gospelriver – Page 11 – Sharing Christ

55. Encouragement for single Christians

gospelriver Practical, Song/Poem September 8, 2011December 1, 2011 2 Comments

from a single Christian

Click for Hymns for the Lonely YouTube Playlist (Listen while you read)

Jesus fills the gap

Are you lonely?
“He hath said, I will never leave thee” (Heb 13:5).
He sends you flowers every spring, and He won’t forget about you. Meditate on Him. (Matthew 6:30)

Do you wish you could spend an evening watching the sunset with your beloved?
Remember that your greatest Lover made the sunset for you to enjoy. Watch it with Him. (1Tim. 6:17)

Do you wish you could walk hand in hand with your beloved?
Remember the One who holds your hand and says, “Fear not” (Isaiah 41:13). You are in His hand (John 10:28). Walk with Him.

Do you long for children to love, teach and nurture for God?
Seek to win souls for Christ, and you will find that you have children to love, teach and nurture (1Cor. 4:15). Witness for Him.

Do you long to look into the eyes of your beloved?
Anticipate that day when you “shall see His face” (Rev. 22:4). Wait and watch expectantly for Him.

Do you long to have someone to share your love and secrets with?
Cherish time in secret with your Bridegroom in heaven (John 14:21). Talk with Him.

Jesus is what none other can ever be

Earthly partners will fall short. They will never satisfy the deepest needs of your soul. Only Christ can truly fill and satisfy the heart, and only He is perfectly suited to meet your need. Give your heart to Him in worship, and He will fill it to overflowing.

The love of an earthly partner may grow dim. The love of Christ is unchanging, enduring, unending, and beyond our understanding (Rom. 8:39, Eph. 3:19).

An earthly partner may not be attentive to your needs. Christ, your Great High Priest, is ever aware of your need, and is touched by your feelings and necessities (Heb. 4:15).

An earthly partner gives a precious ring. Christ gave His priceless life for you, and gave the Spirit as the guarantee of your inheritance (Eph. 5:25, 1:14).

Who made your heart with the capability to love? Who is love in Himself? Surely in Him is love to satisfy the most thirsty soul, and there could be no greater lover than Love Himself.

Jesus is the greatest Lover

The Lord Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” John 14:21.

“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23.

“And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” John 17:26.

The love of the Lord Jesus is a personal, individual love. He would have gone to Calvary just for you. Each individual is important to Him, as if there were no one else but you.

The love of the Lord is a constant, ever-present love. You need only seek Him to know that love is there.

Spend time with your Beloved today, and tell Him how much He means to you.

Songs to sing when you’re feeling lonely

His eye is on the sparrow
Give me Jesus
Lean on Me
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus
Deep, deep love version 2
Oh love, that will not let me go
You’ll never walk alone
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Eagles Wings
Above all
As the deer
More precious than silver
How deep the Father’s love for us
O glorious love
Power of Your love
My Jesus I love Thee
There is none like You

Dealing with inner struggles

Pride expects things for myself, as if I deserved them, and consequently has no reason to be thankful. Humility understands that God’s favor and blessings are undeserved, and every good and perfect gift comes from His loving hand.

Appreciation for living for God can be seen in an African missionary’s words, “Say not sacrifice, but privilege.” The Lord Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). That is sacrifice. The early disciples rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer for His name. That is privilege. Following Christ is a privilege, and it will mean showing our love to Christ by giving up things that we naturally want for ourselves, out of love to Him. I wonder if my spiritual condition is such that I could do the same? When we can, Christ will grow nearer in our hearts, and we will have learned an invaluable lesson that will put us in good stead the rest of our lives, whether married or single.

We need to understand that all things are in God’s control (Ephesians 1:11). If I am single, then He has allowed that or determined that for a purpose. It is not my place to blame my all-knowing, all-powerful Guide and Lord, but to accept the will of the One who called me to serve Him.

With whatever trying circumstance, one can seek to forget, busy oneself with activity, rise above it, drown in it, or, in contrast, accept it from God. Elizabeth Elliot included a poem by Amy Carmichael in her book Loneliness: It can be a Wilderness. It can be a Pathway to God (also here?) included below:

For in Acceptance Lieth Peace

He said, “I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places,
They shall be filled again.
O voices moaning deep within me, cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, “I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood, cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavor lieth peace.

He said, “I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life’s riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, “I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, “I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God tomorrow
Will to His son explain.”
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word, not vain;
For in Acceptance lieth peace.

– Amy Carmichael

Why might God desire for me to be single?

We don’t always know God’s reasons. But here are a few ideas that could be reasons for singleness:

Paul explains in 1Corinthians 7 that singleness may allow me to better serve the Lord, and bring greater blessing to others than if I were married. Some work can best be done when single, without the cares and needs of a family to attend to. Though caring for one’s family is truly living for God, it is not directly related to ministering to God’s people or winning the lost (though it may very well be viewed as preparing young hearts to have lives for Christ). It may even be that this service is only temporary, and after it is complete, marriage will take place.
Perhaps I am not ready for married life and have not yet learned the lessons necessary for a healthy, God-honoring marriage.
Only the Lord knows the future. He knows what could happen if I were to marry. Perhaps a single life would shield from unforeseen evils, pain, or suffering.
Perhaps God has not brought Mr. or Miss Right into my life yet.
God may have some lessons for me to learn as a single individual before marriage that I could not learn otherwise. For instance, if the pain of loneliness causes me to come into a deeper knowledge of the presence of Christ and a greater intimacy with Him, then that single life will be well worth it. Perhaps the Lord would like to teach me a lesson in patience and waiting on Him. If I fight it, it may simply prolong my singleness. If I learn His lesson and bow my will to His, He will lead me on.

Panic Attack

Perhaps you are saying, “But I’m getting older! I don’t have much time left. The time is running out!”

The Bible says in response, “the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none….” A day is coming when none will be married except to Christ, when the sorrows and trials of this life will give way to the “far better” life that is eternal (Phil. 1:23). The treasures of earth will fade into insignificance in the splendor of the glories of heaven. Then the single Christian who lived his/her life for God will receive a special glory that is greater than sons and daughters (Isaiah 56:5).

Accept God’s best from God’s hand. Realize that God is in control, and God’s time is always best. Let your panic turn into fervent prayer, and look to the Lord for the needed strength.

Along with this, we must note that God does give

A note of balance

Marriage was God’s general desire for mankind from the beginning (Genesis 2:18). Many can actually serve God more effectively in their sphere married than single.

If a person is on your heart, let God guide. Pray much. Marriage is a life commitment. You will have to live with the one you marry for a lifetime. Make sure they are God’s pick, not just yours.

To desire a single life for Christ is honorable, but if you simply cannot do it without giving in to temptation, then God instructs to marry (1Cor. 7:37), for our own preservation and holiness, but only in the LORD (1Cor. 7:39). (That means I should not allow the physical attraction that I have toward an individual to be my direction, but I should make sure that the one I marry is bowing to the will and ways of the Lord in his/her life.)

Please share!

What has helped you to accept God’s plan and purpose for your life?

What blessings have you found from a single life?

54. Jesus said, “I am the way”

gospelriver Devotional, Song/Poem August 23, 2011 0 Comment

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

John 14:6 is so often heard in the gospel, and rightfully so. Paul saw in the way on the road to Damascus, the Way to heaven and from that moment on was found in the way he had previously tried so hard to destroy (Acts 26:13,9:2,9:17). I hadn’t heard of John Stott, but recently ran across a quote of his that I appreciated: “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)… As we face the cross, then, we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there’, and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.'”

But John 14:6 was not spoken to unbelievers… it was spoken to His disciples. What can I learn from that? The two in the way on the road to Emmaeus were asked, ‘What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?’ They replied, ‘Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?’ (Luke 24). How sympathizing was the Lord to listen to them pour out their grief, sadness and unfulfilled expectations… with no defense whatsoever to correct their view of Him as a stranger or His lack of knowledge… the only One who really did know all the things that had so recently happened. He didn’t just fill them with the glad hope of the future either… He showed them the purpose of the present. ‘Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?’ There was a reason… glory to God would be the result.

