Poem by Annie Johnson Flint

 The Grace of God

"My grace," 'tis the God of all grace who hath spoken,
Whose word in the heavens forever is set;
Whose covenant promise hath never been broken;
Who never can fail or forget;
Who knoweth my needs and who seeth my sorrows,
However so many and great they may be;
Who heareth my prayers for the days and the morrows;
His grace is sufficient for me.

"My grace;" all His blessings this work is unfolding,
His love and His power in harmony blend;
'Tis grace that hath saved me, and grace that is holding,
And grace that will keep to the end;
'Tis grace that hath written redemption's glad story,
And grace all the song of the ransomed shall be;
'Tis grace that transforms me from glory to glory;
That grace is sufficient for me.

"My grace is," not "was," and not "will be;" 'tis flowing
Each hour and each moment my need to supply,
The deeper I dip, still the deeper 'tis growing,
No drought can diminish or dry;
My heart from the future no trouble shall borrow;
Eternal this present provision shall be,
Assured for today and as sure for tomorrow,
Such grace is sufficient for me.

"My grace is sufficient." Oh, help without measure!
An ocean of riches no plummet can sound,
A storehouse unfailing of infinite treasure,
A gift without limit or bound;
Exceeding abundant for all His creation,
Enough for the thorn that is buffeting me,
The fulness of God for earth's brief tribulation -
"My grace is sufficient for thee."

"Sufficient for thee," for my utmost salvation,
As though ne'er another had owed Him a debt;
For my special grief and my special temptation,
My cares and my sins that beset;
He giveth more grace for my humble endeavour;
I am praising Him now, I shall praise Him forever;
His grace is sufficient for me.

I hope you also find this of encouragement. 

Cast down?

 I wonder if you've ever felt like this? I think it's probably that way for all believers at some point... I find it encouraging anyway. I hope you do too.

 

by James Smith 

"I am cast down!"

And why are you cast down?

"My heart is burdened with a sense of my short-comings!

Every duty I perform is so imperfect.

Every purpose I form is so soon frustrated.

Every hope of seeing better days is so soon beclouded.

My heart is so fearfully depraved.

My life is so unlike the life of Jesus.

My temper is so unholy.

My prayers are so brief and heartless.

My praises are so feeble and fitful.

I do so little good.

I live to so little purpose.

My evidences are so dim.

My prospects are so overcast.

I am harassed sometimes with the fear of death.

I cannot realize the glories of Heaven.

I am dissatisfied with the world — and yet glued to it!

I hate sin — and yet fall into it!

I am a riddle, a mystery, a mass of inconsistency!

Is it, then, any wonder that I am cast down?"

No, if you look at yourself, and pore over the things you have named — then it is no wonder that you are cast down! They are enough to cast anyone down! But if you carry them to the throne of grace, if you there confess them before God, if you look to Jesus to save you from them — then, in spite of them — you will not long be cast down.

I know it is difficult to do this. There is a natural proneness to pore over such things. One feels at times a secret liking to indulge in gloomy thoughts.

But we must look away from self — for if we do not, we shall become anxious, doubting and gloomy! We must run the race, not looking at our imperfections, short-comings, and failures — but looking unto Jesus. He knows what we are. He knew what we would be — before He called us by His grace; yes, before He shed His blood for us!

He loved us, as sinners.

He died for us, as sinners.

He called us, as sinners.

He saves us, as sinners. He will have all the glory of saving us, and He will get great glory by doing so, because we are such great sinners; and do not, cannot, do anything to repay Him for His wondrous love! Salvation is by free grace — from first to last! Believe this, and it will raise up your drooping mind!

The life-boat of free grace has put you on board the vessel of salvation, and that will convey you safely to the port of glory! Do not look at your spiritual destitution, or feebleness, or incapacity, or imperfections — but trust in your Pilot, rely on your Captain, and expect His mercy and merit to land you safe in Heaven at last!

As imperfect as you now are, and as imperfect you will be — your dying prayer will still be, "God be merciful unto me — a sinner!"

Hope in God!

His mercy is great unto the heavens,

His grace is as free as the air,

His love is as changeless as His nature,

His promise is as immutable as His love.

Hope in God, for you shall yet praise Him. He will save you for His own sake, and present you before assembled worlds as a monument of His mercy, and a trophy of His grace! 

The Greatest Friend

Reading through the book of Matthew this morning, I came across this little phrase that struck me... 

"But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”" 

The Lord looked with love on the one who was betraying Him. 

