Jesus, the Light of the World

Today, (and every day) I'm celebrating the fact that Jesus, the Messiah came as the Light of the World. He illuminates the darkness. He exposes the darkness. He gives hope where previously there was only despair. He gives real joy and gladness to those who are His. I think that's a good reason to celebrate.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-14

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I Am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12

Excerpt from today's Checkbook of Faith

I read this in Spurgeon's Checkbook of Faith today, and it really blessed me. Hope you're blessed by it too.

"Let us rest ourselves upon Him. He is our refuge, let us hide in Him;
He is our strength, let us array ourselves with Him;
He is our help, let us lean upon Him;
He is our very present help, let us repose in Him now.
We need not have a moment's care or an instant's fear.
"The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."

C.H. Spurgeon

A challenging quote from Gypsy Smith

“Every day and every hour of every day, not only in the church, in the home, in the work shop, in the business, in the office, in the political arena, in public and in private, I am Christ’s man, I am Christ’s woman, and I must act, I must live, I must walk, I must so conduct myself, so transact my business, so think and so speak that the Divine stamp will be on me and will be felt and seen everywhere. I must live with this ever before me, I am risen with Christ, and by my life, my neighbours, my friends, my servants, my master, my acquaintances and relatives must see that my heart is set on things above”.

Sing! Rejoice!

Many years ago I was in a choir and we sang this musical. Finding these videos has brought back a lot of good memories! Hope you enjoy this as much as I am doing!

Most POWERFUL video you will see all day. Living Waters.

Far above all.

So, I've looked online and I can't find it anywhere.
On Saturday I attended a meeting and we opened with this hymn, and the more I listened, the more I liked it.
Now, the chorus is going round in my head, and I think that they're pretty good words to have going round in my head.
(P.S. The tune is the same as "Sing we the King who is coming to reign")


"Jesus, when made in the likeness of men,
Humbled Himself to the death of the Cross;
No reputation belonged to Him then;
Emptying Himself, He esteemed it no loss.

 Chorus:
 Far above all! Far above all! God hath exalted Him far above all!
 Crown Him as Lord, at His feet humbly fall,
 Jesus, Christ Jesus, is far above all!

Name that through ages to come shall out-ring:
Jesus, the Lamb, who for sinners was slain!
Soon to this earth He is coming as King,
Coming in power and in glory to reign.

Kingdoms of earth shall be yielded to God;
Glorious the reign, with our Lord on the throne!
Chained the usurper, and broken his rod:
Jesus as King every nation shall own.

Jesus, my Saviour, I yield unto Thee;
Reign in my heart as Redeemer and Lord.
Make me what Thou wouldest have me to be,
Filled with Thy Spirit, and filled with Thy Word."

Arranged by Chas. H. Gabriel


And it reminded me of this in Ephesians chapter 1.

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[c]being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Well, I think that's a pretty good reminder. Don't you?

To Your Beautiful Name (a lovely song)

A quote from A.W. Tozer and a short poem

A beautiful song I heard years ago!

I don't know why I've not posted this before, because I think the words are really lovely, but I'm fairly sure I haven't, so here it is. It's a great reminder at every time of year!

"I've heard it said that angels came to roll the stone away

I've heard them say, that morning, that the earth began to shake

And that the light that filled the garden also filled an empty grave

I've heard it said, He's risen from the dead

Repeat

Alive, alive, dead but now arisen

He's alive, alive, living now in heaven

As we wait for Him to come again some day

The people say, He is alive

Come one and all to wonder at the grave they laid Him in

Come see the tomb is empty, He has triumphed over sin

The power of death has been defeated and forgiven now we sing

O hear us sing, He's risen from the dead

Alive, alive, dead but now arisen

He's alive, alive, living now in heaven

As we wait for Him to come again some day

The people say He is alive

Beaten, rejected, crucified

Scorned and afflicted

Left to die

Risen, victorious, King of life

Saviour, Redeemer, Jesus Christ

Alive, alive, dead but now arisen

He's alive, alive, living now in heaven

As we wait for Him to come again some day

The people say He is alive"

author unknown to me!

