Afterwords -- how much he has done
"Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul." (Psalm 66:16)
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:39)
March 8, 2024
Dear friends,
I've been thinking about Jesus' words to the Gerasene demoniac, whom he had just healed. He said, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you."
Fifty-three years ago, on Monday of this week, at 1 a.m. in the morning, I called upon the Lord to save me. I was convicted of my sin and was convinced that I needed to come to the Lord Jesus to receive forgiveness and new life. As in the case of the demoniac, I was in a far place and God came to me when I could not (and would not) come to him.
For the honor and glory of the Lord, I'd like to list just a few of the things that "he has done for my soul" (Psalm 66:16) ...
-- He opened my eyes to the reality, power, and goodness of Jesus Christ.
-- He forgave my sins, and I am no longer under condemnation.
-- He gave me a new joy, removing so much anger and hatred.
-- He took me out of the miry clay and put my feet upon the rock.
-- He put a song in my heart, and I have a reason to sing.
-- He set me free in his love, adopting me as his very own child.
-- He declared me righteous through Christ's death and resurrection.
-- He gave me his Spirit and wrote his law upon my heart.
-- He gave me a new purpose and reason to live.
-- He gave me peace with God, along with the peace of God.
-- He opened my mind and heart to love and understand his Word.
-- He has given me a new worldview and a way to look at life.
-- He has given me a new circle of friends in his forever family.
-- He has taught me how to forgive and be forgiven in life.
-- He has given me a wonderful wife and companion for 50 years.
-- He has given children, grandchildren, and spiritual children.
-- He has answered countless prayers along the way.
-- He has provided for all my needs, and for many of my wants.
-- He has given me strength to face temptations.
-- He has called and prepared me for Christian ministry.
-- He provided a good seminary education under godly teachers.
-- He has allowed us to serve 33 years in two very good churches.
-- He has given, and will continue to give, strength to persevere for his name's sake.
Thanks be to the Lord! For me, there have been many ups and downs through the years, but God has always been faithful to his promises! "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36)
IN OTHER READING.
-- "Just as a plant is bound up with the soil in which it is rooted and from which it draws its nourishment, so also the spiritual life is by virtue of its very nature bound up with Scripture." (Herman Bavinck on "Spiritual Life and Growth")
-- "I’ll keep writing here because I think it’s part of the work God has called me to do." Jen Pollock Michel on "The Day I Decided to Quit Book Publishing."
-- "God’s plan all along has been to use ordinary leaders to accomplish extraordinary things." Tim Challies on "We Who Are So Ordinary."
-- T. S. Eliot on political liberalism in the 1940s, which is very similar to today's version.
-- "Moral indifference would be an imperfection in God, not a perfection. But not to judge the world would be to show moral indifference. The final proof that God is a perfect moral Being, not indifferent to questions of right and wrong, is the fact that he has committed himself to judge the world." (J. I. Packer, Knowing God)
FINAL QUOTE.
"If we know ourselves at all, we know that we are not fit to face [the judgment of God]. What then are we to do? The New Testament answer is: Call on the coming Judge as your present Savior. As Judge, he is the law, but as Savior he is the gospel. Run from him now, and you will meet him as Judge then -- and without hope. Seek him now and you will find him (for "he that seeketh findeth"), and you will then discover that you are looking forward to that meeting with joy, knowing that there is no "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). (J. I. Packer, Knowing God)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Image credit: photo above is by Ben White on Unsplash. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.