Pre-PASSOVER Meditation ~ ~ ~ The Right Statutes of The LORD

Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights
Year of Our LORD 3.4.2014 at 5:52 p.m.
Tromso, Norway,
Photo by Harald Albrigtsen
Courtesy of spaceweather.com 

The Invitatory: 

CHRIST the KING+ 

Ever Reigns on HIGH; 

O Come, 

Let us Adore HIM+.

   

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 19: 1-3, 7- 8 

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

The Heavens declare the glory of GOD; 

and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  

Day unto day uttereth speech, 

and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 

There is no speech nor language, 

where their voice is not heard.

+  +  +

The LAW of the LORD is perfect, 

converting the soul: 

the testimony of the LORD is sure, 

making wise the simple

The STATUTES of the LORD are right, 

rejoicing the heart: 

the commandment of the LORD is pure, 

enlightening the eyes.

QUIETUDE: A time to Reflect about His HOLINESS.

RESPONSE: 

Holy, holy, holy, LORD GOD of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of Thy Glory;

Glory be to THEE, O LORD MOST HIGH.

Blessed is HE+ that Cometh 

in the Name of The LORD.

Hosanna in the Highest. 

Amen. 

2nd Lesson from the Old Testament: Leviticus 19: 1-3, 32

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, 

Ye shall be HOLY: 

for I the LORD your GOD am HOLY.

                                                ~  ~  ~

Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep MY sabbaths: I am the LORD your GOD.

~  ~  ~

³² Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy GOD: I am the LORD.

QUIETUDE: A time to repent for my lack of holiness in life-style, my lack of holiness before The LORD. 

RESPONSE:  

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

Psalm 51

Against THEE, THEE only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that THOU mightest be justified when THOU speakest, and be clear when THOU judgest.

Create in me a clean heart, O GOD; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy HOLY SPIRIT from me.

AMEN.

The GOSPEL Lesson: Matthew 5:17

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

The Words of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST ~ ~ ~ 

 Think not that am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I+  am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

+  +  +  

The WORD of The LORD. 

THANKS BE TO GOD !

+   +  +

Meditation ~ ~ ~

The LORD JESUS CHRIST fulfilled the Law by being the perfect sacrifice, acceptable to The FATHER, for our sins. 

As HE+ lives ... and REIGNS ... in our hearts, HE+ helps us keep the other commandments and statutes (laws) of GOD  ... that is,  those things The LORD GOD orders humans to do to walk well-pleasing unto HIM. 

His Laws become "written in our hearts" now... if ... if .... if .... we live to please JESUS The LORD.

To do the opposite of those Laws constitutes sin.

As we work our way through Leviticus during this mediation, let us ask ourselves: 

Do we DO 

those things written 

that GOD takes pleasure in ? 

For instance, let's look at ONE SIMPLE commandment written in the LAW, from Leviticus 19:32. 

Do we rise up before the hoary ( white-headed) man? 

Do we teach our children to rise up before the elderly? 

How many years has it been since we have witnessed such outward respect towards an elderly person? 

What is the problem with keeping this simple and easy commandment of The LORD?    

The problem is this: 

• We do not lay to heart the Word of The LORD.  
• 
  
• We do not lay to heart the keeping of HIS Commandments. 
• 
  
• We do not lay to heart the importance  of doing those things HE has told us plainly and clearly to do.

How much louder 

must HE speak 

to let us know 

HE means what HE says ... 

and says what HE means ?

Yes, the Heavens DO DECLARE the Glory of GOD. 

Do we ?    

HE Who made   those fantastic Northern Lights that move and undulate and crackle with frightening intensity in the Heavens,  also made rules to be followed by mankind.  

Those rules are for our benefit, to keep the human race safe from destruction by the enemy !  The rules teach us WHAT CONSTITUTES "holy" living before GOD, our LORD and our Maker.  

What about "Grace?"

Isn't "Grace" all that is needed 

to please GOD ?  

Isn't "Grace" enough ? 

Grace is what GOD gives to us; it is NOT how we serve HIM+.

Grace is NOT an excuse to neglect a HOLY walk. 

Enough "Grace?"  Yes, we have ENOUGH Grace from GOD to enable us to walk in His ways. 

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting HOLINESS in the fear of GOD. 2 Cor. 7:1, 

courtesy of Biblegateway.com

Let us pray:

Gracious Heavenly FATHER, I have sinned against THEE even while saying I was following JESUS!  

I repent with all of my heart for setting my own "standard" of righteousness... instead of  following Your rules and laws in my heart and in my behavior.  

