Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty, acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.
– J.I. Packer
An awesome light fell on the mountains in the Crowsnest Pass yesterday. It was accompanied by an awesome wind that caught the new skiff of snow and made it look like it was falling up.
I will lift my praise above everything to You, my God and King!
I will continually bless Your name forever and always.
My praise will never cease—
I will praise You every day;
I will lift up Your name forever.
The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.
One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.
Your majesty and glorious splendor have captivated me;
I will meditate on Your wonders, sing songs of Your worth.
We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God,
nothing mightier than Your awesome works.
I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath.
The news of Your rich goodness is no secret—
Your people love to recall it
and sing songs of joy to celebrate Your righteousness.
Psalm 145
Streams of mercy,
never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
(From Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson)
The stories of God’s provision in our parents’ and grandparents’ lives are a precious inheritance. In the same way our stories not only build faith for our own journey, as we recall them, they also build a foundation of faith for our children and for their children and for future generations.
My grandchildren ask for stories about their parents, about their grandparents and especially about themselves as babies. I tell them stories when we walk in the woods, when we travel together, when we get ready for bed. They especially want to hear the stories about miracles, about escapes from danger, about noble deeds and about the way God brought everything together to give them life and this precious moment right here, right now.
Do you have a story to tell of God stepping in to your own history?
Has he rescued you, healed you, or freed you from addictions?
Has He spoken to you through a song or an angel or left a gem on your bed?
Has a promise in the Bible caught your attention like a beacon in the dark?
Have you heard his voice in the shower or in the truck or had a dream that came true?
Have you experienced a co-incidence that is too much of a co-incidence to be a co-incidence?
Have you found your soul mate or a loyal friend or the child you were meant to adopt?
Have you walked a hard road and found that God’s grace did keep you and did get you through the valley?
Stories about God are not just for children but for anyone with ears to hear.
Would you tell me about it? I would love to hear.
I’ve told a lot of my stories here, how my paternal grandfather saw Jesus in the barn, how my maternal grandparents were late and missed their boat – the Titanic, how I found my lost keys deep in the forest, how God lifted depression, how I heard Him speak through a bicycle shop advertisement and a dancing prairie chicken, how God did a miracle in our son-in-law’s body and in a lot of other people’s hearts after he was given a 0% chance of surviving flesh-eating disease…
Now it’s your turn. What’s your God story? Just write in the comment box on the bottom. (You may need to click on “leave a comment” under the title first.)
Tell your story.
Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth,
bend your ears to what I tell you.
I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb;
I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths,
Stories we heard from our fathers,
counsel we learned at our mother’s knee.
We’re not keeping this to ourselves,
we’re passing it along to the next generation—
God’s fame and fortune,
the marvelous things he has done.
He planted a witness in Jacob,
set his Word firmly in Israel,
Then commanded our parents
to teach it to their children
So the next generation would know,
and all the generations to come—
Know the truth and tell the stories
so their children can trust in God.
(Psalm 78 The Message)
A story worth telling: https://charispsallo.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/i-want-my-daddy/
I heard the children talking.
“The sun has gone behind the clouds,” said one, disappointment in his voice.
“No. The clouds just got in front of it,” said the other. “The sun is still there. Even if we can’t see it, it’s still there, else everything would die.”
We do not mourn as those without hope. God is still there.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
(Habakkuk 3:17,18)
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
(Psalm 34:1-8)
“…at present Jesus simply looks for those who willingly answer His call and say yes to Him. “Yes. You gave everything You have for me. I now give everything I have to You….”
“[Jesus] became obedient even to the point of death. It really does cost to follow God. And there’s sometimes sadness and grieving in that, in terms of how much we will have to give up. The truth is, to be fully a disciple of Jesus will cost us everything. Jesus doesn’t ask for half our heart; He asks for it all. But there is good news in that. When we deny ourselves and lay down our lives – the meager amount we have to offer anyway in comparison – we actually gain every thing!”
– Bruce Merz, in While He Lay Dying
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” -Jesus Christ
(Matthew 16:25 NLT)
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
(Daniel 2:20 -22)
Charis: Subject to Change 