THE GLORY OF THE THOUGHTS OF GOD

THE GLORY OF THE THOUGHTS OF GOD

Sunday, November 3, 2013, the Year of Our Lord

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

All week I have heard and considered in “my thoughts”, “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed so shall it stand.”

Jer. 23:20:  “The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he has executed, and till he has performed the thoughts of his heart; in the latter days you shall consider it perfectly.”

Psa. 33:11: “The counsel of the Lord stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

As you have often heard me say, I pray over all these messages usually all week.  This past week, I have been carrying a “burden” of the message in Isa. 14; 15 & 16.  Friday I delivered that message by posting it on the website and sending it out on Mail Chimp.  Only then was my Spirit free to focus totally on the Glory of the Thoughts of God.

Friday night, in a dream, I saw a message written out from the Lord.  It was outlined, with the scripture and the full message was presented before me.  On awakening, the message was very real.  However, the words on the pages immediately faded from my memory.   So, even while I was sleeping, God’s thoughts were being written out for me to see!  When I awoke, even though I couldn’t remember the words, I knew it was God’s thoughts unto me.

Psalm 139: 17-18:  “How precious are your thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand, When I awake, I am still with You.”

I began pondering the supernatural power of God’s thoughts and then re-thinking the creative power of our thoughts when in one accord and harmony with God’s thoughts.

Proverbs 21:5: “”The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.”

The Lord’s grace toward us is magnanimous in that He continually speaks to us giving messages (His thoughts).  Psa. 139:17:  “How precious are your thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”  Isa. 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s  ways higher than my ways, and God’s  thoughts than my thoughts.”

As I began to research, “The Glory of the Thoughts of God”, I found a great treasure, the writings of John Ross MacDuff, -- 1818-1895.  He was a pastor, prolific writer, and hymnist; born in England. He received his degrees from the Universities of Edinburg, Glasgow and New York.

Often in my sermons, I will give honor to saints (on earth or in heaven), who have touched the Glory of God in their writings, ministry or life.    Brother Mac Duff’s writing brought tears of joy as my heart soared into the heavenlies in worship through his prolific words that magnify the Glory of Christ.  I do not have the skill to write words as beautiful as these, so I share John Ross MacDuff’s words with you.  I am unashamed that these are not my words, but surely words inspired by the thoughts of God:

THE THOUGHTS OF GOD

John Ross MacDuff

“The thoughts of a great man on earth how valued!  With what feelings shall we ponder, “The thoughts of God?”  We treasure the thoughts of the wise and the good for their own sake, but how is their value enhanced when they are personal, and have a special reference to ourselves?  These “thoughts of God,” are thoughts toward us.  “I know the thoughts that I think towards you” (Jer. 29:11);  “Your thoughts which are to us.”  How precious also are Your thoughts unto me, O God.”

We consider with additional interest the Diary---the recorded thoughts---of those with whom, while living, we interchanged hallowed friendship, and whose regard and love we had been privileged to enjoy.  In opening the Divine “Diary” unfolding the Divine Thoughts as those are recorded in Sacred Scripture---we have the elevating assurance, “this Great Being loves me---pities me---carries me in His heart.”  If it be consoling to be much in the thoughts of a revered earthly friend, what must it be to occupy the thoughts of ONE, better than the best, more loving than the most loving human relative?

An earthly father writes his son in a distant land, ‘you are never absent from my thoughts.’  Such, too, is the comforting declaration of our Father in heaven.  The humblest and loneliest of His children on earth can say, “I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me.”

In one sense we are everywhere surrounded with God’s thoughts.  The world of nature is a majestic volume of these.  His sublime thoughts are the everlasting mountains---His lofty thoughts the distant stars---his dreadful thoughts the lightning and tempest, the earthquake and volcano---His minute thoughts of discriminating care the tiny moss and lichen, the tender grass, the lily of the field, and pearly dewdrop---His loving thoughts, the blue sky, the quiet lake the sunny glade, the budding blossoms and beauteous flowers---His joyful thoughts, the singing streams and sparkling waves---His unchanging thoughts, the rock in mid-ocean, on which the waves are in vain spending their fury.

But it is not in these mute, undefined, often mysterious symbols, that sinners, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, can discover the true Divine breathings and utterances of the very heart of a reconciled Father.  “He has magnified his word above all his name.”  He “has in these last days spoken unto us (given expression and  utterance to His thoughts) by His Son.”  It is in Christ that each thought of God becomes “precious,”---a ministering angel of comfort and hope, a deep pool of unfathomable grace and love, reflecting the image and the peace of heaven.

Jesus is the true ladder of Jacob, upon which thoughts upon thoughts of unutterable tenderness flood down from the upper sanctuary.  The Father is represented in an impressive figure as “wakening him morning by morning,”---“wakening his ear to hear as the learned,”---confiding to Him one blessed thought after another, that He may speak them as “words in season to him that is weary.”