Obviously we cannot hear the tone in which the Lord spoke it but what tender compassion He displayed for the man who was by that time personally indwelt by the enemy.

How amazing that our Saviour would condescend to call any human "friend" but at that moment in those circumstances is past comprehension!

He knew the depths of depravity and He still chose such a gracious loving response!! 

I don't think I've ever suffered betrayal, but knowing our human nature I would imagine I would not feel at all kindly towards a betrayer.

Only recorded in Matthew's account, Mark and John say nothing of Jesus's words to Judas in the garden of Gethsemane, while Luke recorded another equally challenging sentence, "But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”"

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." 

Thank You Lord Jesus for being willing to suffer such treatment because You love and forgive those who put their trust in You!

Heavenly Father please help us and keep us from treachery. How we need Your Grace and Mercy to live a life that will bring honour and glory to Your Holy Name!

I find it truly remarkable that Jesus spoke this to all His disciples... 

"for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."

Thank You Heavenly Father for such a precious gift! We believe and are saved because You enabled us to hear and respond! Thank You for demonstrating Your great love and compassion for us! 

Alan Redpath quotes

I searched some sites and found all these quotes from Alan Redpath.

I know very little about him but nearly all of these greatly encouraged me in some way. 

I hope you are also blessed, challenged and encouraged. 

(This first one is abridged to make it more personal.) 

"God expects nothing from (insert your name here) but failure. We are no different today from the day before we were converted. We would be capable of committing any sin imaginable but for the grace of God. We are no different as people from what we were as youngsters. And the sins that beset us then beset us now, were it not for a constant, continual dependence upon the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God, and the power of the Holy Ghost to keep us.

 As long as I seek by His grace to maintain the attitude of committal and surrender to Him, then every demand, however unexpected or grim, hard, tough; every decision, however difficult; every temptation, every fierce dart of the Enemy of my soul is an attack upon the life of Christ within me. And He is always greater than Satan himself. For every situation in life God has implanted within me One who is altogether perfect, if only I let Him have His own way. How urgent therefore is this need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

I believe that the discovery of God's will for your career is dependent upon the acceptance of God's will for your character. Far too often in seeking to know God's will for our lives we're at the wrong end of the line. Our concern should never be our relationship to the problem of a career, but our relationship to the person of Jesus Christ. Then He will look after the career. What we are is much more important to Him than what we do for Him. We mean far more to God than the work we do.

Faith is two empty hands held open to receive all of the Lord.  

God's mercy with a sinner is only equalled and perhaps outmatched by His patience with the saints, with you and me.  

Before we can pray, "Lord, Thy Kingdom come," we must be willing to pray, "My Kingdom go."  

The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.  

If you look up into His face and say, "Yes, Lord, whatever it costs," at that moment He'll flood your Life with His presence and power. 

When I think of that story (of David and Jonathan) , my heart is stirred by a desire not only that I might have a Jonathan in my life—that is surely very wonderful, but very selfish—but also that I might find a David somewhere to whom I could be a Jonathan. Would you ask the Holy Spirit to make you a friend like that, to help you to cultivate in your life sanctifying disinterested, steadfast friendships? Oh, that the Lord might let us play a part in shaping and fashioning another life in the image of Jesus Christ!

He died for the ungodly, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. There wasn’t one lovely or good thing in any of us that could draw out love from the heart of a holy Savior—there was everything to repel. Yet the infinite God, the altogether lovely One, whose ideal of love surely is far beyond anything we could ever imagine, whose capacity for love is beyond our understanding altogether, He loved us and gave Himself for us.

This is the Lord of glory, dying amidst the scorn of the people He came to redeem. Think of Him in heaven with all authority in His hands and the angelic host around Him. Then look at Him hanging on a cross with the riff-raff of humanity sneering and gaping at him. When I realize that there He took my sin, the pollution and filthiness of my life, as if it were His very own, and then poured it into oblivion as far as the east is from the west, I say, “Lord Jesus, Thy love to me was wonderful!

I want to make the issue crystal clear. There can be no possible doubt, according to the Word of God: either Jesus must be King, or He cannot be your Savior.

The best place any Christian can ever be in is to be totally destitute and totally dependent upon God, and know it.

The condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart... If a man in his heart is right with God, God will deal with the problem.

Any battle for victory, power, and deliverance - from ourselves and from sin - which is not based constantly upon the gazing and the beholding of the Lord Jesus, with the heart and life lifted up to Him, is doomed to failure.

The man who gazes upon and contemplates day by day the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who has caught the glow of the reality that the Lord is not a theory but an indwelling power and force in his life, is as a mirror reflecting the glory of the Lord.

