Joy of Jubilee

"Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound... in the day of atonement.... the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you" (Leviticus 25:9,10). "She shall rejoice in time to come" (Proverbs 31:25). "Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel" (Luke 2:30-32).

The trumpet of the jubilee
Proclaimed the fiftieth year
To be a time of liberty,
Atonement, and of cheer.

The people saw that day draw near,
And temporal things they owned
Were not accounted then so dear,
For they had just been loaned.

It was a day of liberation
Proclaimed through all the land,
And here we see our own salvation
In terms we understand.

For soon our temporal things possessed
Shall all be put aside,
And we shall be forever blessed,
As God has testified.

My eyes of faith have seen the day
Of eternal jubilee!
Hold lightly things that pass away,
But embrace eternity!

Visiting our Vacancy

"Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.... And she brought forth her first born Son... and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 1:78,79, 2:7,8).

Once dwelling in eternity
In that high and holy place,
Descending to our vacancy,
God came to us with grace.

How marvelous that God would come
To rescue us from sin,
Yet find no vacancy in some,
Just like that busy inn.

The place that Mary found to lay
The Lord of all creation
Was just a manger stall with hay
For Him who brought salvation.

So may our Savior in us find
A door that's opened wide
With heart, and soul, and strength, and mind
Inviting Him inside!

Removed from the Remedy

"He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.... If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.... every man's judgment cometh from the Lord" (Proverbs 29:1,9,26). "His mercy is on them that fear Him.... He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luke 1:50,51).

Those who will not be reproved
And come to Christ for His salvation
Are from His remedy removed,
And soon must face their condemnation.

Those who trust in Christ are blest;
But those who stubbornly contend
Shall never enter in His rest,
And face destruction in the end.

Those who will not trust in Christ
Have thus refused His remedy,
For He alone was sacrificed
To heal them for eternity.

Satisfied Servants

"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her" (Luke 1:38).

Behold the servants of the Lord;
Behold their satisfaction:
The smile of God is their reward;
All else is a distraction.

Just as Mary testified,
So we may likewise still
As servants thus be satisfied
To do our Savior's will!

Our God has servants in each place
With hearts that He has stirred,
By whom He manifests His grace
According to His Word.

Set Seasons

"The feasts of the Lord... ye shall proclaim in their seasons" (Leviticus 23:4). "These things shall be performed.... which shall be fulfilled in their season" (Luke 1:20).

The seasons were set with the lambs sacrificed,
And thus with prophetic perfection
The unblemished life and the death of the Christ
Were proclaimed with our Lord's resurrection.

The Passover Lamb, the Unleavened Bread,
And the Feast of the First Fruits proclaim,
That Christ would be slain, yet raised from the dead
And exalted above every name.

Now these things were set and proclaimed in their seasons,
And all of their types were fulfilled.
Since God girds our faith with such marvelous reasons,
Let contrary voices be stilled!

Plus Peter

"He is risen; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. But go your way, tell His disciples AND PETER that He goeth before you into Galilee: there ye shall see Him, as He said unto you" (Mark 16:6,7).

How sweet were those words to Peter's ear,
Yet two words had made them sweeter:
"He is risen; He is not here...
Tell His disciples AND PETER."

This is the fellowship that our Lord gives,
By the grace that we do not deserve:
The mutual joy that our Savior now lives,
And His calling together to serve.

Thieves and Things

"Thou art my Portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep Thy words.... The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten Thy law.... I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts" (Psalm 119:61,63).

Bands of thieves that come to steal
Can only take so much,
For things that are forever real
Those robbers cannot touch.

My greatest Treasure is the Lord,
My Portion now and ever,
From Whom there is no power, sword,
Or robber who can sever.

My heritage is thus secured
In fellowship with those
Who fear the Lord and keep His Word,
Whom thieves cannot oppose!

Choosing to Cherish

"He save others; Himself He cannot save" (Mark 15:31).

There was a choice for Jesus Christ
Regarding us to make:
Either to be sacrificed,
Or us He must forsake.

Either He could leave cross
And thus His own life cherish,
Or suffer then to spare us loss,
That we might never perish.

Praise the Lord who made the choice
To cherish us instead!
Worship Him! In Him rejoice,
Who is no longer dead!

Yes, He saved others; so it was
Himself He could not save.
We choose to cherish Him because
For us His life he gave!

Sorrowful Silence

"Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth.... I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed" (Psalm 119:43,46). "Yea, My reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things" (Proverbs 23:16). "And Pilate asked Him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing, so that Pilate marvelled" (Mark 15:4,5). "As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

Jesus Christ, my suffering Lamb,
Defended me in silence
For all my sin, for all I am,
And all of my defiance.

