Monday, September 30, 2013

WHO and WHAT?

“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?  Who hath gathered the wind in His fists?  Who hath bound the waters in a garment?  Who hath established all the ends of the earth?  What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?  Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:4,5).  “Therefore… prepare to meet thy God.  For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is His name” (Amos 4:12,13).  “And he [Saul] said, WHO art Thou, Lord?  And the Lord said, I am Jesus… And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, WHAT wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:5,6). 

The Lord has ascended above,
Yet first He descended to earth,
Compelled by His infinite love
To enter this world by birth. 

His name is the Lord Jesus Christ
Forever extolled, God the Son,
Who came down to be sacrificed
That souls, by His death, may be won.

Behold Him, the God of creation,
Who gathers the wind in His fists,
Who calls us to make preparation
To meet Him who surely exists! 

Though He is exalted and holy,
He stoops in His great lovingkindness,
To ransom and lift up the lowly,
Removing their scales of blindness. 

We see His salvation in Saul,
Who cried out then, “WHO art Thou, Lord?” 
That question pertains to us all,
Which many today have ignored. 

The question Saul asked Him as well
Must surely pertain us too,
For thereby we’re rescued from hell:
“Lord, WHAT wilt Thou have me to do?”

The answer to us that is sent
Which we our Savior declare
Is: “Come unto Me!” and “Repent!”
There’s no other way to prepare. 

Lord, thank You for answers You give
To questions that come from the heart,
That we may eternally live
By grace which You freely impart. 

We know WHO You are:  Christ our Savior!
We know WHAT to do to be saved: 
Receiving You, Lord, we find favor
With heavenly answers we craved!


Sunday, September 29, 2013

Preaching from Prophecy

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.  The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7,8).  “The place of the Scripture which he read was this, ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before His shearer, so opened he not His mouth:  In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.’  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this?  Of himself, or of some other Man?  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus” (Acts 8:32-35). 

How graciously the Lord foretells
The things pertaining to salvation!
We’re drawing from prophetic wells
The Gospel through His revelation. 

We know the Lord our God has spoken,
For God has surely made this known
By Scripture’s prophecies unbroken
Concerning things He had foreshown. 

The lion has already roared: 
The prophets clearly prophesied
Concerning Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who for our sakes was crucified! 

The lion’s roar depicts a warning
Which every soul on earth should heed! 
Though many blindly go on scorning,
God’s prophecies against them plead. 

The eunuch sought to understand
Isaiah’s chapter fifty-three. 
The Lord brought Philip near at hand
To preach of Christ from prophecy. 

Now let us also do the same
From precious prophecies we hold,
Declaring that our Savior came
As all the prophets had foretold. 

Almighty God, the great “I Am,”
Came down to earth for us to die. 
Isaiah saw Him as a lamb;
God showed him what to prophesy.

How marvelous is Scripture’s treasure
That we, through prophecies, receive
To know it gave the Savior pleasure
To save all those who would believe!

Now send us forth, O Lord, to preach
And prove You came to be our Savior,
As we thus understand and teach
Prophetic truths that show Your favor.


Saturday, September 28, 2013

Blessing of Boldness

“Let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them… as with a shield” (Psalm 5:11,12).  “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).  “But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God… And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.  And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:55-60). 

There is a boldness God will give
To everyone who trusts the Lord,
A blessing thus to boldly live
That God the Spirit will afford. 

Our God alone provides this grace
In every circumstance revealed,
In every time, and every place,
Since He is our Defense and Shield.

Our righteousness is freely given
By faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Without His grace we would be driven
Forever from God’s judgment throne.

The wicked (those rejecting Christ)  
Are rightly therefore filled with dread:
The things by which they are enticed
Shall not defend them when they’re dead!

Consider Stephen at the time
When he stood boldly, yet with love,
Reproving sinners of their crime
Against the Savior from above.

As Stephen looked with confidence
He saw the glory of his Savior
He knew that Christ was his Defense,
And He would shield him with favor.

We see his boldness then was large
As he beheld the Savior’s glory. 
“Lay not this sin,” Lord, “to their charge,”  
He prayed, concluding his bold story. 

O Lord, we thank for our rest
Beneath the shelter of Your wings,
As with such boldness we are blest
Because You are the King of kings. 

Lord, grant us boldness in this fashion,
As we are trusting in Your care,
To manifest Your own compassion
And show Your grace which we declare.

 

Friday, September 27, 2013

Duet for Diligence

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth… My son, be wise, and make My heart glad… Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks… For riches are not forever” (Proverbs 27:1,11,23,24). 

We hear the dual theme commence:
We’re here for just a little while,
And we are called to diligence
To seek our Lord’s approving smile. 

These themes comprise a sweet duet
Regarding each day’s timeless treasure,
Exhorting us to not forget
To always to live to give God pleasure.

