Lord, when I cannot adore

Thee in knowledge, in ignorance I will adore Thee.

(photo from google)

Lord Jesus, Thou art God, Alone Supreme in absolute

Supremacy. As God I worship Thee.

Thou art Man, Whose is the Human Name supreme above

every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow.

As Man I worship Thee.

Thou hast created all things, and without Thee was not any

thing made that was made. As Creator I worship Thee.

Thou hast become Man, and hast taken the Manhood into

God indissolubly forever and ever. As the Firstborn of every

creature I worship Thee. ,

Thou art the Wisdom of God Whom He possessed in the

beginning of His way. As the Divine Wisdom I worship

Thee.

Thou hast made Thyself man's wisdom. As my only Hope

of wisdom I worship Thee.

Thou art the Word, God and with God. As the Divine Word

I worship Thee.

Thou art the Word speaking to us as never man spake. As

my Teacher of absolute authority I worship Thee.

Thou art the Lord Who hath declared : My ways are

not your ways. Having a good hope because of Thy word I

worship Thee.

Thou art the Way whereby alone man cometh unto the

Father. A wayfarer liable to error, beseeching safeguard, I

worship Thee.

Thou art the King of Heaven, all Whose works are truth. I,

a little one among Thy works, worship Thee.

Thou art the Truth : in Thee mercy and truth are met
together, kindness and truth are shown forth. In the paths of

Thy mercy and of Thy truth I worship Thee.

Thou art the Living God into Whose hands it is a fearful

thing to fall. Yet calling to remembrance the former days,

to-day while it is called to-day I worship Thee.

Thou art the Life. Thou Who hadst power to lay Thy Life

down and power to take it again, Who art Life manifested, and

Who givest Thy flesh for the life of the world, I worship

Thee.

O Thou Who hearest prayer, and unto Whom all flesh shall

come, draw all my brethren and all my sisters and myself

not outcast from their gracious company, to worship Thee.

Amen.

( from "The Face of the Deep" by Christina Rossetti )

Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him 

shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is 

thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which 

thine eyes have seen.          
~Deuteronomy 10:20-21~

My Prince,

My life in the place where I wait for You is not easy. Constantly, the enemy of my soul buffets me. I won't leave this world unscathed. When times come that I see no reason from around me to praise You, my eyes would fondly look up, and my lips shall sweetly say,'You are my Praise'.

Oh, let Truth, the
light of my heart,not my own darkness,
speak unto me! I have

descended to that,
and am darkened. But thence, even thence, did I love Thee. I went astray,

and remembered Thee.
I heard Thy voice behind me bidding me return, and scarcely did I

hear it for the
tumults of the unquiet ones. And now, behold, I return burning and panting

after Thy fountain.
Let no one prohibit me; of this will I drink, and so have life. Let me not

be my own life; from
myself  have I badly lived,—death was I
unto myself; in Thee do I revive.

Do Thou speak unto
me; do Thou discourse unto me. In Thy books have I believed, and

their words are very
deep.

~ Augustine, The Confessions~

(photo from google)

       John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: 

                            the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Ever wondered why religious groups and sects have diverse understandings of the Bible? Why would God allow such confusion? Isn’t He the God of order, as 1 Cor. 14:33 says?

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

Then why do religions differ in their views of God? The deity of Jesus? When should we worship (Sabbath)? of the doctrine of salvation? Most of us are aware of that fact, but we're just passive about it. Many, sadly, are just content with what they hear from their preachers, follow almost everything they say, and worst of all, stick to the traditions of men, which are ultimately wrong. Perhaps you open and read your Bible. Then you come across a verse that confuses you. What would you do? Logically, you consult an elder, a pastor, or anyone whom you think is well versed in the Bible. They said this and that, but the answers didn't make sense. Deep in your heart, you know something is amiss. But because your pastor said so and it's what the rest of your church believes in, you’re in it too. Are we that lazy to search for answers? Suppose one would ask you to go buy something in the middle of the night, wouldn’t you ask what that "something" is you're required to buy, where you could buy it from? If the store is still open, why would you buy it at such an importunate hour? The principle is the same when we study God's Word. We should all be Bereans.

Act 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 

Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 

True, we lack patience when it comes to studying the Bible. What then? Shall we just sit back and wait for the end of days, when all souls shall stand before God, everything will be revealed? But what if the doctrines you've been taught are wrong? Wouldn't it be too late for your soul? You won't be able to rationalize that you were blinded by your religion or by your pastor or by your teacher and therefore should be excused.

Brethren, don’t be fooled by the notion that you'll never come to a comprehension of what the Scriptures say just because the words are highfalutin' or the passage is too deep to understand. Remember, we received the Holy Ghost the day we were saved.

"Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38)

It is the Holy Spirit who guides and teaches us as we study our Bible.

"But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I said unto you" (John 14:26)

Among the diverse spiritual gifts, we must desire the gift of wisdom and understanding, for through it we're able to know God's will.

"......that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding. (Col. 1:11)

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believes, according to the working of his mighty power." (Ephesians 1:17-19)

Understanding the Bible isn't only reserved for preachers and teachers. It is for all Christians.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8)

"Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read, no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate, for my mouth it hath commanded and his spirit it hath gathered them." (Isaiah 34:16)

And you won't be disappointed if you sincerely ask for it.

"Ask and it shall be opened unto you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7)

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

Be careful, though, with the motives of your heart. For if you don't have the same hunger and love for the truth that God does, you'll eventually fall away from it.(note: borrowed thought, rephrased)

"Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:4)

Do you purposely look for verses that you can use to justify your lust, like Ecclesiastes 2:24?

"There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God."

Do you grumpily point fingers to other sects and denominations for verses against abominations like image worshiping overlooking the idol in your heart which is pride?

Eze 33:31  "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

Do you dare strip verses out of their context and tailor them to support your opinions, which makes it appear that they came from God?

Rev 22:18  "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:"

Rev 22:19  "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Or worse, do you only strive to be Bible-educated because you are moved by envy or to undermine your fellow Christians?

 1Co 4:7  For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Unfortunately, these exact things happen nowadays. And it's not a surprise, for Satan is behind it. He is a master in twisting and perverting the truth, as he did to our first parents and when he tempted our Lord Jesus.

However, the question remains unanswered.If God wants His people to be of one mind, faith and baptism, why did He allow confusing verses in the Scripture? The answers are twofold. When read in their entirety, Bible verses are not confusing, and you can obtain successive truths about God using a concordance. Second, God has a purpose to hide things in a partial way (read Matthew 13:10–15). If we're truly hungry and thirsty for righteousness, we'll be filled (Matthew 5:6), and if we're diligent seekers, we’ll find the truth (Hebrews 11:6). But if we're satisfied with the traditions of men and don't seek the truth sincerely, earnestly, and whole-heartedly, those confusing verses are our stumbling blocks.

(Note: rephrased, not my original thought)

We may not interpret it in its entirety, but it is our responsibility to study the Bible.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15 )

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."( 2 Tim. 3:16-17)

(Note: One of my very first amateur thoughts aboutChristianity.
       Written in June,2010)

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 Having seen the face of Beauty and Love, my soul is caged. Leave me for I wish not to escape.

O God, Who hast filled us with yearnings of an infinite desire, longings insatiable, groanings that cannot be uttered;- Who providest for us here beauty and joy beset with pangs, that our eyes and ears may fail after that which they have not seen or heard, and our heart sicken with hope deferred while we conceive not that which we wait for:- O God, Whom not having seen we love, and know for that which not knowing we desire, bring us home to Thee; each of us, all of us, from any height or depth, at any time, with or without anything or all things; only bring us, ourselves, our very selves, all ourselves, to Thine own Presence which is our home, bring us home one with another, all home to Thee. By Him who is our Way and our Door, Thy Son our only hope, Jesus Christ. Amen.

~'Called to be Saints' by Christina Rosetti~

“How beautiful are the arms, which have embraced Christ, the eyes which have gazed upon Christ, the lips which have spoken with Christ, the feet which have followed Christ. How beautiful are the hands which have worked the works of Christ, the feet which treading in His footsteps have gone about doing good, the lips which have spread abroad His Name, the lives which have been counted loss for Him. How beautiful upon the mountains were the feet of them who brought glad tidings and published peace saying unto Zion 'Thy God reigneth:' how beautiful was the wisdom of those unlearned and ignorant men, whose very opponents felt that they had been with Jesus."

~'Called to be Saints' by Christina Rossetti~

(photo from google)

God bless the artist of this piece! I love this

for it precisely portrayed how I see myself before Jesus. I usually 

hear Christians say that they want to hear a "well done" when they come 

face to face with God. As for me though, if I were to 

choose the words I would want to hear from God, it would be just like 

the words of Jesus to the woman on Luke7:47.
 " She loved 

much, for her sins that were many, were all forgiven."

(photo from google)

We are still paddling on the edge of the ocean of the possibilities of grace. Put a holy dissatisfaction in us tonight.
~ Leonard Ravenhill!~

I am but a stage where You display Yourself. Your love, grace, mercy, joy, meekness, and faithfulness.