No sin which we are capable of committing has ever taken God by surprise for He knew we were just like that.

Return to the battle again, no longer trusting in the false and insufficient human resources which so foolishly we had taken into the battle, but now trusting in the limitless resources of our risen Lord.

When God wants to do an impossible task He takes an impossible man and crushes him.

I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart.

There's some task which the God of all the universe, the great Creator, your redeemer in Jesus Christ has for you to do, and which will remain undone and incomplete until by faith and obedience you step into the will of God.

Obey God in all things today! Drive out the enemy! Lay the ax to the root of the tree, and the capacity for Jesus Christ will be increased tomorrow.

Circumstances which we have resented, situations which we have found desperately difficult, have all been the means in the hands of God of driving the nails into the self-life which so easily complains.

Alan Redpath

Are you guilty or innocent?

 I heard most of this story earlier today and thought it was powerful so wanted to share.

 God is willing to forgive, cleanse and save all who call to Him in truth, recognising their need of Him.

CHRIST SAVES.

D. L. Moody in Prison. 

I have good news to tell you--Christ is come after you. I was at the Fulton-street prayer-meeting, a good many years ago, one Saturday night, and when the meeting was over, a man came to me and said, "I would like to have you go down to the city prison to-morrow, and preach to the prisoners. I said I would be very glad to go. There was no chapel in connection with that prison, and I was to preach to them in their cells. I had to stand at a little iron railing and talk down a great, long narrow passageway, to some three or four hundred of them, I suppose, all out of sight. It was pretty difficult work; I never preached to the bare walls before. When it was over I thought I would like to see to whom I had been preaching, and how they had received the gospel. I went to the first door, where the inmates could have heard me best, and looked in at a little window, and there were some men playing cards. I suppose they had been playing all the while. "How is it with you here?" I said. "Well, stranger, we don't want you to get a bad idea of us. False witnesses swore a lie, and that is how we are here." "Oh," I said, "Christ cannot save anybody here; there is nobody lost." I went to the next cell. "Well, friend, how is it with you?" "Oh," said the prisoner, "the man that did the deed looked very much like me, so they caught me and I am here." He was innocent, too! I passed along to the next cell. "How is it with you?'" "Well, we got into bad company, and the man that did it got clear, and we got taken up, but we never did anything." I went along to the next cell "How is it with you?" "Our trial comes on next week, but they have nothing against us, and we'll get free." I went round to nearly every cell but the answer was always the same--they had never done anything. Why, I never saw so many innocent men together in my life. There was nobody to blame but the magistrates, according to their way of it. These men were wrapping their filthy rags of self-righteousness about them. And that has been the story for six thousand years. I got discouraged as I went through the prison, on, and on, and on, cell after cell, and every man had an excuse. If he hadn't one, the devil helped him to make one. I had got almost through the prison, when I came to a cell and found a man with his elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands. Two little streams of tears were running down his cheeks; they did not come by drops that time.

"What's the trouble?" I said. He looked up, the picture of remorse and despair. "Oh, my sins are more than I can bear." "Thank God for that," I replied. "What," said he, "you are the man that has been preaching to us, ain't you?" "Yes." "I think you said you were a friend?" "I am." "And yet you are glad that my sins are more than I can bear!" "I will explain," I said "If your sins are more than you can bear, won't you cast them on One who will bear them for you?" "Who's that?" "The Lord Jesus." "He won't bear my sins." "Why not?" "I have sinned against Him all my life." "I don't care if you have; the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses from all sin." Then I told him how Christ had come to seek and save that which was lost; to open the prison doors and set the captives free. It was like a cup of refreshment to find a man who believed he was lost, so I stood there, and held up a crucified Saviour to him. "Christ was delivered for our offenses, died for our sins, rose again for our justification." For a long time the man could not believe that such a miserable wretch could be saved. He went on to enumerate his sins, and I told him that the blood of Christ could cover them all. After I had talked with him I said, "Now let us pray." He got down on his knees inside the cell, and I got down outside, and I said, "You pray." "Why," he said, "it would be blasphemy for me to call on God." "You call on God," I said. He knelt down, and, like the poor publican, he lifted up his voice and said, "God be merciful to me, a vile wretch!" I put my hand through the window, and as I shook hands with him a tear fell on my hand that burned down into my soul. It was a tear of repentance. He believed he was lost. Then I tried to get him to believe that Christ had come to save him. I left him still in darkness. "I will be at the hotel," I said, "between nine and ten o'clock, and I will pray for you." Next morning, I felt so much interested, that I thought I must see him before I went back to Chicago. No sooner had my eye lighted on his face, than I saw that remorse and despair had fled away, and his countenance was beaming with celestial light; the tears of joy had come into his eyes, and the tears of despair were gone. The sun of Righteousness had broken out across his path; his soul was leaping within him for joy; he had received Christ as Zaccheus did--joyfully. "Tell me about it," I said. "Well, I do not know what time it was; I think it was about midnight. I had been in distress a long time, when all at once my great burden fell off, and now, I believe I am the happiest man in New York." I think he was the happiest man I saw from the time I left Chicago till I got back again. His face was lighted up with the light that comes from the celestial hills. I bade him good-by, and I expect to meet him in another world.