I heard this the other day, and it sounds about right for a lot of people.

Renewed Day by Day. Today's Tozer devotional.

"We should always seek to know Christ better.

"Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek His face evermore. Psalm 105:4"
"Are you aware that we have been snared in the coils of a modern spurious logic which insists that if we have found Christ we need no more seek Him. 
 This is set before us as the last word in orthodoxy, and it is taken for granted that no Bible-taught Christian ever believed otherwise. Thus the whole testimony of the worshipping, seeking, singing Church on that subject is crisply set aside. 
The experiential heart-theology of of a grand army of fragrant saints is rejected in favor of a smug interpretation of Scripture which would certainly have sounded strange to an Augustine, a Rutherford or a Brainerd.

In the midst of this great chill there are some, I rejoice to acknowledge, who will not be content with shallow logic. They will admit the force of the argument, and then turn away with tears to hunt some lonely place and pray, "O God, show me thy glory." They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted! Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain!"

Challenging message on Forgiveness

Last month, I attended this conference; I found it encouraging and challenging.

A couple of songs I rather like.

Which is your favourite? Have you heard them both before?

The Church and the World

Here's a powerful old poem with a lot of truths in it.

The Church and the World
The Church and the World walked far apart on the changing shore of time; The World was singing a giddy song, the Church a hymn sublime. “Come, give me your hand,” cried the merry World. “And walk with me this way.”
But the good Church hid her snowy hand, and solemnly answered, “Nay. I will not give you my hand at all, and I will not walk with you, for your way is the way of eternal death, and your words are all untrue.”
“Nay, walk with me but a little space,” said the World with a kindly air. “The road I walk is a pleasant road, and the sun shines always there. Your way is narrow and thorny and rough, while mine is flowery and smooth. Your lot is sad with reproach and toil, but in circles of joy I move. The way, you can see, is a broad, fair one; my gate is high and wide; There is room enough for you and me to travel side by side.”
Half shyly the Church approached the World, and gave him her hand of snow; the false World grasped it and walked along, saying in accents low, “Your dress is too simple to suit my taste; I have gold and pearls to wear. Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form, and diamonds to deck your hair.” The Church looked down at her plain white robes, and then at the dazzling World, and blushed as she saw his handsome lip with a smile contemptuous curled. “I will change my dress for a costlier one,” said the Church with a smile of grace; then her pure white garments drifted away and the World gave in their place, satin and silks and sealskins rare and roses and gems and pearls. And over her forehead fell her lovely hair crisped in a thousand curls.
“Your house is too plain,” said the World with a sneer. “I will give you one like mine. With kitchen for feasting, and parlour for play, and furniture ever so fine.” So he built her a costly and beautiful home: splendid it was to behold. Her sons and her daughters met frequently there, shining in purple and gold. Fair and festival and frolics untold were held in the place of prayer. The maidens bewitched as sirens of old, with worldly graces rare; invented the very cunningest tricks, untrammelled by gospel or laws. To beguile and amuse and win from the World some help for the righteous cause. The angel of mercy flew over the Church, and whispered, “I know thy sin.” Then the Church looked sad, and anxiously longed to gather the children in. But some were off to the midnight ball, and some at the euchre and play; And some were drinking in gay saloons as she quietly went her way.
Then the sly old World gallantly said to her, “Your children mean no harm. Merely indulging in innocent sport.” So she leaned on his proffered arm. And she smiled and chattered and gathered flowers, and she walked along with the World. While millions and millions of precious souls to the horrible pit were hurled.
“Your preachers are all too old and plain,” said the gay World with a sneer. “They frighten my children with dreadful tales which I do not like them to hear. They talk of judgement, a coming Lord, and the horrors of endless night; They warn of a place that should not be mentioned to ear polite. I will send you some of a better stamp; brilliant and gay and fast, who will show how men may live as they list. And go to heaven at last. The Father is merciful, great and good, loving and gentle and kind. Do you think He would take one child to heaven and leave another behind? Go train your teachers up to the times, adopt the stylish way. We all want entertainment fine, and only that will pay.” So she called for pleasing and gay divines, gifted and great and learned. And the plain old men that preached the cross were out of her pulpits turned. Then mammon came in and supported the Church, renting a prominent pew, and preaching and singing and worldly display proclaimed a period new.
“You give too much to the poor” said the World, “far more than you ought to do. Though the poor need shelter, food and clothes, why need it trouble you? And afar to the heathen in foreign lands your thoughts need never roam, the Father of mercies will care for them; let charity begin at home. Go take your money and buy rich robes and houses and motors fine. And pearls and dainty food and the dearest and costliest wine. My children they dote on all such things, and if you their love would win, you must do as they do, and walk in the ways that they are walking in.”
Then the Church her purse strings tightly held, and gracefully lowered her head. And simpered, “I’ve given too much away, I will do, sir as you have said.” So the poor were turned from her door in scorn, and she heard not the orphan’s cry. And she drew her beautiful robes aside as the widows went weeping by. Her mission treasurers begged and pled, and Jesus commanded in vain. While half of the millions for whom He had died had never heard of His name.
And they of the Church and they of the World walked closely hand and heart; and none but the Master who knoweth all could tell the two apart. And the Church sat down at her ease and said, “I am rich in goods increased. I have need of nothing and naught to do but to laugh and dance and feast.”
And the sly World heard her and he laughed within, and mockingly said aside, “The Church has fallen, the beautiful Church, and her shame is her boast and pride.”
Thus her witnessing power alas was lost, and the perilous time came in. And the times of the end, so oft foretold, of form and pleasure and sin.
Then the angel drew near the mercy seat and whispered in sighs her name. And the saints their anthems of rapture hushed and covered their heads with shame. And a voice came down from the hush of heaven from Him who sat on the throne.
“I know thy works and what thou hast said, and how thou hast not known, that thou art poor, and naked, and blind with pride, and ruin enthralled. The expectant bride of a heavenly groom, now the harlot of the World. Thou hast ceased to watch for that blessed hope and fallen from zeal and grace. So now alas, I must cast thee out and blot thy name from its place.”
Written by Matilda C. Edwards