This dual theme is intertwined
In harmony we cannot sever
With diligence for flocks in mind,
For riches here are not forever. 

We see the dual application:
The Lord entrusts to us His sheep;
We please Him with our dedication
And timely care for those we keep. 

We’ve heard the song, Lord, from Your heart,
With themes You sweetly harmonize:
You have composed for us each part,
To seize the day and to be wise. 

In this duet, Lord, may we blend:
To make You glad in all we do
As we are diligent to tend
And feed Your precious flocks for You.


Thursday, September 26, 2013

Musing on the Multitudes

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision… but the LORD will be the hope of His people” (Joel 3:14-16).  “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20). 

Each day we see the multitudes
Who dwell in valleys of decision 
Until eternity intrudes
To finalize their soul’s condition.

The Holy Spirit is reproving
The multitudes who go astray
As through the valley they are moving
And they approach their final day. 

Who are these multitudes we see
Of people making up their mind,
Deciding thus their destiny
Eternally, as so inclined? 

The multitudes that we behold,
On which we presently are musing,
Are precious souls who should be told
The consequences they are choosing! 

It’s time to make the options clear;
There is a choice we all must make
To trust in Christ as He is near,
Or make, instead, the great mistake. 

We’re called into this valley’s strife!
Our weapon is the Spirit’s sword,
Declaring all the words of life,
The Gospel of our risen Lord! 

These multitudes, as sheep astray,
Are prompted by God’s Holy Spirit. 
When one repents and thus will pray,
There’s joy when heaven’s angels hear it! 

Lord, as we’re musing on the lost,
We see their worth that You esteemed: 
You gave Yourself to pay the cost,
That precious souls may be redeemed! 

We know not, Lord, who will refuse;
Yet to the multitudes we go
To speak to souls on whom You muse
With words of life we clearly show. 


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Wonder Why

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1).  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2).  “Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered” (Joel 2:32).  “Lord, Thou art God… who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ… to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:24-28). 

Why would the kings and rulers rage
Against the Lord and His Anointed? 
They had the Psalm’s prophetic page
Declaring what the Lord appointed.

The Scripture surely wasn’t hidden
Which had foretold what they would do. 
Its reading then was not forbidden;
And yet it had escaped their view! 

There’s surely more than meets the eye
Explaining how these things were veiled. 
God’s Word declares the reason why
Their logic and their vision failed. 

By God’s own glory He conceals
The things which should be obvious,
Yet when we’re searching He reveals
His truth He manifests to us.

For those who call upon the Lord
With all their heart, their soul, and mind
Discover treasures He has stored
Which He intends for us to find.

The things that kings and rulers did,
Which David clearly prophesied,
Were from their understanding hid
When, at their hands, our Savior died. 

O Lord, we thank You that You came,
As You determined that You would,
To bear upon the cross our shame
Because You are supremely good! 

Lord, thank You for the truth You’ve shown,
As You have granted revelation,
That we may make Your Gospel known
To those who search for Your salvation.

As many wonder why they’re here
And what eternity will hold,
Lord, help us make the Gospel clear
To all who listen, young and old!


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Pity the Perishing!

“The ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:6).  “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it?  And He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it?” (Proverbs 24:11,12).  “Alas for the day!  For the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:15).  “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).    

Consider the souls that could perish
As God gives us His point of view, 
For these are the souls we should cherish,
And God ponders whether we do.

Since we have received Jesus Christ,
We know what it means to be saved.
The Lord was for us sacrificed
To grant the salvation we craved! 

Behold now the souls drawing near
The brink of eternity’s bank: 
We ought to be making it clear
That Christ is the Savior we thank!

Alas!  For the day surely comes
When callousness shall turn to dread! 
Each heartbeat is pounding like drums
As sinners to gravesites are led. 

All those who have trusted the Lord
Have no need to fear any danger,  
Unlike those who yet have ignored
The God they shall meet as a Stranger. 

With such precious souls we should plead,
For whom Jesus Christ tasted death,
Reminding them of their great need
To trust Him as He lends them breath.

The Lord calls each soul to repent
So they may escape the destruction
Of conscious, eternal lament
For those who refuse His instruction.

Declare to these souls the Good News:
Their sins may be all blotted out! 
There’s no reason now to refuse!
There’s no valid logic for doubt! 

Lord, thank You for pity You’ve shown
Which made You depart from Your splendor;
You gave up Your glorious throne
That You might become our Defender!

How greatly, O Lord, You have cared
For perishing souls on this earth!
Your own life for ours was not spared,
And thus we discern the soul’s worth. 

Lord, send us with love for the lost,
So valued by Your estimation,   
Reminded each day of the cost
By which You secured our salvation.