Can you tell me why the Son of God came down to that prison that night, and, passing cell after cell, went to that one, and set the captive free? It was because the man believed he was lost. 

Latest song: Abundant Mercy

 Abundant mercy, praise His Name,

For His gift we don't deserve.

Glorious salvation, through His blood.

God has been so good to us!

Obey His statutes, keep His Word,

In your life, He'll be glorified.

Choose to walk His way, He will give you strength, 

Rejoice in Him all your days. 

Beloved, accepted, child of God,

By His Grace, He has set you free

So be diligent to be found in peace

By the Lord Who reigns over all.

Reserved in Heaven, kept for us;

An inheritance undefiled.

He has granted us this living hope.

Blessed be our Heavenly King!

Thinking of Heaven

 "Heaven is a wonderful place

Filled with Glory and Grace

I want to see my Saviour's face

Heaven is a wonderful place."

(written by Debby Kerner & Ernie Rettino)

 I remember hearing this chorus as a child and singing along. I think it means more to me now than it did then. 

I'm also looking forward to seeing again the faces of the dear saints I knew and loved who are already experiencing the joy of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. 

As I looked through many references about Heaven, I was encouraged. 

He is the One who keeps us and has reserved a place for us. 

(I had only heard this partially quoted previously; I'm glad I found the fuller version as I find it encouraging and hope you do too.) 

There are many things we don't know, but we do know that Heaven is wonderful. How could it not be when we remember Who created it? His Name is Wonderful so everything He does must also be wonderful! (even though it might not always feel like that to us at the time. When we reach that land of pure delight we will thank Him as we realise the things we couldn't understand down here and recognise He led us every step of the way. How we need His grace and mercy daily!) 

The thing that most stood out to me as I looked through the verses, was the paradox of Heaven being the Lord's dwelling place when the Universe / Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Him. Also, how amazing that He condescended to dwell on this earth with us and offers us the way to share this bliss of Eternal Glory with Him!! 

I didn't include the descriptions given in Revelation; the Water of Life, the bountiful fruit trees, the pearly gates, the golden streets, and the other precious gems. 

These will all be outshone by the radiance of the Glory of the Lord. 

When the things of this life are taking up too much headspace, I like to reread the last 3 chapters of Revelation to remind myself of these truths. The Lord Jesus is returning for His people soon! And Heaven will be infinitely more amazing than my mind can think!

We who have trusted the Lord for salvation will be with the Lord, the angels, and the saints forever! It will be so glorious! I need to make sure I'm living ready! 

I'm so glad of the reminders that it is all by His grace as none of us could ever hope to earn a place in Glory. The Lord Jesus Christ has done everything necessary! We just need to trust, love and thank Him! 

As I was writing this, this verse came to mind... "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20. I think that's definitely worthy of rejoicing, don't you? 

I'll close with these, 2 of my favourite passages from the last 2 chapters. 

I hope they bless you as they do me! 

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son." Revelation 21:4-7. (BTW, I composed this blog last week and these verses have cropped up 3 or 4 times since then.) 

"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:3-7.

An old hymn by Joseph Swain

I came across part of this lovely old hymn in a book I'm re-reading. 

I don't recall noticing it very much last time. I'm very glad I looked it up this time. 

(Most versions I found had been altered and only 3 verses.) Have you come across it before? 

I hope you are also encouraged by it. 

 

New Year : some thoughts and a poem

 For many, 2021 has not been a happy year, but rather an extremely difficult one. While there are no guarantees 2022 will be any happier, we who have trusted in the LORD Jesus Christ have the assurance that our life and times are in His hands, and that is the safest place for everything.

 We can rest in His faithfulness and rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We can remember how He has shown us His goodness numerous times and we should always praise Him for His great mercy and grace, as without these, we would not have survived.

  At the beginning of 2021, I did something  silly (I'll spare you the details so none of you are tempted to try it yourself 😉) which gave me the idea that I might not still be around in 2022. Yet we've reached the final day of 2021 and I'm still here. Yet, none of us know how soon our life may be taken. I hope that I will learn not to take anything for granted, but to be grateful to the Lord for every day He sees fit to keep me alive.

 I'm glad we don't have the ability at the beginning of a year to know all that will happen through it. I'm very glad the Lord invites us to walk with Him, each day, step by step and if we can learn how to do that, we will be greatly blessed. He has proven Himself trustworthy throughout the generations past, and He never changes!  Despite our fickleness and wayward wanderings, the Lord continues to lovingly draw us closer to Himself.

 Hebrews 8:12 says, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” How good and kind the Lord has promised to be.

 I'm so glad He has chosen to forgive and forget my sins because I trust Him that His death on the Cross paid the price I owed. Thank You Lord Jesus that You were willing to take my place so I can have a restored relationship with the Holy God!

 I was catching up reading a few devotionals and these verses from Psalm 116 "jumped out" at me. 

"What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord."

Later that evening a dear friend read excerpts from that same Psalm to me, including:

"Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." 

He has truly dealt with me far more bountifully than I even realise! I need to choose every day to remember His goodness and forget the other stuff that would drag me down. 

I'll leave you with a poem, and pray, (whether you have a Happy New Year or not,) that the Lord will bless you. 

Some of John Macduff's thoughts on the topic of Grace

“Throne of Grace”

It is the work of the blessed Spirit to take of the things of Christ, and to show them to the soul; to reveal to us the precious benefits of redemption, and the riches of Divine grace--and to present them to us in such a transforming, and convincing, and penetrating form, as that they shall not only become sources of abiding comfort to the heart--but active, operating, influential principles of the life!

It is the work of the blessed Spirit to be the Comforter of the children of God. Yes . . .

wherever a believer is afflicted;

wherever he sheds a sorrowful tear;

wherever he is pained by some heart-rending grief;

wherever he is bowed beneath some oppressive burden--

there is the Comforter to cheer, to solace, to sustain; pointing him . . .

from the wound--to its balm,

from the grief--to its ultimate cure,

from present suffering--to eternal rest at God's right hand!

The Holy Spirit is not a traveler to sojourn for a season, but He is a Friend to abide and dwell with you--a spiritual mentor to be always near . . .

to guide you--in all seasons of perplexity,

to strengthen you--in all times of weakness,

when you are discouraged--to uphold you,

when you are wandering--to lead you back,

when you are nearly overcome in your spiritual conflict--to bring you more of His divine strength and grace.

"The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress." Romans 8:26

"By the grace of God--I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10

This is the believer's eternal confession!

Grace found him a rebel against God--it leaves him a son of God! 

Grace found him wandering at the gates of Hell--it leaves him at the gates of Heaven! 

Grace devised the scheme of Redemption. 

Justice never would; reason never could. 

And it is grace which carries out that scheme. 

No sinner would ever have sought God--but "by grace." The thickets of Eden would have proved Adam's grave--had not grace called him out! Saul would have lived and died the haughty self-righteous persecutor--had not grace laid him low! The thief on the cross would have continued breathing out his blasphemies--had not grace arrested his tongue and tuned it for glory! 

"Out of the knottiest timber," says Rutherford, "God can make vessels of mercy for service in the high palace of glory!" 

"I came, I saw, I conquered!" may be inscribed by the Savior on every monument of His grace. "I came to the sinner; I looked upon him; and with a look of omnipotent love--I conquered him!"

Believer, you would have been this day a wandering star, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever! You would have been Christless, hopeless, and portionless; had not grace constrained you! And it is grace which, at this moment, "keeps" you. 

You have often been a Peter--forsaking your Lord--but brought back to Him again. Why have you not been a Demas or a Judas? "I have prayed for you--that your faith fail not!" Is not this your own comment and reflection on life's retrospect: "Yet not I--but the grace of God which was with me!" 

Seek to realize your dependence on this grace every moment. 

"More grace! more grace!" needs to be your continual cry. 

His infinite supply--is commensurate with your infinite need. 

The treasury of grace, though always emptying--is always full. 

The key of prayer which opens it--is always at hand! 

And the Almighty Bestower of the blessings of grace--is always "waiting to be gracious." 

The recorded promise can never be cancelled or reversed: "My grace is sufficient for you." 

The grace of God is the source of lesser temporal blessings--as well as of higher spiritual blessings. Grace accounts for the crumb of daily bread--as well as for the crown of eternal glory! 

