“My Meditation of Him Shall Be Sweet” Psalms\n104:34<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you and I first came to Jesus\nChrist we came to a person, we believed in a person, we trusted a person to\nsave us. Of course we believed his doctrine as he gave us understanding, but\nhis doctrine told us of the person. It’s not just the doctrine about him that\nis sweet but the person the doctrine tells us of is sweet. He is the Father’s\nWell-Beloved and the Well-Beloved of the Church and the Well-Beloved of every\nbelieving soul. We love his offices as our Prophet, Priest and King, but we\nlove them because of the person who occupies them. This is where we find the\nsweetness of it all. All things about Jesus is sweet because he himself is\nsweet – “My mediation of him shall be sweet.” To meditate upon the\nwork of our Redeemer is sweet because he himself is sweet. Christ is sweet to\nour affections. He is sweet to our understanding. He is sweet to our memory. He\nis presently sweet. My mediation of him is sweet when I think of the future,\nfor he himself is my hope of eternal bliss – Oh, sweet bliss! O sweet Jesus <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, his love is sweet – it’s the love of\nGod. His blood is sweet – it’s the blood of God. His natures are sweet – Jesus\nthe God-man. Meditate my heart upon Jesus. Fill yourself with himself and the\nsweetness of himself will fill you.
\nBruce Crabtree<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Things that Promote Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us therefore follow after the things which promote peace,\nand things wherewith one may edify another\u201d <\/em>(Romans 14:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1.)<\/strong> Be\ncareful to LOVE one another with a true heart. \u201cLove covers a multitude\nof failures.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2.)<\/strong> Avoid\na spirit of ARGUMENT AND DEBATE. One may win an argument and lose a\nfriend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3.)<\/strong> Beware\nof JEALOUSY. Jealousy destroys happiness and builds suspicion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4.)<\/strong> Beware\nof ENVY. Let us learn to rejoice in another\u2019s gifts, blessings, and happiness.\nGod gives as HE will!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5.)<\/strong> Do\nnot MEDDLE in the private lives and domestic affairs of others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6.)<\/strong> Guard\nagainst a TOUCHY TEMPER: \u201cFor every trifling thing to take offense shows either\ngreat pride or little sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7.)<\/strong> Learn\nto KEEP A CONFIDENCE. \u201cHe that repeateth a matter separateth very\nfriends.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 8.)<\/strong> Strive\nto HEAL DIFFERENCES. \u201cBlessed are the peacemakers.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 9.)<\/strong> Be\nalways ready to FORGIVE ANYTHING. \u201cForgive us our sins AS we forgive\nthose who sin against us.\u201d <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n ~Henry Mahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judge Not According to Appearance, <\/p>\n\n\n\n John 7:24 \u2013 Judge not according to the\nappearance, but judge righteous judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a poor girl who was not\nmarried when she discovered she was pregnant. She left town to have the baby.\nJudging by the appearance we would conclude that this was sinful. One can only\nimagine the rumors that folks must have spread about her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, this girl was a sinner alright but\nshe was chosen of God and saved by God\u2019s free grace like every other child of\nGod. She left town because it was written in the scriptures, which Christ came\nto fulfill. The Holy Ghost overshadowed her and that holy thing formed in her\nwomb is called \u201cthe Son of God,\u201d the Redeemer who successfully redeemed all his\npeople from the curse of the law on the cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you see how wrong we can be when we\njudge according to the appearance\u201d Therefore, God our Savior declares unto us\n\u201cJudge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris Cunningham<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was His\nown love that fastened Him there!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Octavius\nWinslow, “Morning Thoughts”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Jesus\nfully realized all that was going to happen<\/p>\n\n\n\n to\nHim.” John 18:4<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nvoluntariness was not founded on ignorance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He well\nknew what the covenant of redemption<\/p>\n\n\n\n involved;\nwhat stern justice demanded. The entire<\/p>\n\n\n\n scene of\nHis humiliation was before Him, in all its<\/p>\n\n\n\n dark and\nsomber hues . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nmanger,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nbloodthirsty king,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nscorn and ridicule of His countrymen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nunbelief of His own kinsmen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nmental agony of Gethsemane,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nbloody sweat,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nbitter cup,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nwaywardness of His disciples,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nbetrayal of one,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ndenial of another,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nforsaking of all,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nmock trial,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\npurple robe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ncrown of thorns,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ninfuriated cries, “Away with Him, away<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nwith Him! Crucify Him, crucify Him!