Thursday, July 9

The Valley of Vision!

I have a little booklet of the title above that is a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions and I have the set of CD’s that go along with the book. I’m not bent toward the Puritan way of thinking of law and works so some of the sentiment I don’t hold to however there is rich blessing in the reading and the listening.

The blessing comes because I know, as a believer that I deserve nothing, absolutely nothing. I know that by my nature I am as deserving of His wrath as those His wrath falls upon and yet His wrath doesn’t rest upon me. I have been given so much, so much that words can’t always express it, so much that I don’t even know, nor can I comprehend all that God has prepared for me; I have only a glorious taste of it here. I’m going to copy some of them here for a time and hope that you are blessed as well in the knowledge of what words sometimes try and express. That all spiritual blessings are ours in Christ Jesus.

Election


Holy Trinity,

All praise to thee for electing me
to salvation,
by foreknowledge of God the Father,
through sanctification of the Spirit,
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus;

I adore the wonders of thy condescending love,
marvel at the true believer’s high privilege
within whom all heaven comes to dwell,
abiding in God and God in him;
I believe it, help me experience it to the full.

Continue to teach me that Christ’s righteousness
satisfies justice and evidences thy love;
Help me to make use of it by faith as the ground
of my peace
and of thy favour and acceptance,
so that I may live always near the cross.

It is not feeling the Spirit that proves
my saved state but the truth of what
Christ did perfectly for me;
All holiness in him is by faith made mine,
as if I had done it;
Therefore I see the use of his righteousness,
for satisfaction to divine justice and making
me righteous.

It is not inner sensation that makes Christ’s death
mine.
for that may be delusion, being without the Word,
but his death apprehended by my faith,
and so testified by Word and Spirit.

I bless thee for these lively exercises of faith,
for the righteousness that is mine in Jesus,
for grace to resign my will to thee;
I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,
and I love to leave them there.

Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and love thee.
I want not the favour of man to lean upon,
for I know that thy electing grace
is infinitely better.
Grace and Peace!

No comments:

Post a Comment