Love Broke Through

Love Broke Through

I left my shelter, wandered out into harm;
My faith grew so weak in the path of the storm.
A trial of my choosing; no one else to blame;
But His love broke through when I called on His name.

Chorus:
Love broke through the clouds, Love scattered the rain;
God’s love brought healing in the midst of my pain.
When the wind and the waves were all I could view,
Jesus calmed the storm, and His love broke through.

The wind rose so sudden, the thunder now roared;
I was all but sinking; my faith came unmoored.
A trial to test me – how could I survive?
Love broke through and showed me, “My Saviour’s alive!”

When loved ones were drowning; all seemed nearly lost,
I wanted to save them, whatever the cost;
But my strength was useless – oh, what could I do?
I called on the Saviour, and His love broke through.

When the wind and the waves were all I could view,
Jesus calmed my storm, and His love broke through.

December 24th, 2010
Jerry Bouey

Matthew 8:23-27 And when he (Jesus) was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

Matthew 14:24-33 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God.

P.S. Poem edited slightly on January 2nd, 2011, due to the input of two friends. Thanks for helping me make this song even better! ;)

Thankful For The Love Of God

At the Gospel Mission, we finished a series on Ruth, and started a couple of weeks of messages on a Giving Thanks in preparation for our Canadian Thanksgiving (which is today, October 11th). I preached the main part of this study for the lunch devotional yesterday, and added more verses today to round out it out.

Thankful For The Love Of God

Love is not an emotion (though it may effect them) - love is a choice. Love is an action verb. Always seeking the best for others.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5:6-10 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

When we were at our worst, God gave His best! He proved/showed/demonstrated His love to us by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins.

1 John 4:8-10 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

We learn love through the Lord Jesus Christ's example for us - He loved us first!

Consider each point of the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, thinking about Christ’s/God’s love as an example for us, and how our love is to be towards others and towards the Lord in return.

The word translated as charity here is the Greek word agape. It means "love," and is often referred as the deep love of God, a self-sacrificial love that desires the best for others. Matthew Henry points out that the word charity was used by the translators to indicate when they believed love towards BOTH God and man was in view in that particular verse or passage.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, - Longsuffering, forbearing. Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives this as one of his definitions for forbearance: "The exercise of patience; long suffering; indulgence towards those who injure us; lenity; delay of resentment or punishment."

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

-Lamentations 3:21-23

I love this passage; it is filled with hope and healing for the broken spirit. But have you read the verses before verse 21? They're depressing!

Lamentations 3:1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Lamentations 3:2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

Lamentations 3:3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

Lamentations 3:4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

Lamentations 3:5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

Lamentations 3:6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

Lamentations 3:7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

Lamentations 3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

Lamentations 3:9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

Lamentations 3:10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

Lamentations 3:11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

Lamentations 3:12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Lamentations 3:13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

Lamentations 3:14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.

Lamentations 3:15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

Lamentations 3:16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

Lamentations 3:17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

Lamentations 3:18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

Lamentations 3:19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

Lamentations 3:20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

Have you ever felt like this? I have! Verses 21-23 wouldn't be half as beautiful and refreshing without the artfully but painfully written verses previous. After taking in verse 1-20, we see the remainder of the passage in a whole new light:

How to Help a Wounded Person

How to Help a Wounded Person
By Cary Schmidt (published by permission)

One of the most difficult circumstances of life and ministry is to try to help someone who has been deeply hurt. These are hard moments. More than anything, you want to take away the hurt, undo the pain, and fix the problem. But it’s just not that easy. Woundedness—regardless of how it occurred—requires time and God’s grace in order to heal.

Here are a few thoughts (not exhaustive by any means) that you might be able to place in your tool box to encourage and help those who are wounded.

First—Teach through Hebrews 12. Much of life’s pain is not disciplinary in nature—but all of it is allowed of God and is intended to be used by Him to produce good in our lives (Romans 8:28). Hebrews 12 deals powerfully with how Christians should respond to wounds and chastening—by claiming God’s grace and turning away from bitterness. As I study this passage it seems that chastening can be both disciplinary and nurturing in nature. In other words, it’s not always about discipline, but it is always difficult and painful.

Second—Emphasize God’s Desire to Heal. (vs. 13) The focus of Hebrews 12 is the peaceable fruit—the outcome of grace. Help the hurting person find hope in looking forward. In time, God’s grace can work all things to our eventual profit. Satan wants the hurting to only focus on the past—the hurt. After all, it’s difficult to imagine how the abuse of another can produce something good in me! God calls His child to “lift up the hands which hang down.” He offers hope in what is yet to come by His grace.

Third—Call the Hurting to Pursue Peace with All Men. (v. 14) For God’s healing, the wounded must have a right heart toward the relationships of life—even the broken ones. This is a bit different for each situation, and forgiveness is always a journey—a process of forgiving over and over again. But one condition of God’s healing is that the hurting must have an agenda of peace not revenge or resentment.

