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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 H...

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

“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”.

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!

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 th...

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 ...

"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 w e 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...

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

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

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 s...

I really love this song.

"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 f...

"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 ...

"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!""

I rather liked this one! How about you?

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 2:5-11 New King James Version (NKJV) The Humbled and Exalted Christ 5  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ J...

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

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...

"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

"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."

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

(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 ...

(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

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?"

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).

"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.

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

"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."

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 anglici...

"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....

        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 ...

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

"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

"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."

"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 pass...

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 n...

"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."

Another lovely version of this great song.

"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, glor...

"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 ne...

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."

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 an...