Monday, September 23, 2013

Deciding our Destiny

“Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).  ”Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye… his heart is not with theeMy son, give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways” (Proverbs 23:6,26).  “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously” (Hosea 14:2).  “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40). 

Our destiny is in our hand,
For God has given us a choice. 
Salvation for us has been planned,
But who will heed the Savior’s voice? 

There is a purpose for our breath:  
We’re called to give the Lord our praise.   
But some refuse until their death,
Resisting Him throughout their days. 

So let us not be undecided
About which voice we ought to hear! 
In Christ salvation is provided;
Eternity is drawing near! 

Take with you words with true desire
As God extends redemption’s plan!
We ought to lift our vision higher
Than the approval of mere man. 

Upon that day of Pentecost,
When Peter gave the invitation,
He spoke in earnest to the lost
To choose the way of God’s salvation. 

He said to “save yourselves” that day,
Referring to the soul’s volition, 
And that is what we ought to say
To those yet heading for perdition!

O Lord, we see the great divide
Between those who will come to You
And those who otherwise decide
To turn their backs on love so true! 

Since we know not, Lord, who will run
And hide in You from coming wrath,
We take Your Word to everyone
Whom You will place upon our path.


Sunday, September 22, 2013

Word for Witnessing

“The LORD taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation… Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand” (Psalm 149:4,6).  “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 to them that send unto thee?” (Proverb 22:20,21).  “In Me is thine help… I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death” (Hosea 13:9-14).  “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me… unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).   

The Lord takes pleasure in His own;
He beautifies them with salvation. 
O let His praises be made known
To every tribe, and tongue, and nation! 

The Word of God shall be our sword
With certainty and excellence,
By which we manifest the Lord
Through His prophetic evidence. 

Our faith in God shall be our shield
As we are called to give a reason. 
Behold the power that we wield:
The Gospel spoken in due season! 

In Christ we have our help each hour
Who lives forevermore to save!
He has redeemed us from sin’s power
And from the power of the grave. 

Behold the power which He gives
As we, His witnesses, proclaim
That Christ is risen and He lives
To save those calling on His name.

The Holy Spirit dwells within
Each one who has received new birth,
And He will give the words to win
Eternal souls throughout the earth.

O Lord, we thank You for this grace
That makes us fit to witness here
So others too may seek Your face
As we have made the Gospel clear!

We thank You, Lord, for certainty
With promises that are assured
By truth which saves and sets those free
Who trust the witness of Your Word.


Saturday, September 21, 2013

Focused on Following

“Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:  let them praise the name of the LORD: for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven.  He also exalteth the horn of His people… a people near unto Him” (Psalm 148:12-14).  “The LORD pondereth the hearts… as for the upright, He directeth his way” (Proverbs 21:2,29).  “Therefore turn thou to thy God… and wait on thy God continually” (Hosea 12:6).  “Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me” (John 21:21,22). 

Fret not about what others do,   
Just praise the Lord with all your heart.   
Both men and women, children too,
Should follow Him and not depart.

We need to focus on the Lord:
His name alone is excellent!
No other name can well afford
The saving grace that He has sent.

His glory is above the earth
And higher than the heavens are!
Yet He came down in humble birth
To bring us near who once were far.

The Lord examines and will ponder
When hearts, once focused, have grown dim. 
He knows our tendency to wander,
When we forget to follow Him.

So let us therefore turn to God
To wait on Him and seek His face.
Don’t look for others to applaud,
But humbly seek Him and His grace. 

We hear our Savior’s words of love
To turn again the heart of Peter,
To follow Him till called above;
There is no focus that is sweeter! 

O Lord, we see how much we need
To follow You and never turn
To left or right of where You lead,
A lesson we must daily learn! 

We thank You, Lord, for Your instruction
That we may follow You each day
To keep our hearts from vain seduction
As we are focused on Your way.


Friday, September 20, 2013

Heralded Healing

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.  He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names” (Psalm 147:3,4).  “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9).  “They knew not that I healed them.  I drew them with cords of a Man, with bands of love” (Hosea 11:3,4).  “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). 

The Lord is healing hearts so broken,
For we are healed by His scars!
We hear it in the Scriptures spoken,
And heralded as well by stars! 

The stars declare our Savior’s glory
As names that He assigned reveal,
Unfolding thus redemption’s story,
That heralded how God would heal. 

Astrology is just a sham
That Satan uses to distort
The declaration of “I Am”
Of His salvation’s great report! 

Thus Virgo had announced the Seed
Who would be born bear our sin
As God Incarnate met our need,
Announcing Satan would not win. 

This plan to herald was the Lord’s,
Which made the evening sky His scroll,
To draw us to Him by His cords
By every means to save our soul!

