Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: Isaiah
Not A Pretty Picture

Not A Pretty Picture

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Not A Pretty Picture

A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.

Isaiah 42:3

The compassion of Christ shines brilliantly as one of the most outstanding features of His stellar character. Everywhere we look in the depictions of His Life and Ministry, we behold Him dealing compassionately with people who were, in their own right, quite unlovely in various ways. He was compassionate toward the ten lepers, the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, the man born blind, and the man with the withered hand. He was compassionate toward the morally unlovely. The maniac of Gadara, the woman at the well, Zaccheus, and the woman taken in adultery all come to mind. In the case of each of these we see the warm glow of Christ’s compassion spreading itself over their desperate conditions. Our text today comments upon this compassion in a graphic way. ‘A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.’ The bruised reed is that fragile slender shaft which, having been perhaps trodden upon by some careless passerby, hangs its head in a weak and helpless way, completely unable to right itself. The smoking flax is the wick of that lamp which is out of oil, and therefore unable to give light, but rather emits a noxious smell, with the unpleasant smoke. Our text declares ‘A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.’  Behold, the compassion of Christ. How often do we find that these are accurate depictions of us. How often are we like, ‘the bruised reed and the smoking flax.’ We must be truthful about ourselves, and in doing so we will magnify the Grace of God and the compassion of Christ. Here we see a graphic description of ourselves, and it is not a pretty picture. The better we understand who and what we are apart from the Grace of God, the more we magnify His mercy, and the more we appreciate the overwhelming compassion of Christ to us. As we begin our meditations upon this text, which will carry us for the next few days, let us begin by taking a realistic view of ourselves in order that we might see our great need of Christ.

Our Gracious Master and Our God,
we praise You, that You are the Great Lover of the Unlovely.
We have nothing to offer
and depend utterly upon the abundance of Your Free Grace.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Preparing for Worship

Preparing for Worship

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Worship Service 9:30 am

650 Kennedy Drive

Northglenn, CO

Scripture:  Isaiah 42:1-7

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.” Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Sermon:  Christ’s Compassionate Restraint

  1. Here is a graphic description of us.
  2. Here is a great relief for us.
  3. Here is a great encouragement to us.

Catechism:  Westminster Shorter Catechism

What is the sixth commandment?

The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.

1 Exodus 20:13. Thou shalt not kill. Deuteronomy 5:17. Thou shalt not kill.

Worship:

All Hail the Power of Jesus Name

Christ is Enough

O Great God
Our Hope for All Seasons

Our Hope for All Seasons

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Do you have hope that will last you for a lifetime?

Isaiah 46:3-4 (NKJV)

“…Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

 

A People Formed for a Purpose

A People Formed for a Purpose

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A People Formed for a Purpose

This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.
Isaiah 43:21

     “But yet are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.”  With title upon title, strung together like pearls on a silver thread, Peter ascribes the people of God.  It is an old, familiar, and exciting theme.  God used the concept in the days when He inspired Isaiah to write his prophecy.  What was true of Israel of old is true of us who are spiritual Israel today, in this respect: God has formed us into a people for the purpose of our bringing praise to Him.  It is important that we understand that we are the people whom God has formed.  He had it upon His heart to form us personally and corporately.  By glorification, He will form us eternally.  He has formed us with the greatest purpose in view – – for Himself.

     We exist as a people for God.  That is our raison d’etre; hence, the exhortation “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”  The writers of the Westminster Shorter Catechism summarized it well when they answered the question “What is man’s chief end?” with the response “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.  God’s people alone fulfill that purpose in its fullest implication.  God Himself declares in our text that “they shall show forth my praise.”  We will bring praise to the God who has formed us for that purpose.  We will bring Him praise in our work and in our worship;  In our songs and in our sorrows; in our youth and in our age; in our closet and in the street; on our own and in company.  With everything else that does so, we will praise God with all we are and have.  We will bring praise to God; for so He has purposed it, and so He will perform it.  Our praise to Him has begun in time, and will continue throughout eternity.  How will you go about praising Him today?

Great God of Grace,
we long to praise Thee as we ought.
Conform us to the image of Christ more fully today.
Get from us praise for Thyself.



Where the Bush is Burning
Tomm Tice

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