A few quotes from Charles H. Spurgeon

"Amen" a song by Jonathan Settel

I really love this song.

A few encouraging quotes from D.L. Moody

"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live. The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out."

"God doesn't expect the impossible from us. He wants us to expect the impossible from Him!"

"Before we pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray that He would empty us."

"We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine."

"The work of the Spirit is to impart life, to implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ, to guide us into all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believer, and to convict the world of sin."

"If a man just stops to think what he has to praise God for, he will find there is enough to keep him singing praises for a week."

"The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation."

"Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody; forty years learning he was nobody; and forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody."


"Christians should live in the world, but not be filled with it. A ship lives in the water; but if the water gets into the ship, she goes to the bottom. So Christians may live in the world; but if the world gets into them, they sink."

http://www.azquotes.com/author/10304-Dwight_L_Moody

A few Billy Sunday quotes

"One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake."

"If you are a stranger to prayer, you are a stranger to the greatest source of power known to human beings."

"The only way to keep a broken vessel full is to keep it always under the tap."

"Conversion is a complete surrender to Jesus. It's a willingness to do what he wants you to do."

"The reason you don't like the Bible, you old sinner, is because it knows all about you."

"Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in."

"A revival does two things. First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the Church. 

What a spell the devil seems to cast over the Church today!"

"Let's quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to Christ."

"The backslider likes the preaching that wouldn't hit the side of a house, while the real disciple is delighted when the truth brings him to his knees."

"If you lack joy, your Christianity must be leaking somewhere."

"They tell me a revival is only temporary; so is a bath, but it does you good."

"The church is not a dormitory for sleepers, it is an institution for workers; it is not a rest camp, it is a front line trench."

"It is not necessary to be in a big place to do big things."

A Henry Drummond quote

"Every man at some time in his life has fallen. Many have fallen many times; few, few times. And the more a man knows his life and watches its critical flow from day to day, the larger seems to grow the number of these falls, and the oftener reaches out to God his penitential prayer, "Turn yet again, O Lord!""

