June Caedmon's Blog, page 2

Deep Things

“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” “

Technology has brought many things into our lives. You can debate the good and the bad. But without technology, how many of us would ever see the wonder of the ocean’s depths or the awe-inspiring heights of Mount Everest? How many of us could walk through the ancient city of Petra or follow the migration of the ruby-throated hummingbird?

Even beyond our real world, technology has given us access to “see” the imaginations of people like J. R. R. Tolkien and George Lucas.

Yet, despite all the wonders, we can experience through our screens, scripture tells us we haven’t seen, heard, or even imagined the things that God has prepared for us.

These deep things of God, these things which only the Spirit knows – we can know them, too.

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (I Corinthians 2:9‭-‬12 NKJV)

This knowledge has been freely given to us through the Holy Spirit, who reveals to us the things of God.

Yet, we can go our whole life as a child of God without ever pursuing the things of the Spirit. Still, He embodies us, waiting to be acknowledged.

Of the Holy Spirit’s importance, J. I. Packer states, “Why, were it not for the work of the Holy Spirit there would be no gospel, no faith, no church, no Christianity in the world at all.”

Why is this third Person of the Trinity largely ignored by Christians today? That is a good question. And one each of us must answer for ourselves.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:7‭-‬8‭, ‬13 NKJV)

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” “(John 4:23‭-‬24 NKJV)

The Spirit is moving . . .

New Mercies

The prophet Jeremiah had witnessed the near destruction of his people at the hand of the Babylonians.

They had ravaged the Israelites, destroyed and desecrated the Temple and, except for a small remnant, they carried those they did not kill off to Babylon.

But the horrors of war and loss of religious structure were not all that Jeremiah endured. As a prophet of God, Jeremiah was ridiculed and ignored. He was betrayed, thrown into a pit, and left for dead. Jeremiah had first-hand knowledge of the miry clay the psalmist sang about in psalm forty.

Yet he penned one of the most encouraging and hope-filled passages of scripture.

“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23)

A man of lament, Jeremiah teaches us much about grief and suffering. And he does so by showing us the truth of God’s great love for His people – you and me.

Jeremiah could speak of God’s faithfulness, long-suffering, and unfailing compassion because he had experienced them first-hand. Right there in the depths of the miry clay. In that seemingly bottomless pit of despair.

Even there, Jeremiah knew:

“Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.” (Lam 3:32-33)

Despite his circumstances, Jeremiah trusted in God’s word to him.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD. (Lam 3:24-26)

He cried out to the Lord and God heard him and lifted him out of the pit, literally and figuratively. God redeemed Jeremiah.

And God has redeemed you and me. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the price for our rebellion against God. It set us right, justified us, in the sight of God.

“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”

Corrie ten boom

If you don’t know God as your merciful Father and the source of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3) then I encourage you to pursue Him until you do. Don’t stop until you are one hundred percent convinced of His great love for you.

It is only through the lens of God’s love that our suffering takes on the golden hue of grace.

Shipwrecked

The account of Paul’s journey to Rome in Acts 27 and 28, gives us a brief glimpse behind the curtain into the heart and mind of God.

You may be familiar with the story. The ship sails too late and the wind is not with them. Paul warns them not to go on, telling them that the journey will end in disaster but they ignore him.  Instead of wintering in Crete, they go on and are caught in a Euroclydon. A cyclone from the northeast.

For days they are caught in the tempest. They begin throwing cargo and the food they needed for the journey overboard to lighten their load. Just when they feel all is lost, Paul stands up and says:

“Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar, and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.”

Clearly, it was God’s will that Paul appear before Caesar in Rome. But then Paul adds one other little interesting detail in verse 26:

“However, we must run aground on a certain island.”

Not just any island. The island of Malta.

You see there was a man on that island named Publius and his father was dying. Paul healed his father, and many others on the island who came to him with various diseases.

Do you see the heart of God here? Do you see the great and powerful mercy and grace of our loving Father?

