Words Fail * Dutch Sheets * GiveHIM15 * 1/01/2024

[ronscarpa]

• • 4 min read       https://www.givehim15.com/post/january-1-2024

 

January 1, 2024

 

Happy New Year!

 

People always want to know what spiritual leaders are sensing and seeing at the beginning of a new year. Due to the fact that today is a holiday, fewer people than normal will see the post. Therefore, I will begin addressing this topic tomorrow. Today, I’ll read one more devotional of Dad’s and share some thoughts from my book The Pleasure of His Company. Then, we’ll pray a strong New Year's Day prayer.

 

 

Words Fail

 

 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17 KJV)

 

 

From Dad’s Devotional

 

“Gifts that flow to us through nature and providence are ‘good,’ but those that come through the atoning work of Jesus are ‘perfect.’ Ever since you were born, God has touched you in His providence. Even the hairs on your head are numbered.

 

 

“God is forever the same in His goodness, love, and care toward us. With Him is no ‘variableness.’ What a great word the Holy Spirit uses here. It is the Greek word parallage,(1) an astronomical term describing the different positions of the heavenly bodies that cause changes in the seasons of the year. This is where our word ‘parallax’ comes from. It is by the parallax that astronomers get the measure of heavenly bodies.

 

 

“God has no parallax! You cannot measure how large He is or how far away He is. You can't find Him with telescopes. ‘He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’ (Hebrews 11:6).

 

 

“With Him, there is no shadow of turning. He's always right overhead. He doesn't change like the shadow on the sundial.

 

 

“All He has committed Himself to in His Word, He will do - infallibly. He will bring us into full enjoyment of our promised inheritance.

 

 

“From “A Mighty Fortress” by Martin Luther:

 

 

‘And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God has willed

His truth to triumph through us.

 

The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for, lo! His doom is sure.

One little word shall fell him.”’(2)

 

 

Dutch Shares from The Pleasure of His Company

 

“Words certainly are inadequate to describe Christ’s attributes, abilities, intellect, and accomplishments. He is breathtaking, yet calming. All-powerful but gentle, unsearchably wise though humble, and awe-inspiring while completely approachable. Perfection defines Him, intrigue surrounds Him, and eternity is in Him. He is boundless love, everlasting joy, and the Prince of Peace. Oxymorons are necessary to describe Jesus since He is the God-man, both human and divine. Incredibly, He’s the Ancient of Days, yet forever new, existing in a perpetual now. His nature contradicts every natural law of time, space, and physics. When Moses asked Him His name, He simply said, ‘I AM.’ Words fail.

 

 

“Young and old, male and female, rich and poor, moral and immoral - they all found Jesus interesting. He was so magnetic and gentle in His personality that children loved and trusted Him, and sinners confessed to Him their sordid and painful pasts. But He was so overpowering in His masculinity and multifaceted in His gifts that both intellectual businessmen and coarse, tough fishermen left their careers at His simple invitation to ‘follow Me.’

 

 

“Grown men fell before Jesus in worship, and anointing oil worth thousands of dollars was poured upon His feet. A multitude of men, women, and children - yes, children - sat for days at a time listening to Him teach. Families loved having Him in their homes, men liked hiking and camping with Him, and scholars enjoyed picking His brain - when he was only twelve years old! Many more books have been written concerning Him than about any other person, and people sit for hours writing songs about Him.

 

 

“My meager list barely scratches the surface. Consider the following:

 

 

• A fish brought Him a mouthful of money.

• Storms obeyed His commands.

• His spit healed blind eyes, and His touch cured leprosy.

• He walked on water…and through walls!

• He turned water into wine and multiplied by thousands a few fish and loaves of bread.

• He raised the dead.

• Insanity fled from Him; demons did, as well.

• Fire goes before Him and consumes His enemies.

• When He died, willingly, the sun refused to shine, and the earth shook.

• Death, however, couldn’t hold Him, and His resurrection was so powerful it spilled over onto other dead people, raising them from the dead!

• His eyes are like fire; His voice is like a waterfall.

• Angels worship Him; rulers cast their crowns at His feet.

• He created everything…with just His words.

• He keeps the universe operating in perfect order…yep, with just His words.”(3)

 

 

Pray with me:

 

Father, we approach You today in the name of Jesus. As we begin a new year, what a perfect time to consider Your greatness. You have no equal. You’re all powerful, all wise, always present - everywhere, always good. Sinless, flawless, changeless, and matchless. To know You is to love You.

 

To think that You pursue a relationship with finite humans is beyond comprehension. Yet You stand at the door of our hearts and knock, wanting to dine with us. You found the despised tax collector Zacchaeus in a tree and interrupted Your trip to save him; You detoured to Samaria to interrupt the dead-end journey of an adulteress woman; You touched lepers, accepted a foot bath from a prostitute, and showed mercy to a depraved, naked man living in a cemetery. Yes, You are good. 

 

In this new year, we intend to partake of Your goodness and partner with Your goodness. We will feed on Christ’s salvation, and we will serve it to others. We will persevere in our intercession for people and nations, and we will see breakthrough after breakthrough. Our paths will grow brighter, our faith stronger, and our lives more productive. We are Yours, You are ours, and this will forever be. Amen.

 

 

Our decree:

 

We decree that 2024 will be our greatest year ever..!

 

 

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Click on the link below to watch the full video.

 

 

 

 

 

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 3883.

2. https://hymnary.org/text/a_mighty_fortress_is_our_god_a_bulwark 

3. Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2014), pp. 11-13.