“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”
Psalms 8:3-6, 9 NKJVBenevolence
We are living in a culture that openly hates God. We have doubted His word, sought to redefine what it says to fit our appetites, or whatever is popular in the moment. We have tried to redefine the very personage of God, trying to change His gender. By our own will, we seek to cast aside His sovereignty, and the spiritual weight of His commandments, viewing them as mere suggestions.
We have forgotten to have reverance for Him who created us.
He has the power to bring us into being, and take us out. Even in situations when we think that we are deciding whether we live or die, it is God who is in control.
I read of the last moments of King Saul this morning, of his being wounded and not wanting to die at the hand of the enemy. He fell on his sword. In his mind he was taking that final action, on his terms. In reality God had ordained it from the foundation of the world.
“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”
I Chronicles 10:13-14 NKJVThere are so many things going on in our world today. Many look at the events in the nations and nature, and argue that it has always been that way. But we are nearing a breaking point, when many things are peaking at the same time, signaling a coming reckoning.
When I read Psalm 8 this morning, I was struck by all God has done for us, mere created beings. Even as we have rebelled against Him, he has loved us. Even as we sinned, He determined to send His Son to die for those sins. We are the epitome of undeserving, yet God extended grace.
“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
Romans 5:7-9 NKJVAs I grow in the understanding of His grace and how it has worked in my life, I am awed by such a great gift. In the increasing light of God, I see my sinfulness, my failure. I know that I am worth little in the scheme of things, unworthy of His love.
But God.
Through His mercy, He reached down and picked up this sin sick creature, bound for hell, and actively creating one for himself on earth. By the time Jesus had come along, I had dug a deep hole for myself, and was going nowhere fast.
“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.”
Psalms 40:1-3 NKJVI shake my head when I consider the outright hatred for the name of Jesus, the One who laid aside everything to come and be one of us, to take on our sin, and die on the cross. He is coming again to judge.
Brothers and sisters, let us go and tell all of the grace of God, of His love for His creation. Our world is slipping away, and there is nothing we can do stop it from happening. We think that we can bring the end to pandemics, heal the environment, and bring freedom and justice. In reality, it is only by the benevolence of a Holy God, that we exist at all.
God is sovereign and all that we do, He is aware of, as nothing escapes His attention and His will. We must be about the sharing of the message of love and forgiveness, and also the coming of true justice into the world, for all who neglect such a great salvation.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
II Peter 3:9 NKJVTo those who have not believed: God has extended His love to you, as Jesus came to die for your sins. He was buried, and He rose again, that you too can have newness of life, completely forgiven. Like any gift, it is not yours until you accept it. This is a limited time offer, though, as time is short.
“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
Revelation 22:20 NKJVTHE PRAYER CHAIR IS OPEN! Send me your requests!
Benevolence
Published
Musings from an idle mind 
I am so thankful for our long-suffering Father in heaven! Thank you for your prayers Bernie. May the Lord continue to bless your work, my friend.
LikeLike