I know curious days, O Lord, your sovereign hand I see. That you will glorify yourself, Thy judgments declare. Are right and wrong confused now? And that in so short a time. Thou alone can work wonders. In faithfulness hast thou created, Afflicted me, and saved to the uttermost.
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
Psalm 119:75
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Proverbs 1:8-9
Dear Church and Friends,
On Monday’s during this confinement we will study Proverbs together. I won’t make this long today as I have added lots of media to the pastor’s letter. After the daily journal you will find a link for my outline for Proverbs chapter 1, a link to the School of Wisdom podcast for chapter 1, and a video of the Annie Armstrong missionaries we are praying for during the Week of Prayer for North American missions.
Please check out the outline for this chapter as you listen to the podcast.
Prayer: This week we will be praying for missionaries supported by the Annie Armstrong Easter offering. Please watch the following video and pray for Dave and Mary Elliff.
Catechism: The Principles of the Christian Religion.
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
All my best!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
At midnight the terrors grip me, I will call on you when I'm afraid. Rise up, O Lord, come to my aid, To give thanks, is my offering to thee. Unto thee alone, in the dark, I make my gift, Because of your compassion. Thy righteous judgments terrify the spoiler of souls.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:62
Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
John 7:34
When we think of the ministry of Jesus the words of verse 34 don’t comport with our normal expectation. We don’t think of him telling men that they cannot come to him. However, in the above case he is speaking to the Pharisees who wanted to lay hands on him and kill him. As a matter of fact they just (verse 30) tried to take him by force but could not. All John tells us is that his time hadn’t come yet.
The mystery of the statement in verse 34 is understood after reading verse 37. There Jesus says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” The problem in verse 34 was that the Pharisees were not thirsty. They were satisfied. One could say, they were SELF satisfied.
How often do I keep from drinking at Christ’s fountain because I am self-satisfied? Oh, my vanity, my empty-hearted and powerless religion. Satisfied, I might seek him but I will never find him. I remember the thirsty soul of a seventeen year old boy who cried after Jesus for just a drop of living water. May my seeking ever be just as desperate and parched as it was on that day.
Music: Tenor Philip Webb and the Grace Community Choir and Orchestra.
Prayer Requests: This request comes through the North American Mission Board prayer requests.
Shaun Stotyn is a collegiate missionary serving as the director of The Vine Campus Ministry in Vermont. “We need more laborers to reach college students at the University of Vermont and St. Michael’s College. There has been some recent activity on campus from a cult trying to recruit students. Pray for student safety and wisdom for the administration. Pray for a revival to break out on the college campuses of Vermont.”
Catechism: The Principles of the Christian Religion.
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” All my best.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:37-38
