Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Straight Thinking vs. Strange Thing


"Behold, God is mine Helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul" (Psalm 54:4).  "Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:5).  "I have written to him [Ephraim] the great things of My Law, but they were counted as a strange thing" (Hosea 8:12).  "As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight" (Luke 3:4). 

I see the great reality
That God has come to save my soul. 
His truth alone has made me free,
And His salvation makes me whole. 

His every word is truly pure,  
And those who trust Him, He will shield.
Though some may count His Word obscure,
His proven truth is not concealed. 

The Word of God is clear and straight
Though rebel sinners count it strange. 
The Word we love, they choose to hate
Because, like God, it does not change. 

O Lord, Isaiah clearly wrote
Prophetic truth that You fulfilled. 
Your way is straight in every quote;
Let those who count it strange be stilled.  


Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Ruin vs. Rising


"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 53:1).  "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy... Where there is no vision, the people perish " (Proverbs 29:1,18).  "They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness" (Hosea 7:2).  "Simeon... said unto Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many... that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34,35). 

The fool has said within his heart,
"There is no God." That's not surprising,
For that's when vision will depart,
And ruin then replaces rising. 

The fool may sound intelligent,
Though this, of course, seems very odd,
Yet those who choose to not repent
Reject their remedy from God. 

The fool forgets, but God does not,
That sin must reap a consequence. 
Each sinful action, word, and thought
Demands a righteous recompense. 

O Lord, our hearts have been revealed:
We've found in You our remedy! 
Escaping ruin, we are healed
To rise with You eternally!  


Monday, September 28, 2015

Dayspring has Descended


"The goodness of God endureth continually... I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever" (Psalm 52:1,8).  "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).  "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for... He will heal us" (Hosea 6:1).  "Through the tender mercy of our God... the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Luke 1:78). 

The goodness of our God endures
Though evil raises up its head
And darkness constantly obscures
The truth of what our Lord has said.   

Behold the mercy God reveals
To those who will forsake their sin:
How graciously His Dayspring heals
The precious souls He died to win!

The mercy of our God is tender
Which sent His Dayspring down to us
To give His life as our Defender
And rise again victorious! 

O Lord, our Dayspring from on high,
How far from heaven You descended
To suffer on the cross and die
To ransom us whom You defended!  


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Purposeful Purging


"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow... Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me... Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee" (Psalm 51:7-13).  "[Jesus] upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen.  And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:14,15). 

The purging with hyssop, I know,
Refers to the Passover Lamb. 
His blood makes me whiter than snow,
In spite of the sinner I am. 

I see this prerequisite purging
Renews a right spirit within,
So thereafter I may be urging
Transgressors to turn from their sin.

When Jesus, as promised, was risen,
Before His commission would start,
Disciples were gathered to listen,
Reproved for their hardness of heart.

O Lord, search my heart everyday
With purposeful purging I need,  
That I may show sinners Your way
And follow wherever You lead.  


Saturday, September 26, 2015

Case for the Curse


"These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes" (Psalm 50:21).  "The curse causeless shall not come" (Proverbs 26:2).  "As they were increased, so they sinned against Me: therefore will I change their glory into shame" (Hosea 4:7).  "He [Jesus] saved others; Himself He cannot save" (Mark 15:31). 

God's silence does not indicate
That judgment never shall arise,
For sinners yet shall hear Him state
And make His case before their eyes. 

The curse shall come when there is cause,
That justice may be satisfied
According to God's holy laws,
By which the sinner shall be tried. 

There is but one escape from wrath:
By trusting in our Savior's name.   
Salvation has no other path;
All other roads will lead to shame. 

O Lord, we thank You for the case
By which You will dismiss the curse:  
All those who trust You find Your grace
With blessings You will not reverse.