Another Ryle quote

Are you ready?

I rather liked this one! How about you?

Need a Self Esteem boost? Don't read Ryle, Spurgeon, Calvin or Philippians 2!! They don't think you do.!!

Let all who desire to please Christ, watch and pray against self-esteem. It is a feeling which is deeply rooted in our hearts. Thousands have come out from the world, taken up the cross, professed to forsake their own righteousness, and believe in Christ, who have felt irritated and annoyed when a person has been more honored than themselves. These things ought not so to be. We ought often to ponder the words of Paul, “Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.” (Phil 2:3) Blessed is that person who can sincerely and gladly rejoice when others are exalted, though they themselves are overlooked and passed by!

– J.C. Ryle 

https://www.facebook.com/ChristianDevotionalReadings

 found here: https://www.facebook.com/cr8edbychrist/?fref=ts

Philippians 2:5-11New King James Version (NKJV)

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Today's Tozer from Renewed Day by Day

Found here:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=H7AeCAAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA101&lpg=RA1-PA101&dq=a+w+tozer+faith+is+more+than+believing+the+evidence&source=bl&ots=E93avznrZm&sig=S_W0yCIoJxr7hknNU_TbNaKQHOg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZycLY2YLOAhVKLcAKHbMpDZoQ6AEINjAE#v=onepage&q&f=false

Come Thou Fount

I've known this lovely old hymn for years but when I looked it up I found two extra verses I didn't know previously, and they're rather good. 

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

 Robert Robinson (1758)

found at http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comethou.htm

Snippets I've seen & heard recently

"Our job is to introduce people to Jesus, then get out of the way."

"If you don't expect to hear God speak to you, you won't be ready to hear Him when He does."

"Let us strive to follow the great Fountain of Light wherever He goes, and see Him with open face. Oh, for an eye more quick to discern His dealings! Oh, for an ear more ready to hear His voice." J.C. Ryle.

"We have been led to the cross of Christ- our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the Living God." C.H. Spurgeon.

"However sinfully and carelessly men may go on while they live, they secretly cling to the hope that they will be found among the saints when they die. It is all a delusion." J.C. Ryle

Wise words from C. H. Spurgeon

Abridgement from H. L. Gee's book "The Cheerful Day"

"Lord, I am going to bed.
Not any fool, Lord, can go rightly to bed. Please help me. When I wash myself, make it a solemn sacrament that it may cleanse the inward man, removing my grievances against Jones, and swilling off my anger against that ridiculous Miss Q. And as I am so tired, would You pitch my weariness through the window and gather up all this day's good under my pillow. Teach me to go to sleep with a lovely thought in my mind, that it may grow in the dark and blossom in the dawn, so that I may get up in the morning with its fragrance everywhere about me."

Great quote I read the other day...

found in the A.W. Tozer devotional, "Renewed day by day".

More quotes. Highlights from "The Shining Highway" by H. L. Gee

(I haven't quite finished the book, but I'm really enjoying it so far.)

"In life," said the preacher, "it isn't enough to be a signpost, just pointing the way to righteousness. We have to walk that way ourselves."


"Perhaps I'm a bit old-fashioned," she said quietly. "But I feel His presence so wonderfully. He often comes into the scullery with me. I never feel ashamed of His seeing me with my coarse apron on. He understands. You see, I just trust Him, so I know it's all right. I used to worry a lot years ago, but now I find it all so simple. All you have to do is to take Him at His Word."


"And for myself, sir, why every day I take out of my mind whatever is unwholesome - or I should say I have it taken out for me."
"How?"
"By prayer. Every night I am still for a bit."
"But it is not always easy to be still. I have little time for doing nothing."
"Ah, but a man isn't doing nothing if he's waiting on the Lord. That is praying, and God can do anything with a man on his knees. He can do anything with any of us when we'll let Him."
"You let Him?"
"To be sure. A man cannot go through the day without a bit of himself rotting, so every night I ask that the rottenness may be cut away as I cut out the rotting wood in this fence."
"And in the morning?"
"In the morning, sir, I go down on my knees again... and I pray for a right spirit to be renewed within me. I ask for new power to serve and to do right, and for new grace, and new and stronger faith, and a new vision of God in place of the old one that sometimes grows dim. It always comes. I am born again every day, and though the outward body decay, the inward spirit keeps young..."
"So he talked, this simple, old-fashioned, God-fearing man, and I wondered greatly that in the twentieth century this simplicity and purity should still be found."


