maker became Covenant Fulfiller and eternal Guarantor. Such is the Savior of the world! (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:14)

So often we do not understand and apply His mathematics. We have such a high priest,.. seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty, in heaven, a minister in the holy places. Jesus took full penalty for our sin, yet we anxiously toil to serve penance or to contribute, earn, and make ourselves worthy. He pronounced us forgiven and righteous, yet we churn in guilt and regret. He lives and reigns victorious, yet we behave like failures. He has adopted us as His own, and ministers personally, always interceding for us, yet we wander forlorn and helpless. (Isaiah 53:3-6; Romans 8:31-34; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5; Hebrews 8:1-2)

When will we start living His indestructible life? Where need we claim His Spirit’s power over besetting sin, self-absorption, a trendy mindset? Do we allow the drip drip of worldly mantras to affix our eyes on earth and others? Would we turn heavenward and marvel at our perfect Savior? Would we take in His wondrous promises and get up taking Him at His word? Can we rest, trust, go daily forth in His strength and victory? As children of the King, how do we interact, work, and serve differently from the culture around us? (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:14-15)

“He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race;
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!” ~Charles Wesley (1738)

Father, help me never stop marveling at all You are and the victory You’ve won. To You be all glory and praise!

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Love… is patient, kind, content, humble, polite, selfless, generous, honest.

Love covers… with temperance, grace, willing forgiveness, just and thorough reconciliation.

A Multitude of sins… the complete record and remembrance of wrongs, sins of thought, word, and deed.

The love of Christ, for His Father and for us, kept Him on His way to earth and compelled Him to the cross. There He bore the excruciating penalty we deserved in a love so broad it covered all our sins- past, present, future, forever. The Passover Lamb whose blood covered the door to enable escape from slavery is ours, effectual and complete. (Exodus 12:21-23; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:19; John 1:29; 6:38; Hebrews 12:2)

“O 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 Thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward
to Thy glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, 
changeth never, nevermore!
How He watcheth o’er His loved ones,
died to call them all His own;
how for them He intercedeth,
watcheth o’er them from the throne.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
love of every love the best;
’tis an ocean vast of blessing,
’tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
’tis heav’n of heav’ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to Thee.” ~S. Trevor Francis (1834-1925)

This love, so deep and wide it has covered the sins of every believer who has ever been or will be, is mine to extend. First, have I received it without question or doubt, believing it is personal and vast for me? In salvation I’m then not only covered but filled as God spreads this love into and abroad in my heart. So what am I doing with it? How and with whom am I sharing it? (Romans 5:5)

Is Christ’s love enveloping my tendencies to jealousy, selfishness, and greed? Has it increased in my heart enough to reach a multitude? Am I genuinely exercising patience and kindness with humility and grace toward others? Do those with whom I work and live see evidence that Christ’s love compels my attitudes and actions? How might I spread love’s cover over bitterness, a thirst for vengeance, a cold heart? What changes need I make in willful priorities to love more genuinely, more lavishly? (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Lord, keep me loving earnestly, patiently, kindly, generously, like You.

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem… And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.  He rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah,.. and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, ‘In Jerusalem will I put my name.’  He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.  He burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger… 

“Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” 2 Kings 21:1-7a,16

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6

“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” “Decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” Romans 1:32; 14:13

“Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” 1 Corinthians 8:9

Multiplication and velocity are great positive powers when in tandem with good, but connected to sin, they are insidious, destructive, and devastating to whole populations. To grow in grace, bear spiritual fruit, and spur one another on to love and good deeds are Spirit-inspired callings, but to act wickedly and infect others to do the same opens a sucking spiral downward that brings contagious destruction. As a leader, so goes his people. (Hebrews 10:24; 2 Peter 3:18)

While we know an upward trajectory in life is set by God’s grace, we make daily choices about whom we serve. With anyone but God on the throne, all of life is askew, increasingly littered with idols that delude and destroy. Personal behavior becomes public disorder as sin spreads its ugly poison. Colleagues, communities, even subsequent generations are adversely affected. (2 Kings 21:18-22; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:13)

Do we recognize the far-reaching nature of poor choices? Are we so quick to react or quip or push ahead that we don’t consider the consequences of our actions on those around us? If we seek and submit to ongoing sanctification, God trains in wisdom and self-control.