The time for silence now is gone;
The time to speak is here,
As in our day we're called upon
To make the Gospel clear!

So let this world hear our voice
While yet we may be heard,
And let our Savior's heart rejoice,
To hear His faithful Word!

For such as time as this we stand
To speak in Jesus' name,
So let us speak by His command
And never be ashamed.

Certified Certainty

"Teach me, O Lord.... Give me understanding.... Stablish Thy Word unto Thy servant" (Psalm 119:33,34,38). "That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth?" (Proverbs 22:19-21).

Thank You, Lord, for certainty!
Amidst this age that has no clue,
I know the Truth that makes me free,
The Truth that points me back to You!

Thank You, Lord, for all You taught
By prophets that You were commanding.
The words they wrote contained Your thought,
Which now fulfilled, give understanding.

Thank You, Lord, for absolutes
In counsels that You certified.
This is where we find our roots:
In words of truth now verified.

Thank You, Lord, for making known
This day Your truth to even me!
The evidence that You have shown
Has now removed uncertainty!

Thank You, Lord, for opened eyes
To trust in You to save my soul
And evidence that certifies
The Gospel Truth that makes us whole!

Hourly Honesty

"And He cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:37,38).

It should come as no surprise
That in our flesh we have no power,
When those situations rise
Which try us in temptation's hour.

What we need is honesty,
Admitting that our flesh is weak,
Praying therefore hourly
For the strength in Christ we seek.

Let us now be diligent,
For soon the hour will be past.
Watch and pray! Be vigilant
Until we hear the trumpet blast!

Pricing the Precious

"As He set at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on His head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence.... And Jesus said, Let her alone.... She hath done what she could.... and Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money" (Mark 14:3-11). "And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:15).

"The woman.... has done what she could."
This word was our Lord's affirmation.
Though others had thought it not good,
The Lord gave her His commendation!

And how very precious indeed
This ointment was that she had poured;
Not measured by worldly greed,
But rather by love for her Lord!

Judas knew how it was priced,
And three hundred pence was too much!
For him thirty pieces sufficed;
The worth of our Savior was such!

But heaven has rightly assessed
The infinite worth of our Savior!
May we, like this woman, be blessed,
In awe at the price of His favor!

Counsel that Continues

"Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:20,21). "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away" (Mark 13:31).

How can a person be wise in the end
With so many different counsels today?
That will completely and surely depend
On which of those counsels you choose to obey.

Hold to the counsel of God in His Word!
No other counsel shall finally stay.
All of the contrary counsels you've heard,
Like heaven and earth, shall soon pass away.

The counsel of God shall continue forever,
Instructing us daily, enlightening our eyes.
Hold to His precepts, forsaking them never,
That you may be found in the end to be wise.

Separated Seeker

"Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways" (Psalm 119:2,3). "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom" (Proverbs 18:1).

There is passion like a fire,
A flaming purpose to fulfill,
That separates us by desire,
To seek the Lord and do His will.

There is a heart of separation,
Committed to the cause of Christ.
That seeks a greater consecration,
As lesser things are sacrificed.

Grant us, Lord, this steadfast heart
To do Your will and seek Your face.
Set us by Your truth apart,
And sanctify us by Your grace.

Trusting the True

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8).

Trust in the Lord: He is faithful and true;
Do not put your trust in a mere mortal man.
Impossible things for me and for you
Do not pose a hindrance in God's perfect plan.

Trust in the Lord, and rest in His love;
Let not your heart be troubled with doubt.
Set your affections on things up above;
All things below God will surely work out.

Trust in the Lord who alone wrought salvation:
No other name among men can be found.
Search under heaven among every nation:
Only in Christ does redemption abound.

Sovereign Savior

"His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever" (Psalm 117:2). "The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.... By mercy and truth iniquity is purged" (Proverbs 16:4,6). "Have ye not read this Scripture: The Stone which the builders rejected is become the Head of the corner: this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?" (Mark 12:10,11).

Make no mistake: The Lord is in charge,
And mercy and truth are His to impart.
Others make think their impact is large,
But God rules the end as well as the start.

Even the wicked for their evil day
Are made with a view to performing their roles.
God has foreseen the part they will play,
Fulfilling His merciful plan for our souls.

God is not willing that any should perish,
Yet He is allowing the wicked to choose.
Nevertheless His redeemed He will cherish,
And even the wicked, for their sakes, He'll use.

How marvelous are these things in our eyes!
This is the Stone which the builders rejected!
How merciful, faithful, sovereign, and wise
Is God, whose salvation is thereby perfected!

Prospect of Prayer

"I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.... For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling" (Psalm 116:1,2,8). "Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.... When ye pray, believe" (Mark 11:22,24).

