Hello FBC!
Sing praises to the LORD, for He has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
(Isaiah 12:5)
If you’re joining us in the Bible reading plan this year, you know Isaiah 12 was one of our chapters for today. What a great chapter (only 6 verses)! I’d encourage all of you to take a look at that today (if you haven’t already) and use it as a prayer and expression of worship. I have been loving my new ESV Men’s Devotional Bible this year! It had another good one today by Dane Ortlund about Isaiah 12. I just want to share a couple snippets with you:
“In Isaiah 12 we are given the only real refuge and the only stable comfort and peace: ‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid. (12:2)’ … But notice what Isaiah says:
God
is his salvation. Therefore he will trust and not be afraid… What if we took God at His Word in Isaiah 12? ‘God is my salvation!’ We would be invincible, because we would be fearless.” Amen!
This Sunday I’m starting a new series on the book of Titus called “God Our Savior.” In our first message we’ll do an introduction to the book and then dive in to 1:1-4. I’d like to ask that all of us read through Titus (only 3 chapters) before Sunday. I just read it again today. It’s so short we could read it everyday between now and Sunday easily. The first message will be “A Common Faith” from those first 4 verses. We have a common faith in our one God, through His only Son, Jesus Christ our God and our Savior! As we focus on Him and His beautiful gospel described in Titus, may it draw us closer together as one Body.
Let me share one other thing that blessed me today. I’ve been reading the prayers in the book “The Valley of Vision,” which is a collection of some of the prayers of the Puritans. The one I read today is called “The Gospel Way.” —
“Blessed Lord Jesus, no human mind could conceive or invent the gospel. Acting in eternal grace, You are both its messenger and its message, lived out on earth through infinite compassion, applying Your life to insult, injury, death, that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.
Blessed be You, O Father, for contriving this way, eternal thanks to You, O Lamb of God, for opening this way, praise everlasting to You, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to my heart.
Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on my soul, until its virtue diffuses every faculty; let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.
Teach me to secure this mighty blessing; help me to give up every darling lust, to submit heart and life to its command, to have it in my will, controlling my affections, molding my understanding; to adhere strictly to the rules of true religion, not departing from them in any instance, nor for any advantage in order to escape evil, inconvenience or danger.
Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy; strip me of every pleasing pretense of righteousness by my own doings.
O gracious redeemer, I have neglected You too long, often crucified You, crucified You afresh by my impenitence, put You to open shame.
I thank You for the patience that has borne with me so long, and for the grace that now makes me willing to be Yours.
O unite me to Yourself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw me back from You, my Lord, my Savior.”
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
(Titus 1:4)
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael