The Fullness of Jesus

"When we look at ourselves- at the littleness of our love, the barrenness of our service, and the small progress we make toward perfection- how soul-refreshing it is to turn and gaze at Him; to plunge afresh in 'the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness'; to remember that we are 'accepted in the Beloved'...'who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption'. Oh the fullness of Christ: the fullness of Christ!"

- Hudson Taylor In Early Years, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, page 183

 I don't really know what to say today except that this is just the perfect picture for today. I am so weary and to think upon the fullness of Jesus this morning has just been so refreshing to my soul. The fullness of Jesus.
His strength for my weakness.
His rest for my weariness.
His love for my grumpiness.
His peace for my worry.
His joy for my ungratefulness.
His patience for my frustration.
The fullness of Jesus.

He is altogether lovely, isn't He? When I look at myself and my own sinfulness, my heart despairs. But, when I gaze at His perfection my heart rejoices. For the great transfer of His sufficiency for my insufficiency is joy producing. Oh that my heart would love Him more for what He has done for me!

It reminds me of a beautiful hymn called "Do Not I Love Thee, O my Lord?". You can download the song for free here and hear how beautiful it is. (You have to scroll down to the 2005 downloads for this particular song. But all the songs are just lovely!) The lyrics are below.

Do not I Love Thee, O my Lord?

Do not I love Thee, O my Lord?
Behold my heart and see;
And turn each cursèd idol out,
That dares to rival Thee.

Do not I love Thee, O my Lord?
Then let me nothing love;
Dead be my heart to every joy,
When Jesus cannot move.

Is not Thy Name melodious still
To mine attentive ear?
Doth not each pulse with pleasure bound
My Savior’s voice to hear?

Hast Thou a lamb in all Thy flock
I would disdain to feed?
Hast Thou a foe, before whose face
I fear Thy cause to plead?

Would not mine ardent spirit vie
With angels round the throne,
To execute Thy sacred will,
And make Thy glory known?

Would not my heart pour forth its blood
In honor of Thy Name?
And challenge the cold hand of death
To damp th’immortal flame?

Thou know’st I love Thee, dearest Lord,
But O, I long to soar
Far from the sphere of mortal joys,
And learn to love Thee more!

Gratefulness

Do you see these lovely bookshelves? My husband made them!

God is so gracious to give me such an incredible husband. I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. My husband is always so thoughtful and kind- seeking what might help me the most. I truly am a very blessed woman! Over the years our marriage has gotten sweeter and sweeter. It makes me really look forward to the future as it will be even sweeter then (which is hard to imagine!). But, even more precious than this is the love of God in Christ for us as Spurgeon reminds:

"...But where there is true and genuine love, it is the sweetest and happiest mode of living. It is one of the blessings of paradise, which has been preserved to us after the fall. Without love, wedded life must be a very purgatory above ground. In the solemn contract, which has brought our souls this night to God, the marriage is sustained, cemented, strengthened, and made delightful by mutual love. Need I talk to you of the love of God? It is a theme we are scarcely competent to talk of. You need to sit down and weep about it for very joy, joy which fills the heart, and makes the eyes overflow, but well nigh chains the tongue, for it is a deep, profound, and inexpressible. "He loved me, and gave himself for me." "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed u p on us." "As the Father hath loved me, even so have I loved you. Oh, the love of God—it would surpass the powers of an angel to set it forth. Sure, sure, it shall be the blest employment of eternity's long ages for us to comprehend it; and, perhaps, when myriad's of ages have rolled over our happy souls, we shall still be as much struck with wonder with it as we were at first. The marvel doth not diminish on inspection: familiarity cannot make it common. The nearer we approach, the deeper our awe. It will be as great a surprise that God should love such cold, such faithless, such unworthy beings as ourselves, at the end of ten thousand years as it was at first, perhaps more so. The more thoroughly we shall know ourselves, the more fully we shall understand the good of the Lord; thus will our wonder grow and swell. Even in heaven, we shall be lost in surprise and admiration at the love of God to us. The rapture will augment the reverence we feel. Well, but, brethren beloved, I trust we also love him in return! Do you never feel one soft affection rising after another as you muse on the Christ of God? When you sometimes listen to a sermon in which the Savior's dear affection to you is set forth, do you not feel that the unbidden tear wets your cheek? Does not your heart swell sometimes, as if it were unable to hold your emotions? Is there not a "joy unspeakable and full of glory" that comes over you? Can you not say—