God had a Kingdom-level purpose. Paul was to go to Rome. But God also saw the need of one man. Publius’ father.

The captain of the ship made a bad decision that could have resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives, including Paul’s. But God “worked” all the things that happened as a result of the captain’s decision for good.

Friend, your life may be a shipwreck right now. You may be suffering, scared, and facing a tempest. But none of that changes the truth that God has a purpose for you.  None of that changes the truth of Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

So don’t lose heart and don’t jump ship.  He is able and He is faithful.

Death Pays A Wage

One of the vehicles on our property recently caught fire.

Despite its proximity to several other vehicles, the fire was miraculously contained. The lack of rain and high winds here in Texas has created a volatile situation on the ground. There are several grass fires burning around the state and earlier this week, my mom was evacuated from her home overnight due to a fire that raged within two miles of where she lives.

Of all the ways God revealed Himself to the nation of Israel, I think fire must have been the most terrifying.

“Fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the whole-offering and the portions of fat on the altar. At the sight, all the people shouted joyfully and prostrated themselves.”

lev 9:24

How could the people be joyful over such a sight? The fire signified that God had accepted their offering. What was this offering? It was a purification and a whole offering, made for the expiation of the people of Israel.

Expiation is a fancy word that means “to make payment for.”  The people had sinned against God. Just as we all do. “For all alike have sinned, and are deprived of the divine glory;” The offering, in this case, a lamb and a calf, were killed in payment for the sins of the people. God’s wrath, His holy fire, consumed the offering and signaled that He had accepted the payment. 

It’s hard for us to read about the slaughter of innocent animals. But our sin has consequences and, ultimately, “sin pays a wage, and the wage is death.” In the early days of the nation of Israel, this “wage” was paid by the killing of an innocent, unblemished animal.

God told them:

“because the life of a creature is the blood, and I appoint it to make expiation on the altar for yourselves: it is the blood, which is the life, that makes expiation.” (Lev 17:11)

The book of Leviticus lays out twenty-seven chapters of laws and what to do when those laws were broken. It was a recurring cycle for the nation of Israel. They were given the law, they broke the law, they were sorry for breaking the law, and they offered an innocent animal to “pay” the penalty for breaking the law. Then the cycle started all over again.

How exhausting! Perhaps you’re feeling a bit exhausted, too? By the failures in your own life? The mistakes or poor choices that have had consequences not only for you but for others? Maybe you’re just tired of trying to be good enough. Tired of trying to hold it all together. Tired of trying to figure it all out and find your way in the dark.

The hardest thing we ever do is admit we’re wrong. Admit that we’ve fallen short. That we’ve sinned. To admit we can’t do it all and do it perfectly, and frankly, we don’t want to keep trying.

The Good News is that there is Someone who can take our mess, our failures, our striving, and give us a new start.

“Christ was innocent of sin, and yet for our sake, God made Him one with human sinfulness so that in Him we might be made one with the righteousness of God.”

2 Cor 5:21

Christ’s death on the cross mirrored the Levitical sacrifices. But unlike the calves and lambs, Jesus’ sacrifice did not end in death.  Jesus is alive! Easter, Resurrection Sunday, celebrates this Truth.

And because He is alive His death did what the offering of calves and lambs could never do. It paid the price for our sin – once and for all.

“There have been many Levitical priests because death prevents them from continuing in office, but Jesus holds a perpetual priesthood because He remains forever. That is why He is able to save completely those who approach God through Him since He is always alive to plead on their behalf.”

Hebrews 7:23-25

So what is your response to these truths? Do you want the salvation that Jesus offers?

“If the confession ‘Jesus is Lord’ is on your lips, and the faith that God raised Him from the dead is in your heart, you will find salvation.”

Romans 10:9

It’s that simple, friends.

“For it is by grace you are saved through faith; it is not your own doing. It is God’s gift, not a reward for work done.”

eph 2:8-9

“If we claim to be sinless, we are self-deceived and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is just and may be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every kind of wrongdoing.”