Because the Lord has heard my prayer,
Because I called, and He was there,
Because I know that He will care,
He will hear me when I pray.

Because He heard my supplication,
Because He answered with salvation,
Because He gave this invitation,
All my cares on Him I'll lay.

Because He rescued me from fear,
Because He wiped away each tear,
Because He promised to be near,
He will lead me all the way.

Because He hears the faintest voice,
Because He calls me to rejoice,
Because He gives this gracious choice,
I will call on Him each day.

Because He calls me to believe,
Because each prayer He will receive,
Because He said He'll never leave,
I will trust Him and obey.

Sit or See

"Blind Bartimaeus... sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal.... And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.... And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.... received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way" (Mark 10:46-52).

In this age where blind leads blind,
Who fall themselves into the pit,
The darkness they don't seem to mind,
Who charge their fellow blind to sit.

Many therefore close their eyes
And sit as they are sternly told.
But some in darkness choose to rise
To find their sight, though others scold.

Christ can hear the earnest cry
Above the multitude so loud.
Sit no more! Let none deny
Your cries to satisfy the crowd!

Christ has called you; don't delay!
Stand and come into the light.
Cast your darkness now away,
And Jesus Christ will give you sight!

The sight He gives reveals sin,
Yet in His light we see His grace.
Rise! He knocks! Now let Him in,
And every sin He will erase!

Riches of our Ransom

"The ransom of a man's life are his riches" (Proverbs 13:8). "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

How vast beyond imagination
Are these riches we have gained
Within this ransom of salvation
That by faith we have obtained!

Free to us, but oh the cost
Was great indeed that Jesus paid!
The awful debt of all the lost
Upon our Savior then was laid!

From rags to riches! What a story
All the ransomed have to tell!
To God our Savior be the glory
Who redeemed our souls from hell!

Lord, receive our worship now
We bring to You in grateful trust
For all these riches You endow
And for the ransom paid for us.

Astonished and Admonished

"And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:26,27).

How right it is to be astonished
At what our God has done!
Let apathy be thus admonished
And praise be to His Son!

With men it was impossible
For sinners to be saved;
Only God could save the soul,
So hopelessly depraved.

Forgive our ho-hum attitude
And our complacency
Diminishing our gratitude,
Displaced by apathy!

And thus reproved, we stand amazed
And gratefully adore
Our Lord who is so rightly praised
Both now and evermore!

Infinite Investment

"He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor, his righteousness endureth forever.... The desire of the wicked shall perish" (Psalm 112:9,10). "When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.... but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward" (Proverbs 11:7,18). "For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward" (Mark 9:41).

Righteousness endures forever;
Wickedness will come to naught.
The just are blessed in each endeavor;
The memories of the wicked rot.

There is a sure reward we find
For all who sow in righteousness.
Every word and deed that's kind
Our God will recompense and bless.

This doesn't mean we earn salvation
By the things we say and do,
But rather that our expectation
Is that what God said is true.

Though deserving of His wrath,
He has washed us from our sins
And leads us now upon the path
In which abundant life begins.

Thus every kindness He records
That's done with grace to those we meet,
Eternally shall reap rewards
That we shall place at Jesus feet.

Unreasonable Unbelief

"O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?... Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:19, 24).

In this faithless generation
That chooses not to trust in God,
Reason still is on vacation,
And honesty is scorned as odd.

Unbelief is just a choice
To hide from all the evidence,
Ignoring God's prophetic voice
And all of history's defense.

What further help could God provide?
Unbelief has no excuse!
How else should God have testified?
Which other methods should He use?

The truth of God is everywhere
That unbelief will not receive.
Let us nonetheless declare
The valid reasons we believe.

Learning by Listening

"He [Jesus] was transfigured before them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered.... For he wist not what to say, for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him" (Mark 9:2-7). "Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory... spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:30,31).

How bright that sight was when they woke
On Christ's transfiguration day!
Simon Peter therefore spoke,
And yet he knew not what to say.

And then the Father's voice was heard:
"This is My beloved Son:
Hear Him!" was His earnest Word.
And then they heard His Holy One.

What Moses and Elijah said
As Jesus talked to each of them,
Concerned how Christ would soon be led
To suffer at Jerusalem.

Hear Him speak of His decease,
As all His prophets testify!
Hear Him who would be our Peace,
And to that end our Lord would die!

There is a lesson for us here:
If we would know what we should say,
We each must have a listening ear
To hear our Lord and to obey.

How are we Hardened?

"Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember.... How is it that ye do not understand?" (Mark 8:17-21).

How are we yet hardened,
Although we have been saved?
We graciously are pardoned;
We shouldn't act depraved!

Since we’re no longer blind
By Satan's dark deception,
How then is our mind
Still lacking in perception?

