What Does God Want From Me?

“Call me ‘the Quester.’ I've been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there's not much to write home about. God hasn't made it easy for us. I've seen it all and it's nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting into the wind.

Life's a corkscrew that can't be straightened,

A minus that won't add up.

I said to myself, ‘I know more and I'm wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I've stockpiled wisdom and knowledge.’ What I've finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind.

Much learning earns you much trouble.

The more you know, the more you hurt.”¹

But life must be more than just a quest to know, if it is to have real meaning. I thought about those of you who write about Christ, life, relationships and what it truly means to live a life that truly pleases God.

What does Christ see when He looks at me?

Am I seeking to give myself to Him or am I only seeking what I can get from Him?

I ask the Lord for something every day in prayer; without fail. I want something. I make my requests known to Him. Last night I confessed.

“Why am I asking You when You already know my thoughts Lord?”

When I pray for my son, or daughter, a relative or friend, when I pray for those who read this blog, is it then wrong to share my own personal needs before You Lord?

There is silence as I attempt to still my thoughts from running back and forth; keeping busy. My thoughts often seem to parallel Martha, who was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen when the Lord visited her home. I need silence that I might hear God speak to my spirit.

What does God say to you in the silence of your thoughts?

Often I hear the same words, time and again.

Worship Me.

Confess before Me.

How do you worship the Lord?

I looked for examples of worship in scripture and came across this tidbit:

“…you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go...”²

I thought about these words, “you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose… there for his dwelling”, and I realized that the place the Lord chose for me to worship is within me.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”³

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”⁴

God has put His Spirit in us so that we would walk before Him in the only way that truly pleases Him, faithfully.

But how am I to worship God?

In the Old Testament, the Israelites worshipped the Lord with burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings, but what does God really want from me?

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of his pasture”⁵

“Do you think I feast on venison? or drink draughts of goats' blood? Spread for me a banquet of praise, serve High God a feast of kept promises...”⁶

God wants to see me filled with gladness when I come before Him joyful songs. To worship Him in a way that tells Him, “I don’t want to hold anything back from You Lord.” God takes no pleasure in the sacrifice of animals when He has offered the ultimate sacrifice: His Son, Jesus Christ. He wants me to serve Him a banquet of praises, my very own recipe. God wants me to be faithful as He Himself is faithful, by keeping my word. God is Light so there cannot be even the slightest change that would mutate the character and nature of His promises. God is saying to me: Be faithful by keeping your promise to Me.

We say, “Take my life Lord.” What do we mean by these words?

Do I want God to possess me in such a way that I’m not reserving any part of me from Him?

Have I given God access to my life which I previously kept reserved for me?

The Israelites sacrifices animals, what am I offering up to God from my life?

Do I give Him my time or am I too busy for God?

Do I give Him my talent, or am I using it to indulge myself?

Do I give Him my treasure, or is my treasure reserved for only me?

Do I realize how badly God wants what I hold on to so tightly?

It is an awesome thing to ponder the thought that, God values and wants me; all of me.

God is not satisfied with just a morsel of my life. No more than I would be satisfied with just a prayer that is proportionally answered to the degree I give myself to Him. If God divvied out His love, blessings, and grace to us the way we give ourselves to Him, would you be pleased with His effort?

God said this regarding His relationship with Abraham:

“The LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do'...”⁷

God had no desire to hide from Abraham what He was about to do. I don’t believe God wants to hide from you or me what He is about to do in our life.

Do I want to know what God is going to do?

What can I learn from God when I come before Him with a heart willing to listen?

Will God respond when I: Worship Him without reservation Serve Him a banquet recipe of my sincere praise Confess my life before Him openly Honor my promises to Him faithfully Demolish the walls that hinder me hearing Him

I believe He will respond.

I can never meet the extent of God’s response to me, but I will never cease my effort to extend myself more and more towards Him.

Father God,

You are The Awesome God, the great I AM! It is You alone that I worship, You alone that I praise and You alone that I adore. How faithful You are to me! I want to prepare myself for You as a banquet of praise. You are too great for the few words I have to extol You. Someone once said, "What a wonder You Are!" How true these words echo in my thoughts. Your love and peace flood me beyond measure. I confess my sins that I may stand before You in reverence and adoration. Through Your Son, Jesus Chirst, there is no longer a wall of partition beween You and me. Thank You Lord Jesus for tearing it down and establishing peace with God on my behalf. No one could have done this but You Lord Jesus. I want to be faithful Lord, that I may stand in Your presence and hear what You're going to do. Heal those who cry out in anguish. Give favor and blessings to those who've lost job, career, home or family, but cling to a hope that You will respond. Move forth by the power of Your Spirit and reveal Yourself as The Sovereign Lord. Amen.

