October 15, 2011
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"yet you did not return to ME" ~ (Amos 4:6-11) | letter 126 on assurance & joy
Amos 4
6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and lack of bread in all your places,
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
7 “I also withheld the rain from you
when there were yet three months to the harvest;
I would send rain on one city,
and send no rain on another city;
one field would have rain,
and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
8 so two or three cities would wander to another city
to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
9 “I struck you with blight and mildew;
your many gardens and your vineyards,
your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
10 “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
I killed your young men with the sword,
and carried away your horses,
and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
11 “I overthrew some of you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.In His merciful kindness to us, there are times that God withholds from His own people and allows such trials and difficulties to come into our lives.
Why?
– And why would I say that is part of God's merciful kindness to us?
That we might return to the LORD.
To explain...
So long as we keep seeking bread in the world, and so long as we keep finding it there, we will not return to the LORD – and we will not seek after and eat of and be abundantly satisfied with the true and living bread, the Lord Jesus Christ.So long as we keep seeking drink in the world, and so long as we keep finding it there, we will not return to the LORD – and we will not seek after and drink of and be abundantly satisfied with the true and living drink, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So long as we keep seeking after anything but Jesus Christ, our souls cannot and will not truly live as God has intended.
It grieves our heavenly Father, it crushes His heart as we gad about, as we seek in vain to find satisfaction in this world – and all the while He is more than ready to freely and bountifully supply for us from His inexhaustible riches, so we might be filled to overflowing with Him!
Amos 5:6 Seek the LORD and live...
Your eternal hunger can never be sated with the false bread of this passing world.
Your eternal thirst can never be slaked with the false drink of this passing world.
Your eternal soul can never be satisfied with the meager, counterfeit provisions of this passing world.John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”John 6:41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Jesus is describing a quality of life that is available only to the Christian. Have you ever tasted and drunk of Him and begun to know without a doubt His bread and His drink is far superior to the best the world can offer you – that HE is far superior to the best the world can offer you?
Charles Wesley spoke of Jesus Christ like this:
Love Divine, all Loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come downHave you ever had a real sense imparted to your soul that the love of Christ is truly divine, that His is a love that is unlike any love you'll find in this world?
Have you ever had a real sense imparted to your soul that the joy of Christ is truly heavenly, that His is a joy that is unlike any joy you will find in this world?
If you've never had such an experience of the love and joy of the living God, will you go to Him and ask Him to help you to know such true and deep and transcendent love and joy through more intimate fellowship with Him?
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.Isaiah 55
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
Hosea 2
6 Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
7 She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’ ...
16 And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.If you are frustrated, if you feel God is crossing you at every turn and hedging up your way like that, if you are tempted to whine and complain and doubt and question His goodness and love for you and His plan for you, I pray that He would give you the assurance that He is working all things for your good...
Psalm 73:28a But for me it is good to be near God...
It is for your soul's supreme good that you return to Him!
If you are hungering and thirsting today, that is a mercy of God to your soul. Will you return to Him? Will you seek Him diligently so you might be near Him, so your soul might truly live? The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that all who hunger and thirst for Him will be satisfied!
If you are feeling like Gomer today, if you cannot find your paths, or if you cannot find your lovers, if you are unable to find fulfillment, love, peace, joy and contentment in this world, now is the time to set your mind on things above and seek wholeheartedly after your Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and everlasting lover of your soul, the God who loved you before the foundation of the world and hung on the cross in your place as a whole burnt offering for your sin. Our God has unsearchable riches prepared to pour out upon you through Jesus Christ to provide for all your need, to fill you to overflowing, to satisfy the deepest desires and greatest longings of your heart.
Jeremiah 31:14 I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
declares the LORD.
