the God who has called us.

"growth in the christian life is not required only because we are morally deficient, but also because the God who has called us is infinitely rich. therefore, conversion denotes the necessity of a turning of the self that is so fundamental that the self is placed on a path of growth for which there is no end."

-stanley hauerwas.

bold and avid souls.

"We may plead for mercy for a lifetime in unbelief, and at the end of our days be still no more than sadly hopeful that we shall somewhere, sometime, receive it. This is to starve to death just outside the banquet hall in which we have been warmly invited. Or we may, if we will, lay hold on the mercy of God by faith, enter the hall, and sit down with the bold and avid souls who will not allow diffidence and unbelief to keep them from the feast of fat things prepared for them."

a.w. tozer.

our great Defender.

"in the Hebrew scriptures, satan was the angel who was the counsel for the prosecution against men in the presence of God. he was the adversary of men." -w. barclay.

i came across this passage in a revelation commentary this morning, and i found it interesting to think of satan in this way, as a prosecutor in the presence of God, bringing before heaven all the evil things that humanity has done and bringing to God's attention the selfishness that consistently resides in our hearts.

our accuser.

highlighting what we once were,
emphasizing our crooked choices,
and reminding us of all we do not deserve.

and it was such a beautiful and moving thing for me to then compare that image to Jesus.

our beautiful, compassionate, generous, powerful, victorious, and faultless Defender, sitting at the right hand of God, intimately speaking with Him on our behalf.

making hollow all those accusations of guilt.

and God, the great and merciful Judge, choosing to listen to the voice and the witness of His Son, the great Messiah of humanity, rather than the adversary.

no longer is it our own lives that stand as witness.

it is now the life of the unblemished Lamb, Son of the MOST HIGH GOD, that stands on trial as evidence in the Kingdom.

and the verdict comes in: not guilty.

and the verdict comes in:

GRACE.

-----

"the forgiveness which is in the Cross has left satan the accuser no possible accusation to make." -w. barclay.

"be strong in the grace of Jesus." -paul.

on my account.

"God, you know my folly;
my guilty deeds are not hidden from You.
Let those who look to You, O Lord, God of hosts,
not be disappointed on my account..."

חסד - hesed.

Hesed: an act of mercy or kindness. to be merciful, faithful.

"Hesed is central to God's character. It is closely tied to His covenant with His chosen people. In fact, the covenant may be thought of as the relationship from which the hesed flows.

God's hesed, however, is not bound by the covenant itself, and though men may prove unfaithful to this relationship, God's hesed is everlasting." -notes, hebrew study bible.

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But with everlasting hesed, I will take you back in love. -isaiah 54.

Know therefore, that only the Lord your God is God, the steadfast God who keeps His hesed covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love Him and keep His commands. -deut. 7.

Let those who fear the Lord declare, His hesed is eternal. -psalm 118.

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blessed be the Name.

take us back.

Who is a God like You,
Forgiving iniquity
And remitting transgression;
Who has not maintained His wrath forever
Against the remnant of His own people,
Because He loves graciousness!
He will take us back in love;
He will cover up our iniquities,
You will hurl all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
You will keep faith with Jacob,
Loyalty to Abraham,
As You promised on oath to our fathers
In days gone by.

-micah 7.

Amidah: For Forgiveness.

(for amidah first post, click here)

Amidah: 6.

For Forgiveness.

Forgive us, Oh our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, oh our King, for we have transgressed; for You pardon and forgive. Blessed are You, oh Lord, who is merciful and always ready to forgive.

shame. idolatry. worship.

"When I worship the idol of looking good, or being bright, or attaining power, I have put my hope in a god that has no power to rescue and redeem. That is not a problem until I need to be saved. Once I need help, the god I created sits silently. In its inactivity, it mocks my cry for help.

Shame arises when we feel deficient, yes. But far more, we feel deficient and ugly when the god we (covertly and at times unconsciously) worship lets us down and reveals the foolishness of our idolatrous trust. Shame in not primarily an experience of feeling bad or deficient as it is the exposure of foolish trust in a god who is not God.

Shame exposes what we worship."

-dan allender.

Severe.

"The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconcieved ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ." -- oswald chambers.

...

All I really know to say to this quote is "Amen."

(Oh, and one more thing):

Praise. the. Lord that at times His mercy is severe.

Praise the Lord when He drags us out of our boxes, forces us outside our lines, and is willing to make us really uncomfortable .

Praise the Lord for his work in us and its sometimes white hot intensity.

Yes, praise the Lord for it all.

For without His refining fire,

I would surely be lost.