Note: Several months ago, a blogger friend suggested I visit Charlotte and Ginger who host the blog Spiritual Sundays, and that I should link in with fellow bloggers who share encouraging and inspirational posts.

I believe you will find hearts ablaze with faith, love, compassion, kindness, humility, and fellowship in Christ. I encourage you to visit. You won't be disappointed.

Footnotes:

1. Ecclesiastes 1:13-18, The Message Bible
2. Deuteronomy 12:4-5, NIV
3. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NASB
4. Ezekiel 36:27, NASB
5. Psalm 100:1-3, NIV
6. Psalm 50:13-14, The Message Bible
7. Genesis 18:17, NASB

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. The Amplified Bible, by The Lockman Foundation, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, ISBN-13: 978-0310951414
3. King James Version, The Crusade Analytical Study Edition, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc., PO Box 90011, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
4. The Message Bible, by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO, ISBN-13: 978-1600060250
5. New King James Version, by Nelson Bibles, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., PO Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee, ISBN-13: 978-0840713704
6. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
7. The New Living Translation Bible, by Tyndale Charitable Trust, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN-13: 978-0842384896

The Friend of God (Part 2)

“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.'”¹

The Hebrew name Moriah, is only mentioned twice in scripture², it is a hill in Palestine which the Jews believe is the site upon which Solomon built the temple and the altar of burnt offerings³. The word Moriah means, to be seen of Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Moriah is the place to be seen by the God of deeply felt and intense expressions; the God who is worshipped here.

In this exchange between God and Abraham, I observe that:

1. God decides to test Abraham
2. The test is a test of love, loyalty and devotion
3. The test is for Abraham’s benefit

In testing Abraham, God has determined that the relationship has reached a level in which it now requires higher elevation. This test from God is in essence Him saying, Come up here. This is what John wrote in Revelation:

“After these things I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here…'”⁴

I believe that as I grow in my relationship with God through faith, I need to elevate my relationship because it has reached a plateau; this is what I believe the writers of Genesis and Revelation speak of as, “After these things”. These things are those learning experiences that build upon one another. The test wasn’t for God’s benefit; He already knew Abraham would obey the test.

Why then test Abraham?

So that Abraham would realize that his deeply felt and intense expressions for his only son Isaac, those unspoken thoughts of love and gratitude to God were already known by Jah. I also believe God wanted Abraham to see and worship Him with a new perspective.

Moriah is the place to be seen by Jah but Moriah is only representative of the spiritual place where one is seen by Jah. God wants Abraham to move from the natural into the spiritual realm of their relationship.

Why was it a test of love, loyalty and devotion?

At the instruction of God, Abram left family, home, security, friends, established relationships to go where God told him to go. This was the beginning of his walk of obedience.

True obedience will only express itself through love, loyalty and devotion.

Some are taught obedience through fear and intimidation but when the opportunity presents itself, they will flee to escape obedience that is based on tyranny. Some learn obedience through a code of ethics, principles, moral or societal guidelines and laws but when there is a loophole that offers a tangible benefit, obedience becomes devalued. I cannot maintain a relationship with God based on fear. I cannot maintain a relationship with God by trying to follow codes and guidelines.

I can only maintain a relationship with God by my desire to worship Him.

It is through worship (or devotion) that I gain an awareness of a desire for love and loyalty. I realize that God is faithful, so too must I become faithful. I realize that God is love, so too must I become loving. I realize that God is loyal, so too must I become loyal. I realize that God is holy, so I too must become holy. In order to get Abraham to this spiritual position in his life, God had to get him above ground level that he might bear witness to who God really is in his life. On Moriah, Abraham bore witness to Jehovah Jireh; The Lord Will Provide.

I believe that whenever God causes growth in the relationship with a believer, He takes them above ground to a higher elevation. We find this happens to Moses in the mountain with the burning bush. Paul speaks of a man caught up to the third heaven. I believe God wants me to see what I can never see from ground level (in the natural). He wants me to see Him with a new perspective; that I would enter into a much deeper relationship with Him through my worship. This is what Abraham bore witness to; he saw Jehovah Jireh.

From this point on, the relationship between God and Abraham changes because of what Abraham witnessed with his own eyes. He would no longer see God as the God of promises; He was now The Lord Will Provide.

A provision and a promise are fundamentally different. A promise is a pledge of something to be done in the future or a pledge to maintain something previously established. A provision is something given in sufficient quantity to sustain me. A promise can be invalidated or ended. A provision is never exhausted.

Abraham already knew of the promises of God, now he walked in the provision of God. On Moriah the bible reveals that:

“And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.’”⁵

Abraham thus entered into the spiritual realm of friendship with God.

He now understood the Lord provides for me in every area of my life; The Lord Will Provide.

Whatever I need, God knows I trust Him as The Lord Will Provide. It is there for me, but I must elevate my spirit, soul and body that I may come to know Him as The Lord Will Provide.

So in answering the question, Does God trust me? I must understand that this question is not an issue for God as it is for me; God does not grapple with that issue as I do, He already knows the answer. I am the one who needs to go to that spiritual place called Moriah; the place where my spirit longs to worship Jah. As I ascend up to Moriah and reach the place that God is calling me to come to, I find provision allocated to me in a way that dissolves my fears, concerns, worries, doubts and cares.

I am discovering a new aspect of my relationship with God, He wants to call me friend.

He isn’t satisfied with me seeing Him only as the God of promises.

He wants me to recognize Him as Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Will Provide.

I am now ascending my very own Moriah and I fully expect to find The Lord Will Provide when I arrive. The test is for my benefit. The sacrifice I offer will be that which I treasure, that which I value most. It will be the offering of my worship to God. I am excited about this sacrifice of worship because I want this friendship.

I’m doing this because I want to be called the friend of God. Yes, and although I say He is, The Lord Will Provide, I’m not seeking provision; I’m seeking Him.

Father God,

You are calling me to Moriah, the place where I come to worship You. The place of my spiritual sacrifice. The place where I see you as The LORD Will Provide. I'm not seeking provision, I seek friendship with You. I want to ascend to Moriah to sacrifice my doubts, my fears, my worries, my cares, all of them I offer up to You Lord. I'm excited about our friendship and the opportunities you provide for me as Your friend. You are my Jehovah Jireh. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 22:1-2, NASB
2. Genesis 22:2; 2 Chronicles 3:1
3. Unger’s Bible Dictionary, page 758
4. Revelation 4:1, NASB
5. Genesis 22:14, NASB

References:

1. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James B. Strong, S.T.D, LL.D., Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
2. Unger's Bible Dictionary, By Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, Chicago
3. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
4. Matthew Henry's Commentary, McDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia 22101, ISBN 0-917006-21-6

The Friend of God

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected: and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,’ and he was called the friend of God.”¹

Most of us who’ve read the epistle of James are familiar with his exposition on faith and works. Many have concluded that James is refuting Paul’s assertion of salvation by grace alone (apart from works). While it makes an interesting topic for debate, I want to focus on the phrase of the last sentence: “…he was called the friend of God.”

I have over the last several weeks read blogs which speak of having a friendship with God. Last night at church I sang a song about being a friend of God. As a young man, whenever I heard the song, God is Love², I would join in to sing:

Don't go and talk about my father Cause God is my friend Jesus is my friend He loves us whether or not we know it Just loves us, oh ya And He'll forgive all our sins Forgive all our sins And all He asks of us, is we give each other love. Oh ya

In spite of singing this song of my youth, I never saw myself or even considered the thought of being a friend of God. Looking back I can only think of a handful of people I called my friend but I never extended a trust to them. I learned very early in life not to trust anyone. I believe this is because of a constant reminder that my grandmother repeated time and time again to stress the dangers of getting involved in activities in the streets. Eventually, for a season, I did succumb to the call of the streets. I look back at that time of trying to be a gang banger, hustler, thief, drug user and I see that I held trust for no one; there was only me. It didn’t matter who I hung with, there was always a buffer I kept between them and me. I would never allow anyone to get close enough to betray me.