But even in regard to earthly mercies, never forget the CHANNEL of grace: "through Christ Jesus!" It is sweet thus to connect every blessing, even the smallest and humblest token of providential bounty--with Calvary's cross--to have the common blessings of life stamped with "the print of the nails!" It makes them doubly precious to think, "All this flows from Jesus!"

"By the grace of God--I am what I am!" 

Reader! seek to dwell much on this inexhaustible theme!"

Praise the Lord for His keeping grace! Without it I'd be totally lost!

Thank you to the friend who shared these with me! 

"My heart and voice I raise" a "Sacred poem" by Benjamin Rhodes

Hi!
My Dad was trying to remember the words to this hymn last night. I only knew different words to the same tune. I thought he was humming Fairest Lord Jesus! I may have glanced at this hymn before but I didn't know it. I found 5 verses in the Methodist hymnbook and the Redemption hymnal. I found 9 online at hymnary.org, and that had a link to page scans of "A Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs.
From this I learned that there are 21 verses recorded!


“A Sacred Poem by Benjamin Rhodes (born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, in 1743, died 1815.

(Part 1)
"My heart and voice I raise, To spread Messiah’s praise: Messiah’s praise – let all repeat:
The Universal Lord, by whose prolific word Creation rose in form complete!

Let there be light – he said- then sullen darkness fled, Obedient to his high command!
And massy orbs above Began to shine- and move- Sustained by His Almighty hand.

Creation’s utmost bound, (how high, or how profound) Declares his Majesty divine:
Thou Everlasting Sire, Thee- shall Thy works admire, and all proclaim the glory Thine.

Man- the supreme of all on this terrestrial ball, in wisdom’s purest gifts arrayed;
From Eden basely fell: To ransom him from hell, - Messiah – suffered in his stead!

A servant’s form he wore, and in His body bore our dreadful curse on Calvary!
He like a victim stood, and poured His sacred blood, to set the guilty captives free!

But soon the victor rose, Triumphant o’er his foes, And led the vanquished host in chains;
He threw their empire down, His foes compelled to own, O’er all the great Messiah reigns!

With mercy’s mildest grace He governs all our race in wisdom, righteousness, and love:
Who to Messiah fly shall find redemption nigh, and all His great Salvation prove.

Hail, Saviour, Prince of Peace, Thy kingdom shall increase, Till all the world Thy glory see!
And righteousness abound, As the great deep profound; And fill the earth with purity.

(Part 2)
In fierce consuming fire shall destined worlds expire! And in his might Messiah rise:
The raging fervent blaze shall lift its voice in praise, While all dissolve in earth and skies!

The mighty Lord of all shall then the nations call – “Ye dead arise, to judgment come:”
The crowds arising see His sovereign majesty, and trembling wait their final doom.

Great day – that shall descry to every wondering eye the secret deeds of day and night!
The sacred volume large its record shall discharge, and bring our every thought to light!

The bold blasphemer there, in rage, and wild despair – In vain would shun impending ire:
Where shall the guilty hide? Or the fierce day abide, The Day of God, revealed in fire?

With pangs unfelt before, Urged by their pain – implore A refuge from tremendous wrath!
Too late! – transfixed with awe, They hear the fiery law condemn them to eternal death!

Bound with relentless chains, they sink beneath their pains, Nor shines one beam of hope from heaven:
With the infernal host, are now forever lost! and down to fiery regions driven.

(Part 3)

Ye happy sons of light, who conquered in the fight, and steadfast to the end endured!
Now view the great reward Messiah hath prepared, and to his faithful saints secured.

In ecstasies of bliss, they see Him as He is, Whose glory fills the eternal Throne:
He bids His servants prove Their Master’s joy above, and be with Him forever one!

City of God, in thee is full felicity: Thy treasures, an unbounded store!
Where- from the Source of Love, The saints, transported, prove, Unbounded joys for ever more!

There saints and angels join in fellowship divine, And rapture swells the solemn lay:
While all with one accord adore their glorious Lord, and shout His praise in endless day.

Salem, secure above, Thy joys when shall I prove, And to thy holy hill attain?
Where weary pilgrims rest, and in thy glories blessed, with God their King forever reign.

May I but find the grace to fill a humble place in that inheritance above:
My tuneful voice I’ll raise; In songs of loudest praise, to spread thy fame- Redeeming Love.

Reign – true Messiah – reign, Thy kingdom shall remain when stars and sun no more shall shine:
Mysterious Deity, who ne’er began to be! To sound thy endless praise – be mine."

