Where Would We Be?

Where Would We Be?

The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 – NASB)

For Christ also died for sins once for all, [the] just for [the] unjust, so that He might bring us to God… (1 Peter 3:18 – NASB)

Have you ever played the “what if” game?

The father in Fiddler on the Roof played that game when he sang the song, “If I were a rich man.” He imagined all the things he could do if he just happened to be rich. In his abject poverty he couldn’t help fantasizing what it would be like to be a wealthy man.

Games like that can be of some benefit; they can temporarily ease the pressure of difficult circumstances. The “what if” game can also help one face reality, like the one I engage in with regard to the death and resurrection of Christ.

I ask myself “What if Christ had not died? What if He had not risen from the dead? What if he had not paid for my sins? What if Christ’s blood did not wash away sins? What if God had not loved me enough to send His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life?”

What then? Where would I be? What would be the consequences if all these things were not true? I can hardly bare to think of it, but doing so periodically stirs in me a gratitude that God does love me. He did send His Son to save me. He did shed His blood to wash away my sin. He did purchase my redemption and He will come for me some day. He has prepared a place for me and I will ever be with the Lord.

Where Would I Be?*

(© 22nd October 1992 – by Christopher Shennan)

For Christ also died for sins once for all, [the] just for [the] unjust, so that He might bring us to God… (1 Peter 3:18 – NASB)

Where would I be if the Lamb had not died;

Had He not been beaten and crucified?

Were Christ not stronger than the grave’s dread power,

How would I fare in that dark, final hour?

I fear my sins would have damned me to hell;

My thoughts have condemned me – that I know well.

Peace would have fled like the dew of the morn,

And I’d have been wishing I’d never been born.

Where would I be if God’s Love had not been

Wholly invested in Calvary’s scene?

Had He not carried my sins far away,

To whom could I turn on the Judgement Day?

The worm would not die; the fire would not quench,

Or Eternity hide the noise or stench

That would rise from my sins continually,

Or cries of despair that would issue from me.

But—

Not, “Where would I be?” but, “Where am I now?”

Is the theme of my song; source of my vow.

For the Lamb was slain, the Lamb did die,

And the mercy of God has drawn me nigh.

Now what will I do about those outside

Who’ve never been told of the Crucified?

I’ll spend and be spent till the end of time,

And many lost souls are eternally Thine!

Please visit My website: www.christophershennan.ca
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Ariete by Francisco de Zurbaran. This work is in the public domain.

Giving up – Or Never Letting Go?

APOLOGIES: I recently posted two of my blogs TWICE. Not cool. It won’t happen again. Thank you for your understanding.

Giving up – Or Never Letting Go?

As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. ⁶⁷So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” ⁶⁸Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69 – NASB)

I read a fortune cookie statement once that said, “Men don’t fail… they give up trying.”

Besides noting women are just as likely as men are to give up, that is a sad commentary on the human spirit, even if only partly true.

For a follower of Christ it ought never to be true.

The only situations in which giving up would be an appropriate response to the tragedies and disappointments of life are:

If God did not love us
If Christ had not died for our sins and risen again
If the blood of Christ lost its cleansing power
If the promises of God were no longer valid
If Christ no longer dwelt within us
If Heaven were a myth
If Eternal Life did not exist

The list goes on and on. Since God does love us with an everlasting love; Christ did die for us and rose again from the dead; Christ’s blood will never lose its power; God’s promises will never fail; Christ in us is the hope of glory; Heaven for the redeemed is a firm reality and Eternal life is offered to all…. giving up is not and option.

All you have to do is keep on believing and giving up won’t even occur to you.

Tony Evans said: “If life gets too hard to stand, kneel.

Not an Option

(© 30^th April 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69 – NASB)

I haven’t got any give-up in me,

For my God: He still renews my spirit;

He causes my heart to be steadfast, free

To serve God now – without merit.

God took all the giving-up out,

And replaced it with godly zeal;

Even when discouragement comes,

The Word that He tells me will heal.

I cannot give up for I know

That God works together for good

All things taking place in my life

God has covered – I knew He would.

When giving up seems an option,

And I can’t continue to stand,

I fall on my knees and cry out,

“I’ll do whatever You command.”

For the promise of God is true;

I can trust though I cannot see.

Giving up is not an option –

For my Saviour lives within me.

Don’t Let Go by dbking unknown photographer. It was uploaded to wikimedia by AgnosticPreachersKid. Used under the CC BY 2.0 license; Please note the Disclaimer at this link. No changes were made to this photograph.

The Father’s Business – Renewal

(Picture credits at end of post)

The Father’s Business – Renewal

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 – NKJV)

The Father and the Son are in the business of taking the cast-off or redundant areas of our lives and re-form them into something of uncommon beauty.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16 – NASB)

…and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind… (Ephesians 4:23 – NASB)

Driftwood

(© September 2010 by Christopher Shennan)

(A poem of free verse)

Just a piece of driftwood; Yet I have seen these random cast-offs of Nature, chosen, re-designed – lovingly re-crafted into objects of beauty – displayed in prominent places and treasured by those still gifted with the capacity to discern beauty in unconventional things.