And how precious are these thoughts of God!  Well may He say regarding the, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts,”---infinite, immutable, everlasting---a glorious chime carrying their echoes from eternity to eternity.  We may try to form whatever estimate of them we may, they far transcend our loftiest imaginings.  “Now”, says the apostle, “unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.”

God loves and treasures even our poor thoughts of Him.  “A book of remembrance was written for those who feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.”  Oh, how should we cherish and garner His ineffable thoughts towards us! ---take them to solve our doubts, calm our fears, soothe our sorrows, and hush our misgivings---it may be to smooth our sick-pillows on our death-pillows.  These, like tremulous music is some hallowed, time-honored sanctuary, floating on the entranced ear, have fallen with their heavenly vibrations on many a downcast, mourning, troubled, pensive spirit, and woke it up to hope and confidence, peace and joy.  This has been the experience of believers in every age---“In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Your comforts (Your comforting thoughts) delight my soul.”

With the devout Psalmist these thoughts seems to have formed the theme of morning meditation---for he adds, in our motto-verse, “When I awake, I am still with you.”  What is man,” exclaims a saint of an older age still, “that You should magnify him” and that You should set Your heart upon him? And that You should visit him every morning?”

Many,” truly, O Lord my God are Your wonderful works which You have done and Your thoughts which are to us---they cannot be reckoned up in order unto You; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”  But may these few sparks of living fire---a handful of burning coals taken from the holy altar---serve to kindle the fuel, or brighten the flame of the morning or, it may be, evening sacrifice.  Nothing surely can serve better to quicken faith and animate love---to mitigate grief and disarm temptation---to temper and moderate life’s anxieties and engrossments---to sweeten our earthly joys---to hallow our earthly sorrow---to elevate and dignify our earthly pursuits, than to go forth to the world, climbing its mountains of toil, and descending its valleys of care, preoccupied and solemnized with A THOUGHT OF GOD!

If we would let God’s thoughts, as they are revealed in the Word, come in and fill the chambers of our minds, how different our views and feelings would be regarding both Him and ourselves.  What ado unbelief sometimes stirs up within us, as if all were over!  What weeping and dirging as of minstrels waking the dead!  Were God’s thoughts to be let in, it would be like Jesus coming into the midst of the mourners and say, “Why make you this ado and weep? As the minstrels and other mourners were put out of the house by Jesus, so must our thoughts be put out of our hearts by God’s thoughts---then, all being still, the sweet voice of the Redeemer will be heard, “Tabitha---‘Arise”. (End of Message by John Ross McDuff)

The carnal thoughts of the wise among us are vain.  “The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.”  So, we certainly cannot rely on our thoughts.  This is why our televisions, movies and media are so filled with vulgarity and wickedness.  Satan continually tries to consume and control the thoughts and the mind of mankind.

If your thoughts are troubled, worried, fearful, surmising evil, angry, vengeful, suspicious, lustful, gossip, critical, complaining, jealousy, perverse,  or condemning, then those thoughts are not from God.

Proverbs 15:26:  “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant words.”

“How precious are Your thoughts unto me, O God!”

“I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love.  With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself” (Jer. 31:3)

Here we have an everlasting thought of God, “In the beginning, before ever the earth was.”  Believer, travel back in imagination to the ages of the past.  Before the trance of eternity was broken by any visible manifestation of power---before one temple was erected, before one angel waved his wing, or one note was heard of seraph’s song---when God inhabited alone these sublime solitudes---then there was a thought of you, and that thought was---Love.

I so desire that God’s thoughts will be my thoughts.  Then we would never have a negative thought.

Think of the sovereignty of that love.  He says no, “You have loved Me with your poor earthly love, therefore have I draw you.! No, no! It is from nothing in me---no foreseen goodness on my part.  Grace is the reason of all He has done---“God who is rich in mercy for his great love with which He loved us.”  I will have mercy,” is His own declaration---on whom I will have mercy.  “Jacob,’ (that cunning, scheming crafty youth,) “I have loved.”

It is “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us through Christ Jesus”---the moral gravitation-power of the cross, by which His true people have ever been drawn.  “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Myself.”  Draw me, Lord, and I will run after You.  Show me Your loving-kindness thus enshrined and manifested in Your dear Son, constrain me to love You in Him, because You have first loved, and so loved me.”

That Sovereign love is from everlasting to everlasting---endless in duration---enduring as eternity.  We may estimate its intensity, when the Savior could utter regarding it such a prayer as this, “That the love with which You have loved Me, may be in them.”

Oh, amid the often misgivings of my own doubting heart, with its frames and feelings vacillating as the shifting sand, let me delight to ponder this precious thought---the long line of unbroken love---every link love---connecting the eternity that is past with the eternity to come---God thinking of us before the birth of time---even then mapping out all our future happiness and heavenly bliss---and standing now, with the hoarded love that eternity in His heart, seeking therewith to “draw” us!

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

www.eastgateministries.com