We may be appalled at brash immorality, rudeness, and violence, and rush to blame and criticize others. But where can we stem the flow of disrespectful conversation, cutting corners, temper? Would we ask God to search us and remove the sin we harbor and display, so that we cause others to look to Him and fall not away, but on their knees in worship? (Psalm 139:23-24; Matthew 5:16)

Lord, may my life and loves be a velocity only for good and Your glory. Psalm 141:3-4,8

“Forever, O Lord, your word
    is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
    you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand this day,
    for all things are your servants.
If your law had not been my delight,
    I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
    for by them you have given me life…

You are near, O Lord,
    and all your commandments are true.
Long have I known from your testimonies
    that you have founded them forever…

The sum of your word is truth,
    and every one of your righteous rules endures forever…
My soul keeps your testimonies;
    I love them exceedingly.
I keep your precepts and testimonies,
    for all my ways are before you.” Psalm 119:89-93,151-152,160,167-168

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

We live in the temporal and sometimes fail to consider, or resist the significance of, the eternal. But we were created eternal beings in God’s image, and as His children, are swept into an everlasting relationship of communion with Him. God’s word and our purpose within its plan and promises last forever. (Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 24:35)

In order to transform our mindset from worldly and temporal to God’s heavenly one, we must know and surrender to what He thinks and says. We need to understand His ways of dealing with man, His warnings and promises that hold fast, His instructions that are relevant for all time and times. The better and longer we know His word, the more deeply we know and love God Himself.(Romans 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16)

Is it our goal to know and live for Him for the long haul? If so, how are we investing to build lifelong habits that nourish a long obedience in the same direction? If not, what’s caused us to lose our first love and grow lukewarm? What will we practically do by way of regular study and fellowship, and zealous engagement in learning and serving our church body, to enrich communion with the Lord and develop a continually deepening knowing of His character and word? (Revelation 2:4; 3:15-16)

If we rue wasted years, setbacks and failures, do we have the will and courage to begin now? We can always step forward and begin anew with Jesus. We can rely on His mercy and strong truth and help. He will not fail us, and His word stands forever. (Joel 2:25; 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 4:16)

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” ~Johnson Oatman, Jr, (1856-1922)

Father, keep Your testimonies my delight and Your ways my highest aim, that long I will know, love, obey, and honor You as You deserve.

“Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah,.. and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem…  He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet the high places were not taken away…  Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel…” 1 Kings 22:41-44

“Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign… and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. [He] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away…” 2 Kings 11:21-12:1-3a

“In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem...  And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. But the high places were not removed…” 2 Kings 14:1-3a

“In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem…  And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away.” 2 Kings 15:1-4a

Interspersed by several evil kings, God placed a series of good kings on Judah’s throne. They followed godly role models of predecessors or priests, and did many right things in the eyes of the Lord. But their heart for God was not whole. The high places were not removed. Allowing the presence (and invitation) of false gods into the kingdom was a detrimental scourge on both king and people.

But I did…. But I didn’t… The call to Christian holiness is not an invitation to a scale-tipping balance toward good deeds. It is not an accounting of performance dos and don’ts. It is a call to full surrender, death to self and sin that enslaved, wholehearted following with single affection. It requires repentance and a thorough extricating from all that entangles, doing away with every shrine to strange worship and allegiance. (Exodus 20:3-5; Matthew 16:24; Luke 6:46; Romans 12:1; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; James 2:10)

What pet sin habits do we excuse, coddle, disguise? When are we casually flirting with little gods? What triggers do we ignore rather than avoid altogether? Are we cocky about our ability to stand strong and resist temptation, and therefore sloppy arming ourselves, removing it, or fleeing from it? (Matthew 16:23; Ephesians 6:10-18; James 4:7)

In devotion to Christ, where are our lingering high places? How are we justifying idolatrous thought-trails or behaviors by comparison with the past (I’ve improved) or others (I’m better)? Would we bring every decision and deed before the light of God’s standard and say purify!? How will we hold fast anew to God today? (2 Kings 18:1-8)

Father, give me sight to recognize high places I erect or tolerate in my mind, affections, and daily life, and the boldness to put them away and live fully, wholly for Thee.

“By the waters of Babylon,
    there we sat down and wept,
    when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there
    we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors
    required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
    ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’

How shall we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    let my right hand forget its skill!
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy!

Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
    the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare,
    down to its foundations!’
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
    blessed shall he be who repays you
    with what you have done to us!
Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
    and dashes them against the rock!” Psalm 137:1-9

Through tears, the psalmist chose to sing, or at least compose a dirge weeping, in exile from his beloved Jerusalem. Driven from his homeland, pockmarked with images of fury and death of loved ones, longing for the beauties and comfort and security of what was, his captivity forced rich, poignant music of the soul. Even unfamiliar lands of grief and suffering can awaken close communion with the Lord.

By the waters of any personal Babylon- in far fears or relationship exiles, under torment with health or urgent pressures- we might be tempted to choke in agony. We might hang up our harps of aspiration or lyres of anointed gifting because of these hard circumstances. Would we put honest voice to our hearts and bring even the saddest melody to Him for safekeeping?