How often am I tempted to say, ‘Don’t You know?’. Of course He knows! And just as He spoke to those two, He wants to speak to me of all people (and you too!). He is the way… He’s not just the beginning and the ending… He wants to be known as the entire way in between as well. Am I too occupied with getting to the end of the road that I miss the things He wants to show me about Himself along the way? He wants me to know Him and His (fill in the blank with whatever need that is felt lacking), appreciating Him here and now, whatever that might mean. He can bring through each and every circumstance and wants each one to know Him better every step of the way. Am I surrendered to let Him be my way? Not just the beginning in salvation and the end if death comes before His return, but step by step. Oh to be able to say, ‘Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?’ Luke 24:32. Can hardly imagine that this would be true, but what if when I get to the ultimate destination of heaven and see Him, if like these two, I’ll want to turn around and come all the way back… can’t imagine that to be so, but it’s neat to think that He’s just as much with me now as He will be then, and there are things He wants me to learn of Him every step of the way! His promise was ‘I am with you alway’ Matt 28:20 and in John 14:19-20 He said, ‘the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.’

“If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him,
O may His love the scales displace
And bid us see Him face to face.”

(Believers Hymn Book #363)

– by Tabitha Bruley

The day had gone; alone and weak
I groped my way within a bleak
And sunless land.
The path that led into the light
I could not find! In that dark
night God took my hand.
He led me that I might not stray,
And brought me by a new, safe way
I had not known.
By waters still, through pastures green
I followed Him–the path was clean
Of briar and stone.
The heavy darkness lost its strength,
My waiting eyes beheld at length
The streaking dawn.
On, safely on, through sunrise glow
I walked, my hand in His, and lo,
The night had gone.
–Annie Porter Johnson

53. Morning and Evening

gospelriver Devotional August 15, 2011December 1, 2011 0 Comment

Click for “Give Me Jesus” by Fernando Ortega (listen while you read)

In the morning when I wake, I know He’ll never me forsake.

It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lam. 3:22-23

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Psalm 143:8

In the evening before I sleep, I praise the One who who did me keep.

It is a good thing… to shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night… Psalm 92:1-2.

And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Psalm 107:7

Mornings for the Lord Jesus

His communion in the morning

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Alone with His Father, He spent precious moments of communion in the morning before His work for the day began.

His conversation in the morning

Luke 21:38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

He didn’t wait to be about His Father’s business. It was His occupation from break of day.

His crucifixion in the morning

Mark 15:1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

The evening previous had been marked by tears, sweat and agony. He had already faced this day and was strong for whatever lay before Him. He knew all that was going to happen, and today, just like every other day, He willingly submitted to the will of His Father, though today would be like no other day in all of history, eternity.

His resurrection in the morning

Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

His resurrection marked the dawn of a new day, a new hope, a bright future for those who trust in Him.

His commission in the morning

John 21:4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

He came first to calm their fears, to eliminate their doubts, and then to empower their spirits for service.

His coming in the morning

Genesis 1:5 …And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand

2 Peter 1:19 …until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Song of Songs 2:17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away…

Psalm 30:5 …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Soon the night of sorrow and difficulty will give way to the morning of joy. God who shined His glorious gospel into our dark hearts will take us to be with Himself. There is no night there. The shadows will be dispelled, and we will have the substance.

Yes, He will surely come again!

52. The Man of Sorrows (hymn)

gospelriver Song/Poem August 10, 2011 0 Comment

1. O Lord, Thy wondrous story
Our inmost soul doth move,
And, ending in the glory,
We trace Thy path of love.

2. No eye was found to pity,
No heart to bear Thy woe,
But shame, and scorn, and spitting:
None cared Thy Name to know.

3. O day of greatest sorrow,
Day of unfathomed grief!
When Thou didst taste the horror
Of wrath without relief.

4. Thus, with all grief acquainted,
Blest Man of sorrows here,
Thy love, by ill untainted,
To death Thy feet did bear.

5. In death, obedience yielding
To God Thy Father’s will,
Love still its power was wielding
To meet all human ill.

6. But, O divine Sojourner,
Midst man’s unfathomed ill,
Love that made Thee a mourner,
It is not man’s to tell!

7. We worship when we see Thee
In all Thy sorrowing path;
We long soon to be with Thee
Who bore for us the wrath!

8. Come then, expected Saviour;
Thou Man of sorrows, Come!
Almighty, blest Deliv’rer,
And take us to Thee – home.

J. N. Darby

Note: this comes from a much longer poem, found here.

