Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

God's Steadfast Love


Psalm 36:1-4 ESV

“Transgression speaks to the wicked
    deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
    before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
    that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
    he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
He plots trouble while on his bed;
    he sets himself in a way that is not good;
    he does not reject evil.”

People who are still bound in sin, who are still under the control of sin and of Satan, who have surrendered their lives over to the lusts of their flesh, without conscience, have no fear of the Lord, no honor or respect for God.

The sad reality of this, though, is that many of them profess faith in Jesus Christ. They make a show of righteousness. They go through the motions of religious practice. And, they can fool many people. For, they are skilled actors, and many of them are charmers and manipulators.

They are proud. They are convinced they will not be found out, that no one will know the depths of their sin. They are very clever in their own eyes, plotting evil in secret, continuing their path of degradation while making an outward appearance of all goodness.

They are liars and deceivers who tell so many lies that they begin to believe their own lies. Even though they may know the truth intellectually, it has not reached down into the depths of their hearts, for they will not receive it. They may receive it on a surface level, but they don’t let it impact how they live, ultimately, for their hearts are still being controlled by the flesh.

They tend to follow cyclical patterns of thought and behavior, too, for sin is addictive, and addiction goes in cycles, for it repeats the same behaviors over again. So, not only will they repeat the same (or similar) sins over and over, but also the same conversations, the same excuses, the same verbal attacks of others, and the same lies and denials, etc. It all gets repeated.

The longer they are able to continue in this addictive cycle, without serious consequence, the more confident they become that they will not be found out, and that no one will really know what they are doing when no one can see but God.

They are skilled liars and deceivers, so they will not only lie to cover-up their sin, after the fact, but they will proactively lie in order to give a cover story for the sin that they are plotting to commit. Not a word from their mouths can be trusted. It doesn’t mean they never tell the truth, but that they tell so many lies that they are not trustworthy.

They are also skilled at mind games, playing with others’ emotions, trying to trip them up with their words or to get them riled up, hoping that they will “blow it” so they have reason to accuse them. They are users and abusers who take advantage of others for their own selfish gain.

They may even get others to join in with them in their dissipation, or in their trickery and deceit. And, they may do this out of spite or to be mean and cruel to someone else. For, they are consistently plotting trouble, and they are up to no good, not rejecting evil, at least not for long, or not in full sincerity.

This is the lot of the wicked who have given themselves over to the lusts of their flesh, and who have no fear of God before their eyes.

Psalm 36:5-6 ESV

“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you save, O Lord.”

On the other hand, our Lord is to be fully trusted. He will never leave or forsake those who are truly his. He will never betray, nor will he be unfaithful. Every word of his can be trusted. Amen!

His love is everlasting. It is dependable. His love is not surface only. It is not fakery. It is not just emotion. He doesn’t say one thing and then do another. His love is self-sacrificial. It prefers what is holy, righteous, godly, moral, honest, and upright. He truly cares.

Jesus’ love for us considers what is truly best for us, as God knows best. He knows what we need, and he will provide. He goes before us and he prepares the way for us and he guides our steps each step of the way when we put our faith and trust in him. He counsels us in the way that we should go, and he strengthens and empowers us to do what he has gifted and called us to do.

He listens to our prayers if we are listening to him and if we are following him and his lead, and if we are not resisting him in spirit and if we are not refusing his counsel. And, he speaks to us through his Holy Spirit who he gave to us to teach us all things and through his Word.

He is never too busy or too distracted to listen and to care about us and what is on our hearts. He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, and his Spirit intercedes for us when we are at a loss for words to pray.

He encourages us in our walks of faith, and he comforts us when we are hurting and in pain. He counsels us when we don’t know what to do, and he shows us the right way to go. Sometimes, at least for me, he will answer my thoughts, before I even pray, with a song that speaks right to my heart with just the right words I need to hear.

The love of God is so awesome! It is unfathomable! And, I am so thankful that my Lord loves me, and that he takes such good care of me. I thank him and I praise him. My life belongs to him. I am his, and he is mine.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907
Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!


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