"We may as well be honest with each other and agree that we sometimes come to drab patches in life. Then it is that we need more than ever something within us, for when there are few riches to be gathered along the road it is good to have some already in our minds and hearts. Happy are we if there is a gladness springing up inside us, a song singing in our thoughts when no lark sings in the sky, a portrait gallery of memories to look on when the way is across a countryside with few striking features, a close friendship for the lonely miles with One who is nearer than hands and feet."

The Ocean of God's Grace

(picture found on facebook: Revival Library)

"Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be,
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wand'ring heart to Thee."

Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Romans 5:20

I believe this is important.

Where will you spend eternity?
Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength?
Does He have first priority in your life? or are you too busy "enjoying life" to consider all He has done for you? Do you spend time reading His Word, getting to know Him better?
Can the people around you see the difference Jesus makes in your life? or do you just want to fit in with your friends?
Jesus gave His life to set us free from sin and death. He called us to live for righteousness, for His glory!
We are not our own; He bought us!
"Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?"

Time for a couple of golden oldie songs.

John Mackay the Creation Guy

Well, today, we enjoyed 3 fantastic sessions learning more about some really fascinating "Creation stuff". Fossils, floods, frogs, dogs, prickly things and giants (among other things).

an interesting quote from Bach

"The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the Glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit." J.S. Bach.

What Is God's Will? Skit Guys

Dr. A. B. Simpson's poem

Fainting soldier of the Lord,

Hear His sweet, inspiring word;

“I have conquered all thy foes,

I have suffered all thy woes.

Struggling soldier, trust in Me,

I have overcome for thee!”

Fear not though thy foes be strong,

Fear not though the strife be long;

Trust thy glorious Captain’s power,

Watch with Him one little hour.

Hear Him calling, “Follow Me,

I have overcome for thee!”

Dr. A.B. Simpson

Excerpts from "The Edges of His Ways"

"Before the winds that blow do cease,
Teach me to dwell within Thy calm;
Before the pain has passed in peace,
Give me, my God, to sing a psalm,
Let me not lose the chance to prove
The fullness of enabling love.
O Love of God, do this for me;
Maintain a constant victory.

Before I leave the desert land
For meadows of immortal flowers,
Lead me where streams at Thy command
Flow by the borders of the hours,
That when the thirsty come, I may
Show them the fountains in the way.
O Love of God, do this for me;
Maintain a constant victory."

"Sometimes in the midst of the rush of things, it seems impossible
always to be victorious, always to be peaceful, always to be inwardly sweet.
Is that not so? Yet that and nothing less is our high calling."

Torah and YHVH. Some amazing word pictures!

Hebrew names don’t just have a meaning and a numerical value; every letter also has a pictogram, so every name and word have pictures that tell another story and give another message. How incredible this is. 
 All the law (Hebrew: Torah: instruction of God) points to Jesus of Nazareth. Even the very word Torah points to Jesus.

4 Hebrew letters: 1^st letter is depicted by a cross, 2^nd letter is “nails”, 3^rd letter is the pictogram for “The Highest One” and the final letter’s pictogram means “Behold.” So we have, “On the cross was nailed the Highest One. Behold!” (Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Behold, the Highest One was nailed to a cross- for you. Torah. I hope every time you hear that word, you will remember to Behold the Highest one nailed to the cross.

The Sacred name which the Jews will not say (and dared not even write down) is Yahweh (YHVH). When Moses asked God His name, God replied, I Am that I Am. That is My name. We anglicised it to Jehovah. When they came and wrangled with Jesus, He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” I AM the way, the truth and the life, I AM the light of the world, I AM the good shepherd. Jesus is the Great I AM; He is God, who died on the cross for our sins. The meaning of these 4 letters is “the hands, Behold, the nails, Behold.” Even God’s Name points us to Jesus. The Great I AM was nailed on the cross. Oh the wonder of it dear friends, it all points to the most incredible work that has been done; the only thing that can deal with rebellion; the only thing that can bring us new life. Jesus was made sin and nailed to the tree. God nailed t the tree- for me and for you. Behold it dear friends. Behold the Lamb of God. What an amazing thing God has done, and He has written an amazing book! 