The Scriptures are the declaration
To show what stars had once declared,
That Christ would bring to us salvation
So that our souls could thus be spared. 

And so by many ways diverse
God heralded His wondrous plan.
The Gospel that we now rehearse
Is given, not to stars, but man!

So we proclaim, as stars once did,
This healing by our Lord and Savior:
We shouldn’t let His Word be hid,
But shine as stars to show His favor! 

O Lord, You gave to us Your peace
And sent us with Your truth revealed.
So by Your grace we would increase
The souls who trust You and are healed.


Thursday, September 19, 2013

To Seek and To Sow

“While I live will I praise the LORD” (Psalm 146:2).  “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end… the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand” (Proverbs 1:20,21).  “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD” (Hosea 10:12).  “Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the Man!... Behold your King!” (John 19:5,14). 

It’s time to seek the Lord right now
So that His counsel may be known. 
It’s time to sow the ground we plow,
For we shall reap what we have sown.

It’s time to sow in righteousness,
To love the Lord, and to be still.
This is the life that God will bless,
Which will delight to do His will.

It’s time now to revive our love
For Christ who surely loved us first,
Recalling that our Lord came down
To bless the ground which had been cursed. 

As rain upon this thirsty land
Our God extended thus His favor. 
How little do we understand
Of what this cost our gracious Savior!

Yet God records our Savior’s pain,
Though we can barely take it in. 
We thus received His saving rain,
As He then bore our curse for sin. 

Behold the Man!  Behold your King!
Behold our gain!  Behold His loss!
What kind of worship shall we bring
As we behold Him on the cross? 

It’s time to seek our Savior’s face
And sow the seeds of adoration,
That might see the fruit of grace
Resulting in our consecration.

O Lord, as we behold Your beauty
And see Your love yet undiminished,
We’re moved by worship, not by duty,
Until our labor here is finished.

Until we’re with You, Lord, above,
We’re breaking up the fallow ground
In hearts You soften by Your love,
That fruitful worship may abound. 


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Quelling the Question

“The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).  “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.  A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself… The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge” (Proverbs 18:1,2,21).  “Jesus answered… Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.  Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth?” (John 18:37,38).

The Lord is near to all who call,
If they will call in truth as well.
How sadly, though, this isn’t all,
For truth is something many quell. 

So what is truth?  Why does it matter? 
Can absolutes be really known?
There’s much more here than idle chatter,
As God has absolutely shown!

Desire for the truth must come
In those who will not march along
In step with evolution’s drum
That beats, though it is proven wrong.

The prudent heart desires more
With ears that seek attentively
To find the key that fits the door
Pertaining to eternity. 

The voice of God will surely speak
To answer questions of this kind.
The Lord attends to hearts that seek
With all their heart, their soul, and mind. 

But those who blindly do not care,
Resisting thus the Lord’s reproof,
Will never question if He’s there
Along with those who stand aloof.

Content to query, “What is truth?”
(Despite God’s ample evidence),
They quell the questions of the youth
Who question their indifference. 

But God is speaking still today
To those who yet will hear His voice.
The humble hearts that will obey
Shall know His truth and shall rejoice. 

O Lord, we thank You for Your Word,
Wherein Your truth is evident,
Which teaches sinners who have heard
To trust in You and to repent.

O Lord, Your truth in all creation
Is seen in every star and flower,
Yet in the truth of Your salvation,
We now proclaim Your saving power.
 
 
 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The Word or the Wind

“They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind… I have written to him the great things of My Law, but they were counted as a strange thing” (Hosea 8:7,12).  “Jesus… lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father… keep them from the evil… Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth” (John 17:1-17). 

The Word of God can weather waves
That stormy winds have greatly stirred,
By showing us the Lord who saves
And sanctifies us by His Word. 

We sow the Word of the God and reap
The fruit He causes to abound,
But those who sow the wind shall weep
For the destruction they have found.

The Lord extends His Word so great
With promises He won’t rescind,
Yet some will spurn His Word they hate,
And they shall reap the whirlwind.

How sadly many yet despise
And count His Word a strange intrusion! 
As they profess that they are wise,
They do so to their own confusion.

Our Savior prayed before He died
That we would thus be kept from sin,
As by His Word we’re sanctified,
Not of this world we are in. 

How clearly, then, our Lord has shown
We need His counsel every day! 
We do not live by bread alone,
But by each word that God will say.

Lord, thank You for Your words You’ve given
Which shall not pass when kingdoms fall.
All else, as chaff, shall soon be driven
By winds of time that You will call.

O Lord, it is Your voice we hear
When rushing winds are told to cease!
There is no sound we hold so dear
As words You speak that give us peace.

The winds continue, Lord, You know,
To threaten souls without Your grace.
As stewards of Your Word we show
That there’s in You a Hiding Place.