Memorial Day weekend is
the unofficial start of summer in the US. It is also the official start of the
camping and gardening seasons. We love it! We love camping, gardening,
farming, and traveling. When the girls were young we made the best use of this
season, going to the beach, camping, or traveling around this great land.
I woke up early this
morning to the sweet singing of the morning doves. Back in the hills and
mountains of Orissa, where I was born, morning doves are prolific. They sing
the songs with sweet melodies. Whenever I am back in Phulbani I love to listen
to the morning songs of the morning doves. I was in Oxford, England a few
summers ago, where I recall listening to the songs of the morning doves both in
the morning and in the evening. The songs of the morning doves were melodious
and dominant, drowning out the songs of others birds. It is very possible they
are jubilant in singing joyful and triumphant songs to the Lord of all
creation since the time of Noah and the Flood event. The Lord of our Redemption
made the reference to doves and said, "you must be gentle as
doves"
I love to get up early
and wait for the sunrise. The Sunrise in Australia, India, Alaska Russia,
Israel , UK, Austrian Alps, German Black Forest, and the Mountain region of
Orissa India are all spectacular and stunning. I love the verse, “For the Lord
God is a sun and a shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He
withhold from those who walk uprightly” (84:11). This is the only time in the Bible that God is directly
referred to as the sun ( Mal.
4:2; Luke
1:78-79). In
Psalm 84, the metaphor is in the context of travelers. During the Biblical
times there were no lighted streets or cars with headlights. When you were
traveling in the wilderness and it got dark, you had to stop. It got cold when
the sun went down. Wolves howled in the darkness. For these reasons travelers
huddled together and waited for the dawn. The rising sun meant that you could
see your way again. It brought warmth and cheer. It brought a new day that
would take you closer to God’s lovely dwelling place, the
temple.
The sun sustains all
life on earth. It is a never-ending source of energy. It cheers our sagging
spirits when it breaks through the clouds after a storm. Even so the Lord God
is a sun to us. The sun
gives light and nourishes life; the shield gives protection from our enemies.
Without the shield, we would be vulnerable to all sorts of dangers in our
pilgrimage to heaven. The sun and the shield balance each other. With the sun
only, a band of pilgrims would be more conspicuous to their enemies. So God
also is a shield for them, keeping them safe to their journey’s end. This
blessing and beauty is due the grace of the Lord.
Grace humbles us because God only gives grace to the undeserving. If you earn it or deserve it, it is not grace, but a wage that is due (Romans 4:4-5). Salvation is entirely due to God’s gracious choice, apart from any foreseen faith or works, which would nullify grace (Romans 11:6). We receive God’s grace at salvation, but we also need His grace daily in order to walk with Him. God’s abundant grace in Christ motivates us to serve Him (1 Corinthians 15:10).
I love the story of
Mathew Henry, the well-known pastor and Bible commentator who, in 1714, was on
his deathbed at age 52. He was relatively young and had not finished his
commentary (others finished it from his notes). He had endured the loss of his
first wife and of three of his nine children. He could have complained about
his hard life. But he said to a friend, “You have been used to take notice of
the sayings of dying men. This is mine—that a life spent in the service of God,
and communion with Him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that one can
live in the present world” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on
the Whole Bible [Revell], p. 1:xiv).
Let us not believe
Satan’s lie that following God is a drag. Following the Lord is the most blessed
life possible. The many pleasures that the Lord gives to satisfy our souls
should fuel our desire to be in His presence, both individually and when His
people gather to worship Him.
In
Christ,
Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment