Stone Status

"And they said among themselves, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that it was rolled away, for it was very great" (Mark 16:3,4).

Who shall roll away the stone
From the tomb of Christ?
God has done it on His own;
His power has sufficed.

And so it is with every block
Too great to roll away.
God will move the greatest rock,
For those who will obey.

Victory Veil

"And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (Mark 15:37,38).

Behold the veil torn in two,
With top to bottom rip;
By it God bids me and you
Draw near in fellowship.

See, the hand of God has torn
That separating veil!
Hear the shout of Jesus warn
That hell shall not prevail!

Now within that holy place
Where sinners were forbidden,
God invites us by His grace
To view what once was hidden.

Come into the holiest,
Where God and sinners meet!
Come now; find in Christ your rest,
And worship at His feet!

The Fear to Forsake

"What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose" (Psalm 25:12). "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Happy is the man that feareth [God] always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief" (Proverbs 28:13,14).

Who is the one with the fear of the Lord?
He is the one God will teach in His way.
Though he may stumble, he shall be restored.
The fear of the Lord shall teach him to pray.

Happy is he with the fear of the Lord,
Exposing the sin that God bids him forsake.
This is the mercy God's fear shall afford,
With grace to abandon a sinful mistake.

What further Witnesses?

"Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle... The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah" (Psalm 24:7-10). "Again the high priest asked Him, and said unto Him, Art Thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?" (Mark 14:61-63).

Who is this King of glory indeed?
Lift up your heads to our Lord glorified!
What further witnesses do we yet need?
Prophets and history all testified!

Who is this King of glory we see,
So mighty in battle and glorious in praise?
It's Jesus, who died for you and for me,
The Son of man coming, the Ancient of Days.

Who is this King who's coming again
With all of His blood-bought host He will lead?
Even so come, Lord Jesus, Amen!
What further witnesses do we yet need?

Shepherd's Shadow

"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want... He leadeth me" (Psalm 23:1,2). "And Jesus saith unto them, all ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee" (Mark 14:27,28).

Risen Shepherd, I would follow
In Your shadow as You as You lead.
Every other hope is hollow;
Only You can meet my need.

How easily I am offended,
And how prone to go astray!
Until my pilgrimage is ended,
Risen Shepherd, lead the way.

Declaration Generation

"They have pierced My hands and My feet.... I will declare Thy name unto My brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.... A seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this" (Psalm 22:16,22,31). "Ye are a chosen generation... that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you" (1 Peter 2:9).

Jesus Christ has done His task;
He finished what He came to do.
What was it He did, you ask?
He came to die for me and you!

Jesus Christ has done the deed
That has brought to us salvation.
We who trust Him are His seed,
And His chosen generation.

He has done this! Lift your voice,
You who are His congregation!
Praise the Savior, and rejoice
In your Gospel declaration!

Waking, Working, Watching

"For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left His house, and gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore... Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping" (Mark 13:34, 35).

Wake, my soul, your time to sleep
Will come, but not for now.
This is the time you ought to keep
Your hand upon the plow.

Work, my soul, your time for rest
Will come just after reaping.
Till that time be watching lest
Your Lord should find you sleeping.

Softly Sojourning

"And he [Esau] said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. And he [Jacob] said unto him... The children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die... I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure" (Genesis 33:12-14).

So softly, Lord, You lead our souls
According as we can endure.
Every step Your love controls;
All Your paths of truth are sure.

So softly, Lord, You lead the way.
So teach us as we follow You
To trust You more each passing day
Till our sojourn here is through.

Spectacular Speech

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun" (Psalm 19:1-4). "He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names" (Psalm 147:4).

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
Day after day they are uttering speech.
Their message is spread on the night sky abroad;
Night after night they continue to teach.

Spectacular speech! How majestic the glory
Unveiled by God on that star-engraved scroll!
The stars by their names have been telling the story
Of Jesus who rescues and ransoms the soul!

Treasures of Truth

"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant" (Genesis 32:10).

Lord, I am not worthy of even the least
Of all of the mercies and truth You have shown.
With marvelous mercies You made me a feast!
How vast are the treasures of truth You made known!

Faith Focus

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22).

Have faith in God and in all He has said.
Didn't He raise Jesus Christ from the dead?
Didn't He send Him to die in our stead?
His prophets foretold it! Have you not read?

Have faith in God and in all he will do.
This is the key to a right world view.
Focus your faith with a lens that is true,
Believing the promises God made to you.

Lord of my Lot

"The Lord is the Portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel" (Psalm 16:5-7). "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.... the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:20,21).

The Lord is my Portion: how pleasant and good
Are all of the lines that have fallen to me!
And He guards the boundaries I never could,
Preserving my heritage eternally.

How sweet is the Portion that I have in Him!
How wise is His counsel for my latter end!
How full is the cup that runs over the brim
With blessings for others to whom He will send!

Minister as the Master

"Whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister.... For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43,45).

Would you be great in God's opinion,
Obedient to His call?
Surrender, then, to His dominion,
And minister to all.

For this is what our Master did,
And this is why He came:
To give His life, and then to bid
Us likewise do the same.

Impossible Imported

"There is none that doeth good, no not one" (Psalm 14:3). "There is none good but One, that is, God.... 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 10:18,26,27).

There is none good, not even one;
So who then can be saved?
If nothing can be paid or done,
And all men are depraved?

It is impossible with men;
That's what Jesus said.
But not with God who raised again
Our Savior from the dead.

Praise the Lord saved us thus,
As God's Word has reported!
Salvation could not come by us;
It had to be imported!

Bountiful and Beautiful

Resurrection Sunday

"I have trusted in Thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me" (Psalm 13:5,6). "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you" (John 16:22).

How bountiful and beautiful
My Savior is to me!
He gave Himself to save my soul;
He lives to make me free!

His mercy and His truth abound
To purge away my sin,
And walking in His fear I've found
His cleansing power within.

I'll joy in Christ, who lives to save,
And to Him I will sing!
He claimed my victory from the grave,
And robbed death of its sting!

How shall it be when ages roll,
And we shall see His face?
How bountiful and beautiful
The end is of His grace!

Musing or Missing

"He taught His disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered unto the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask Him.... for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest" (Mark 9:31-34).

How much we occupy our mind
With petty conversation!
Disputing this and that we find
No time for meditation.

No time for musing on God's word?
Alas! We miss the best
That mortal ears have ever heard,
And eyes were thereby blest.

Ah, Lord, forgive our pettiness,
And give us focused thought
On Jesus' love and righteousness,
To worship as we ought!

Promised Presence

"Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest... I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not" (Genesis 28:15,16).

Surely the Lord is now in this place,
Though I knew it not when I laid down to sleep.
Awake, my soul, to His marvelous grace
And His promised presence to save and to keep!

Discerning the Desire

"Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart, Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear" (Psalm 10:17).

God discerns the humble heart:
He hears its deep desire
Before the prayer will even start,
Before the spark is fire.

God Himself will then prepare
That humble heart to pray.
How He longs to hear that prayer
From sinners gone astray!

Wonderful and Well

"And [they] were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.... Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember?" (Mark 7:37, 8:18).

Jesus makes the deaf to hear;
The dumb to speak and sing!
How wonderful and well, it's clear,
Our Lord does everything!

For I recall so very well
The darkness of my mind.
I could not see, nor hear, nor tell
That I was deaf and blind.

But Jesus gave me ears and eyes
To hear and see His love.
He gave me speech that testifies
Of unseen things above.

Having eyes, then, let me see;
Having ears, then, hear!
Having speech, I'll tell that He
Is wonderful and dear!

What are We?

"O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth, who hast set Thy glory above the heavens! When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon the and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:3,4).

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent
Is Your name in all the earth!
Your own beloved Son You sent
To pay the price our souls were worth.

What are we, then, our loving God,
That You would think upon us so,
And visit us upon this sod,
And to the cross for sinners go?

Lost in wonder at Your grace,
We give thanks, Lord, for Your love!
Jesus, take the highest place
In our hearts and realms above!

Blowing and Blessing

"And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid. And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased" (Mark 6:50,51). "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it" (Proverbs 10:22).

The wind may blow and cause alarm,
But Jesus Christ is near at hand.
He guards our souls from every harm;
The wind will cease at His command.

The storm may come, the waves may swell,
And we may sometimes wonder why.
So may we learn to listen well,
And hear our Lord say, "It is I."

And hearing this, we have good cheer;
We never need to be afraid.
The blowing winds bring Jesus near,
And thus His blessing is displayed.

Look of Love

"And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd" (Mark 6:34). "All we like sheep have gone astray" (Isaiah 53:6).

As Jesus looked down from His throne,
When we like sheep had gone astray,
He longed to claim us as His own,
And take our load of sin away.

As Jesus looked out from the mount,
On hopeless people of this earth,
His own compassion made Him count
And pay the price their souls were worth.

As Jesus looked from Calvary,
Where He for us was crucified,
He looked through time on you and me
With eyes of love, and for us died.

Holy Hatred

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.... For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD. But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate Me love death" (Proverbs 8:13,35,36).

The fear of the Lord will teach us to hate
All that is evil in God's holy eyes.
There's no middle ground or room for debate:
Love what God loves, and the evil despise.

For God hates the sin that will wrong our own soul,
Depriving us of His pleasure and favor.
The evil we hold to will soon take its toll,
By wronging ourselves and grieving the Savior.

Discipled through Distress

"Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer" (Psalm 4:1).

The circumstances in our lives
Will sometimes cause distress.
Yet this is when God's Spirit strives
To purge, enlarge, and bless.

We know that God still works all things
Together for our good;
Yes, even through distress He brings
The discipline He should.

Sweet vs. Swine

"Now there was nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea (they were about two thousand), and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting and clothed, and in his right mind... And they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts. And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him" (Mark 5:11-18).

The riches of this passing world,
Like the swine those herdsmen cherished,
Are destined one day to be hurled
To the sea of all things perished.

Behold in Christ the riches found:
Life abundant, endless, sweet!
Let the devilish swine be drowned,
While we sit at Jesus feet.

Clothed in righteousness we find,
The peace this world cannot afford;
Seated, clothed, in our right mind,
In sweet surrender to our Lord!

Let the world have its swine,
And bid the Savior to depart.
Yet I am His, and He is mine,
And this gives gladness to my heart.

Finding by Following

"I being in the way, the Lord led me.... And I bowed my head, and worshiped the LORD God... which had led me in right way" (Genesis 24:27,48).

Lead us, Lord our God, we pray
To find Your purpose to fulfill.
The safest place to be today
Is in the center of Your will.

Through the paths of joy or pain,
We look to You to lead the way.
For You will make the right way plain
To those who follow and obey.

Fresh Fruit

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3). "These are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred" (Mark 4:20).

Those who decide to be fruitful for God,
Will seldom receive this world's commendation.
They will not wait for the world to applaud,
But find in God's Word their sweet meditation.

Fresh fruit will thus come to those thus employed,
For they will see the things from God's point of view;
And they will delight in what God has enjoyed,
In doing His will, and proclaiming what's true.

Place in the Praise

"Praise ye the Lord.... Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the trumpet... Praise Him with the timbrel and dance.... Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord" (Psalm 150:1-6).

For all the Lord did, shall do, and He does,
Give praise to the Lord, and His work proclaim!
For all the Lord is, shall be, and He was,
Give praise to the Lord, for His excellent name!

Now where is your place in this concert of praise?
The sound of a trumpet? The timbrel? The dance?
The place and the part that each one of us plays,
Is ours by God's purpose, not meaningless chance.

Healing on Hand

"And when He [Jesus] had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other" (Mark 3:5).

In the midst of hardened hearts,
Stretch forth your prayerful hand.
For thereby God imparts
The strength we need to stand.

Stretch forth your needy hand,
And God will fill it full.
He heals by His command,
And thereby makes us whole.

Tenderly Together

"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a Lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together" (Genesis 22:6-8). "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me" (John 16:32).

Our Savior did not walk alone,
But with His Father up that hill;
For He knew, as He was known,
His Father's presence and His will.

What a portrait that we see
As Isaac and his father walk:
May they speak to you and me,
As together, they thus talk:

"My father," pausing where he stood.
"Here am I, my son," said he.
"Behold the fire and the wood,
But for an offering, what have we?"

"God will provide Himself a Lamb,"
He answers Isaac tenderly.
And in those words of Abraham,
The Lamb of God we clearly see.

So together they went on,
With the fire, knife, and wood.
Praise the Father! Praise the Son!
Shout together: "God is good!"