Uncategorized Archives - Paula Wiseman

The Unclouded Day

O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies,
O they tell me of a home far away;
O they tell me of a home where no storm-clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.

O they tell me of a home where my friends have gone,
O they tell me of that land far away,
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance thru the unclouded day. [Refrain]

O they tell me of a King in His beauty there,
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow,
In the city that is made of gold. [Refrain]

O they tell me that He smiles on His children there,
And His smile drives their sorrows all away;
And they tell me that no tears ever come again,
In that lovely land of unclouded day. [Refrain]

Refrain:
O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded day;
O they tell me of a home where no storm-clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.

J. K. Alwood, 1885
Read Isaiah 60:19-22

(Storms are often used as a metaphor for difficulties or seasons of life that push us to our limits. The hymnwriter looks forward to a day when there are not only no storms, but no clouds, even. There is something about the sun, shining in its strength that picks up our spirits, especially during these days of isolation. Every sunny day is a reminder that the Unclouded Day is coming!)

Fear

By Paula

And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ Job 28:28

Fear.
The Hebrew is yirah.
But it’s not fear, like I’m afraid of spiders.
It’s fear, like fear of the Lord.
Reverence. Respect. Recognition of His worthiness.

It is the mark of His people. (Deuteronomy 6:24)
It is something we learn, and must teach others. (Deuteronomy 31:12)
It is the fountain of life. (Proverbs 14:27)

It changes how we treat others.
It results in respect for the aged. (Leviticus 19:32)
It means the disabled are shown dignity. (Leviticus 19:14)

But God Himself takes pleasure in those who fear Him. (Psalm 147:11)
He calls it His treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)
And He writes it down and remembers it. (Malachi 3:16)

Fear the Lord.

Easter was yesterday. What will we do TODAY?

By Paula

And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. Luke 24:52-53

Jesus Christ rose from the dead!
They saw Him, talked with Him, even ate with Him.
They couldn’t go back to the routine.

What did they do?
They worshiped Him.
Actively. Personally. Corporately.

They returned to Jerusalem.
According to His instructions.
To wait for the next step.

They exhibited great joy.
Not forced or fake. Not mere happiness.
Genuinely overflowing joy.

They were continually in the Temple.
Not squeezing it in amid other commitments.
It was their priority.

They were praising and blessing God.
Publicly. Authentically.
Honoring. Testifying.

Amen.
So be it.

Easter was yesterday.
What will you do TODAY?

Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders!

By Paula

Day of judgment, day of wonders!
Hark! the trumpet’s awful sound,
Louder than a thousand thunders,
Shakes the vast creation round!
How the summons
Will the sinner’s heart confound!

See the Judge our nature wearing,
Clothed in majesty divine!
You who long for his appearing
Then shall say, “This God is mine!”
Gracious Savior,
Own me on that day for thine!

At his call the dead awaken,
Rise to life from earth and sea;
All the powers of nature shaken
By his look, prepare to flee:
Careless sinner,
What will then become of thee?

Horrors past imagination,
Will surprise your trembling heart,
When you hear your condemnation,
“Hence, accursed wretch depart!
Thou with Satan
And his angels, have thy part!”

Satan, who now tries to please you,
Lest you timely warning take,
When that word is past, will seize you,
Plunge you in the burning lake:
Think, poor sinner,
Thy eternal all’s at stake!

But to those who have confessed,
Loved, and served the Lord below;
He will say, “Come near ye blessed,
See the kingdom I bestow:
You for ever
Shall my love and glory know.”

Under sorrows and reproaches,
May this thought your courage raise!
Swiftly God’s great day approaches,
Sighs shall then be changed to praise:
We shall triumph
When the world is in a blaze.

John Newton, 1774

Read Revelation 20:11-15

(John Newton is best known for “Amazing Grace,” but that wasn’t his only hymn. Of course, this hymn has quite a different tone than his more famous one. God’s wrath and judgment hardly ever find their way into our hymns and worship, but they are an undeniable facet of God’s character. They are as much a part of who He is as grace and love and mercy. Knowing that He will judge and He will display His wrath should make us solemnly aware of what we have been rescued from. It should make the gift of salvation more precious. It should also make us all the more diligent to carry out that message of hope.)

King David’s Anger

By Paula

So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 2 Samuel 12:5

How quickly the king’s sense of justice was violated!
Judgment was pronounced swiftly and unwaveringly.
Deservedly so.
The sins were many.

Lack of pity
Immorality
Abuse of position
Lies
Greed
Deceit
and more.

David saw them all …
as long as Nathan was talking about someone else.

What about us?

When is our clarity greatest? When is our call for justice loudest? When is anger hottest?

At the failings of others? Or our own?

What Nicodemus Teaches Me about Being Born Again

By Paula

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” John 3:4

For a few weeks now we’ve been looking at the words of unbelievers and learning some valuable lessons from them. Today we’ll look at one of the more famous unbelievers, or pre-believers more accurately, in Scripture. A guy named Nicodemus.

His nighttime conversation with Jesus has been dissected and analyzed by scholars, theologians and the rest of us since it was recorded, yet it still yields fresh insights. Hopefully, we can gain a few today.

You’re no doubt familiar with the conversation. Nicodemus begins, “Teacher we know you are from God.” But Jesus cuts to the chase. “You can’t enter the kingdom of God without being born again.”

Born again. How ridiculous.

Isn’t that essentially what Nicodemus says? “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Aside from the theological discussion about our sin nature and its needful regeneration, this discussion touches on some points that we as believers still struggle with at times.

Being born again implies not only starting over, but giving up reputation, position, advantage, and progress. It is going back to square one, erasing all our hard work.

Being born again also means we have nothing, no resources, nothing to contribute, nothing to fall back on, and nothing to hide behind. It is an exposure of our helplessness.

Jesus doubled down on this idea later in the gospels. In Mark 10:15, He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Nicodemus voices our resistance to that exposure and that surrender.

Let’s confess we sometimes operate under the notion that we will eventually reach a point where we don’t need God’s help so much. We figure someday we will have enough practice or experience to handle things, the way our kids eventually learn to feed themselves and tie their own shoes. Yes, we grow in knowledge and understanding. Our relationship with Jesus strengthens and deepens. However, we never reach independence. Being part of the kingdom of God necessitates our admission that we are powerless, that we have no agency and that we are helpless.

Nicodemus didn’t like it when Christ confronted him with that. We don’t care for it much either. But Nicodemus’s protests remind us how much we need Jesus and the power of the gospel to transform us, and not just at the moment of salvation.

The Unclouded Day

Fear

Easter was yesterday. What will we do TODAY?

Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders!

King David’s Anger

What Nicodemus Teaches Me about Being Born Again

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series