To the Only God

  • Posted by fred
  • May 12, 2008

A few days ago Jonathan and Laurie’s celebrated the first anniversary of their wedding, which was on March 28, 2007.  Time has passed much too quickly the past three years–but the past three years have been wonderful demonstrations of what God can do as we do or do not trust Him.  

I remember reading the one chapter book of Jude about the time of their anniversary.  The benediction or doxology is often said in churches.  I felt it very much described our lives in the past three years and one week (as of March 28) since our middle child, Amy Elizabeth, fell asleep on this earth and her spirit woke up in the arms of Jesus.  God got us through that rough time.  We still grieve and miss Amy, but we know where she is and that she is eternally home where we know we also will be with Christ because of His glorious saving grace which changes our sins from red as scarlet to white as snow. 

Our family has grown by a son and daughter since then.  Kara married her lifetime only boyfriend, Tim Ellcey.  Jonathan met and married the girl who answered his prayers as well as ours, Laurie Turner.  We do not have a new son-in-law and a new daughter-in-law.  We have a new son-in-love and a new daughter-in-love-plus all of our immediate families are one in Christ Jesus!    Jude 24-25 is more than just a benediction.  It is an affirmation of the wonderful grace and goodness of God, resulting in His “glory, majesty, power, and authority through Christ Jesus our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”  Jude 24-25 (NIV)

Check it out!  (double click on the reference) Jude 24 starts with “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–(25) to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Christ Jesus our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”  Jude 24-25 (NIV)

Not only does God deserve all the glory, majesty, power and authority, He is “the one who is able to keep” us “from falling and to present” us “his glorious presence without fault and great joy!”  I do not know about you, but that will be quite an accomplishment for God in relation to me!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord! Amen!

It is good to give thanks…

  • Posted by fred
  • November 19, 2007

 
 
This morning I read and was blessed again by Psalm 92.  (Verses 12-16 are similar to Psalm 1:3 and Jeremiah 17:7-8.

1 “It is good R2932 to give thanks to the LORD And to sing R2933 praises to Your name, O Most High; 2 To declare R2934 Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness R2935 by F999 night, 3 With F1000 the ten-stringed R2936 lute and with F1000 the harp, R2937 With F1000 resounding music upon F1001 the lyre. R2938 4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what F1002 You have R2939 done, I will sing R2940 for joy at the works R2941 of Your hands. 5 How great R2942 are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts F1003 R2943 are very deep. R2944 6 A senseless R2945 man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid R2946 man understand this: 7 That when the wicked sprouted R2947 up like grass And all who R2948 did iniquity flourished, It {was only} that they might be destroyed R2949 forevermore. 8 But You, O LORD, are on R2950 high forever. 9 For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, For, behold, Your R2951 enemies will perish; All who do iniquity will be scattered. R2952 10 But You have exalted my horn R2953 like {that of} the wild ox; I have been F1004 anointed R2954 with fresh oil. 11 And my eye has looked R2955 {exultantly} upon my F1005 foes, My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me. 12 The righteous R2956 man will flourish F1006 like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar R2957 in Lebanon. 13 Planted R2958 in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in R2959 the courts of our God. 14 They will still yield F1007 R2960 fruit in old age; They shall be full F1008 of sap and very green, 15 To declare F1009 that the R2961 LORD is upright; {He is} my rock, R2962 and there is no R2963 unrighteousness in Him.”  [Psalm 92:1-16, NAS, from http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi.  (The superscript numbers are Bible study helps which take you to related references from the Holman Study Bible if you "right click. on them on the crosswalk website.)]

  
For a joyful time of praise, sing most of the first four verses to the tune of “The Fiddler on the Roof” and repeat verses one and two at the end.“1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night, 3 With the ten-stringed flute and with the harp, With resounding music upon the lyre. 4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad… (Repeat)1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night..” Today is the five year anniversary of my father’s promotion into glorious eternal life with God our Father.  I rejoiced last night as I sang some of his favorite hymns and I rejoiced again today as we sang “How Great Thou Art” in church.  On Father’s Day, 2001, I asked Dad if he remembered the particular day on which he trusted Christ to forgive his sins, take control of his life, and received an eternal new life as a free gift from our Heavenly Father.  He said he did not remember the exact day, but that it was when I was quite small, because he was carrying me in his arms.  That decision was made in the Nebraska rural school near where Open Door, the “Little White Church ‘Mong the Pines,’ was founded at about that time by a group of farmers and ranchers led by an American Sunday School Union missionary.  We attended that church all of my life in Nebraska and Dad and Mom attended it all the years they lived on our farm about seven miles away from it.  Dad’s decision made a definite impact on our family’s life because Mom was the only Christian in our immediate family until then.  Since then, both of my sisters, my brother, myself and all of our children have ade professions of faith in Christ.  Most of our mature children who have married have married Christian spouses as well.  We know we are each a long way from perfect. We also know we have found forgiveness for our sins and strength and faith to trust Christ at all times, although each and all of us often fail to trust our wonderful Savior in numerous ways and still fall into sin.  “Hallelujah!  What a Savior who can take a poor lost sinner, lift him from the miry clay, and set him free.”  is the first line of one those hymns we used to sing at Open Door Church and have often sung since then.  
 

 

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