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nheavy cross,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\npainful crucifixion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ncruel taunts,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nvinegar and the gall,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nhidings of His Father’s countenance,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nconcentrated horrors of the curse,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nlast cry of anguish,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nfalling of the head,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ngiving up the spirit;<\/p>\n\n\n\n all, all\nwas before the omniscient mind of the<\/p>\n\n\n\n Son of\nGod, with vividness equal to its reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet He\nwillingly rushed to the rescue of<\/p>\n\n\n\n ruined\nman! He voluntarily, though He knew<\/p>\n\n\n\n the price\nof pardon was His blood, gave Himself<\/p>\n\n\n\n up thus to\nthe bitter, bitter agony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And did He\nregret that He had undertaken the work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every step\nHe took from Bethlehem to Calvary<\/p>\n\n\n\n did but\nunfold the willingness of Jesus to die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, how\namazing was the love of Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This, this\nwas the secret why He did not spare<\/p>\n\n\n\n His own\nlife. He loved sinners too well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He loved\nus better than Himself. With all our<\/p>\n\n\n\n sinfulness,\nguilt, wretchedness, and poverty;<\/p>\n\n\n\n He yet\nloved us so much as to give Himself an<\/p>\n\n\n\n offering\nand sacrifice unto God for us. Here was<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nspringhead where these streams of mercy<\/p>\n\n\n\n flowed\nfrom. This was the gushing fountain<\/p>\n\n\n\n that was\nopened when He died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when\nthey taunted Him and said, “If You are<\/p>\n\n\n\n the King\nof the Jews, save Yourself,” oh, what a<\/p>\n\n\n\n reply did\nHis silence give, “I came not to save<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myself,\nbut My people. I hang here, not for My<\/p>\n\n\n\n own sins,\nbut for theirs. I could save Myself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n but I came\nto give My life a ransom for many.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\nthought the nails alone kept Him<\/p>\n\n\n\n to the\ncross. He knew it was His own love<\/p>\n\n\n\n that\nfastened Him there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behold the\nstrength of Immanuel’s love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Come, fall\nprostrate, adore and worship Him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, what\nlove was His!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh the\ndepth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not\ncontent not yourself with standing upon<\/p>\n\n\n\n the shore\nof this ocean; enter into it, drink largely<\/p>\n\n\n\n from it.\nIt is for you, if you but feel . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nyour nothingness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nyour poverty,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nyour vileness;<\/p>\n\n\n\n this ocean\nis for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not\nfor angels, it is for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not\nfor the righteous, but for sinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then drink\nto the full from the love of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not be\nsatisfied with small supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a\nlarge vessel to the fountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The larger\nthe demand, the larger the supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more\nneedy, the more welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more\nvile, the more fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The whole\napparatus of religion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (J. C.\nPhilpot, “Reviews”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I\nsee that you are very religious in every way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nActs 17:22<\/p>\n\n\n\n Religion,\nin some shape or other, is indispensable<\/p>\n\n\n\n to the\nvery existence of civilized society. There is<\/p>\n\n\n\n a natural\nreligion–as well as a spiritual religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natural\nconscience is the seat of the former;<\/p>\n\n\n\n a\nspiritual conscience the seat of the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One is of\nthe flesh–the other of the Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One for\ntime–the other for eternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One for\nthe world–the other for the elect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One to\nanimate and bind men together as<\/p>\n\n\n\n component\nmembers of society–the other to<\/p>\n\n\n\n animate\nand bind the children of God together<\/p>\n\n\n\n as\ncomponent members of the mystical body<\/p>\n\n\n\n of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n True\nreligion is what the world does not want<\/p>\n\n\n\n –nor does\ntrue religion want the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two\nare as separate as Christ and Belial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But some\nreligion the world must have!