I am but a beggar and everything in my hands are Yours.  (1 Cor. 4:7)

My brain is Yours, let it think great thoughts about You. ( Rom. 12:2)

My eyes are Yours, let it continually behold Your beauty. ( Psalm 27:4, Isa. 33:17)

My lips are Yours, let it speak Your truth. ( Pro. 8:7)

My ears are Yours, let it hear Your still small voice. (Deut. 4:36, Ps. 95:7)

My heart is Yours, let it beat for the things that You love. ( Eze. 11:19, 36:26)

My hands are Yours, let it do works of righteousness. ( 1 Cor. 4:12, 1 Th. 4:11)

My feet are Yours, let it go to the places where Your Name is unheard. ( Isa. 52:7, Rom. 10:15)

Only make me not bring myself with its prejudices and self- preservation. Rather,carry me, clothed in Your grace, mercy and unconditional love, to the place where You will seek my lost  brothers and sisters.

While it is true that to be in 'mission is merely an opportunity to die' ( Amy Carmichael), my life, however, is not what they needed but You, O Lord.

Go before me in all Your glory, beauty, and majesty. I can't win the war without You. The battle is Yours. (  Sam. 17:47)

((photo from tumblr)

Before you turn into a spitfire for my seemingly irreverent address to the Almighty God, may I just say that those are my doting words for our Heavenly Father? I know, just like you; I thought it inappropriate at first to even think that our God was an inconvenience. However, as we learn more of His glorious nature, attributes, and character as revealed in the Bible, and of our spiritual experiences of Him, we’ll have to admit that He’s not the comfortable God our finite minds have pictured, or should I say, pigeon holed?

Perhaps you can identify with my idle flesh when at times it doesn’t want to yield to the Spirit’s voice of witnessing to somebody. Truth is, not all of my soul winning acts were moved by a natural compassion for souls. When I try to resist the Spirit’s urging, the burden of my indifferent attitude shatters me. It’s just too great and my pride, with all its self-justifications, could not withstand it, so I end up on my knees crying. Having the same sentiment of  Paul in 1 Cor. 9:16, let me say, ‘woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel’. We cannot love people enough to toil for their souls but the love of Christ powerfully constrains us to obey (2 Cor. 5:14).

Now, this is not just in application to the great commission. It’s for all the commands of Christ. Love thy neighbor as thyself (Mark 12:3). Like the first great commandment have we stopped and really pondered what ‘loving others’ mean? Then in John 13:34 Jesus goes on to say,

“A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye love one another.”

Come to think of it. A new commandment? Why? Well, for me, I know for a fact that I don’t love myself that much. Oftentimes, I abused my body through accepting many workloads, pushing beyond my limit because asking for help makes me feel embarrassed.  Furthermore, I have frequently endangered my ‘being’ by carelessly believing people. Being gullible (and I don’t mean reaching the point of stupidity) is my greatest source of trouble! So if I can’t fully love myself, then how much less others?

You see? Loving our neighbor must not be based on our version of self-love but by Christ’s. Love them as Jesus loved us. The greatest quality of His love is that it gives, demanding nothing in return. Loving like He does is a call to servant hood. You won’t just be called a servant; you will, literally, be treated like one! And you know what its most difficult test is? That is, with the people closest to you, your family. It’s easy to develop a servant attitude for anyone outside your family, but it’s so hard with your siblings! When they’re being a pain in your neck, you can’t help becoming a contemptuous servant.

I’m laughing as I say this, ‘if only I’ve seen this coming, I should have not prayed to God my conformity to the image of Christ.’ Now He’s tremendously giving me lots of opportunities to be Christ-like in the persons of my family (I dote on them okay?) and other visible faces of discomforts. If we’re to be honest with ourselves, we repetitively go through a state of physical unease whenever we practice selfless love. Do I sound like complaining? I’m not, but I wish I could say I’m one of those dynamic Christians, who was just filled with much love for everyone and never once thought of self- preservation. Nevertheless, my flesh constantly protests in God’s sanctifying work in me fearlessly crying, ‘why do You distress me?’ I try hard to silence it for the fear that God would one day thunder in a loud voice saying,

 ‘I am God, Lord of the universe, worshiped in heaven and earth. As your Maker have I not the right to do unto you whatsoever I please?’

Even so, Jesus, in His patience and daily loving kindness, gently shepherds me to continue. The cross was not convenient to Him either .Gradually, He makes me see the reality of His promises in my life. He delights to do me good and not evil (Jer. 29:11). He will not withhold anything necessary to my perfection (Ps. 84:11 Eph. 4:12) for I am His workmanship (Eph. 2:10).

((photo from tumblr)