"Jesus, I love thy charming name,
'Tis music to mine ear;
Fain would I sound it out so loud
That earth and heaven should hear"?
I hope you do not need to sing to-night—
"'Tis a point I long to know."
but, I trust, that in the solemn silence of your souls you can say, "Thou knowest that I love thee;" grieved that the question should be asked, but still ready to answer, with Peter, "Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." Now, it is impossible for you to love God without the strong conclusive evidence that God loves you. I once knew a good woman who was the subject of many doubts, and when I got to the bottom of her doubt, it was this: she knew she loved Christ, but she was afraid he did not love her. "Oh!" I said, "that is a doubt that will never trouble me; never, by any possibility, because I am sure of this, that the heart is so corrupt, naturally, that love to God never did get there without God's putting it there." You may rest quite certain, that if you love God, it is a fruit, and not a root. It is the fruit of God's love to you, and did not get there by the force of any goodness in you. You may conclude, with absolute certainty, that God loves you if you love God. There never was any difficulty on his part. It always was on your part, and now that the difficulty is gone from you, none whatever remains. O let our hearts rejoice and be filled with great delight, because the Savior has loved us and given himself for us. So let us realize the truth of the text, "I am married unto you."

Charles Spurgeon

Come Lord Jesus

We have a wonderful friend who loves God's Word with all of his heart and has spent years studying Bible prophecy and the end times. He also fighting a rare cancer which seems to make every word that comes out of his mouth even more precious. Lately, we were able to speak to him more and ask questions about the end times. It was so wonderful to be able to hear him speak so passionately about God's precious Word and the blessed hope of the return of our Lord. I was completely convicted of my own apathy towards His word and my own lack of knowledge as well. I found myself asking- "When was the last time I was brought to tears over a passage of Scripture because of its precious truth?" Oh, that my heart would be so full! Oh, that I would learn to delight in God's Word alone!

As my last post stated, I have become more aware of the need for teaching beauty and truth to my children. I have been thinking that there is no more beautiful truth that the hope we have in Jesus. It is this above all else that I need to be teaching my children- a reverence and love for God's Word. I want my children and myself to be "pure and blameless" when Christ comes.

Where are you today, dear reader? Are you, like me, apathetic towards the One who died to win you? Are your affections growing every day for Him and looking for His blessed return? Or, like me, have you become distracted? If so, perhaps you will join me at the foot of the cross in repentance and in the renewal found in His Word.

     "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11 ESV)

Quiet Contentment

Today is truly an lovely day! This morning I took the boys outside and as they ran around catching bugs and exploring as little boys do I had some time to read my Bible and crochet. Isn't my Granny Stripe blanket coming along nicely? Everything around me was so merry and bright- my baby cooing beside me, birds singing happy little songs, bees busy collecting, and the sunlight dancing over everything. In my heart was just a lovely quiet contentment- resting in my Savior and the joy of little children. It reminded me of this thought-provoking quote by Jeremiah Burroughs:

"Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition."

My heart has been very fretful and restless lately, burdened with fears and worries. This morning reminded me that I was not trusting the Lord for His care of me. I pray today that the quote above would be true in my own heart- that I would have the same quiet and restful heart always as I did this morning.

I hope that your morning was as lovely as mine!

(The quote above is from a wonderful book by Jeremiah Burroughs called "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment". You can read the whole book for free here.)

Making a Beautiful and Happy Home

"A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world's perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which, at close of day--the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place . . .

  where love learns its lessons,

  where life is schooled into discipline and strength,

  where character is molded.

Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing--as the making of a beautiful and happy home! He who does this--builds a sanctuary for God, and opens a fountain of blessing for men.

Far more than we know--do the strength and beauty of our lives, depend upon the home in which we dwell. He who goes forth in the morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home--into the world's strife, temptation, struggle, and duty--is strongly inspired for noble and victorious living.

The children who are brought up in a true home--go out trained and equipped for life's battles and tasks--carrying a secret of strength in their hearts, which will make them brave and loyal to God, and will keep them pure in the world's severest temptations!"

