Ray on Monday - When God Sings

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
Those who hold the Bible as God’s Word telling of promised events, some fulfilled, others still to take place, they are aware of a great tragedy foretold. Everyday rumblings of this coming event can be heard, a nightmare in the making. The fact of it being detailed is to prepare God’s people to face it with the confidence of His victory. Following what various prophets and the Lord Jesus spoke about concerning the nightmare to come, Zephaniah presents a most tender finale. What he wrote about the Eternal God and Jerusalem surely can find a similar experience in your life, my life, when the nightmares of existence come to terrorize.
The Lord is with you. Unseen, often unfelt yet He made a promise to be with those who have called upon His Name. We overlook such verses as Isaiah 63:9 “In all their distress he too was distressed.” When Saul was persecuting the Church Jesus confronted him with these words, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Every time a disciple was afflicted it cut into the heart of Jesus.
He will take great delight in you. It’s as though when you enter His presence through the furnace of oppression the Lord desires to make it up by enjoying your company in a special way. The picture to the heart is one of the Lord with the individual sitting together looking at a sunrise and the Lord listening to the person’s story.
He will quiet you with His love. The turmoil, tears, tragedy which haunted and harmed body, soul and mind begin to subside in the Lord’s presence and compassionate understanding. It has a renewing effect in the goodness and grace of the Eternal God. Isaiah looked down the tunnel of history to make this observation: “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” (32:17). The reality of Christ’s imputed righteousness is the basis for future, as well as present day peace and confidence in the sovereignty of God and His companionship.

He will rejoice over you with singing. What an amazing promise waits to be experienced! The Bible is filled with the redeemed singing praises to the Name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Zephaniah is the only place where God sings. What does He sing? It is untitled but it is a song of joy and victory, of pleasure and love. Can you imagine what a glorious solo this will be on behalf of His people? This is specifically promised to Jerusalem and the redeemed of Israel. Surely it also embraces all who find salvation and security in Christ Jesus. The voice of the Lord will be heard from one end of the universe to the other and will begin a festival of celebration. What a fabulous victory concert is in store. We may live through sorrow, grief and pain but with Christ as our lord and His word as our guide, we look forward to hearing the Lord God burst into song.

(Ray (Lover of God’s music) Hawkins.

Are You All I Need?

The draw for Ray's devotional book "From Eden With Love" is still open. Please leave a comment on last week's Ray on Monday to enter.

Ray says<
This took place some time ago. I wrote it to try and fill out the ‘how’ of why the Lord is all we need. Not that He is like a ‘spiritual ATM, rather He co-ops others to work with Him in meeting the needs He knows we have.

I can’t help musing over a song at church this morning. It niggled me, Lord. Took some effort to put it on hold even when the preacher spoke. The song was in many ways a love song to you. The singer sang it so well. However, every-time she sang, “you’re all I need” I felt this sentiment didn’t fully explain how you are all we need. Sometimes we get caught up in the emotion of the moment and forget you meet our need often through others.

Adam wasn’t able to sing that song. The account in Genesis records it for our instruction. He had the best of your creation yet you knew he was missing out. Your company, which must have been awesome, still left him lacking. Eve was your answer.

When you walked Judea, a leper came across your path. What moves me in reading about it was the fact that you touched him. How long had it been since he’d been touched, hugged, or had been able to embrace another? What a momentous occasion it must have been to know your touch. I guess this is the reason why the Church is in the forefront of caring for the outcastes of this world.

Lord, so many people have the need of another. The list is endless. Knowing genuine compassion in their poverty, receiving a letter in their isolation, having a hug in their aloneness, an advocate for their cause, are examples which come to my mind. When someone stands side by side in your need it’s so encouraging. The combination of the tangible and the invisible seems to me to be Heaven’s preferred option.

The apostle Paul talked about the sufficiency of your grace. He also was grateful for the tangible and practical expression of spirituality through the Philippians church. Remember when you walked this earth? The Gospels tell us how the women ministered to you from their resources. One of the sad instances, highlighting what I mean, was when you asked three disciples to stand with you in prayer. Gethsemane must have been so much harder because they let you down.

The one sitting beside me is another reason why I thought the song lacked certain clarity. You knew my need, my deficiencies, my personality short-comings and you met my need in my wife. Thank you Lord for her! If I’d remained single I guess you’d have provided friends to counter balance my needs.