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as it\nwill not have, and cannot have<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ntrue–it will and must have the false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n True\nreligion is . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nspiritual and experimental,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nheavenly and divine,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\ngift and work of God,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nbirthright and privilege of the elect,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\npeculiar possession of the heirs of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This the\nworld has not, for it is God’s enemy–not<\/p>\n\n\n\n His\nfriend–walking in the broad way which leads<\/p>\n\n\n\n to\nperdition–not in the narrow way which leads<\/p>\n\n\n\n to eternal\nlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worldly\nreligion cannot exist without an order of<\/p>\n\n\n\n men to\nteach it and practice its ceremonies. Hence<\/p>\n\n\n\n come\nclergy, forming a recognized priestly caste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as\nthese must, to avoid confusion, be governed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n all large\ncorporate bodies requiring a controlling power,<\/p>\n\n\n\n thence\ncome bishops and archbishops, ecclesiastical<\/p>\n\n\n\n courts,\narchdeacons–and the whole apparatus of<\/p>\n\n\n\n clerical\ngovernment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nceremonies and ordinances cannot be carried on<\/p>\n\n\n\n without\nbuildings set apart for the purpose–thence<\/p>\n\n\n\n churches\nand cathedrals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As prayer\nis a part of all religious worship, and carnal<\/p>\n\n\n\n men\ncannot, for lack of the Spirit, pray spiritually–they<\/p>\n\n\n\n must have\nforms of devotion made ready to their hand,<\/p>\n\n\n\n thence come\nprayer-books and liturgies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As there\nmust be mutual points of agreement to hold<\/p>\n\n\n\n men\ntogether, there must be written formulas of doctrine<\/p>\n\n\n\n –thence\ncome articles, creeds, and confessions of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\nfinally, as there are children to be instructed, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n this\ncannot be safely left to oral teaching, for fear of<\/p>\n\n\n\n ignorance\nin some and error in others, the very form<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\ninstruction must be drawn up in so many words–<\/p>\n\n\n\n thence\ncome catechisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People are\npuzzled sometimes to know why there is<\/p>\n\n\n\n this and\nthat thing in an established religion–why we<\/p>\n\n\n\n have\nchurches and clergy, tithes and prayer-books,<\/p>\n\n\n\n universities\nand catechisms–and the whole apparatus<\/p>\n\n\n\n of\nreligion. They do not see that all these things have<\/p>\n\n\n\n sprung, as\nit were, out of a moral necessity, and are<\/p>\n\n\n\n based upon\nthe very constitution of man–that this<\/p>\n\n\n\n great and\nwidespread tree of a human religion has<\/p>\n\n\n\n its deep\nroots in the natural conscience; and that all<\/p>\n\n\n\n these\nbranches necessarily and naturally grow out of<\/p>\n\n\n\n the broad\nand lofty stem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nattachment, then, of worldly people to a worldly<\/p>\n\n\n\n religion\nis no great mystery. It is no riddle for a Samson<\/p>\n\n\n\n to put forth–or\nrequiring a Solomon to solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was not\nsects, or creeds, or doctrines, or<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n churches,\nor ecclesiastical organizations!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (MacDuff,\n“A Chapter in Providence and Grace”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not\ndead doctrine, dry formulated dogma<\/p>\n\n\n\n which the\nsoul needs, but a living Being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul thus\nexults, in what may be called a dying<\/p>\n\n\n\n testimony,\n“I know WHOM I have believed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was not\n. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nsects,<\/p>\n\n\n\n or\ncreeds,<\/p>\n\n\n\n or\ndoctrines,<\/p>\n\n\n\n or\nchurches,<\/p>\n\n\n\n or\necclesiastical organizations,<\/p>\n\n\n\n that the\ndying hero clung to, in the<\/p>\n\n\n\n hour of\ndeparture, but . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nglorious Person of the divine Immanuel,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nliving Presence of the ever living, ever loving Savior;<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nBrother,<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nFriend on the throne,<\/p>\n\n\n\n whom he\nhad learned to love more<\/p>\n\n\n\n dearly\nthan all the world beside!<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nreligious animal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Philpot,\n“The Exercise and Profit of Godliness” 1850)<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Men\nof Athens, I notice that you are very religious,<\/p>\n\n\n\n for\nas I was walking along I saw your many altars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\none of them had this inscription on it\u2014TO AN<\/p>\n\n\n\n UNKNOWN\nGOD.” Acts 17:22-23<\/p>\n\n\n\n Man has\nbeen called, and perhaps with some truth,<\/p>\n\n\n\n a\nreligious animal. Religion of some kind, at any rate,<\/p>\n\n\n\n seems\nalmost indispensable to his very existence\u2014for<\/p>\n\n\n\n from the\nmost civilized nation, to the most barbarous<\/p>\n\n\n\n tribe upon\nthe face of the earth\u2014we find some form of<\/p>\n\n\n\n religion\npracticed. Whether this is ingrained into the<\/p>\n\n\n\n very\nconstitution of man, or whether it be received by<\/p>\n\n\n\n custom or\ntradition\u2014I will not pretend to decide. But<\/p>\n\n\n\n that some\nkind of religion is almost universally<\/p>\n\n\n\n prevalent,\nis a fact that cannot be denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will\nalways find these two kinds of religion . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nfalse and true,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nearthly and heavenly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nfleshly and spiritual,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nnatural and supernatural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare\nthis vital, spiritual, heavenly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n divine,\nsupernatural religion . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nthis work of grace upon the soul,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nthis teaching of God in the heart,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nthis life of faith within<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014with its\nflimsy counterfeit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare\nthe actings of . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nreal faith,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nreal hope,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nreal love;<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\nteachings, the dealings, the leadings, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n the\noperations of the blessed Spirit in the soul<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014with\nrounds of . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nduties,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nsuperstitious forms,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nempty ceremonies, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n a notional\nreligion, however puffed up and varnished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare\nthe life of God in the heart of a true Christian,<\/p>\n\n\n\n amid all\nhis dejection, despondency, trials, temptations,<\/p>\n\n\n\n and\nexercises; compare that precious treasure, Christ’s<\/p>\n\n\n\n own grace\nin the soul\u2014with all mere . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nexternal religion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nsuperficial religion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nnotional religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n O, it is\nno more to be compared than a grain of dust<\/p>\n\n\n\n with a\ndiamond! No more to be compared than a criminal<\/p>\n\n\n\n in a\ndungeon to the King on the throne! In fact, there is<\/p>\n\n\n\n no\ncomparison between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw the\nLord!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n John\nNewton<\/p>\n\n\n\n “In\nthe year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord! He was sitting on a lofty throne,\nand the train of His robe filled the Temple. Hovering around Him were mighty\nseraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with\ntwo they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great\nchorus they sang, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is\nfilled with His glory!’ The glorious singing shook the Temple to its\nfoundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke! Then I said, ‘Woe\nis me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a\npeople of unclean lips, because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord\nAlmighty!'” Isaiah 6:1-5<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh! for a\nglance of what Isaiah saw, and has described! Oh! that we, by the power of that\nfaith, could behold the glory of the Lord filling this house; that we could\nrealize the presence and the attitude of His attendant angels! They cover their\nfaces and their feet with their wings, as overpowered by the beams of His\nmajesty; and conscious, if not of defilement like us, yet of unavoidable\ninability as creatures, to render Him the whole of that praise and homage which\nare justly due to Him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh! that,\nby faith, we could enter into the spirit of their ascription\u2014’Holy, holy, holy,\nis the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is filled with His glory!’ If we were all\nthus affected, as the prophet was, surely each one for himself would adopt the\nprophet’s language. Or, if a comfortable hope in the Gospel prevented us from crying\nout, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!” we should, at least, say, (the\nHebrew word might be so rendered,) “I am silenced, I am struck dumb! I am\noverwhelmed with confusion and shame; for I am a man of unclean lips myself,\nand I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the\nKing, the Lord Almighty!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we have\na degree of this impression, we shall not perplex ourselves concerning the\nsecond causes, or immediate instruments of our calamities. The evil of sin,\ncontrasted with the holiness and glory of God, will engross our thoughts! And\nwe shall ascribe all the troubles we either feel or fear\u2014to our own sins, and\nthe sins of those among whom we dwell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “My Meditation of Him Shall Be Sweet” Psalms 104:34 When you and I first came to Jesus Christ we came to a person, we believed in a person, we trusted a person to save us. Of course we believed his doctrine as he gave us understanding, but his doctrine told us of the person. It’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5525"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5526,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525\/revisions\/5526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}