1 john 1:8-9

There is freedom in the arms of Jesus.

He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Praise Him!

God’s word is perfect in timing and substance.

A Song of Ascents. Behold, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth!

psalm 134

As this psalm suggests, even those who watch diligently over the house of the Lord day and night need a reminder to lift up their hands and praise His holy name. 

In this, the final psalm of ascents, the pilgrims have finally reached their destination – Jerusalem! They had been singing of His faithfulness during their long journey and they were now ready to worship and praise Him in the temple!

I wonder, did they find the night-watchmen sleeping? Or had the watchmen just grown bored? 

The pilgrims are neither bored nor sleeping. They cry out, filled with joy, “Behold! Raise your hands! Bless the Lord!” and then they pronounce a blessing upon the Lord’s servants, “May the Lord bless you.”

Has our worship become a bit mundane? A trifle bored? Are we beginning to see God as ordinary? rather than seeing His wondrous works IN the ordinary?

There’s no doubt the cares of this world can weigh us down. Especially when we try to carry them ourselves. We weren’t made to do that, friend.

Hand them over, those heavy trials, give them up. 

Surrender. 

Take on the easy yoke. Close your weary eyes and rest in Him. Trust Him to renew your spirit.

Then, walk forth in the JOY of your salvation. See Him as He really is – in all His wonder and glory – with freshly opened eyes.

Behold! and praise Him!

Abiding Love

A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. 

psalm 133

It wasn’t difficult, upon reading these words, to see the juxtaposition to the state of things in our world today. It is rare to find unity between brothers in both the literal and figurative sense of the word.

But then I realized that is exactly David’s point. Disunity is nothing new. It’s been around since Cain killed his brother Abel. It will be around until Jesus returns.

David tells us to Behold! for unity is a rare and wonderful thing. It is sacred like the precious oil poured over the High Priest’s head. 

That’s why Jesus said,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

John 13:34-35

Jesus knew that if love and unity were witnessed among believers, people would take notice. He also knew that we would need this love and unity if we were to endure to the end. 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 

Hebrews 10:24-25

I’ll be the first to admit that I have not always fulfilled His commandment. I have failed to love. And yes, I believe that my responsibility to love is greater because of Who I confess to represent.

I’m not talking about a namby-pamby love that ignores and tolerates sin. I’m talking about the fierce love of the Father, the love that desires to see the His children made whole, pure, and blessed.

This is the love we must have for each other, and for the world. And we can. When we submit to His will and allow Him to empower us to do His will.

Not the love that comes and goes, but the love that abides. Not a spirit that separates and divides, but one of unity and accord. Not minds that seek only to debate, but minds which seek to understand.Because where love reigns, God reigns. And until He returns in the flesh, we are His ambassadors.

May our words and actions honor and glorify Him.

The Road Less Traveled

You make time for what’s important to you. That’s true. But sometimes circumstances happen, or people happen, and things get shuffled around on the To-Do list.

Sometimes it is God who intervenes. Sometimes He says no to our plans. Even when our plans are good.  

A Song of Ascents. Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. “Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool!” Arise, O LORD, and go to Your resting place, You and the ark of your might. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy. For the sake of Your servant David, do not turn away the face of Your anointed one.The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which He will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep My covenant and My testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.” For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy. There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”

psalm 132

King David’s plans certainly seemed good and right. What could be nobler than building a house for God? But God said no to David’s plans.  (1Ch 22:8)

Psalm 132 recounts this part of Israel’s history and pleads with God to remember His covenant with David and the promises He had made.

This psalm speaks powerfully to me about two things, a yearning for His presence, and an assurance that He will fulfill His promise.

We receive both in Jesus.

The New Testament makes it clear that Christ is the anointed King, Priest, and eternal Son of God.  (Acts 2:30; Luke 1:32; Rev 3:21)

In Him, the promise is fulfilled, and our hope is secure. (Heb 10)

Through belief in Him, we receive the very presence of God. 

