Peanut Gallery Reflections of Love, Mercy, and Grace

faroukfarouk said:

By God's grace, we should 'grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ' (2 Peter 3).

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Amen!

brinny said:

Amen!

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I agree!

SpiritPsalmist said:

What I can do is copy and paste the teaching here and people may respond accordingly. The first one is Isaiah 40:27-31.



Why do we complain? Why do we say "the Lord does not care what happens to me"?

The Lord is the God who lives forever. He created the world. He does not become tired or need rest. He gives strength to those who are tired. He gives power to those who are weak.

The verse I want to focus on is verse 31. The New King James puts it this way: "But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

I love this verse.

First let's consider what it means to wait.

1. 1. One definition is: to continue as one is in expectation of.
   2. an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt

Right after the statements of

• The Lord is the God who lives forever,
• He created all the world,
• He does not become tired or need rest,
• No one can understand how great His wisdom is,
• The Lord gives strength to those who are tired,
• He gives more power to those who are weak,

He says "those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength". Waiting...trusting the Lord to act on our behalf. Why? Because He's told us He will. When? When we wait. What do we do during this waiting time? We reflect on Him. If you can think of nothing else to say say, "The Lord is the God who lives forever, He created all the world, He does not become tired or need rest, no one can understand how great His wisdom is, the Lord gives strength to whose who are tired, and boy am I tired, and I'm weak but as I wait on the Lord for His power and His strength I will mount up with wings like eagles".

Bald eagles fly like other birds by gaining lift from their wing surface. The wing has a concave underside and convex outerside such that wind passing over it creates upward lift. If the lift is greater than the mass they will rise. ~The Center for Conservation Biology~​

So what is it that God is telling us?

As we wait, and praise, and worship Him, and spend time with Him, the wind of the Holy Spirit will lift us up above those things that weigh us down. We will have the strength to continue our walk with Him, we will run and not be weary and we will walk and not faint.

​

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a truly fascinating study that goes along with this and is very deep if you allow it to be, is to study what exactly God is telling us all the time. For example, one of the big ones I get to counsel at the moment, is fear. God is always telling us not to fear. There are a host of things that God is always telling us about our situation and it is a truly fascinating study. But that one also goes beautifully with a study about where God leads us. Not necessarily where we like to think He leads. Both are amazing and deep studies into the Love, mercy, and grace of our Lord and King. I encourage you to study these two in depth, you won't be disappointed.

SpiritPsalmist said:

Joy in God's Faithfulness



Sing, Shout, Be glad with all your heart. If you are trusting in Jesus for your salvation The Lord has taken away your judgments. Do not fear, don't let your hands be weak. The Lord is there with you. The Mighty One who saves. He will rejoice enthusiastically over you with Joy! He will rest in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Can you see it? The King of the universe delivering you from the things that so easily draw you away then He's enthusiastically dancing with joy over YOU! He loves YOU! His love is there to quiet you from your fears and frustrations. He's gazing into your eyes with intense love and He's singing over you.

Such a merciful God He is.

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My husband recently preached on Psalms 34, not long after I showed him something fascinating about that Psalm. In fact, I was mentioning to my brother what I discovered in that Psalm and he too preached a sermon on it. Psalm 34 talks about fear and then in verse 11 (I think, 10 or 11) it says something amazing. It tells us to listen and learn what the fear of the Lord is. We are to turn our worlding fears into a fear of the Lord and Psalms 34 tells us exactly what that fear of the Lord is. Praise the Lord we don't have to guess or wonder, He tells us. Amen and Amen

SpiritPsalmist said:

Satan Accuses Joshua



This is another one of my favorites. The nature of the God we serve, full of love, mercy, and grace is seen first hand, not only here but in all of the Old Testament. I know these references given are not talking specifically to us as the body of Christ but yet true to HIS nature the lessons shown reach out to us as well. He is God and He loves us with an everlasting love.

Here we see Zechariah, a prophet, being shown a vision of Joshua the High Priest and he's standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan is also there so that he can accuse him. The Lord rebukes satan, identifying Joshua (who represented Israel) as a brand plucked from the fire. The fire was God's judgment and the brand was a wooden poker that was used to stir the fire. Joshua's garments were filthy. The angel of the Lord commands that the filthy garments be removed from Joshua then HE says "look, I have taken your iniquity away from you and I have put party clothes on you". Then it is said, "Let them put a clean hat on his head."

In the reaping of any bad we've sown (Galations 6:7-9) we find ourselves very much like the brand that was used to stir the fire. When we came to God though, He removed us from the fire that was waiting for us. He raises His hand against our accuser who wants to rip us apart. Our accuser stands before God telling Him all the wrong things we have done and how it's our own fault and we have no right to be pulled out of the fire. But God rebukes Him. Why? Because at HIS right hand, stands Jesus, our High Priest showing the place where the nails went into His hands and His feet and declaring how His blood was shed for us and is covering our sins. We are no longer wearing filthy garments, our sins have been washed away and Jesus is planning a big celebration for us.

