My Chains Fell Off

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

The fourth verse of Charles Wesley's great hymn "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?" compares Peter's miraculous deliverance from prison with a sinner's deliverance from bondage to sin. "Peter was sleeping... bound with two chains... And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison:... And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him... follow me" (Acts 12:6-8).

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light:
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

The Bible teaches that before being delivered, "ye were the servants of sin [i.e. in bondage to sin], but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Romans 6: 17-18). We were powerless to gain freedom on our own.

But "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6), bringing freedom and life. "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 [i.e. made alive] by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). "And you, being dead in your sins... hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13). If He has done all this for us, how can we do less than follow Him?

(The above was written by John D. Morris, Days of Praise, ICR)

His Mercy Found Me

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)

The third verse of the hymn, "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?" sets the stage for the implementation of His majestic plan.

He left His father's throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race;
T'is mercy all! Immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me!

The plan involved the death of God the Son. The Creator dying for the creation. The righteous Judge taking on Himself the penalty of the condemned. The rejected Holy One becoming sin on behalf of the true sinner. The convicted ones, powerless to alter the situation, simply receiving the offered grace though faith (see our text).

First, God had to take on Himself the nature of the condemned, live a guiltless life so that He could die as a substitutionary sacrifice. To do so, God the Son had to leaved His Father's throne. And, although "being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God [i.e. was willing to give up his kingly status]: But made himself of no reputation [literally, 'emptied himself'], and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:... and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:6-8).

Adam had rebelled against his Creator's authority, and all of mankind suffered. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12), yet Christ's work on the cross changed all that. "For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many" (v. 15).

Amazing love!

(Written by John D. Morris, Ph.D., Days of Praise, ICR.)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 11...

Outside my window... The air is very humid and you can see the moisture in it!

I am thinking... It is way too sticky!

I am thankful for... Our little pool, and our fans.

From the learning rooms... First day of school!

From the kitchen... I need to plan the menu for this week, and today I need to make amish bread cake.

I am wearing... Pj's at the moment, but will soon be dressed.

I am creating... a quilt for Jerusha.

I am going... No where today, thankfully!

I am reading... Through the minor prophets.

I am hoping... The high humidity won't last lone.

I am hearing... The early morning birds, a few cars making their way out of our neighborhood, and children whispering to each other after their Bible reading is done.

Around the house... Laundry, general cleaning up.

One of my favorite things... Watching Isaac nurse while falling asleep. I love the contented look on his face! He is such a good snuggler.

A few plans for the rest of the week: bean picking, tomato picking, working on Jerusha's quilt, working on the bsj when the humidity lowers (I can't knit in this weather!), and some orginizational stuff.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



For guidelines and information go to the Simple Woman's blog!

For Those of Us With Twins

How twins are made.....

I thought this was just too cute.

So this is how they do it... one of life's great mysteries solved.

The Immortal Dies

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1: 17)

The second verse of "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?" poses ans solves and great mystery:

T's mystery all! the immortal dies!
Who can explain this strange design?
In vain the first-born seraph tries,
To sound the depths of love divine;
T's mercy all! Let earth adore!
Let angel minds inquire no more.

Our text reminds us that God is immortal. And yet, "Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3) to bring us salvation. If this astounds us (and it should), we can take solace in that we are not alone. "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things... which things the angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:10-12).

Think of it! The Creator, the Author of life, has died to offer eternal life to His creation, for "all have sinned" (Romans 6:23). He died, so that we don't have to die! This grand plan remains beyond our full grasp, as it always was to the prophets and the angels.

The motive behind His plan is God's mercy. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us;... Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Titus 3:5-6). "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out" (Romans 11:33).

(The above was taken from Days of Praise, written by John D. Morris, Ph.D. of ICR)

Dog Attacking an Alligator

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.

The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator", can still fall victim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and "survival of the pack mentality" bred into the canines.

See the remarkable photograph below courtesy of Nature Magazine.

Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.




Not for the squeamish!



















Are you SURE you want to look?


























Gotchya!!!!! Yeah, Dale sent me that one. Thanks honey for a good laugh!

Can It Be?

I love sacred music. What I mean is the old hymns, not CCM. The old hymns have substance to them that other music lacks. The are filled with the beautiful language of the Bible, and it's precepts. Sacred hymns are like a meat and potatoes experience in music. If you feel moved from an old hymn, it is because you are actually paying attention to the words and meaning and getting solid truths. More contemporary music plays more on one's emotions. This can be found in the beat, or how the chords are used to make a more emotional experience, based on feelings. The words are watered down phrases from Christianity, or chants repeated over and over. It is basically just so much "fluff". I'm a meat and potatoes type of gal, so I'll pass over the CCM, and sink my heart and soul into some good godly music.

The Days of Praise has little devotionals on sacred music from time to time. For the last couple of days it has been focusing on "And Can It Be?"

"Christ also suffered for us... Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:21-24)

Those who love good church music have come to love Charles Wesly's commitment to and knowledge of his Savior and the Scriptures, for he wove into his music and poetry deep insights which challenge and thrill us even today. One of his hymns, "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?", has unfortunately been abridged in modern hymnals. The original five verses are expressed:

And can it be that I should gain,
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him, to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That thou, my God, should'st die for me?

Even the Old Testament saints wondered why God loves man so. "What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?" (Job 7:17). The New Testament contains many similar expressions of wonder. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,... And not only so, but we also joy in the God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received in the atonement" (Romans 5:8-11).

The point is we were desperate sinners deserving His wrath. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love (i.e. 'amazing love) wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)" (Ephesians 2:4-5)

(Note: The above quotes were taken from Days of Praise, written by John D. Morris, Ph.D.)

To Be Continued.....