J.R. Miller

God has been so gracious to me in teaching me so many things. Lately, He has been pressing on my heart the importance of doing what He has set before me for His glory alone. My heart does not need to be concerned with what others think or do but just to be concerned with how pleasing I am to Him. I must serve Him in every task with a heart of rest. Perfect rest and peace- like a baby content to lean on his mother. In this great business of homemaking and mothering, my heart must first be right with the Lord. I must have a heart that is still- resting in trust upon the Lord. I must lean upon Christ.

Then, my business is to make our home full of beauty, love, and joy which points to the Savior. In order to make this possible, I must check what is feeding my soul and the soul of my family. Am I careful what I bring into my home both physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally? I am beginning to see how this trickles down to even to the tiniest detail. What is the tone of my voice and my words? What books do my children look at? What toys do they play with? What does my cleaning say about our home? What colors are in my home? How is my furniture arranged? Does all point to the beauty and truth found in Scripture? All these tiny details add up together to paint a picture. What is that picture saying to my family? Does it say that this home is a beautiful sanctuary for God where one can rest? Or does it speak of haste, neglect, and lack of concern? Is their life filled with what is most convenient/popular or with what is most glorifying to God? Is their life filled with the disposable or with what will last longer than a week? Am I striving to bring beauty, truth, and love to my home or have I ceased to care and am just surviving?

God is so gracious in showing these things to me. But, I am rambling on with all these thoughts. He says it best:

    "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9 ESV)

All that thrills my soul...

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus,
By His presence all divine?  
True and tender, pure and precious,
O how blest to call Him mine!  

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;  
He is more than life to me;  
And the fairest of ten thousand,  
In my blessed Lord I see.  

Love of Christ so freely given.  
Grace of God beyond degree,  
Mercy higher than the heaven,  
Deeper then the deepest sea.  

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;  
He is more than life to me;  
And the fairest of ten thousand,  
In my blessed Lord I see.  

What a wonderful redemption!  
Never can a mortal know  
How my sin, tho' red like crimson,  
Can be whiter than the snow.  

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;  
He is more than life to me;  
And the fairest of ten thousand,  
In my blessed Lord I see.  

Every need His hand supplying,  
Every good in Him I see;  
On His strength divine relying,  
He is all in all to me.  

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;  
He is more than life to me;  
And the fairest of ten thousand,  
In my blessed Lord I see.  

By the crystal flowing river  
With the ransomed I will sing,  
And forever and forever  
Praise and glorify the King.

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;  
He is more than life to me;  
And the fairest of ten thousand,  
In my blessed Lord I see.

-Thoro Harris

This is a new hymn that I have discovered lately. How precious are its truths! "How blest to call Him mine"

I find myself reflecting too on the phrase "He is more than life to me". I realize that my life does not always look like I am living in that mentality. My prayer today is God would give me wisdom and grace so that I will be free to say "He is more than life to me".

For this Purpose

    “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (John 12:27-28 ESV)

    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17 ESV)

    "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering..." (Isaiah 53:4-6,10 NASB)

   "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which he set forth in Christ." (Ephesians 1:7-9 ESV)

     "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
   And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death..." (Colossians 1:15-22 ESV)

  

“Christ…had goings forth for his people, as their representative before the throne, even before they were begotten in the world. It was from everlasting that his mighty fingers grasped the pen, the stylus of ages, and wrote his own name, the name of the eternal Son of God; it was from everlasting that he signed the compact with his Father, that he would pay blood for blood, wound for wound, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of his people; it was from everlasting that he gave himself up, without a murmuring word, that from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he might sweat blood, that he might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, suffer the pain of death, and the agonies of the cross. His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hadst goings forth in the person of Jesus from everlasting. Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but his delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did he think of them; from everlasting to everlasting he had set his affection upon them. What! Believer, has he been so long about thy salvation, and will he not accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will he lose me now? What! has he had me in his hand, as his precious jewel, and will he now let me slip between his precious fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep scooped out, and will he lose me now? Impossible!

'My name from the palms of his hands
Eternity cannot erase;
Impress'd on his heart it remains,
In marks of indelible grace.'"

Charles Spurgeon

There is nothing else to be said, is there? Hallelujah!