Here we see a God full of love, mercy, and grace who, like in the vision of Joshua did not leave us to die but came to our rescue. His promise is "I will never, not ever, no never, leave you or forsake you." Thank you God.

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Not sure the point you are making here, might just be because I am a bit preoccupied at the moment with a full weekend. Btw, I do apologize for not getting back to you right away, my father died yesterday morning and so my day got a bit crazy really fast.

Anyway, the most recent study I finished was how to pray the prayer of Love in that, I was kind of amazed at how important cleansing was to our prayer life. Amen and amen

Everything in Isaiah was fulfilled in Christ to His Israel Church Bride when He Came. And is still being filled up with remnants of scattered believers, every time a man or woman calls on the Name of Israel's Messiah. That's why all the quotes of Isaiah are quoted in the N.T. Covenant to the House of Israel in Christ.
Those who would attempt to rob the Church of Her Wedded Marriage in Zion to the Messiah of Israel are not ones to give heed to.

The Church is Sion.

(Heb 12:22) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
(Heb 12:23) To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
(Heb 12:24) And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,...

(Gal 4:26) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.


Thank you Jesus our Husband!

Winepress777 said:

Everything in Isaiah was fulfilled in Christ to His Israel Church Bride when He Came. And is still being filled up with remnants of scattered believers, every time a man or woman calls on the Name of Israel's Messiah. That's why all the quotes of Isaiah are quoted in the N.T. Covenant to the House of Israel in Christ.
Those who would attempt to rob the Church of Her Wedded Marriage in Zion to the Messiah of Israel are not ones to give heed to.

The Church is Sion.

(Heb 12:22) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
(Heb 12:23) To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
(Heb 12:24) And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,...

(Gal 4:26) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.


Thank you Jesus our Husband!

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how did we go from love, mercy, and grace to the marriage of Jesus and the Church? I missed something.

BTW, just a point of interest on the topic of our marriage to Christ. We did a deep study of Eph. 5 where we are told that husbands should love their wife as Christ loved the church and then went to Isaiah 53 to see how Christ loved the church. We laid Prov. 31 the wife of noble character along side that Isaiah passage and man did we learn a lot about marriage...amazing doesn't even describe it. Great study.

razzelflabben said:

how did we go from love, mercy, and grace to the marriage of Jesus and the Church? I missed something.

BTW, just a point of interest on the topic of our marriage to Christ. We did a deep study of Eph. 5 where we are told that husbands should love their wife as Christ loved the church and then went to Isaiah 53 to see how Christ loved the church. We laid Prov. 31 the wife of noble character along side that Isaiah passage and man did we learn a lot about marriage...amazing doesn't even describe it. Great study.

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Because Isaiahs prophecies, as was being discussed, are fulfilled, as was shown, in the Marriage by Love Mercy and Grace of Christ and the Church.

Winepress777 said:

Because Isaiahs prophecies, as was being discussed, are fulfilled, as was shown, in the Marriage by Love Mercy and Grace of Christ and the Church.

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okay...thanks for clarifying, have to run but if I remember to look it up, I'll do so when I have time, I understand now the connection you are making but don't recall that part of the passage you presented...lots going on this weekend though so could very easily just be me.

Two boys were arguing about who was going to get the first flapjack out of the pan for breakfast. The first boy said, "Jesus would say the first would be last and the last would be first, and He would allow others to go before Himself." The second boy said, "Well, you be Jesus then!"

[QUOTE\] The nature of the God we serve, full of love, mercy, and grace is seen first hand, not only here but in all of the Old Testament. I know these references given are not talking specifically to us as the body of Christ but yet true to HIS nature the lessons shown reach out to us as well. He is God and He loves us with an everlasting love.

Here we see Zechariah, a prophet, being shown a vision of Joshua the High Priest and he's standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan is also there so that he can accuse him. The Lord rebukes satan, identifying Joshua (who represented Israel) as a brand plucked from the fire. The fire was God's judgment and the brand was a wooden poker that was used to stir the fire. Joshua's garments were filthy. The angel of the Lord commands that the filthy garments be removed from Joshua then HE says "look, I have taken your iniquity away from you and I have put party clothes on you". Then it is said, "Let them put a clean hat on his head."

In the reaping of any bad we've sown (Galations 6:7-9) we find ourselves very much like the brand that was used to stir the fire. When we came to God though, He removed us from the fire that was waiting for us. He raises His hand against our accuser who wants to rip us apart. Our accuser stands before God telling Him all the wrong things we have done and how it's our own fault and we have no right to be pulled out of the fire. But God rebukes Him. Why? Because at HIS right hand, stands Jesus, our High Priest showing the place where the nails went into His hands and His feet and declaring how His blood was shed for us and is covering our sins. We are no longer wearing filthy garments, our sins have been washed away and Jesus is planning a big celebration for us.

Here we see a God full of love, mercy, and grace who, like in the vision of Joshua did not leave us to die but came to our rescue. His promise is "I will never, not ever, no never, leave you or forsake you." Thank you God. [/QUOTE]

yup