Whether we want to admit it or not, it is His presence that we so desperately need in our lives. We cannot conquer our enemies alone. We cannot overcome, and be-come all that He created us to be, alone.

We can try. We can strive and work and toil. We can bear the heavy burdens He never meant for us to bear. We can take the wide path, thick with mud that sucks us down in earthly cares.

Or we can take the road less traveled. Where the grass still grows and the ground is soft under our feet.

Oh, there will still be briers, thorns, and weeds here and there along the way. But choosing this path means we never walk alone. Trusting Him sets us free from the burdens this life would have us bear. It allows us to live the abundant life Jesus purchased for us on the cross.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

john 10:10

Humble Before Him

What do you say when you come before the Lord?  

Do you begin with your heart? Laying it open before the One Who fashioned it. Who knows its every beat, and thought?

A Song of Ascents of David. LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.

psalm 131:1-3

Do you confess the desire that grows there? The pride that causes the eyes to look toward things they should not seek?

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)

Have you humbled yourself before Him? Calmed the tumultuous sea of self-will and learned contentment at His feet?

Do you take comfort in the divine grace He offers?

And hope in the salvation of mankind?

Not Our Home

I chuckle every time I drive by this sign that my husband put up.  I’m sure you’ve probably seen similar signs in front of apartment complexes in your area. 

The idea is to entice people to stop driving, stop fighting, and stop striving. Just pull in here and . . . rest, you’re home.

The message appeals to our overworked, stressed-out society. But the truth is, changing your address won’t change any of the things that we strive against in this world.  You’ll only find yourself, stuck in traffic, sitting in front of a different apartment complex next week.

This world is not our home. 

Cliche? Maybe. But it’s true. The soul of the believer will never find rest here. And we shouldn’t try. 

Our soul longs for home – – longs for God. We cry to Him for mercy and receive it in an abundance of overflowing, sweetened with grace.

A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

psalm 130:1-8

We fear Him, not because He could squish our naughty bug-like selves, but because He could and He doesn’t. Instead, He offers us forgiveness through the sacrifice of His beloved Son.

And so, our soul waits for Him – His return in glory. We wait with expectancy and sure hope. A hope more certain than that of the watchman awaiting the rising sun. Just as we are confident that the sun will rise every morning, we can be confident of the Son’s return.

The final act of steadfast love in His plan of redemption.

Whatever you’re striving against this week, this day, this hour, I encourage you to cry out to Him . . .

. . . and receive His mercy, His forgiveness, His love.

Psalm 129

What trial are you facing today, friend?

Big or small, I know there is something you’re dealing with. There are always a few clouds wisping about, trying to cover our sun.

No clouds in your sky? Everything rosy and bright? I’m glad, truly I am. However, it’s likely they’ll be a puff on the horizon soon.

As I meditated on Psalm 129 this week, it brought me comfort and hope for these trying times.

A Song of Ascents. “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—”Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; He has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!” 

psalm 219:1-8

The psalm is referring to Israel’s constant affliction, and the psalmist cries out for the Lord to destroy their enemies. But these words can be claimed by any true believer of Christ.

The psalm encourages us, while in our current trial, to remember our former afflictions, and to be comforted and assured of God’s deliverance. Keeping a prayer journal, saving a token, or creating some type of memorial are great ways of remembering God’s faithfulness to us.

As I read the words, “The plowers plowed upon my back,” I’m reminded of what Christ endured for me. For you. No matter what we’re going through, He has been there. And overcome.

Whether the trials we face are of our own making, are the consequences of choices made by others, or are just realities of this fallen world, by His power, we too will overcome. Amen?

Romans 12 encourages us to pray for the salvation of our enemies, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t call upon God to avenge evil. No matter our circumstance, no matter the outcome, His word reminds us that He alone is just. He alone is righteous.

We can count on God to redeem all. 

Beginning with us.