Praise the Lord
for this new day. There is dusting of fresh and friendly snow on the ground this
morning. The crocuses and daffodils are popping up anyway. Spring is almost
here. Best of all Easter is just over 3 weeks away. The celebration of the
Resurrection of our Lord drawing near.
Those of you live in
the area, join us for our weekly Television presentation this evening at 7 PM on
Time Warner Cable Channel 4. The Lord has blessed us in this ministry. The
Camera man is a professional videographer. He is also a committed Christian, who
has been to Orissa , India and had made a documentary on the Persecution of
Christians in the State of Orissa. He is producing this Friday Evening's
Television ministry. I am so grateful, humbled, and blessed. Please pray with us
that this ministry will be a blessing to many.
The Old Testament reading for last Sunday was taken from Isaiah 55. It is written “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6,7).
The Gospel reading
for this coming Sunday is the parable of the prodigal son. Sin took him to a far
away country where life had more in common with pigs than human beings. You
might say that he was speaking pig Latin. He was destitute and devastated. The
results and wages of sin are devastating. Somebody has aptly said the most
difficult words to utter are, "I have sinned". The prodigal son declared, "I
have sinned" Prevenient and amazing grace was at work. The forgiveness of the
Lord came upon the prodigal son like a food. Even as the Church affirms, "I
believe in the forgiveness of sins", so the prodigal son was
forgiven.
Amy Carmichael, the notable missionary and author, said: “There is no need to plead that the love of God shall fill our heart as though he were unwilling to fill us. He is willing as light is willing to flood a room that is opened to its brightness; willing as water is willing to flow into an emptied channel. Love is pressing round us on all sides like air. Cease to resist, and instantly love takes possession.” So we do not have to plead for his forgiveness either. As soon as we open the door of repentance, it floods in.
Joni Erickson quoted Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and then wrote, “My friend, Dan Earl, is a bee-keeper. Recently he presented me with a gift basket of his bee byproducts - creams, candles, and best of all, his top-selling honey. That Sunday I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea and toasted crumpets with butter and honey. I was almost in heaven. It was so delicious.
Amy Carmichael, the notable missionary and author, said: “There is no need to plead that the love of God shall fill our heart as though he were unwilling to fill us. He is willing as light is willing to flood a room that is opened to its brightness; willing as water is willing to flow into an emptied channel. Love is pressing round us on all sides like air. Cease to resist, and instantly love takes possession.” So we do not have to plead for his forgiveness either. As soon as we open the door of repentance, it floods in.
Joni Erickson quoted Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and then wrote, “My friend, Dan Earl, is a bee-keeper. Recently he presented me with a gift basket of his bee byproducts - creams, candles, and best of all, his top-selling honey. That Sunday I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea and toasted crumpets with butter and honey. I was almost in heaven. It was so delicious.
The Puritan,
Jonathan Edwards, drew a parallel between honey and Psalm 34:8. One can conclude
that honey is honey because it is golden, has a certain viscosity, and has bits
of comb in it. Therefore, it must be honey. But Edwards said there is a superior
way to know. Put a drop on your tongue, and you'll see that knowing honey
involves much more than understanding facts about it. To truly know honey is to
taste and see that it is sweet, delicious, and delightful. There's nothing quite
like it!” There are all kinds of facts that can be known about forgiveness, but
it was meant to be tasted. Its sweetness meant to be
experienced.
In Christ,
In Christ,
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