By grace God gave us eyes
That we may now perceive,
So how are we not wise
And slow yet to believe?

The Lord has given ears
For obeying His command.
And yet it still appears
We do not understand.

Revive us once again;
Our hardness, Lord, forgive!
For to this very end
By grace we ought to live!

Fixed upon His Faithfulness

"O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.... Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies" (Psalm 108:1,12,13). "He hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37).

Our Savior has done all things well;
There is no taint of error mixed
In Him who ransomed us from hell,
So may our hearts on Him be fixed.

The help of man is vanity;
Neither should we trust our arm.
Through God we shall do valiantly,
And He will rescue us from harm.

Trouble comes in every life;
This we know with certainty.
But God is greater than our strife,
And He will grant us victory.

Fixed upon His faithfulness,
Trusting Him who cannot fail,
We have assurance He will bless;
The gates of hell shall not prevail.

Folly of Far

"This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Mark 7:6).

God is calling sinners near,
Though sin had once made them far.
Whoever has an ear to hear:
Come to Christ just as you are!

For Jesus Christ has made a way
By grace to remove the distance!
Come with all your heart today;
Repent and cast off resistance.

The cross has vanquished every sin!
Where only distance was before,
The Savior now has entered in
To all who open their heart's door.

How foolish it is merely pretend
By wearing the mask of religion!
For Christ has died to thus put an end
To the distance of empty tradition.

Draw near with a heart that is true;
Be done with your hardness of heart,
And the Lord with draw near to you,
That distance may thereby depart!

Moveable Motives

"Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.... There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 5:6, 14:12).

There is a single, saving path
In Christ that God provided.
All other ways must lead to wrath;
Do not be undecided!

That gate is wide, the path is broad
And filled with many lanes
That lead a soul astray from God
And to eternal pains.

The ways to hell are moveable
That truth may not be known.
The way to life is provable,
Which God has amply shown!

That single path to life is Christ:
Behold His empty grave!
The Lamb of God was sacrificed,
Yet now He lives to save!

Yet many march to their destruction
And miss the narrow gate,
As Satan leads them by seduction
To hell's eternal state.

Come to Christ in full surrender!
Though other ways seem right,
Christ alone is your Defender;
No other fought your fight!

It's not about what surveys say
In today's opinion poll,
For Christ is still the only Way
To save the sinner's soul.

Talking Topics

"O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works" (Psalm 105:1,2).

Talk of all the wondrous deeds
That God has done throughout the earth.
This is what the world needs;
You cannot overstate its worth.

How pointless are imaginations
That do not dwell on things that matter!
And certainly our conversations
Without the Lord are empty chatter.

So let us talk of what God did
And what He promised He will do.
His wondrous works have not been hid,
And all His promises are true.

Talk of marvels in creation;
You never can exhaust their store!
Talk of mercy in salvation;
Search the love of God yet more!

Surely we can well afford
To choose the topics of our talk
That call attention to Our Lord,
Our great Redeemer and our Rock!

Purpose of Power

"Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it" (Proverbs 3:27). "And He called... and began to send them forth... and gave them power.... And they went out, and preached that men should repent" (Matthew 6:7-12).

What is the power God placed in your hand?
To whom is its ministry due?
God who equipped you has given command
To give as was given to you.

This is the purpose for power from God:
To minister where He has sent.
It's not so that others may see and applaud,
But rather that they should repent.

Lord, here am I, equipped with Your power;
Now send me wherever You will,
Redeeming the time, every day, every hour,
And thereby Your purpose fulfill.

Bountiful Benefits

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:2-5).

How bountiful these blessings shown
By which our every need is met!
Let all within us make them known,
And never let our souls forget!

He pardons our iniquities.
He heals our sinful, sickened soul
From every spiritual disease;
His healing touch has made us whole!

He has paid redemption's cost,
Since for our life, He laid His down.
He has loved us who were lost,
Whom now His tender mercies crown.

He completely satisfies
And He renews our inner youth.
Like the airborne eagle flies,
He lifts us by His grace and truth.

Lord, receive our thanks and praise
For benefits that You bestow.
Keep us mindful of Your ways
And of the debt of love we owe.

Guiding our Going

"He that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel" (Mark 5:18-20).

The man who was once by demons possessed
Prayed to depart with Christ where He went.
But Jesus then firmly denied his request,
And back to his home and his friends he was sent.

Go home to your friends, said Christ in this fashion,
And tell them the things that the Lord did for you.
Tell them how great is His might and compassion,
That they may behold and believe it is true.

Our God is the One who guides where we go.
Be ready to listen and follow His plan,
And don't be surprised if He should say "No."
You answer to Jesus your Lord, and not man.