I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of His righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10 NLT)
God’s Personal Love
Terry Wogan (1938-2016) was an Irish broadcaster for nearly 40 years. When he was asked how many listeners he had, he said, “Only one.” In reality, he had over nine million listeners. But in Wogan’s mind, he wanted every listener to feel like he was speaking directly to them, because he was.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is like that. He is saving and adopting Jesus’ followers into a huge family from every nation, tribe, people, and language. We are part of Jesus’ family of believers, gathered since Creation until Christ’s Second Advent. But God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. And He knows our names and all the days and details of our individual lives. When we pray, we join with billions of others in need, asking for God’s help. But the Lord hears each of us as if we were the only one talking. He speaks to us by the Spirit working with His Word, as if each of us were His only listener. The Lord leads and directs our individual paths to glorify and enjoy Him forever.
Jesus’ Parable
In Luke chapter 15, Jesus told the parable of the shepherd who owned 100 sheep. When he discovered that one was missing, he left the 99 and searched for the lost sheep until he found it. Then, he put that lamb on his shoulders, carried it home, and threw a party. Christ said, “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”1 Jesus cares about us personally, not just as a member of His large family that He loves. I matter to Christ as an individual, not just as a part of the family that He came to save. Amazing!
The Epistle to the Ephesians expands on Jesus’ parable and overflows with rich teaching on the Lord’s love for us. It says God lavished the riches of His grace on us, gave us His glorious inheritance among His holy people, and has reserved a place for us beside Christ in Heaven. We are God’s handiwork, His masterpiece, His workmanship re-created in Jesus to do good things, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The Lord has promised to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power working within us. The Father enables us, as dearly loved children, to walk in His way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.2 What a Savior we have and what a calling He’s given us!
In our last three posts, we looked at stanzas from John Keble’s hymn called “New Every Morning Is God’s Love.” You can read Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 here.
Here are the last two stanzas from the hymn with comments. The Lord gives every single one of His followers life, help, value, and dignity. Remembering Jesus constantly is like oxygen to our souls.
Stanza 7
Hymn: We seek no more. We are content with these. Let present pleasure, comfort, ease—As Heaven makes them come and go, Christ is the secret of rest below.
Comment: Like Brother Lawrence, mentioned in the previous post, Welsh poet Anna Waring (1823-1910) gratefully served God in humble and unglamorous ways, including ministry to men in prison. Anna asked the Lord for daily wisdom and strength to navigate the ups and downs of ordinary life while staying close to Christ. She asked for contentment to fill the little spaces for Jesus so that He would be honored. Anna trusted that God had planned her life in advance, so she could simply focus on pleasing Him. Anna didn’t want to be restless and hurried, seeking greatness for herself. She trusted Jesus to love her as His precious adopted daughter and to guide her step by step each day. Following Christ, Anna Waring discovered that a life of self-renouncing love was refreshing. She lived in peace with God and with people around her. Don’t we want the same?
For more on Anna Waring, you may like to read All My Life Is Portioned Out for Me.
In the Old Testament, Jeremiah reminded his friend Baruch not to seek great things for himself.3 Soon, in Israel’s history, there was going to be total upheaval. Jerusalem would be destroyed, and other kingdoms would rise and fall. Baruch would not have outward success or an easy life, but the Lord promised to save and preserve his soul despite the turmoil all around him.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to be content in whatever circumstances we face. Help us to trust, follow, and serve You and other people in times of need and plenty, whether well fed or hungry. Teach us to enjoy prosperity while we can, but when hard times strike. You control both the ups and downs. Teach us that nothing is certain in this life except You, our Rock and Redeemer, our Hope and Healer.4 Amen.
Stanza 8
Hymn: Only, O Lord, in Your dear love, Fit us for perfect rest above. And help us, this and every day, To live more nearly to You as we pray.
Comment: Praise God, He gives us times of refreshing along the way through this life. Pastor William Still (1911-1997) wrote a helpful booklet called “The Rhythms of Rest and Work.” He wrote that the fundamental blessing of Christian salvation is peace with God, shalom in Hebrew and eirēnē in Greek.
Spurgeon says believers have PERFECT peace in Christ because…
Looking UPWARD, you see no burning wrath shooting at you.
Looking DOWNWARD, you’re not condemned to hell.
Looking BACK, you see all your sins blotted out.
Looking BEYOND, you see Jesus’ glory shining in the future.
Looking OUTWARD, you know God works all for your good.
Looking INWARD, you have peace that surpasses all understanding, guarding your heart and mind through Christ.
Our peace with God is the fountainhead. From it flow all the other blessings of the Lord’s love, life, joy, physical and spiritual health, and an eternal home in Heaven. The best is still to come!
Perfect Rest
Keble’s hymn reminds us that we are not home yet, beloved. There remains an eternal Sabbath-rest for Christ’s people.5 God rested after creating the universe. And the weekly Christian Sabbath, also called the Lord’s Day, imitates God. Jesus’ historic resurrection reset the calendar, so now the Lord’s Day (Sunday) points us ahead to God’s final dwelling with His people.
The very concept of “the weekend” is unbiblical. It turns Sunday into a second Saturday. Home Depot may gain, but we lose. It turns Sunday into the day we catch up on the stuff we were too lazy or disorganized to do on Saturday. It also turns Sunday into a day to ramp up for work or school on Monday… We who believe Jesus’ gospel are not living for the weekend, but for The End, when Christ returns. In the meantime, we figure out rhythms of life that make fruitful labor sustainable.6
“The Lord will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Fellowship with God and serving Him here and now prepares us for our final rest and refreshment there and then in the new heaven and new earth. When we are home with Christ, there will be only righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The Bible closes with these words: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”7
Prayer
Lord Jesus, because of our weak faith, we are still anxious and more eager than ever for Your return. We thank You that because of Your creation, Your incarnation, Your crucifixion, Your resurrection, Your ascension, and Your heavenly intercession, we will be ready for that Great Day. We are already wearing the right clothes that You have given us, the wedding garment of Your perfect righteousness. We are no longer afraid of Your return. Come back, our loving Bridegroom. We thank You that the oil in our lamps will never run dry, because You have sealed us as Your own and sent the Spirit to dwell in our hearts forever. Hear us, help us, and have mercy upon us. Amen.8
Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun.
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care.
Then, when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, we’ll be there.9
Notes (various Bible translations, including my own): 1 Luke 15:10. 2 Eph 1:8,18, 2:6,10, 3:20, 5:1-2. 3 Jer 45:5. 4 Prayer based on Phil 4:11-12; Ecc 7:14. 5 Heb 6:15. 6 Ray Ortlund, Blog Post: Quietness of Heart, Aug 19, 2008. 7 Rev 22:20-21. 8 From “When The Roll is Called Up Yonder,” the hymn by James M. Black (1856-1938). 9 Prayer adapted from Scotty Smith, “A Prayer of Longing for Jesus’ Return,” The Gospel Coalition,