That’s how I viewed relationships. At some point, you would do something that betrayed our friendship. I came to expect that pivotal point to occur and I often found myself analyzing situations that would trigger that event. The truth is that I was the one who often sabotaged the friendship by an act of betrayal. I’d undercut a friend to take his girl. I’d keep drugs hidden for myself. Any money I made from my activities I’d lie in order to keep for myself; I trusted no one and yet the truth is:

I was totally untrustworthy.

In my mind, I was the epitome of trustworthiness.

The mind can be a terribly wasted thing.

So I developed this mindset that I could not trust anyone and although at a conscious level, I thought that I extended trust to others, in reality I still withheld trust. My wife recently told me that it has been painfully difficult to accept that I didn’t fully trust her.

Wow! That came as such a shock because I thought she was the one person I did trust.

I admit there have been occasions when doubts crept in my mind, but I actually thought I extended trust to her.

This has led me to a fundamental question on friendship.

Is it possible to love someone and not actually trust them?

I can recall friendships with many of my old gang banging boys I hung out with. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I loved any of them. I supported them in the gang concept of camaraderie. If any of them were threatened by some rival gang, I stood with them but this wasn’t from an understanding of love or trust; so the loyalty wasn’t truly friendship-based.

Realizing that I’ve held a twisted and perverted view of friendship, I recognize at least one of three characteristics that were absent from my relationships:

1. Love
2. Trust
3. Loyalty

I must also acknowledge that this was also true of my relationship with God. I did not really allow God to be my friend. I would always subconsciously do something to sabotage the relationship to justify my long-held premise; I can trust no one, so I can have no friends.

I believe the Holy Spirit is changing my heart in this area because I now desire meaningful relationships that are based on me being a friend. This began with the realization that I wanted to be God’s friend.

Someone (I wish I could remember who the blogger was) recently blogged about trusting God to the extent that God has demonstrated that He is trustworthy to them. When I read this, I began to see a pattern of behavior on God’s part that clearly demonstrated that I could trust Him; God was saying by His actions, I want to be your friend.

As I absorbed the thought that I could trust God in my conscious mind, the Holy Spirit perforated me with a question:

Can God trust you?

I was hesitant to answer this question which I’d never pondered before. For me, the issue of trust has always been a one-way road. Here was God asking me to get on His multi-directional highway where I’d interchange love, trust and friendship; with Him.

Thoughts of drowning in an ocean would be an apt description of what I was feeling at that moment.

I wondered what Abraham must have felt when God asked him to take his son’s life. What did he think?

But You promised me this son God! I’ve waited years for his birth and now You ask me to take his life?

I can’t accept the notion that Abraham had doubts about this. The scriptures do not make reference to this. On the contrary, the scriptures point to Abraham’s obedience.

How did Abraham reach a point of obedience that he no longer questioned God?

As I looked back in scripture, I found something interesting:

“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.'”³

This is a good breaking point for me, so I'll resume this topic with its conclusion on Saturday. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you on Saturday (Lord willing).

Father God,

Thank you that you reveal Yourself as the Almighty God, who has always existed. You desire to call each of us friend as I seek that kind of relationship with you. I find it as a buring desire in me that I cannot extinguish. I am learning what trust, loyalty and love really mean and I acknowledge I want to walk in this new knowledge. I believe you will give me opportunities to trust, to be loyal and to love. These opportunities are like seeds planted in me to produce a life of love, trust and loyalty. Thank You Lord for giving us opportunities to grow. May we each grow in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of You. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. James, 2:21-23, NASB
2. God is Love, Performed by Marvin Gaye, Lyrics by Anna Gaye; Elgie Stover; James Nyx; Marvin Gaye, © Jobete Music Co Inc., released May 20, 1971
3. Genesis 22:1-2, NASB

References:

1. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James B. Strong, S.T.D, LL.D., Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
2. Unger's Bible Dictionary, By Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, Chicago
3. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
4. Matthew Henry's Commentary, McDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia 22101, ISBN 0-917006-21-6

Access

I remember the first time I was told I had NO ACCESS and the shame and disappointment I felt in being excluded. For a kid, it meant hating the lunch period because I didn’t have anything to eat. For us, money and food always seem to run out at the same time, before the end of the month. I can remember being told to leave a store if I didn’t have any money. I can remember having the utilities turned off because the bill was unpaid. No lights, no water, no heat; I know what it’s like when access is denied.