O LORD, You clearly marked out in Your Word the way I should walk, to be well-pleasing unto You. I have not laid Your Words to heart. 

Forgive me for following the ways of this world instead of the ways of HOLINESS that You have instructed me to do in Your Word. 

Cleanse me, and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 

Create in me a clean, clean heart and renew a right spirit within me, O LORD. 

This I pray in The Name of  JESUS CHRIST our LORD, The Eternal SON+ and WORD+ of GOD our FATHER, through the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT. 

Amen.   

Pre-PASSOVER Meditation ~ ~ ~ The Perfect LAW of The LORD

Photo by THE ORDER OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD+

The Invitatory: 

CHRIST the KING+ has suffered for us; 

O Come, Let us Adore HIM+.

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 19: 7

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

The law of the LORD is perfect, 

converting the soul: 

the testimony of the LORD is sure, 

making wise the simple.

QUIETUDE: 

A time to Reflect about the Perfect LAW of The LORD. 

RESPONSE: 

Holy art THOU, 

LORD GOD of our fathers; 

THOU art worthy of praise, 

Holy art THOU. 

Lesson from the Epistles: Hebrews 10:26-27

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

QUIETUDE: A time to repent.

RESPONSE:

LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD, 

Who+ taketh away the sin of the world,

have mercy upon us.

LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,

BEARER+ of our sins, 

have mercy upon us.

LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD, 

SAVIOR+ of the world,

grant us Thy+ Peace.

AMEN.

The GOSPEL Lesson: Luke 6:46

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

The Words of  Our LORD JESUS CHRIST ~ ~ ~ 

And why call ye me, 
LORD, LORD, 

and do not the things 
which I+ say?

+  +  +

The WORD of The LORD.  

THANKS BE TO GOD !

Meditation ~ ~ ~

Yes, The Law of The LORD is indeed perfect. It was perfect when it was given to Moses and perfect when The LORD JESUS CHRIST lived it, as our EXAMPLE+ set before us.

The LAWS were not established to benefit GOD, but for the benefit of man... so he could avoid the destruction besetting the human race from the fall of Adam. 

Nowadays, we cast away those LAWS as "restrictions" upon our modern life-style and we proclaim loud and long that "we can please GOD" by living freely, as we see fit. 

But reading carefully the New Testament, we find that the LAWS done away with by Our LORD were those LAWS dealing with the Blood Sacrifice for sins. 

Furthermore, the reason  the sacrifice LAWS are over is because The LORD JESUS CHRIST fulfilled those requirements for a Blood sacrifice for sins.  

The LAW, itself, is good ~ ~ ~ because by The LAW we gain a concrete knowledge of what constitutes SIN, what actions and behaviors are repulsive to GOD. 

How else would we know which of our actions and behaviors GOD records as our sin ?

Has GOD changed his definition of SIN ?  

Remember this: The LORD said yes to the tithing of little mint and rue and all manner of herbs when he chided the Pharisees ( Luke 11:42 ) for passing over judgment and the love of GOD.  HE+ reminded them NOT to forget the love of GOD and judgment... but to also do what was written in the LAW !

But woe unto you, Pharisees! 

for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, 

 and pass over judgment and the love of God: 

these ought ye to have done, 

and not to leave the other undone.

The LAW of The LORD, as seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments, is indeed perfect. It shows us what SIN is. 

Let us re-read it to find out what pleases ~ ~ ~ and displeases ~ ~ ~ GOD, and ask The LORD to show us how it applies to our lives today. 

Let us make our amendment of life after conviction falls. Then we will see how the perfect Law of the LORD converts the soul.    

Let us pray: 

Our FATHER Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name and holy art Thy ways. 

O LORD, I have cast aside Thy Words and have done what pleased me; I have substituted society's ways for Thy rules of Holy living. I have not laid Thy ways to heart. 

I repent for casting aside Thy instructions and commands. I repent for thinking they are not important "nowadays," and thinking I could please THEE living my own way, by my own standards, with my own values.  

I repent for not attributing to THY HOLY CHARACTER Thy loving-kindness and tender mercies towards mankind as the reason why THOU didst make those rules. Yes, it was Thy LOVE that determined those LAWS to protect us from the evil within... and the evil without.

Cleanse me, I pray, and grant me a renewed mind to do Thy Will... in all areas... as guided by Thy Holy Word.

This I pray in The Name of  JESUS CHRIST our LORD, The Eternal SON+ and WORD+ of GOD our FATHER, through the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT. 

Amen.   