(Part transcript of a sermon on Revelation 13)

Tozer quote and Amy Carmichael devotionals

"Following Christ is both easy and hard. It is hard because the ways of God and the ways of man are not equal. Man has his philosophies, techniques and methodologies and is directly opposed to the ways of God. It is easy because Jesus Christ has prevailed and is worthy to rule from the throne. (AMEN!!) If we serve God in man's way, we will make a mess of it..."  Tozer.

Job 22:29 "When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, "There is a lifting up."
Eliphaz the Temanite said many unkind and untrue things. But he sometimes spoke truly, and this is a beautiful word of his: "When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is a lifting up". The people of God never should be cast down, never need be, and yet our Father knows that sometimes we are badly tempted in this way, "for He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." I have noticed that in every age He has appointed some to say, There is a lifting up. Their lives say it. They are not bound and hindered by the things of time, they are not brought under the power of any of these things. They live in the world, buffeted by the winds of the world, and yet not cast down by them. Their very presence, the light in their eyes, the tone of their voice says, There is a lifting up. God make us all like that.

Psalm 28:9 Save... bless...feed...lift up...
What an inclusive prayer! nothing is left out. The word that speaks to me specially is "feed". I do not think there is anything from the beginning of our Christian life to the end that is so keenly attacked as our quiet with God, for it is in quietness that we are fed. Sometimes it is not possible to get long uninterrupted quiet, but even if it be only ten minutes, "hem it with quietness". Enclose it in quietness; do not spend the time in thinking how little time you have. Be quiet. If you are interrupted, as soon as the interruption ceases, sink back into quietness again without fuss or worry of spirit. Those who know this secret and practise it, are lifted up. They go out from that time with their Lord, be it long or short, so refreshed, so peaceful, that wherever they go they unconsciously say to others, who are perhaps cast down and weary, There is a lifting up.

Earworm

       Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul

(1) O what a wonderful, wonderful day-

Day I will never forget;

After I'd wandered in darkness away,

Jesus my Savior I met.

O what a tender, compassionate friend-

He met the need of my heart;

Shadows dispelling, With joy I am telling,

He made all the darkness depart!

      

CHORUS: Heaven came down

and glory filled my soul,

When at the cross

the Savior made me whole;

My sins were washed away

And my night was turned to day-

Heaven came down

and glory filled my soul!

      

(2) Born of the Spirit with life from above

Into God's family divine,

Justified fully through Calvary's love,

O what a standing is mine!

And the transaction so quickly was made

When as a sinner I came,

Took of the offer Of grace He did proffer-

He saved me, O praise His dear name!

      

(3) Now I've a hope that will surely endure

After the passing of time;

I have a future in heaven for sure.

There in those mansions sublime.

And its because of that wonderful day

What at the cross I believed;

Riches eternal And blessings supernal

From His precious hand I received.

Another Isaac Watts hymn

Came across this today and thought it a rather good one.

Lo! what a glorious sight appears
To our believing eyes!
The earth and sea are passed away,
And the old rolling skies.

From the third heav’n, where God resides,
That holy, happy place,
The new Jerusalem comes down,
Adorned with shining grace.

Attending angels shout for joy,
And the bright armies sing—
“Mortals, behold the sacred seat
Of your descending King.

“The God of glory down to men
Removes His blest abode;
Men, the dear objects of His grace,
And he the loving God.

“His own soft hand shall wipe the tears
From every weeping eye,
And pains, and groans, and griefs, and fears,
And death itself, shall die.”