I thought it was worth sharing. Hope you're challenged and blessed by it as I have been.

Faith's Checkbook March 7th

From Fetters Free
"The LORD looseth the prisoner" (Psalm 146:7).

He has done it. Remember Joseph, Israel in Egypt, Manasseh, Jeremiah, Peter, and many others. He can do it still. He breaks the bars of brass with a word and snaps the fetters of iron with a look. He is doing it. In a thousand places troubled ones are coming forth to light and enlargement. Jesus still proclaims the opening of the prison to them that are bound. At this moment doors are flying back and fetters are dropping to the ground.

He will delight to set you free, dear friend, if at this time you are mourning because of sorrow, doubt, and fear. It will be joy to Jesus to give you liberty. It will give Him as great a pleasure to loose you as it will be a pleasure to you to be loosed. No, you have not to snap the iron hand: the LORD Himself will do it. Only trust Him, and He will be your Emancipator. Believe in Him in spite of the stone walls or the manacles of iron. Satan cannot hold you, sin cannot enchain you, even despair cannot bind you if you will now believe in the LORD Jesus, in the freeness of His grace, and the fullness of His power to save.

Defy the enemy, and let the word now before you be your song of deliverance; "the LORD looseth the prisoners."

Charles Spurgeon's checkbook of faith

Encouragement for the day.

Unto the upright...

I keep coming back to this verse. 

I find great encouragement here . 

When I am guilty and need His grace and mercy, I have His promise here in His Word: He is gracious. 

When sad news abounds, He is full of compassion. 

Though I have been unrighteous, His work on the Cross paid my debt and He imputes His righteousness to me when I confess and forsake my sins. 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

In Him there is no darkness at all. 

When we come to Him, He shines His light. We can either walk in it, 

or choose to reject Him. 

Why would anyone choose eternal darkness and misery

 over eternal light and joy and glory? 

Thank You Lord for Your light, Your grace, 

Your compassions which never fail, and Your righteousness.

Please help me always

 to choose to walk in Your light. 

Make Your face shine...

Echoes of the Aaronic blessing here. I don't recall ever giving much thought to what it means to have His face shine upon one, but what an amazing thing it must be. I'm reminded by this verse that He doesn't save us for any reason other than because He is merciful and gracious. We certainly can't earn salvation; it's a gift that cost the Lord Jesus Christ His very life!

Because He gave everything for us, we should certainly be willing to be His servants. As Romans 12 puts it, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

I've always found these verses a great challenge.

Some more challenging quotes from Samuel Rutherford

“Come, warm your hearts, all intellectual capacities, at this fire; O come, all ye created faculties, and smell the precious ointments of Christ; O come, sit down under this shadow, taste and eat the apples of life. O that angels would come, and generations of men, and wonder, admire, adore, fall down before the unsearchable wisdom of this gospel art of the unsearchable riches of Christ!” 

“I pray God that I may never find my will again. Oh, that Christ would subject my will to His, and trample it under His feet.”

“Our fair morning is at hand, the day-star is near the rising, and we are not many miles from home; what matters the ill entertainment in the smoky inns of this miserable life? We are not to stay here, and we will be dearly welcome to him whom we go to.”

“We may sing beforehand, even in our winter storm, in the expectation of a summer sun at the turn of the year; no created powers can mar our Lord Jesus' music, nor spill our song of joy. Let us then be glad and rejoice in the salvation of our Lord; for faith had never yet cause to have wet cheeks, and hanging-down brows, or to droop or die.”

“Since He looked upon me my heart is not my own. He has run away to heaven with it.”

“I never knew Christ ebb or flow, wax or wane; when he seemeth to change it is but we who turn our faces from him. Surely he hath borne with strange ways in me.  I was before at variance with Christ because I believed His outward look rather than His faithful promise, Yet He hath in patience waited for me till I have come to myself, and hath not taken advantage 'of my weak apprehensions of His goodness.'”

“You remember, ‘your summer days would have clouds, and your rose a prickly thorn beside it.’ In heaven alone is Christ enjoyed without alloy; here we must share His cross, yet I know no tree beareth sweeter fruit than Christ’s cross.”

"Christ and His cross are not separable in this life; howbeit Christ and His cross part at heaven's door, for there is no house-room for crosses in heaven. One tear, one sigh, one sad heart, one fear, one loss, one thought of trouble cannot find lodging there."

“Your heart is not the compass that God steers by.”

“All the saints have their own measure of winter before their eternal summer. O! for the long day, and the high sun, and the fair garden, and the King's great city up above these visible heavens!”