Faithful Is He

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

I Thessalonians 5:24

This verse is one in a long list of short, seemingly random thoughts Paul spouts off at the very end of his first letter to Thessalonica.  It's right there with the really easy memory verses like "Pray without ceasing" and "Rejoice evermore."  Each verse is so short, and yet, bursting at the seams with truth.  However, what threw me for a loop was the end of verse 24, "who also will do it."  This puzzled me; what exactly is "it"?

These short passages are nice because you can take them almost literally a word at a time and strike with gold with every swing.  "Faithful is He that calleth you" is pretty straightforward.  God has a specific plan for each of us to accomplish in this life, and He is faithful!  Even when we stray from the path, he never gives up on us.  No matter how rough the path may seem, He will never forsake us.

"Who also..."  God didn't just set your life in motion to sit back and watch it spin.  He had your best interest in mind when he called you and He still has your best interest in mind.  These two words illustrate how personal God is.

"...will do it."   What, did you expect to reach your life's goals on your own strength?  If you've ever tried to do anything in life without God's guiding hand, you already know that your chances of success are slim to none!  God is faithful, and has a calling just for you, but only through His strength can you reach it.

Wow, the second half of this verse really puts it all in perspective.  So often we major on the "I can do all things!" but forget that it's only "through Christ which strengtheneth me."  If God brought you to where you are today (which He obviously did!), just trust Him to take care of things.  The "it" in this verse is everything!  If your calling, as of now, is surviving high school and living at home, God will take care of which college you should go to and finding the time to do projects.  If you're in the will of God at college or beyond, trust Him to handle the next bill payment and how much it'll cost to fix the weird sound the car is making.

It only makes sense to trust in Him because He's the only one who can really handle it anyway.  We can control very little of what takes place in our lives, but if God brings us to it, He will bring us through it.  All we have to do is give it over to Him in prayer, leave it there in His hands, and expect that He "also will do it."

The Lord Is Like An Eagle

The Lord Is Like An Eagle

Deuteronomy 32:9-12 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.

1. The eagle's nest also has a great lesson for us.

The eagle ladens its nest with glass and sharp stones that she finds along the ground. After the nest is sufficiently uncomfortable - the eagle then finds a rabbit and such like and takes its soft downy pelt and lines the nest with it.

When the eaglets are hatched, they find themselves in a most comfortable domain. Their mother has insured they will spend their times as chicks in an environment so soft and pleasant.

Alas, the time comes when it is time for the eaglets to leave their nest. Rather than hold a long talk with her babies about the necessity to spread their wings, she does something rather cruel - to our standard. She pulls away the soft down of the rabbit and exposes her young to the jagged rocks and sharp glass. The eaglets, finding this most uncomfortable - decide it is time to leave the nest.

A pastor told me once how like the Lord this is. When it is time to move - He often makes circumstances unbearable. Some have been led to leave a church for this very reason. Perhaps it is a job situation, or a geographical change. The Lord may use oppression to make His children move.

A lesson in history shows us that Israel is still God's chosen nation. God desired that Israel would return home again so that she could once again become a nation in 1948. Unfortunately, the Jewish people had become comfortable in their adopted lands - many becoming quite wealthy through trade and craft. God rose up a Hitler, a demonic fiend, to cause His people to flee to their native land. God took away the feathery down of the nest and exposed His beloved people to the rocks.

2. The eagle takes her young to great heights in order to teach them to fly.

One-by-one the great eagle takes her young unto her wing and begins the arduous process of flight training. Higher and higher she soars to incredible heights and drops her baby. Downward, downward does the eaglet fall - helpless, without the knowledge or the skill to flap its wings - with greater and greater velocity it falls toward the earth.

Fortunately for the chick, an eagle can fly downward faster than her babies can fall. Before the baby can smash upon the rocks the mother eagle swoops under her babe and carries it back up to the heavens.

How often, Christian, have we felt like we were falling only to discover our great God often at the bottom of our fall. How often must we learn that it is at the bottom of ourselves - when we have no other course to turn to - that we find the Lord an ever present help. Yet, is this not the Lord's way to bring maturation to His child?

So, the eagle mounts again into still greater levels; then she will try again, and the little one is cast off into the immeasurable air, and it begins to understand the mechanics of flight. But so soon does it tire and again fall. The eagle again descends and receives its babe in its mighty iron pinions - claws of death - claws of life.

Thus the process is continued until the eaglet is trained to fly - the eaglet becomes strong - drops its inexperience - and becomes complete. The eaglet turned eagle, the worm turned butterfly - has been trained to swim in God's air, to fly in God's firmament, and to beat its strengthened wings in the face of the sun.

Again, is this not God's way with us? We so often fly poorly - if at all. We fall, but we find that the wing of the Most High is under us - and we rest upon it. So we fly a little and soon find our weakness, and before our testimony can crash on the rocks below and again we find that we rest in high-places in the midst of the danger.

We do not always fly as we ought and fear is often stronger than the little strength we think we have. We are scoffed at and jeered at by the wicked - but take heart, my companion in Christ - we are only still learning to fly.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

It is so easy to stand on the ground and laugh at the young eaglets in their early flight training - but God's wings are under us. God will not forsake us - not a sparrow falleth to the ground without our Father.

(Used with permission from: Baptist Bible Believers Website)