I have seen them, the cast-offs, rescued from the cruel sea, or the barren beaches – a bird about to fly; a cane re-carved into human likeness; a clock now mounted on a piece of driftwood well-varnished; a unique and unrepeatable treasure.

Just like these drifting pieces, thrown up on the beaches, I have also seen much human flotsam, cast off – ravaged by storms that life has viciously let loose – has cast upon those barren places that seem devoid of Love – undervalued members of the human race.

I have seen this human garbage re-shaped by Love, by instruments sent forth from Heaven’s Heart. These instruments – themselves once cast-offs, but now re-claimed, are fit to work a miracle by God’s own power. They see these rejects, and hold them to their heart, and see them placed once more into Heavens Treasure House, the place where only reclaimed objects of God’s Grace may dwell.

So when I see a piece of driftwood, worn and ravaged by the action of the sea, and cast upon forgotten shores, I remember from whence I came. I remember, too, that I am called, not to the grand designs within palace walls, but to the long-despised alley-ways of life where the dregs of humanity dwell.

Not to these alone am I called, but these are burned with searing iron upon my heart, a heart re-shaped by the Master’s hand. I cannot forget from whence I came, so memory drives me to look with longing upon the broken ones – to see the Master bring them back; to snatch them from the burning flames and bring them home – once again.

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Driftwood sculpture by Heather Jansch. Photograph by Alison Cassidy. Copyright.

CC BY-SA 3.0 (note the disclaimer at this link.) No changes were made to this photograph.

Loving Service

Loving Service

(Picture Credits at end of post)

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15 – NASB)

I read of a man working in the forest who took his dog with him. Coming to a clearing he put his lunch pail down and commanded the dog to stay and watch the pail. So saying he went further into the forest to do his work.

While the man was away a forest fire swept over that region, right where the dog was. In perfect obedience to his master’s command, the dog stayed where he was. He loved his master and therefore obeyed him, even at the cost of his own life.

The dog’s obedience was not out of duty – it was out of love. The dog loved his master, and it was love that caused the obedience. Love should always be the fountain from which service to our Lord flows. It may be our duty to do certain things for God, but the moment we perform that duty out of love for Him, it changes from a duty into a delight.

If our service to God feels like drudgery in any way, perhaps it is time to re-examine our motivation for that service. Is it out of love for God, or is it out of mere duty.

Prophetic of Jesus Christ, Psalm 40 declares:

Then I said, “Behold, I come;

In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

I delight to do Your will, O my God;

Your Law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:7-8 – NASB)

Delight should always be a word synonymous with any service we perform for our Lord. The absence of delight always indicates the absence of love.

In His letter to the church in Ephesus Jesus commended them for all their wonderful deeds of service. Then He said: But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (Revelation 2:4 – NASB)

We have great cause to love Him:

We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 – KJV)

You loved me first, my God

And my love came far behind;

Before I saw the love You bore me,

Love within me could not be found.

But Thy love created love for Thee –

In me. – Christopher Shennan

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The Keeping Power of God

The Keeping Power of God

Picture credits: Prodigal Son CC-PD-Mark

1 John 5:5-12

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5 – KJV)

The Christian way is a supernatural undertaking from start to finish. No-one can hope to follow it in his own strength. If anyone is going to stay in the way of righteousness, they have to rely on something more than human strength. What is impossible with men is possible with God. God has made a way. Let us consider:

The Power of His Keeping

Who are kept by the power of God…”

No greater power exists, so no other power can shake us loose from His Way. Relying on our own strength is a sure prescription for failure. Depending on God’s power to keep us is a guarantee of victory against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The Path of His Keeping

…through faith…

God keeps us through faith. It is God’s way. It is the only way.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Faith in God, and in the redemption Christ purchased for us on the cross of Calvary, is the pipe-line that connects us to all the riches of God’s Grace. The power of God’s keeping works through faith. Unbelief is the only thing preventing us from experiencing the mighty works of God. Jesus Himself could do no mighty works in the place where there was unbelief.

The Purpose of His Keeping

“…unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

God is keeping us so He can reveal the full extent of His salvation once we have passed victoriously through this old world of sin and rebellion. When He has taken us through, He will be able to show us, and the universe at large, just how great the salvation is that He has obtained for us.

While we trust God’s keeping power, there is no need for us to falter or fall from the Way. His hand will guide us, and His Hand will hold us.

A Thousand Times

A thousand times I’ve fallen;

A thousand times knocked out –

A thousand times regretted

The things I’ve thought about.

But,

A thousand times I’ve risen

By a strength that’s not my own;

A thousand times I’ve given

Praise to my God alone.

A thousand times the heat

Of battle seared my soul:

Hope waned, then rose,

When mercy…made it whole… again.

A thousand times the blood

Of Calvary came through

To overcome and vanquish

The enemy – ‘tis true.

God’s keeping power has always

Been there to bring me aid;

As I rest upon God’s promise,

I’ll never be afraid.

Check our my books at: My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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