I was worshipping in church this morning and as I stood there thanking Jesus for taking my place, I began to see Him walking towards Golgotha, for me. He endured the beating, the mocking of those who watched and He endured the weight of that heavy cross; for me. Without realizing what I was doing, I began pounding on my chest, crying that Christ suffered for me.

Now I’ve always seen myself as a tough guy, I took pride that I grew up in the toughest part of Chicago; the West Side. Back in his day, Al Capone lived on the West Side; so there is that gangster history and mentality. Now I’m no gangster, but I understand the philosophy behind the use of the word as a verb. By that I mean I’ve had to gangster certain situations; to get my way. On the West Side, male punks are frowned upon, so we have this whole macho mentality thing going on.

Here I stood, a former citizen of Chicago, native West Sider, and a fully grown man. My grandmother used to have a saying, “I ain’t no play toy!” I’ve been shot at and to my regret as a young man (while in a gang), I've shot at other young men; I know what it must’ve been like for the Earp’s and the Clanton’s at O.K. Corral. And here I was, standing there crying uncontrollably; just bawling.

Why?

Thoughts of, What will people think of you crying? You’re gonna look like some kind of punk!

It didn’t matter. I didn’t even know who was around me or if anyone was watching because I was worshiping Christ. He took my place; willingly took my punishment!

That ain’t no punk!

That’s as tough as you can get. Christ willingly stepped in and took a bullet for me. As they say in the military, “He fell on my sword.”

So yeah, I was crying like a baby, because of what Jesus did for me.

You ever get like that while you’re worshipping the Lord?

People and sounds just seem to fade out of your thoughts and it’s just you and Jesus. I’m not saying, “You gotta cry like a baby to truly worship Christ.” What I’m saying is that peripheral thoughts get muted and you’re alone in that place where in the Old Testament, only the high priest could enter; the Holy of Holies.

But Jesus gave me access and now I am the recipient of a much better covenant than the one given to Moses and Israel. It’s the very reason why the writer of Hebrews declares:

“So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive His mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.”¹

I realize that like the Jews of the Old Testament, I was fearful to get too close; preferring instead for someone else to enter into that place.

What I didn’t realize was that they were going in for themselves and not for me; I had to enter that place myself if I was ever going to really worship.

I had to offer up a sacrifice of praise to God; for me.

I had to offer up thanksgiving to God; for me.

But I don’t have to offer up atonement to God; Christ already did that, for me.

I know there might be some guys out there reading this post and you’re thinking you can handle yourself in a pinch; you’re not gonna be a pushover for anybody. Perhaps some of you women have tasted the sting of a male who has this image of a tough guy seared on his brain. You escaped him and you’ve decided that, you ain’t nobody’s play toy anymore. But like me, you’ve been letting someone else go into that place, thinking, I don’t need to go there.

But that’s where you’re wrong!

You need to walk in there, into the Holy of Holies and let it just be you and Jesus; so you can worship Him.

If you’ve never really experienced real worship, you won’t know what I’m talking about, but those of you who have, Know the freedom and joy that comes from worshipping Jesus Christ.

Aretha Franklin sang about a spirit in the dark but Jesus says,

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”²

So we sing as we worship Jesus Christ, who declares,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one come to the Father but through me.”³

“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of light.”⁴

Worshipping Christ illuminates my perspective; it gives me insight into my access to God. Without worshipping, I’m just in the dark…waiting for God to move in my life.

Praise God! I don’t have to wait anymore!

I’ve got access.

How about you? Do you have ACCESS?

Our Father in heaven,

I thank you that through Jesus, we have been given access to that most sacred and holy place. We can experience the joy of your presence and offer up true worship. No longer will I think it’s acceptable to remain on the outside. I will never come before Your throne while standing on the outside, assured that my pride remains intact. Take my pride Lord Jesus. It’s worth nothing but you can have it. Take my ego and my macho, tough guy attitude and nail it to the cross You hung on for me. I just want to stay in here and worship with You for as long as I can. Thank You Jesus that I have access. I praise Your Holy Name, the name of Jesus Christ. You are my Rock of Salvation, my Redeemer and Lord. I’ve got purpose now Lord Jesus and worshipping You is a big part of my purpose and priority.

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 4:16, Living New Testament
2. John 4:24, NASB
3. John 14:6, NASB
4. John 8:12, NASB

References:

1. The Layman's Parallel New Testament, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
2. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6