Oh My Soul

God is Sovereign

Oh my friends, though the earth be shaken, wars and rumors of wars are about, fighting is without and within, though one fears the future and things unseen and unknown, be encouraged as you read this beautiful passage extolling  what your Redeemer has done for you.  How great are His promises, His peace, His gifts, His reward…what glory is ours, what joy indeed!

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“O my soul, if thou couldst wear out thy fingers upon the harp, and wear thy tongue to the roots, thou couldst yet never sufficiently praise thy Redeemer.

O mine enemies!  Where is now your confidence and where is your armour wherein you trusted?  I will set Christ alone against all of your multitudes, and all the powers, malice, and policy, wherewith they are armed.  The field is already won, and the Captain of our salvation returned, with the spoils of his enemies, having made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in his cross, Col. ii.15.  And thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Cor. xv.57

Of whom then should I be afraid?  Behold he is near that justifieth me; who shall plead with me?

O ye powers of hell!  You are but chained captives, and we have a sure word, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against us, Matt. xvi.18.  Though the world be in arms against us, and the devil at the head of them as their champion; yet who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?  I Sam. xvii. 45-47.  Behold, I am come out to thee, as the stripling against Goliath; not with sword, and with spear, but in the name of the Lord of hosts, in whose strength I am more than a conqueror.

O grave, where is now thy victory?  Christ is risen, and hath broken up thy prison, and rolled away the stone, so that all the prisoners have made an escape.  Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I fall, I shall rise again; though I lie in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me, Mic. vii.8.  Enlarge not they desires, O Tophet, but shut up thy flaming mouth; for there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.  Rom. viii.1

O deceitful world, thou art already overcome. John xvi.33, and the conquered enemy is become my servant, I Cor. iii.22, and I am fed with the honey taken out of the carcass of the slain lion.  I fear not thy threats, nor the enchantments of the syren songs, being kept by the power of God, through a victorious faith, unto salvation.  I Peter i.4, I John v 4.

O my sins; you are already buried, never to have any resurrection, and the remembrance of you shall be no more.  Heb. viii.12  I see my sins nailed to the cross, and their dominion is taken away, though their lives be prolonged yet for a little season. Awake therefore, O my glory; awake psaltery and harp, and meet the deliverer with triumph; for his right hand, and his holy arm, have gotten us the victory, Psa. xcvii. 1.2, and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

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Richard Alleine, Heaven Opened, The Riches of God’s Covenant Grace, The Believer’s Triumph, pp. 290, 292 [July 8, 1665]

The Power of a Humble Witness

The Power of a Humble Witness”
Study:      Grace to Stand
Author:  TheologyGirl-ReformedWomen
Part I Excerpts from Lesson 7

 ”True humility fixes its eyes on Jesus Christ, stands firm on God’s truth, and proclaims, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).  True humility’s witness is undeniably powerful because it displays and proclaims the living hope of salvation.”| _Carol J. Ruvolo

And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:  16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.  4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.  I Peter 3:13-4:6

“The Power of a Humble Witness”

As Reformed Christians, we can sometimes be overzealous in our zeal to speak the truth and stand firm in our belief.  In my recent conversations in social media I was reminded of speaking truth in strong terms but also was convicted to be biblical and remember to be humble with love and grace.  Not an easy thing to do when you are surrounded by unbelief and enemies of the faith and of righteousness.  Nevertheless, we are called to it so a revisiting of my study was in order.  I pray the notes help you as you interact with others in all areas of your Christian life.

In our study of Carol Ruvolo’s “Grace to Stand”*and our supplemental materials we are called to be ”humble” in Christ and at the same time “bold” in our witness.  True humility will produce boldness because we are totally, 100% dependent upon Christ to hold us up in all of life.  As Ruvolo has stated, humility does not mean a shy, inhibited, introverted person but one who is confident and outspoken, not in fear, not afraid or man, not concerned about one’s own “skin” but concerned about the proclamation of Christ’s gospel through their witness and life.  Whether it is in ministry, in home or church life, or in our personal relationships, we are to be humbled in Christ and bold in truth.  We are reminded of Numbers 12:3 wherein Moses is called ”very meek” (gentle, not full of pride) and thus his boldness in proclaiming to the unbelievers, “let my people go” and being bold going forward with the gospel.  We are again reminded in Scripture that we are to be ”bold” as Paul was in proclaiming God’s Word in our lives and to the world.  This takes humility, putting self aside and putting Christ first, not worried about “me” but in love and service, loving Christ more than our own self and lives.  We, as God’s children, do this every day when we live for Him, whether in our homes, teaching and training our children, being godly wives, mothers, daughters, teachers of good things or in the workplace and marketplace.  It is saying in so many words, “I belong to Christ, my life is not my own, but belongs to my Saviour and His will I will do no matter what.”  Man, woman, people may assail me, threaten me, disassociate themselves from me and detest me.  They may mock me, call me all kinds of things, ignore me or any other thing that they can but I stand in courage, confidence and in good stead to “suffer as He suffered” and as my brethren throughout time have suffered, proclaiming in my life and death, the Lord Jesus.  This is the Christian life that is blessed. 

Living Coram Deo,
TheologyGirl-ReformedWomen
Copyright ©2004-2011 All Rights Reserved

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*/ Carol J. Ruvolo, "Grace to Stand Firm, Grace to Grow" [“Grace”]

Part II next week.