Monthly Archives: March 2013

On this Resurrection Sunday, I am reminded that

The assurance that Christians can never be separated from the love of God is one of the greatest comforts of the Christian life. To deny this doctrine is to destroy the grounds for any rejoicing among the saints on earth; for what kind of rejoicing can those have who believe that they may at any time be deceived and led astray? If our sense of security is based only on our changeable and wavering natures, we can never know the inward calm and peace which, should characterize the Christian.

(From "Reformed Doctrine of Predestination" by Loraine Boettner)

When Jesus died on that cross, He bought us with His blood. When He rose, the conquered death.

We live because He died, we die to ourselves because He lives.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

This is a repeat - the reminder of fulfilled prophesies is precious to me always.

~~~

Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

“God sent me before you to preserve for
you a remnant in the earth, and to keep
you alive by a great deliverance.” Gen. 45:7

“…Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors….”

Today you will be with me in paradise

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him. Psa. 91:15

″And it shall come to pass that
everyone who calls upon the name of the Lordshall be saved.” Acts 2:21

Woman, here is your son…here is your mother.

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Psa. 22:9-10

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives,
and especially for his immediate family,
he has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever. 1 Tim 5:8

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
Psa. 22:1

“He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death,
in order to present you holy and blameless
and above reproach before him” Col. 1:22

I am thirsty

If your enemy is hungry, give him
food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water
to drink. Prov. 25:21

They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave
me sour wine to drink.
Psa. 69:21

I tell you the truth, anyone who gives
you a cup of water in my name because you
belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
Mark 9:41

It is finished.

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.” Jer.:13:31

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need
to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins,
and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their
sins once for all when he offered himself. Heb 7:27

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. Psa 31:5

“…and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” John 11:26

I like this - when "borrowing" writing from a person who is now is that great cloud of witnesses, putting a blog tag on it that says that.

I'm borrowing the idea from "Foolish Confidence"

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” —Hebrews 12:1

I am writing out my testimony, from the earliest years I can remember. I think this was my favorite song in the hymnal...not because I truly understood the theology, but because it was FAST. And there was an underlying line of even faster music in the refrain. Every time we had "special request" evening in the service, this would come up. I even remember that "It Is Mine" was hymn #309...that's how abiding the memory is.

Then, I was Baptist, but I really don't know which "flavor." Now, I'm happily Reformed, and I think I still love this song.

1 God’s abiding peace is in my soul today,
Yes, I feel it now, yes, I feel it now;
He has taken all my doubts and fears away,
Though I cannot tell you how.

Refrain:
It is mine, mine, blessed be His Name!
He has given peace, perfect peace to me;
It is mine, mine, blessed be His Name!
Mine for all eternity!

2 He has wrought in me a sweet and perfect rest,
In my raptured heart I can feel it now;
He each passing moment keeps me saved and blest,
Floods with light my heart and brow. [Refrain]

3 He has given me a never failing joy,
Oh, I have it now! oh, I have it now!
To His praise I will my ransomed pow’rs employ,
And renew my grateful vow. [Refrain]

4 Oh, the love of God is comforting my soul,
For His love is mine, yes, His love is mine!
Waves of joy and gladness o’er my spirit roll,
Thrilling me with life divine. [Refrain]