Facing
Darkness alone
Another door opens
Patience discovers mercy’s reward
Opportunity
Tasting
God’s Word
Holy Spirit guides
Always toward Savior’s light
Redemption
Witnessing
Sinful nature
Separated from Father
Christ resurrects salvation’s bridge
Love
Instead of living in the grip of fear, held captive by the chains of treason and dread; when we release our preoccupation with worry, we find God’s hand at work on our behalf.
From Ephesians 2:13-14: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace; in His flesh He has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”
From Philippians 2:5-7: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness.”
Chained to sin’s wilderness
Faith missing what matters
Detached from Father’s love
Like sheep, mankind scatters
Father responds with love
Relationship desired
Son of God empties self
Divine plan now hard-wired
Born in human likeness
Messiah shares His love
Father’s trusted guidance
Promised grace from above
Given name of Jesus
Mercy’s love now descends
Servant becomes Shepherd
Father’s own heart transcends
Calvary’s death vanquished
Jesus forever reigns
Every knee shall now bend
Father’s love breaks each chain
From Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
What dark depths dwell in our lives?
Sinful nature, lost like sheep
Hearts fill with lasting troubles
Seeing life’s well, much too deep
Returning without promise
Jacob’s well cannot quench thirst
Our parched lips, where’s our relief?
Sinful souls, ready to burst
God’s Grace, in living water
Blessing in truth and spirit
Gushing with eternal life
Drink deeply, never fear it
Who will bring us this water?
We look, but the well is deep
Jesus draws living water
Saving His lost, thirsty sheep
From John 4:11-15: “The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.'”
Originally published June, 2020.
Since God has rescued us from the bondage to sin, forgiven us, and brought us into His family, grateful obedience should be our response.
From Acts 5:17-21: “ Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.’ When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.”
The only one qualified to throw a stone . . . didn’t.
From John 8:4-7: “They said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?’ They said this to test Him, so that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'”
We must never forget that God’s nature is uncompromisingly set against sin. We may tolerate it; He never.
From Psalm 2:5-6: “Then He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘I have set My king on Zion, My holy hill.'”
Selwyn Hughes (1928-2006) was a Welsh-born Christian minister and author. One of his best known works was the daily devotional EVERY DAY WITH JESUS.
From 2 Corinthians 5:6-7: “So we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Lost in fog of sinful flesh
Hidden from Father’s intent
Caught again in evil’s net
Faith’s ember waits to repent
Selfishness, full of darkness
One more transgression adds shame
Swallowed by false promises
Faith finds mercy’s trusted flame
Spirit breathes with precious grace
Savior’s blood washes sin clean
Paid for from Calvary’s cross
Faith’s pastures, forever green
In Christ, walking His high road
Old ways now passing away
Reconciled by Father’s love
Faith maturing, day by day
From the words of American pastor and Christian author, Charles Swindoll: “The only way to find happiness in the grind of life is to do so by faith.”
From Psalm 69:14: “Rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.”
Watching man’s plight
God takes human form
Breathing Scripture’s cues
Mercy conquers storm
Stumbling in faith
God sees lack of trust
Sending His own Son
Evil becomes dust
Breaking sin’s chains
Calvary’s blood flows
Kneeling in prayer
Light enters shadows
Walking through fire
Grace making descent
Pulsing with courage
God always present
Witnessing cross
Spirit opens eyes
Accepting Jesus
God, more than life-size
From 1 Corinthians 6:11: “And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
From Colossians 1:13-14: “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Looking down from Heaven
Observing broken world
Father, Son, and Spirit
Designing rescue’s lifeline
Dispatching Son to earth
Walking among sinners
Light’s rescue comes to save
Taking perfect human form
Witnessing Father’s love
Executing rescue
Journey to bloody Cross
Rebuilding faith’s cornerstone
Voiding enemy’s lies
Saving flawed humanity
God’s rescue overcomes
Replacing darkness with light
Paying man’s debts in full
Bearing each transgression
Through Son’s body and blood
Raising salvation’s rescue
From Acts 2:37-39: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Him.'”
Big Sky Buckeye 