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.   

Pre-PASSOVER MEDITATION ~ ~ ~ BEHOLD, the TREE+

Photo by The ORDER OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD+
Our GOD reigns from the Tree. 

The Invitatory: 

CHRIST our MEDIATOR+ 

ever liveth 

to make intercession for us; 

O Come, Let us Adore HIM+.

  

Old Testament Lesson: Exodus 15:21-26 

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

And Miriam answered them, 

Sing ye to the LORD, 

for HE hath triumphed gloriously; 

the horse and his rider hath 

HE thrown into the sea.

So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, 

and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; 

and they went three days in the wilderness, 

and found no water.

And when they came to Marah, 

they could not drink of the waters of Marah, 

for they were bitter: 

therefore the name of it was called Marah.

And the people murmured against Moses, saying, 

What shall we drink?

And he cried unto the LORD; 

and the LORD shewed him a TREE 

which when he had cast into the waters,

the waters were made sweet:

there HE made for them a statute 

and an ordinance, 

and there HE proved them,

And said,

If .  .  .

thou wilt diligently hearken 

to the voice of the LORD THY GOD, 

and wilt do that which is right in HIS sight, 

and wilt give ear to HIS commandments, 

and keep all HIS statutes, 

I will put none of these diseases upon thee, 

which I have brought upon the Egyptians: 

for I AM the LORD that healeth thee.

QUIETUDE: 

A time to Reflect about the 

TREE+ that made the bitter sweet.

RESPONSE: 

HOLY is The LAMB+. 

HOLY is The LAMB+. 

HOLY is The LAMB+ that was slain,

Blessing , glory, honor and power 

be unto HIM that sitteth upon the Throne

and unto The LAMB+ 

Amen. 

Lesson from the Epistles: 2 Corinthians 4:6-10

 Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

For GOD, WHO commanded the Light 

to shine out of darkness, 

hath shined in our hearts, 

to give the light of the knowledge 

of the glory of God 

in the face of JESUS CHRIST.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, 

that the excellency of the power 

may be of GOD and not of us.

We are troubled on every side, 

yet not distressed; 

we are perplexed, 

but not in despair; 

Persecuted, but not forsaken; 

cast down, but not destroyed; 

Always bearing about in the body 

the dying of the LORD JESUS, 

that the life also of JESUS 

might be made manifest

in our body.

QUIETUDE: A time to repent of complaining and murmuring about "our lot" in life. 

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: John 1:29

The next day John saw JESUS coming toward him and said, 

"Behold! 

The LAMB+ of GOD 

Who+ taketh away 

the sin of the world!"

The WORD of The LORD.  

THANKS BE TO GOD !

Meditation ~ ~ ~

Every heart knows sorrow and bitterness. Some sorrows come from the natural consequences of our own choices; some from the choices of others which affect our life in a troublesome and difficult way. 

Some sorrowful conditions we cannot avoid throughout life, like the loss of a limb, the loss of a child or spouse, or the loss of health.

When bitterness about our condition descends upon our hearts, it only deepens the sorrow. We must look for the TREE+ which changes that bitterness into something sweet.

That TREE+ is the Cross of JESUS. 

HE+ turns all sorrow and all suffering into something sweet, if we cast that Cross of HIS+ into the midst of our troubles and hurts. HE+ is able to turn the bitterness of life into blessings ... for us, for all those around us.... if we continually bring the situation hurting our hearts to HIM+ for His+ Touch.

And the key is this: BEHOLD, The LAMB+ of GOD. We are not told to look at ourselves or even at our problems and trials. 

We are instructed to look at the LAMB+of GOD and pray without ceasing!  

If we neglect to do those two things, then we will surely stumble into sin simply from the pain of the situation.

Our words will be sharp, our patience short. 

Our judgment will be irrational, and our decisions will be fraught with error. Fear and frustration will enter in as the mistakes mount up.  

And bitterness will continue to grow.

Self-pity will rear its ugly head and INCREASE the bitterness even more. 

We try to drown our sorrows and bitterness in a bottle of alcohol... or soda pop. We eat more chocolate and sweets than we ought. We go on shopping binges and NEVER stay home... or stay quiet when we are there. 

Busyness, food, social interactions, even ministry, DOES NOT TAKE AWAY sorrow nor does it deal with bitterness. 

Only coming unto The LAMB+ will heal us... laying it all down at HIS+ feet. Yielding to His+ will... and living to please HIM+, from now on, will bring healing to our souls. 

Just as the Word says. 

Let us pray: 

O Gracious Heavenly FATHER, in the Name of Thy HOLY SON+ JESUS CHRIST,  WHO+ for the joy that was set before HIM+ endured the Cross, I come to THEE, full of hurts and wounds, sorrows and bitterness.

Dear LORD, I have not run to Thy+ Cross when I am upset, angry, or hurt. THOU+ knowest  I have avoided dealing with my un-changeable situation in a Spiritual manner, and I have ignored your invitation to "COME to YOU" with it all. 

Help me to trust THEE+ to navigate me through these dark waters and dark days. 

And I am so sorry for complaining and murmuring about my situation ... to you, to others, and always in my heart. 

Change me by Thy+ Holy power. Help me to be thankful for the Cross+ in my life; I know it will draw me to THEE+... if I embrace it as I ought.

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.