Unsearchable Riches
From GLORIOUS GOSPEL HYMNS, (c) 1931, Nazarene Publishing House
Thank You, Father, for the focus to get so much done today! I am glad You are by my side throughout the day!
Romans 11:33-36 (<<click here to read the passage)
If you’ve been following me for very long, you know that I am a lover of hymns. One of my favorite writers is Fanny Crosby. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed. She was born on March 24, 1820, and lived until February 12, 1915, living to the ripe old age of 94.
Today’s passage, from the end of Romans 11, got to thinking of one of her hymns that I grew up singing. It is entitled, Unsearchable Riches. I’m sure she was inspired by the Apostle Paul’s writings when she wrote the hymn, though it is more likely that she was referencing Ephesians 3:8 where he proclaimed that due to the grace given him that he was able to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. KJV
First, read through these last four verses from Romans 11.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
….How unsearchable his judgments,
….and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
….Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
….that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
….To him be the glory forever! Amen. NIV
Now the lyrics of Unsearchable Riches. (Click here to open a new tab to listen to the tune. It has a nice intro.)
Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Wealth that can never be told;
Riches exhaustless or mercy and grace,
Precious, more precious than gold!
Refrain
Precious, more precious,
Wealth that can never be told!
Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Precious, more precious than gold!
Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Who shall their greatness declare?
Jewels whose luster our lives may adorn,
Pearls that the poorest may wear! [Refrain]
Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Freely, how freely they flow,
Making the souls of the faithful and true
Happy wherever they go! [Refrain]
Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Who would not gladly endure
Trials, afflictions, and crosses on earth,
Riches like these to secure! [Refrain]
Lord Jesus, thank You for the riches we have in You – for from You and through You and for You are all things. To You be glory forever! Amen.
July 27th, 2023, Thurs, 9:06 pm
Unpredictable and Untamable
[Our untamable ditch following torrential rain on May 18, 2020.]
Romans 11:25-32 (<<click here to read the passage)
We have a major drainage ditch that bisects our lot from south to north, flowing from a ditch that runs parallel to the road with water collecting there from a large field to the south of it. The ditch requires quite a bit of upkeep because you can’t mow across it but only to the edge, and then you have to use a push mower or trimmer to keep it maintained.
I spoke to a friend of mine some time back who is very familiar with excavation. I was seeking to find out if there was any way to possibly bury a culvert in the middle portion of it, which is not nearly as deep as the area where it first comes onto our property. I was hoping for less upkeep and more green space.
He explained that water is unpredictable and untamable – basically, if it comes roaring through it’s going to go where it’s going to go. Yeah, we could invest in the culvert and getting it into place along with planting grass and the whole nine yards… Now it may last for a while, maybe even years…but at some point, torrential rain will come, and all of our investment would be gone in a relatively short period of time.
We in our humanity have this mindset that we can keep God in a box. We pray to Him to do our bidding. And unless we call on Him, He stays right where He is and we stay where we are, and He will not interfere with our hopes and dreams and all the things we have in store for ourselves. Even believers can live in this mindset. Of course, some put no stock in God whatsoever.
My Life Application Study Bible has some wonderful thoughts. It states,
In this passage Paul shows how the Jews and the Gentiles benefit each other. Whenever God shows mercy to one group, the other shares the blessing.
It goes on to state that from the very beginning, it was God’s plan that the Jews would be the source of God’s blessing to the Gentiles (see Genesis 12:3). When the Jews neglected this mission, God blessed the Gentiles anyway through the Jewish Messiah.
God is a mighty river, and His will will never be thwarted! Absolutely nothing can stop our Sovereign God. Yes, we have our free will, but that does not hinder God in the least. What He has planned will come to fruition.
We may think we can keep God in a box to do our bidding but know this, God is unpredictable. He is untamable. His is God Almighty! And when He chooses to come roaring through, He’s going to go where He wants to go! He will do what He deems best to do. We may have all kinds of plans, but His will will be done!
The privileges and invitation of God given to Israel will never be withdrawn. …someday all faithful Jews will share in God’s mercy. God’s plans will not be thwarted He will “have mercy on everyone.” v32b
Amen and amen!
July 26th, 2023, Wed, 8:01 pm
Grafting
Laying to rest the ones we love is never an easy task, Father, but we are grateful that we find You always by our side.
Romans 11:13-24 (<<click here to read the passage)
I know what grafting is. I’ve watched videos of plants being grafted and the outcome. But I decided to look it up and do a little online research.
I didn’t want it to be too complicated, so I found a website called Academic Kids Encyclopedia and discovered a (relatively) easy-to-understand piece on grafting.
Basically, it is a means of joining parts of two plants together. In most cases, one plant is selected for its roots, and this is called the stock or rootstock. The other plant is selected for its stems, leaves or flowers, and is called the scion. This is done with fruit trees too, so you might graft in order to get more or better fruit.
One reason for grafting is because the scion has weak roots or the roots of the stock plants have roots tolerant of difficult conditions.