There’s no way I’m downplaying my need for you as Lord and Saviour, companion and friend. What I’m contemplating is that there are times when I need the tangible touch, the emotional release, the verbal interchange of others with flesh and blood. You know that. That’s one reason you’ve put me into the Church family. For that I’m forever grateful.

Lord, let me be in some way, your tangible expression in meeting the need of another, today.

Amen!

(I often like to express my devotional thoughts as a conversation with the Lord. Some would see it as a monologue but I pick up my Lord’s reply through His word)

Ray (the talkative type) Hawkins.

Ray on Monday - LOVE DEFINED

Where is love first mentioned in the Bible?
Why? Does it make much difference to our understanding? I think so!
Read Genesis 22:1-19.

Where it is placed in Scripture has a divine purpose. Its position reveals God’s estimation and expectation. Placing it in Genesis 22 reveals love’s essential nature. The man of faith, Abraham, is called upon to offer as a sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise, the son he loved.

They go to the appointed mountain with two servants. Abraham leaves the servants at the base camp promising he and Isaac would return. That’s faith on Abraham’s part. What about Isaac? His obedience to his father is the greatest expression of trust displayed.
As we approach Easter (better term is Passover) can you recognize the foreshadowing of Christ and Calvary? There is however a major difference. There was no substitute ram for Jesus. He was, and is, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World (John 1:29).

Love embraces sacrifice. Love is an act of giving: John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The highest form of sacrificial love humanly speaking is what Jesus defined as, “Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) The Lord went beyond that. Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That is how true love is defined. It is such love which possesses the disciples of Christ to enable them to love the unlovely, serve the ungrateful, be merciful to their enemies, endure hardship and count it a privilege to know Christ Jesus as Lord, Saviour, and Companion on the way to the Father’s house.

Prayer: I’m overwhelmed beloved Lord! I respond in gratitude with a desire to grow in love for and understanding of you. May you give me strength to show such love to others.

“This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16)
Ray - who loves because HE first loved!
How is YOUR "Love Life?"

Ray on Monday - A Teaser about Ray's NEW book arriving soon!

Well, the galley proofs have been edited and back at the publisher EVEN BEFORE PUBLISHING. In several weeks time Ray's 3rd book in his 31 Day Devotional Meditation series will be released.

I thought it would be good to let you read this introduction by Ray to CAPTURED BY CALVARY.

The following 31 Day Devotionals are meant to deepen your understanding and increase your love for the Lord Jesus. As you reflect upon what the Lord achieved for you at Calvary, the horror of the cross is transformed into Christ’s glory. It is also our assurance of salvation. The cross for the Christian is an expression of glory and wonder. Why?

Because it speaks of God’s grace, love and majesty!

The message of the crucified Christ comforts because it deals with the issues between us and the Almighty.

It humbles because it says Jesus alone could solve our sin and condemnation problem.

It compels a man or woman to commit his or her life to Jesus. It calls us to leave the realm of Darkness and take up our crosses and follow Him.

The cross is a stumbling block to many. Their sense of righteousness is offended or the effectiveness of their religion is undermined. For others the cross becomes the stepping stone into a new relationship of grace, a new destiny with the Lord God, a new sense of their worth.

There are two roads the Church can travel as it reaches out into the community. The road most appreciated by any community would be the way the good Samaritan travelled. He cared for the oppressed and vulnerable. When the Church serves this way it doesn’t upset people or create waves of antagonism.

The other road is nowhere near as popular or appealing. It is the way of the Cross. This is no scenic route. It is gruesome. It is threatening. It is uncompromising. And yet this very road is the one which brings people out of spiritual and moral darkness and into the light of God’s grace. It is along this way that the Holy Spirit attracts the hearts of people with the wonder of a new beginning, the hope of a greater destiny.

Why?

Because it shows the way to be transformed, made acceptable to God! The individual is liberated to worship the God of Grace and Glory.

Both roads are important.

However the Faith Community must major on what the Apostle Paul considers the power and wisdom of God. This is the road we enter upon when we are captured by the Christ of Calvary.

(copyright 2012) Raymond N. Hawkins.

Hopefully this book will be available by Easter. We will keep you up to date here with news of CAPTURED BY CALVARY so do return to our blog for the Monday and Thursday posts. There will sure be a free giveaway again too!