BEHOLD, the LAMB+ .... #8 ... Supplications for the Guided Meditations

Photo by www.richardliantonioa.com

SUPPLICATIONS.... 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my Strength and my REDEEMER+.  Psalm 19:14

O, send out Thy LIGHT and Thy TRUTH, that they may lead me and bring me unto Thy Holy hill and to Thy dwelling. Psalm 43:3

Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in THEE do I trust: 
Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk:
For I lift up my soul unto THEE. Psalm 143:8


Rubrics: During Guided Meditation,  recite these supplications 3 times,  as a prayer unto The LORD, after the Invitatory. They will position your heart to be ready to receive instruction from The WORD+ during the remainder of the Guided Meditation. 

LENTEN MEDITATION 21 ~ Becoming Acceptable

LENTEN MEDITATION 21 ~ ~ ~ Becoming Acceptable…

a Message for the Redeemed, Those in the Covenant of The LORD JESUS CHRIST.

For the Year of Our LORD, 2.26.2008


Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be
acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

This message is ONLY for the Redeemed.
It is only for those who are regenerated, born anew from above.

It is only for those New Creatures in CHRIST JESUS.
It is only for those who have entered into the Covenant of GOD through CHRIST JESUS…

for there is no other Covenant
apart from the Blood of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST.


Bishop +Paul Stanley of All Saints Church in Rome, Ga., explains it this way: “GOD has chosen to relate to mankind in a personal way. HE does this through HIS Covenant. HE does not relate to man [in a personal way] outside of HIS Covenant.”


So, throughout this meditation, let us keep in mind we are NOT referring to being born again, anew from above. We are NOT talking about “earning” our salvation by doing good works so that GOD will grant us forgiveness and admission into Heaven when we die.


Indeed, we are not talking at all to anyone
outside of the covenant of GOD.

So now, how do we WHO ARE ALREADY IN THE COVENANT become acceptable to The LORD? Scriptures in several places, including the Psalms, and the Apostles writings, exhorts us to do those things which will make us acceptable unto HIM+.

[An aside: Originally, the Psalms were written by, to, and for the people of GOD who were under the Old Testament or Old Covenant. [Testament means covenant.] These saints were kept safe under the Mosaic Law, the Old Covenant, until the time of the Messiah. The LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Messiah, established the New and Better Covenant… the covenant made through His+ Blood.

We who are not born Jewish have become grafted into the Israel of GOD through The LORD JESUS CHRIST. Indeed, the Jews themselves now must enter into His+ new covenant established by the Messiah. The Old Covenant no longer exists.

The Psalms therefore, including both the promises and the words of exhortation, may be appropriated by all who are in the New Covenant through the LORD JESUS CHRIST. ]

So now, how do we WHO ARE ALREADY IN THE COVENANT

become acceptable to The LORD?

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me:
then shall I be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Psalm 19:12,13

Becoming acceptable unto The LORD involves good grooming of our soul and spirit. We continuously comb out the tangles. We get out the snags. The twisted nests of knots, hidden underneath, must be brought to the surface and be unsnarled, combed straight, and set free. The comb we use has sharp teeth… it is the standard of Scripture, the very words of The LORD CHRIST.

Thus, we monitor our motives, the thoughts of our hearts, in the light of His+ Word. What agrees with Scriptures, WITH CHRIST’S WORDS, we keep. What disagrees with HIS+WORD, we comb out and untangle. Even if we must use the scissors, we rid ourselves of the hidden twisted nests of knots, in the light of GOD’S word and by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT. The Apostle Paul is a good example of this. He urged the Christians to be imitators of him in this respect, to follow his ways of following CHRIST.

Let us not be content to allow ourselves tangles and twisted knots. We think they cannot be seen by others. But, there is ONE+ Who+ sees all.



Dear Heavenly FATHER, THOU art Holy. I need that holiness in the inner man. Help me to be pure in thought… pure in word … pure in deed. Help me to see my motives and ungracious spirit when I think things unworthy of my LORD CHRIST. I do not want Him+ to be ashamed of me and to always have to tolerate my slovenly ways. Help me not to excuse myself, but to walk in a way that is well-pleasing unto YOU, through your Well Beloved SON our LORD, in the strength of Your Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.

I praise You for Your continual goodness toward me. I thank You for Your patience with my errors. I thank You for Your holiness now and Your holiness when You walked on earth as a man. Help me to become more holy in my innermost being. Help me to follow your example as my LORD+ and MASTER+.

I pray this in the unblemished name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, Your eternal SON and WORD.
Amen. + + +