Related:These other posts in my series of letters on assurance & fighting for joy:
Letter 16 on assurance and fighting for joy (our prayers, His wise denials and joy)
Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
to My seeking unmarried child (letter 40 on assurance & fighting for joy)
my dear single sister in Christ: Christ & Christ alone for your joy (Letter 62 on joy)
You whine and complain (Letter 70 on assurance & fighting for joy)
adopting God's purpose for the nations is for your joy & His glory (Letter 76 on joy)
wives, your husband is not your Husband | letter 77 on assurance & joy
Are you a radiant Christian or a drunken old woman? (letter 82 on assurance & fighting for joy)
year end reflections, # 1: "end of the year ... in the midst of heartache" | Letter 97 on joy
year end reflections, # 2: rejoicing in "The Often Unwanted but Necessary Gift" | Letter 98 on joy
One Friend alone | letter 100 on assurance & fighting for joy
dreams grasped, dreams released | letter 104 on assurance & fighting for joy
Can there be more? | letter 113 on assurance & fighting for joy
the lover's inquiry | letter 114 on fighting for joy
disappointment ~ appointment | letter 119 on assurance & fighting for joyAs a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)
If you knew the gift of God... (John 4:1-15)
Embittered, pricked in heart? Go into the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73)
How's your spiritual appetite? (Jonathan Edwards)
Lenten Reflections: When he broke all supply of bread (My breaking is for your blessing)
God, Love & Cookies ~ Have you abandoned your first Love? (Revelation 2:4)
A Hymn for "Shelf" Times..."Lord, We Know That Thou Art Near Us"
disaster's hidden call
Two Fountains ~ Where are you drinking? What is flowing? Don't waste your drinking!
the children of God will never say of Him: "Got stood up big time!"
Don't Waste Your Singleness | Single one ... be single-eyed
Still This Weekend, Still This Night
"And Jacob was left alone" ~ Don't waste your loneliness
Be not an Esau (Genesis 25:29-34, Hebrews 12:15-17)
Where do you go when the world is unlovely? (Psalm 84 & the theology of Biblical counseling)
All things (even bad things) work together for good...
Bible Reading-Isaiah: When We Think the LORD Has Forsaken and Forgotten Us
♥ Valentine's Day Posts ♥ (Series Links)Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Emphasis mine.
Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hunt,_William_Homan_-_The_Light_of_the_World_-_1853-54.jpg / CC BY-SA 3.0 | {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}
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Comments (8)
Hi Karen,
There used to be an old song 'I Ain't Got No Satisfaction.' There is none pursing the pleasures of the world. The tricky part for me is that I live in the world. God said that I had to work, which I enjoyed-- a lot. I guess that was a sin.
I like many things that come with the world.
I know when I was born again and have seen God do many wonderful things in my life. I have definitely had my lapses.
Thanks for a very thought provoking post.
frank
@ANVRSADDAY - Hi Frank, Thank you. That song is a great example!
Work is a gift and responsibility given to us by God, in fact, it was given to mankind before the fall. It's a real blessing if we can enjoy our work in the midst of this fallen world full of thorns & thistles – but we have to remember that we're never supposed to enjoy anything above God, including our work, our relationships, our family, our possessions, etc. We should be continuing to be thankful to God and to do all we do by His power and for His glory.
"...God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy..." As
long as we're enjoying all His gifts in a way that honors and exalts God, then God is blessed, and our souls are blessed as well.
We all have those lapses. We have to continue to battle them by the Spirit, by continuing to in the Word and prayer, in corporate worship & fellowship & the ordinances, etc. - those means God gives us to set our minds on things above, so we keep everything in the right perspective and don't allow the cares, riches and pleasures of this life to choke out God's seed.
Wow. You're really suffocated by superstition.
Research:
- The myth of Jesus is mostly plagiarized from older myths: http://freetruth.50webs.org/B1c.htm
- The "flood" story is copied from a previous story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh#Relationship_to_the_Bible
In short, Christianity is plagiarized and made up.
http://in-reason-i-trust.xanga.com/755103442/the-meaningless-death-of-jesus/
Amen!
A wonderful exhortation to the brethren to seek the Lord that we may be hidden in the day of His wrath... EXALT in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior because He has made known the straight way that leads to eternal life in the Father!
@In_Reason_I_Trust - It may seem superstition, myths and foolishness to you (as much of it did to me for many years ~ II Cor. 4:3-4), but to those who are being saved, the Gospel of Christ is the power of God for salvation. Romans 1:16-17; I Cor. 1:18-31.
I Cor. 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
@FearofGodandPerfectLove - Thanks, brother! And not only that we may be hidden in Christ in the day of His wrath, but hidden in Him while strangers and pilgrims here, that we might continue to feast on His grace and go from glory to glory! ~ Psalm 36:5-9.
This is very well presented! Encouraging to those who have come to the end of the emptiness and calling it "good".
Keep up the good work!!!
@quest4god@revelife - Thanks, Norm.
Sad to say that too many keep spinning their wheels in vain, trying to find fullness in emptiness.
John 4:13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
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