“Of all created comforts, God is the leader; you are the borrower, not the owner.”

“When the Lord's blessed will bloweth cross your desires, it is best, in humility, to strike sail to Him, and to be willing to be led any way our Lord pleaseth.”

“Oh, thrice fools are we, who like new-born princes weeping in the cradle, know not that there is a kingdom before them; then, let our Lord's sweet hand square us, and hammer us, and strike off the knots of pride, self-love, and world-worship, and infidelity, that He may make us stones and pillars in His Father's house.”

“You will not be carried to Heaven lying at ease upon a feather bed.”

“See that you buy the field where the Pearl is; sell all, and make a purchase of salvation. Think it not easy: for it is a steep ascent to eternal glory: many are lying dead by the way, slain with security.”

“Were there ten thousand millions of heavens created above these highest heavens, and again as many above them, and as many above them, till angels were wearied with counting, it were but too low a seat to fix the princely throne of that Lord Jesus (whose ye are) above them all.”

“Faint not; the miles to heaven are but few and short.”

“Set no time to the Lord the creator of time, for His time is always best.”

“ I will charge my soul to believe and wait for Him, and will follow His providence, and not go before it, nor stay behind it.”

“But the way to overcome is by patience, forgiving and praying for your enemies, in doing whereof you heap coals upon their heads, and your Lord shall open a door to you in your trouble: wait upon Him, as the night watch waiteth for the morning. He will not tarry. Go up to your watch-tower, and come not down, but by prayer, and faith, and hope, wait on.”

“You shall by faith sustain yourself and comfort yourself in your Lord, and be strong in His power; for you are in the beaten and common way to heaven, when you are under our Lord's crosses. You have reason to rejoice in it, more than in a crown of gold; and rejoice and be glad to bear the reproaches of Christ.”

“ Think it not hard if you get not your will, nor your delights in this life; God will have you to rejoice in nothing but himself.”

“Believe God's love and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your rock is Christ, and it is not the rock that ebbs and flows but the sea.”

“We are as near to heaven as we are far from self, and far from the love of a sinful world.”

“Keep God's covenant in your trials; hold you by His blessed word, and sin not; flee anger, wrath, grudging, envying, fretting; forgive a hundred pence to your fellow-servant, because your Lord hath forgiven you ten thousand talents: for, I assure you by the Lord, your adversaries shall get no advantage against you, except you sin, and offend your Lord, in your sufferings.”

“Grace tried is better than grace, and more than grace; it is glory in its infancy.”

I've been looking up some more quotes by Samuel Rutherford, the Scottish Covenanter.

He was born in 1600 and died in 1661.

He is thought to have been a major influence in the formation of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

What I love about his quotes, is that you can tell He really loved the Lord Jesus Christ.

He must have had a very close personal relationship with Him to have penned these.

As I gathered each quote, I was challenged yet again.

Do I act like I believe this?

Am I keeping my focus on Heaven and the things of Jesus?

Am I patient and forbearing?

Am I submitted and yielded to the "blessed will of the Lord"?

When was the last time I wondered, admired, adored, fell down before the unsearchable wisdom of this gospel art of the unsearchable riches of Christ?

I hope you're also challenged.

Let me know in the comments section and if you'd like to discuss them, please feel free.

Time for humble pie???

The other day I decided to do a little search on what God says about humility. I think it's fair to say that there are quite a lot of references. God obviously thinks a lot of it...

This is not an exhaustive list, and in no particular order, but I think it's worth thinking about, especially when the same thing is repeated 2 or 3 times.

Proverbs 15:33 - The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honour.

Proverbs 18:12 - Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honour.

Proverbs 22:4 - The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honour and life.

Zephaniah 2:3 - Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Ephesians 4:2 - with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Colossians 3:12 - Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

1 Peter 5:5+6 - Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”

Deuteronomy 8:16 - who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.

2 Samuel 22:28 - You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

2 Chronicles 34:27 - because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.

Psalm 18:27 - For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Psalm 25:9 - He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Psalm 34:2 - My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.

Psalm 69:32 - When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

Psalm 76:9 - when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah

Psalm 147:6 - The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

Psalm 149:4 - For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Proverbs 3:34 - Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favour.

Proverbs 11:2 - When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Isaiah 66:2 - All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 11:29 take up my yoke upon you, and learn from me, because I am meek and humble in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls,

  

Matthew 21:5 - “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Matthew 23:12 - Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

James 4:6 - But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:10 - Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.


Hope you're as challenged as I was.