How long, dear Saviour! O how long
Shall this bright hour delay?
Fly swifter round, ye wheels of time,
And bring the welcome day.

          by Isaac Watts

Another Tozer quote

"God Almighty dwells in an eternal now that is unaffected by the passing of time. The sun that rises in the east in the morning does not make God a day older when it sets in the west at night. It does not affect the infinite perfection of this eternal God. God is sovereign over yesterday, today and forever, which are mere elements of time." A.W. Tozer

J.R. Miller's "In Green Pastures" devotional for February 14th.

"The Value of the Reserve

There is a wide difference between worrying about a possible future of trial and being ready for it if it should come. The former we should never be; the latter we should always seek to be. It is he who is always prepared for emergencies, for the hard pinches, the steep climbing, the sore struggle, that gets through life victoriously. In moral and spiritual things it is the same. It is the reserve that saves us in all final tests - the strength that lies behind what we need in ordinary experiences. Those who daily commune with God, breathing his life into their souls, become strong with that secret, hidden strength which preserves them from falling in the day of trial. They have a "vessel" from which to refill the lamp when its little cup of oil is exhausted."

Time for more quotes from A.W. Tozer

"We must get on our knees before our open Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to break our hearts and create a passion for Christ as we've never had before. We must ask for a passion of such a nature that the things of this world will begin to diminish in their attraction for us. A passion for Christ will enable us to rise above our culture and look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let us be alert to the season in which we are living. It is the season of the Blessed Hope, calling for us to cut our ties with the world and build ourselves on this One who will soon appear. He is our hope - a Blessed Hope enabling us to rise above our times and fix our gaze upon Him.
 As Bible-believing Christians, it is imperative that we stay fully alert to the times in which we live. Our enemy is a master deceiver and a con artist of the highest order, diverting our attention from the Blessed Hope with the problems we face every day. Understanding Bible prophecy will create a passion for holy living. To know the Blessed Hope is to live in full expectation of Christ's imminent return. All signs today point to this being the season of the Blessed Hope. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

"Oh God, I come to Thee with a heart impassioned for Thee, that I may know Thy fullness and purity and not become engrossed with mere curiosity or trivial aspects of Thy Son's return. Allow nothing but Thee to fascinate me. Amen."

(It seems like Tozer really knew what he was talking about! These quotes blessed me. I hope you are also blessed by them.)

More Tozer. Prayer and praise and promises

Today I finished one of Tozer's books: "God's Power for your life: How the Holy Spirit transforms you through God's Word." It contains some great challenges and encouragements, including,

"I love Thee, for I can trust Thee to always keep Thy Word. All around me are those who fail to keep their promises for one reason or another. Everyone at some time has disappointed me, but Thou, O Christ, hast never disappointed me. Thou hast been as good as Thy Word, and Thy Word hath been good to me. May I commit myself this day and surrender my heart, mind and life to the promises that have flowed into my heart. In Jesus' name. Amen."

"The man of God says that we "have fled for refuge", and I can just see myself, with the devil one hot jump behind me, racing for the cross of Jesus, racing for Calvary's holy mountain. Just as I come panting in, the doors let down behind me, and the devil runs head-on into the gate and bounces off. He does not get me, because I have found the refuge and I am safe."

"So, says the Spirit, go on; keep on believing. You are not mistaken in fleeing to Christ. Our hope is sure, our consolation is strong, and our forerunner has already entered. The anchor grips the rock. Everything is all right in our Father's house. So, arouse you. Pursue holiness. "Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12). Show diligence and full assurance of hope unto the end."

"Christians ought to be the most delighted, happy people in the world. It is strange that we are not - but I know why we are not. The devil is out after us. The flesh is out after us. The world is out after us. In fighting these three enemies, sometimes we do not have time to be happy. We do not have time to remember that we are as safe in the arms of Jesus as if we had been in heaven a thousand years - if we will only believe, go on, and not disgrace ourselves in the kingdom of God by turning back to the beggarly elements of the world...
We have a promise we can count on, because we have a Promiser who has never and can never fail."

Patient Love - today's excerpt from In Green Pastures daily devotional by J.R. Miller D.D

"As I have loved you" means love that is sweet, fragrant, and gentle to men who have may rudenesses and meannesses, who are selfish and faulty, with sharp corners and but partially sanctified lives and very vexing ways. If all Christian people were angelic, and you were too, it would not be hard to love all; but as many other people are not yet angelic, you will still have need of patience, even if you are angelic yourself, - which probably you are not."

