Overcoming Temptations by God's Help

“God’s promises to us are more powerful and effectual for the mortifying of sin than our promises to God.”

—	Matthew Henry

Hand of God

Rolling Thunders, Folding Clouds,
Smoking Mountains, Fiery Sky
Enflames the horizon and thus shudders the soul.
Heavy Hearts, Feeble feet,
Knocking Knees, Shivering Hands,
Rumbles and Tumbles, Pandemonium air
And Nerve Wreaking din, as Sinai goes up in flames
In the Presence of Almighty.

The Hand of God is Here Below
Only but for a line to draw,
A Line Betwixt God And Man
To Mark a Sinner and Whose Not.

And so toindite the 10 Commandments
Did the hand on the mount appear;
But, but, but,No Sooner given
than the very first broken!
Law Given, Sin Committed,
Death Empowered, 3000 slain,
Judgment Outpoured, Fury Busted,
Who can stand Justified
Before this Holy God?

But then the hand Appeared!
Touching Lepers, Healing sick,
Calming storms, Silencing Critics,
Embracing the Depressed, Encouraging the Deprived
Empowering the Weak, Enriching the Poor,
Raising the dead and Found of little children.
Yes! 'Tis the same hand!
The same that flung stars into place
and the same did the Decalogue pen.
A hand so Righteous, A Hand divine
Yet nailed to a tree, to save sinners indign.
Hands outstretched wide and cruel nails to assist;
Oh let those nails fall down, for His Love would have held Him!!

The hand of God is here below,
Only but to take us beyond the line
andmake us one with God!
For who shall separate us now?

But then the hand will Appear,
with a Rod of Iron, aScepter of Righteousness;
To Dash in pieces His enemies,and to reign gloriously.
For the Psalmist Declares:-" The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD does valiantly. "
But, But, But, Through allthe glory and all grandeur ,
would I gaze, stare,
And long for nothing but for,
A sight of those cruelnail prints!
Nail prints of Love, in the Hands of God

Who killed Jesus

Christmas in the prison

Following is a letter written by Bonhoeffer from the Nazi prision to his parents  explaining how he understands  the meaning of Christmas.

Viewed from a Christian perspective, Christmas in a prison cell can, of course, hardly be considered particularly problematic. Most likely many of those here in this building will celebrate a more meaningful and authentic Christmas than in places where it is celebrated in name only.

That misery, sorrow, poverty, loneliness, helplessness, and guilt mean something quite different in the eyes of God than according to human judgment; that God turns toward the very places from which humans turn away; that Christ was born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn — a prisoner grasps this better than others, and for him this is truly good news.

And to the extent he believes it, he knows that he has been placed within the Christian community that goes beyond the scope of all spatial and temporal limits, and the prison walls lose their significance. . . .

With great gratitude and love,

Your Dietrich

Suffering

Martin Luther says, “God can be found only in suffering and the cross.”3 It is in the suffering of the Son of God that we find God.

From his birth in a despised manger, to his death on the cross, the Son of God suffered. Christ was acquainted with pain (Isaiah 53:3). And because Christ was familiar with it, we too are made familiar with suffering (2 Corinthians 1:5, 1 Peter 4:13). - Desiring God ministries