Paul in this passage is referring to grafting but, in this case, instead of talking about plants, he’s talking about humanity and God. He said in the last part of verse 16 – if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.
The original branches of the tree were the Israelites, God’s chosen people, but over time verse 20 tells us that they were broken off because of unbelief.
We as Gentiles (non-Jews) were not part of the original tree – we are considered wild branches. Paul specifically uses the illustration of a wild olive shoot. Olive trees were a prominent part of culture and trade in Israel. These wild olive shoots – us non-Jews – were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root… v17
We’ve got to keep our pride in check here because – one – we are no better than the native olive branches. We are here only because of our faith. And – two – those native branches that God pruned off because of their unbelief can easily be pruned back in. They may seem dead, but God, after all, is God!
So, we are grafted in not just to take up space and look pretty, we are grafted in to bear fruit! In and of ourselves our roots are weak and unproductive. Grafted into the roots of God, we can become strong – accomplishing and producing more than we ever thought possible. And because we are grafted into those holy roots, we now have the ability to be tolerant of difficult conditions. Where we are intolerant, in God we can be tolerant. When we find ourselves in difficult conditions, we can have the assurance that we are rooted firmly in God’s almighty hands. All praise to God our creator and sustainer!
July 25th, 2023, Tues, 7:54 pm
Do You Pray for Your Pastor?
Thank You, Father, for my time with family today. May we seek and follow Your guidance in all things. Amen.
********
I’m going to pause this evening and ask, “Do you pray for your pastor?”
I’m sure you realize that just because God has placed a call on their lives to serve the church, that does not mean that we are of heartier stock than other beings that walk the face of this planet. We struggle. We get weary. We get overwhelmed. We get depressed. We can be anxious. We are human in all aspects of our lives as well.
Sometimes when I sit down to write each day, it comes readily. Thoughts populate my mind and when I type the sentences just flow onto the screen. (I want to make it very clear, that I truly believe that it is God working through His child. He has gifted me certain abilities and when I make myself available to Him, He uses me as He sees fit.)
Preparations for Sunday services are tasking – it is an investment of heart, soul, and mind. For me, journaling is made of the same components. This week on top of service preparation and writing, I also have two funerals for which to prepare. Once again, I want to make it very clear that I am not complaining – it is a privilege and an honor to do all these things…but it has nothing to do with the fact that all that work is taxing. It takes its toll on me.
It’s hard for many to understand, but pastoral ministry is not just about the physical. Having done it now for many years…watching my dad do it for many years, one has to push themselves on Sunday afternoons and even Mondays to accomplish simple tasks. Preaching and striving to have meaningful interaction with those with whom we minister, pulls at the very fibers of our beings. Again, it’s not just physical. It is spiritually exhausting.
When I preach it is not just reading off my notes. Every statement I make, every passage of Scripture I read, is not a mere action on my part. I cannot tell you how many times my mind goes out to my congregants…I wonder are they listening? Are they taking what God has given me to heart? I wonder if the way I am communicating things is hurting someone unintentionally… Am I being insensitive? Am I inadvertently hurting someone or stomping on a very sensitive part of their lives through some well-meaning illustration in an attempt to drive home a point?
Some things are strongly communicated. Others are withheld. Some things are my own and though I strive to be transparent, I don’t share some things because they would benefit no one by sharing them. It may only cause anger and division. It may unintentionally drive a wedge deeper between them and their Creator, all because I feel the need to share my opinion…
All that being said, please pray for your pastor. Pray that he or she will remain faithful in their relationship with God. Pray that they will continue to find strength in that relationship. Pray that if they stumble or fall that they, with God’s help, will stand up, dust themselves off, and continue to be determined to serve Him, to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and that regardless of how the world treats…or mistreats them, that they will love the world as God does. (Mark 12:30-31)
Pray for your pastor…
July 24th, 2023, Mon, 8:45 pm
Shared Blessings
Weariness abounds but even in the midst of it, as the old hymn declares, “He abides”! Father, I plead that I will be greatly aware of Your abiding presence with me! Amen!
Romans 11:11-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
One thing that weighs heavily on my heart is that so-called followers of Christ place themselves above others. In today’s culture believers seem to be so full of themselves that they degrade, berate, and hold themselves to be superior to those who don’t believe. Where is the love? Where is the mercy and grace?
May we learn to humbly submit ourselves to the example of Christ Himself.
The passage of Scripture that we read today in our services was from Philippians 2:1-13. Here is a portion of it.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. v3-13 NIV
Where does our pride come from? Not from Christ, I can tell you that much…
As one example, and there are many, Paul points out that Israel stumbled and fell, but like all of us, they are not beyond redemption. One reason God extended salvation to the Gentiles (non-Jews) was to show them what they missed out on, creating a yearning within them to claim it as their own.
Verse 12 causes me to stand back and wonder just what God has in mind!
Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. NLT
Lord Jesus may that day quickly come! What blessings will we share in?!
July 23rd, 2023, Sun, 8:47 pm