Wonderful, Merciful Savior (Cover)

Another lovely version of this great song.

Things I read today

"That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God

requires an account of what is past."  Ecclesiastes 3:15

"This is the goal of every Christian experience: to know God in His manifest presence."

A.W. Tozer

Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty.


Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.


Christ, the blessed One, gives to all
Wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call,
Wonderful words of life;
All so freely given,
Wooing us to heaven.


Sweetly echo the Gospel call,
Wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all,
Wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Saviour,
Sanctify forever.


Our dear Saviour will come some day,
Wonderful words of life;
Come to rapture His bride away,
Wonderful words of life;
Glory, glory, glory,
Shout the wondrous story!
by Philip P. Bliss.

(I had previously not heard or read the last verse, so I was pleased to come across it today.)

More Tozer quotes and an A.B. Simpson hymn

"Light is available to all who seek. That is the secret.
Those who seek God earnestly and desperately
shall surely come into the glorious light of His presence."

"Nobody was more intolerant than Jesus Christ was."
A.W. Tozer

"1 I have learned the wondrous secret
Of abiding in the Lord;
I have found the strength and sweetness
Of confiding in His word;
I have tasted life’s pure fountain,
I am drinking of His blood,
I have lost myself in Jesus,
I am sinking into God. 

Refrain:
I’m abiding in the Lord,
And confiding in His word,
And I’m hiding, safely hiding,
In the bosom of His love. 

2 I am crucified with Jesus,
And He lives and dwells in me,
I have ceased from all my struggling,
’Tis no longer I but He;
All my will is yielded to Him,
And His Spirit reigns within,
And His precious blood each moment
Keeps me cleansed and free from sin. [Refrain]

3 All my cares I cast upon Him,
And He bears them all away;
All my fears and griefs I tell Him,
All my needs from day to day.
All my strength I draw from Jesus,
By His breath I live and move;
E’en His very mind He gives me
And His faith and life and love. [Refrain]

4 For my words I take His wisdom,
For my works His Spirit’s pow’r,
For my ways His gracious presence
Guards and guides me every hour;
Of my heart He is the Portion,
Of my joy the ceaseless Spring,
Saviour, Sanctifier, Keeper,
Glorious Lord and loving King.

A.B. Simpson

A very short Tozer quote

I read this prayer today in a Tozer book and thought it worth sharing, so here it is:

"I have sought Thee, O Lord, and have been confused by the false authorities that have authority over Thee. May my heart be rooted in Thy Word, O God, to such an extent that Thy truth is ever precious to me. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Yesterday's Streams in the desert devotional

I read this last night and I found it very encouraging and challenging.
I hope you are equally encouraged.

Still upward be thine onward course:
For this I pray today;
Still upward as the years go by,
And seasons pass away.

Still upward in this coming year,
Thy path is all untried;
Still upward may'st thou journey on,
Close by thy Saviour's side.

Still upward e'en though sorrow come,
And trials crush thine heart;
Still upward may they draw thy soul,
With Christ to walk apart.

Still upward till the day shall break,
And shadows all have flown;
Still upward till in Heaven you wake,
And stand before the throne.

We ought not to rest content in the mists of the valley when the summit of Tabor awaits us. How pure are the dews of the hills, how fresh is the mountain air, how rich the fare of the dwellers aloft, whose windows look into the New Jerusalem! Many saints are content to live like men in coal mines, who see not the sun. Tears mar their faces when they might anoint them with celestial oil. Satisfied I am that many a believer pines in a dungeon when he might walk on the palace roof, and view the goodly land and Lebanon. Rouse thee, O believer, from thy low condition! Cast away thy sloth, thy lethargy, thy coldness, or whatever interferes with thy chaste and pure love to Christ. Make Him the source, the centre, and the circumference of all thy soul's range of delight. Rest no longer satisfied with thy dwarfish attainments. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, a fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!
--Spurgeon