Yahweh Yireh: My Provider

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I spent the evening with a dear friend and his boyfriend this evening.  I haven’t seen this friend in a very long time and it was wonderful to meet his boyfriend and get caught up on friendship stuff.  I have found that it is an excellent idea to let folks whom I love know that I love them unconditionally, whether or not I agree with their decisions, like their sins (because I am aware that I sin…a LOT), or think they could be more moral.  What I’m supposed to do is to call them (as myself) to repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Christ.

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Angry at God

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I was a teacher for a while in public schools.  My student teaching experience was in an affluent community comprised of white, Jewish and students of international origin.  The kids were all descendants of doctors, lawyers and community pillars of some sort or other.  My teaching experience was in a district which was predominantly low-income, one parent (grandparent, that is) families.

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Pray and Don’t Lose Heart 2

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One of the most frustrating things I think I’ve ever encountered as a Christian is praying for someone who seems to only drift further and further away from you in the process.  No explanation, no anything.

God is merciful, though.  Other friends of mine who are seemingly far from God are brought near by the Spirit’s work and come to repentance.

I’m thankful that our great God and Savior is one who brings sinners near…even me.

And yet, I need to hear the Savior’s call…”pray and do not lose heart.”  So often, I lose heart.  These words are an encouragement to me.  I love that Christ has given his Church this wonderful encouragement.

The Glorious Worship of the King 2

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Worship is serious.

Not only does what I sing reflect my worship, how I live does too.  How does my worship glorify the King to Whom All Glory Is Due?

There are two things I could do at this point in the post.

  1. Navel-gaze.  I could tell you either about how all I do to safeguard the music at my church (namely, the lyrics) so that Christ might be honored in a biblical way, OR I could tell you about how nothing I do could ever be good enough to match the purity of the God to whom I sing.
  2. Extol Christ.

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Pray and Don’t Lose Heart 1

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Luke 18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'” 6And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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The Gospel in the 103rd Psalm

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He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repays us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

–Psalm 103:10-13, ESV

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