If tempted to despair, have we forgotten the good and everlasting land of faith and God’s sure promises? Will we remember that the Lord is nigh, and the highest joy not only of all that was but all that now is? Would we choose to hope in His goodness and ultimate redemption of all things for good? (Revelation 21:4-6)

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.” ~George Keith (1878)

Lord, keep me singing, no matter my circumstances, to You who are worthy of trust and praise. (Psalm 138:1-3)

“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,  we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him  and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.'” Daniel 9:3-10

Fasting and sackcloth and ashes were not the usual practice and garb of Jews devoted to scheduled order and cleanliness. The significance of donning coarse dark goats’ hair and smearing the filth of ashes to approach the Almighty who reigned in pure light and glory is emphasized in the content of Daniel’s prayer. Though there is no biblical account of Daniel sinning, his debasement was a deliberate setting aside of self before the holy Lord in grace-bought humility to repent and seek His mercy and favor. His words unveil the perfect match between man’s depravity and God’s purity, man’s need and God’s greatness, man’s shame and God’s love, man’s confession and God’s forgiveness. (Joel 2:12-13)

When we humble ourselves and turn our faces from all that glitters and distracts to the Lord, we see Him for who He is: great, awesome, steadfastly loving. Against His light we see our sin stains, feel our rebellion, and recognize where we have fallen short and turned away. The more we take in of His grandeur, the more we consider and exalt Him, the lower we bow in need.

In sincere confession, we learn to receive His grace that matches in adequacy all we have done wrongly. To us belong doubt, impatience, and hatred; to Him belongs faithfulness, patience, and love. To us false assumptions and cattiness, to Him truth and benediction.

Would we turn to Him and see afresh our sin in the light of His face? Where is God convicting us? What dishonoring behavior have we coddled too long? Are we brave enough to name broken and ignored commands, to repent of rebel affections, and trust God’s grace and forgiveness? The joy and freedom of a clean conscience ignites praise and gladness that glorify Him.

Lord, fix my mind on You, Your excellencies, and Your matchless grace. Help me keep short accounts with You so I am free to serve You unreservedly.

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
    let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird
    from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124

In the midst of near drowning, or the crush of grief, or the fire and horror of war, all faculties engage to do the next thing: react, recoil, survive, weep. Senses and function wired by neurons and chemicals in this marvelous human body keep us afloat whether we are aware or not in the raging waters. We operate on what is required for the next breath, continuity of life, even when death of all we cherished and hoped for weighs suffocatingly, or looms.

Only by the supernatural can such crippling entanglement be brought to full release. Looking back, through time, ashes, or healed scars, we sense God’s part and place. We see His footprints beside ours in the trenches, the knee dents where He bowed and prayed at our side, translating what we knew not how to articulate. We realize it was He who was whispering in our ear and infusing us with breath to go on. We recognize that the strength was not our own, that the Potentate of time had walked the eternity of pain and brought us through. Indeed, if He had not been on our side, we could no longer live. (1 Kings 19:11-12; Romans 8:26-27,31-39)

This same Jesus is the one who walked earth alongside man to take the rage of battle and suffering of our sin- past, present, and future- to Calvary. Today He lives and helps, His pierced side ever beside us. Can we trace His loving hand? How do we express thanksgiving for such full relief? (Isaiah 53:5)

“When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.” ~Horatio Gates Spafford (1873) 

Lord, for Your mercies, help, and rescue, with resounding praise, may I ever bless Your name.

“As for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us… Be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, [and] so adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation.., training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:1-14

His pastoral letter to Titus was realistic and practical. Establishing church leadership was vital to a new body of believers. Amidst legalistic attitudes and immature behavior, Paul knew the inherent selfishness and worldly ambition of the human heart. Left to themselves, a body would not function spiritually or healthfully. Certain qualities needed to be sought, taught, and honed, rooted and aligned in Christ’s divine character.

Sound in love. Train to love. If love were innately pure and selfless, not dependent on or defined by emotion, no such reminders would be necessary. Wishing or determination cannot make good what is inherently putrid or awry. Through regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, the Lord plants in us a new nature. He grants increasing understanding of Christ’s immense love, sheds that love abroad in our hearts, and fuels compulsion and energy to express it for Him and toward others. (Romans 5:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 3:17-19; Titus 3:3-9)

Where does our concept of love need correcting? How well do our parameters and impulses measure against God’s definition? What strongly-held rights or flesh preferences limit our ability to love freely according to Christ’s character, practicing genuine forgiveness, reverence, and kindness? Where do we need specific Spirit-renewal? (John 15:13; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Ephesians 4:32)

“Spirit of God, who dwells within my heart,
wean it from sin, through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as you are,
and make me love you as I ought to love.

Did you not bid us love you, God and King,
love you with all our heart and strength and mind?
I see the cross there teach my heart to cling.
O let me seek you and O let me find!

Teach me to love you as your angels love,
one holy passion filling all my frame:
the fullness of the heaven-descended Dove;
my heart an altar, and your love the flame.” ~George Croly (1854)

Amen.