Psa 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry
Psa 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Psa 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Psa 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.GOD BLESS U JESUS NAME;Once More on Bondage versus Liberty
Abraham had two sons . . . which . . . are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage . . . and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children — but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all . . . So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 4:22-5:1)
In our present verses, the two sons of Abraham are in view. "Abraham had two sons." Although these boys (Ishmael and Isaac) were actual historical characters, they represent a spiritual allegory: "which . . . are symbolic." These two sons present a vivid historical illustration of law and grace. "For these are the two covenants."
Ishmael, the first of Abraham's sons, pictures a life of self-sufficiency under the law: "the one from Mount Sinai." Such an approach to life produces spiritual bondage: "which gives birth to bondage." The citizens of earthly Jerusalem are also given as an example: "and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children." When Paul wrote Galatians, the Roman Empire held the city of Jerusalem in oppressive bondage. Abraham and Sarah trusted in their human ingenuity, using Hagar to bear their child. Thus, Ishmael was born, a child of fleshly bondage.
This is what our lives are like when we try to produce a Christian life by our own sufficiency. We are placing ourselves under the law (performance-based living). This is a path of spiritual bondage. We can only bring forth "fleshly Ishmaels."
Isaac, the second of Abraham's sons, is a portrait of living under grace. God's sufficiency is now our source. Isaac was born by God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Trusting in God's faithfulness produces spiritual freedom. Heavenly Jerusalem is the example here. "The Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all." We who follow Christ have been born again with new life from above. New Jerusalem is the "hometown" to which we are headed. Spiritual freedom characterizes such citizens from above. "So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free." The Lord calls us to live by the liberating grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, renouncing all inclinations toward the bondage of self-sufficient legalism. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
Dear God of all faithfulness, forgive me for all the "Ishmaels" that I have birthed by trusting in myself. That has always produced bondage. I want to live by Your grace, trusting in Your faithfulness and walking in true spiritual liberty. Through Christ I pray, Amen.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Rom_8:35-37)
When considering the triumphant Christian life, we may wrongly think that victory depends upon getting out of impossible situations. Actually, we are already "more than conquerors" even while we are in the midst of the impossibilities.
For us to be ultimately defeated, we would have to be separated from Christ's love for us. We would have to be cut off from the loving care of our victorious Lord. Can any foe or any situation accomplish that? "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? " This question is answered in Rom_8:38-39. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
No spiritual foe can enforce such a separation. Neither can any circumstance of impossibility separate us from our loving God. Rom_8:35-36 list some of the impossibilities that make us feel as though we are being defeated. "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter' ." When troubles and pressures arise, when we are attacked or are lacking resources, we may be tempted to think that victory is no longer available. When our experience is like a lamb being led to the slaughter, we may think that victory could never be ours. Nevertheless, the truth is that "in all these things we are more than conquerors."
Yes, right in the middle of the impossibilities of life, we are already more than a spiritual victor. Actually, we have already been made participants in a mighty, eternal, abundant victory, the victory that Christ accomplished on the cross and in the resurrection. "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Our victorious position in any situation is not circumstantial. It is relational. We are united by faith to the victorious one, the Lord Jesus Christ! "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Co_15:57).
Dear Father, I praise You for the constant provision of victory through Your triumphant Son. Lord, help me to view spiritual victory as a relational matter and not a circumstantial one. I thank You that through Christ I am already more than a conqueror right in the midst of my present impossibilities, Amen.
My Ideal Person:
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself
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