When the tears trickled down His blessed face! From Grace Gems emails

Today's Puritan Audio Devotional:

Getting help from criticism J.R. Miller, helpful and practical
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When the tears trickled down His blessed face!

(John MacDuff, "The Character and Claims of the Redeemer" 1859)

"Jesus wept!" John 9:35

There is no doubt but that our Lord often wept--for He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. There are, however, only three seasons expressly referred to--when the tears trickled down His blessed face.

One was during His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem: "And when He came near, He beheld the city, and wept over it!" Another occasion was when He agonized in the garden of Gethsemane: "During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence."

The other instance is the one before us--let us turn aside, and see this affecting sight! The whole company, it seems, was deeply moved; for we are told that Martha and Mary wept. The Jews also, who came to comfort the two sorrowing sisters, wept; and with peculiar emphasis, in a verse by itself, the shortest in the whole Bible--but not less precious on that account, it is said that "Jesus wept!"

Behold the interesting group, the Savior standing in the midst, as the most commanding object--all bathed in tears! It was not long, however, before the weeping ceased; or, if it continued, it would be for joy--a joy proportioned to the depth of the previous sorrow!

How pleasing is the thought that we have in Jesus, not merely a Being of boundless power and supreme authority--but a living, tender, sympathizing Friend! He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities on the one hand, and of our sorrows on the other hand--having been in all respects tried and afflicted, even as we are. Should we not, then, be encouraged to look to Him, especially in seasons of distress? And, if we do so, He will be to us, what He has ever been to His people--a very present help in time of need!

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We have published James Smith's insightful two page article on unanswered prayer, "Prayer Forbidden".

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Feel free to forward this on to your friends.

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Visiting Ephesian 4 again:

http://www.esvbible.org/search/Ephesians+4/ Ephesian 4 (ESV) 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.”

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The New Life

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

God signature of Love and Grace

Look up, look up..away from your own problems, your own surroundings and situations, all that consumes all your time, your energy, your mind and see, gaze at God's signature of love and grace in his skies... each morning and each evening he paints His name of love and grace...for you to see how much He cares for you, His precious lamb. Remember, even the darkest cloud has a silver lining.

Sunset:
(These are taken on two different occasions in busy traffic and in a hurry... God has time to paint a picture of his love for me. Jessica took the photographs for me)

  Sunrise:
(in our park; the kids still asleep - how good to walk and talk with my Lord)

Where do our tears go?

Psalm 56: 

3 When I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

4 In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

8 You have kept count of my tossings;

put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

9 ...

This I know, that God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise,

11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;

I will render thank offerings to you.

13 For you have delivered my soul from death,

yes, my feet from falling,

that I may walk before God

in the light of life.

Where do our tears go? They are always 'tucked up' in the heart of our loving Lord. 

Psalm 57: 

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

Job: Blessed be the name of the Lord

This morning I was listening to Job online (  http://www.esvbible.org/search/Job+1/ ) My two littlest boys were 'listening in' with me for morning cuddles - about a year ago Pastor Kevin Clarke preached from Job for many weeks. How grateful I am for that teaching and how I love these passages now. I was thrilled to see Timothy's recognition of the passages we had studied so well. The kid's memory verse  at one stage was, "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil." Job 1:1

What an amazing example Job is to us....just after he has heard news of waves of loss; loss of property, livestock, his 10 beloved children, the Bible says this of him....

Job1: 20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

 In troubles and grief...God is our friend...there is never need to blame God instead of running to the Creator of the universe for sanctuary, rest and strength. Our troubles are man made not God made, and He is our help and refuge, our joy and delight. 

May God grant us the attitude of Job in all situations, for blessed, blessed is the name of our Lord!

Faith and Hope:

"The marvelous power of faith is that it turns all that would otherwise discourage us into occasions of fresh hope and new confidence in the power of God" 

Maurice Roberts

Here are some photographs of New Farm Park which was flooded in January. It is doing well in terms of recovery, and was full of beauty even though a windy dull day....a reminder that there is always recovery with faith and help from our Lord. And that times of trouble will pass, even if they leave a lasting impression on us.

The Lord's My Shepherd Lyrics By: Townend Stuart

Here are the lyrics and chords for guitar, free from http://freechristiansonglc.blogspot.com/2010/04/lords-my-shepherd-lyrics-and-chords-by.html


THE LORD'S MY SHEPHERD, I'll not want.                            
He makes me lie in pastures green.    
He leads me by the still, still waters,    
His goodness restores my soul.

                
And I will trust in You alone.                         
And I will trust in You alone,             
For Your endless mercy follows me,       
Your goodness will lead me home.


He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.


And though I walk the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
For You are with me, and Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.




Song title: The Lords My Shepherd Chords
By: Townend Stuart

C                                                G             C
F             G
C             F                     C        F
G                   C       G      C


C          G       C
F         G
F            G        C         F
G                    C     G   C