Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear the hail thy bright ascendant star:
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?
No wound? No scar?
Yea, as the master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound? No scar?
- Amy Wilson Carmichael
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thursday, December 4, 2008
57 Days to the "Return . . . for I am merciful" Regional Conference
You have heard of the "40 days of purpose"? (I am not a fan of Rick Warren's ministerial philosophy.)
Well, in the next 57 days, may I share with you thoughts on heartbrokenness, heart repentance, and heart renewal?
God knows how desperately we in America need sustained meditation on thistopic.
This is the cry of the repenting remnant (to borrow the words of JohnOwen):
"The saints see that in themselves they are still exceedingly defiled; and, indeed, to have a sight of the defilements of sin is a more spiritual discovery than to have only a sense of the guilt of sin. This follows every conviction and is commensurate unto it; that, usually only such as reveal the purity and holiness of God and all his ways. Here upon they cry with shame, within themselves, "Unclean, unclean"--unclean in their natures, unclean in their persons, unclean in their conversations; all rolled in the blood of their defilements; their hearts by nature a very sink, and their lives a dung hill. They know, also, that no unclean thing shall enter into the kingdom of God [Eph. 5:5], or have a place in the new Jerusalem; that God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity[Hab. 1:13]. They cannot endure to look on themselves; and how shall they dare to appear in his presence? What remedies shall they now use? "Though they wash themselves with nitre, and take them much soap, yet their iniquity will continue marked" (Jer. 2:22). Wherewith, then, shall they come before the Lord? For the removal of this, I say, they look, inthe first place, to the purifying virtue of the blood of Christ, which is able to cleanse them from all their sins (I John 1:7); being the spring from whence flows all the purifying virtue, which in the issue will take away all their spots and stains, "make them holy and without blemish, and in the end present them glorious unto himself" (Eph. 5:26-27). This they dwell upon with thoughts of faith; they roll it in their minds andspirits. Here faith obtains new life, new vigor, when a sense of vileness has even overwhelmed it. Here is a fountain opened: draw nigh,and see its beauty, purity, and efficacy. Here is a fountain laid of that work whose accomplishments we long for. One moment's communion with Christ by faith herein is more effectual to the purging of the soul, to the increasing of grace, than the utmost self-endeavors of a thousand ages" (Communion with the Triune God, p. 330-331).
thinking of heart issues,
et
Well, in the next 57 days, may I share with you thoughts on heartbrokenness, heart repentance, and heart renewal?
God knows how desperately we in America need sustained meditation on thistopic.
This is the cry of the repenting remnant (to borrow the words of JohnOwen):
"The saints see that in themselves they are still exceedingly defiled; and, indeed, to have a sight of the defilements of sin is a more spiritual discovery than to have only a sense of the guilt of sin. This follows every conviction and is commensurate unto it; that, usually only such as reveal the purity and holiness of God and all his ways. Here upon they cry with shame, within themselves, "Unclean, unclean"--unclean in their natures, unclean in their persons, unclean in their conversations; all rolled in the blood of their defilements; their hearts by nature a very sink, and their lives a dung hill. They know, also, that no unclean thing shall enter into the kingdom of God [Eph. 5:5], or have a place in the new Jerusalem; that God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity[Hab. 1:13]. They cannot endure to look on themselves; and how shall they dare to appear in his presence? What remedies shall they now use? "Though they wash themselves with nitre, and take them much soap, yet their iniquity will continue marked" (Jer. 2:22). Wherewith, then, shall they come before the Lord? For the removal of this, I say, they look, inthe first place, to the purifying virtue of the blood of Christ, which is able to cleanse them from all their sins (I John 1:7); being the spring from whence flows all the purifying virtue, which in the issue will take away all their spots and stains, "make them holy and without blemish, and in the end present them glorious unto himself" (Eph. 5:26-27). This they dwell upon with thoughts of faith; they roll it in their minds andspirits. Here faith obtains new life, new vigor, when a sense of vileness has even overwhelmed it. Here is a fountain opened: draw nigh,and see its beauty, purity, and efficacy. Here is a fountain laid of that work whose accomplishments we long for. One moment's communion with Christ by faith herein is more effectual to the purging of the soul, to the increasing of grace, than the utmost self-endeavors of a thousand ages" (Communion with the Triune God, p. 330-331).
thinking of heart issues,
et
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Thinking of Heart Issues
Guess what. A new blog for me. Just so I can keep up with everyone using blogger.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
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