I found this audio clip of it online…

The Man of Sorrows

51. He Humbled Himself

gospelriver Devotional, Song/Poem July 18, 2011December 1, 2011 0 Comment

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ” Philippians 2:8

The Father of eternity came into time as a babe. (Isaiah 9:6)

The Son of God came into the world through an earthly mother.

The Bread of Life was in a manger laid.

The Lord from heaven dwelt in despised Nazareth.

The Creator of all things labored as a carpenter.

The Holy One touched a leper.

The Almighty was wearied with His journey (John 4:6).

The All-knowing, All-powerful One submitted to those who came to arrest Him.

He who upholds the universe with His word spoke not a word in His own defense (Heb. 1:3).

The One who pronounced the curse upon man that sinned was made a curse for man.

The sinless One bore the iniquity of us all…

Maker of the Universe

The Maker of the universe,
As Man for man was made a curse.
The claims of Law which He had made,
Unto the uttermost He paid.

His holy fingers made the bough,
Which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.
The nails that pierced His hands were mined
In secret places He designed.

He made the forest whence there sprung
The tree on which His body hung.
He died upon a cross of wood,
Yet made the hill on which it stood.

The sky that darkened o’er His head,
By Him above the earth was spread.
The sun that hid from Him its face
By His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood
Was tempered in the fires of God.
The grave in which His form was laid
Was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears
Was His from everlasting years.
But a new glory crowns His brow,
And every knee to Him shall bow.

– F. W. Pitt

(Click to hear a song with these words)
Here is another song that I have enjoyed, along the same theme…

Bow the Knee

50. Alone

gospelriver Devotional June 15, 2011October 9, 2011 2 Comments

My meditation recently has been upon Christ alone, and in these senses: He was physically abandoned on earth, He is unique, and He is exalted above all others. Surely He alone is worthy of our adoration and worship.

A. The Lord was alone upon a mountain in His supplication and communication with the Father.

Matthew 14:23 – And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

No other was as close to the Father as the Son of God. No other walked with God as He walked. None other pleased God like Him.

B. The Lord was alone on a mountain in His splendor and glory.

Matthew 17:1-2 – And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Moses and Elijah must fade away and Christ alone be on display. No one compares to Him in His glory and beauty.

C. The Lord was alone on the Mount of Olives in His extreme sorrow.

Matthew 26:38-39, 56 – Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further….Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

As He contemplated the load of sin that He would have to bear, the Lord was overwhelmed with sorrow. The disciples could not share this burden with Him, and slept in the hour of His agony. Only He could drink the cup the Father gave Him, and He willingly poured out Himself as an offering.

D. The Lord was alone on the mountain in His suffering and death.

Matthew 27:46 – And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

As I consider the place of His suffering and death, I am reminded of a day long before when Abraham walked up the mountain with His son Isaac (Gen. 22). Isaac laid Himself willingly down upon the altar, alone. God there provided a Lamb, a substitute. Our suffering Lord was the only Lamb who could take our place. He was truly man, like us, and truly God, to bring us to the Father. Forsaken by His God, He alone bore the weight of our sin. Blessed Savior!

E. The feet of the Lord Jesus shall again touch the Mount of Olives– but this time He will not be alone (Zech 14:4).

He will come with the myriads of His saints (Zech 14:5, Jude 14). The corn of wheat that was alone in the grave will be accompanied with the much fruit of His sufferings and death (John 12:24). His blood-bought bride will live and reign with Him.

And “the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:11).

49. One might ask… How do I know if I am elected/chosen to be saved?

gospelriver Good news June 5, 2011 0 Comment

The teaching of election has divided many and there are many interpretations given to try to understand it. When it comes to salvation, we DO know the following:

God wants EVERYONE to be saved (1Timothy 2:4).

NO ONE will be turned away who comes to the Lord Jesus by faith (John 6:37).

God commands EVERYONE, everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

ALL who truly believe, HAVE everlasting life, and the God they trust will not let them down (Acts 13:39, Romans 10:11, John 3:16, John 5:24, John 6:47).

Do not focus on whether you are chosen (or, part of the “elect”). Let your focus be on believing what God says. If you are convicted about your sin and desiring God’s salvation, God IS calling you and He is more than willing to save you when you trust in Him.

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17 NASB).

Sharing Christ

Author: gospelriver