Sure and Steadfast

"We... have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an High Priest forever" (Hebrews 6:18-20).

Sure and steadfast is our hope:
Christ, the Anchor of the soul!
In His arms that envelope,
We are sure He's in control.

Jesus Christ within the veil
Draws us homeward with His arm.
He Who promised cannot fail;
He will keep our souls from harm.

This has been our consolation
Sure and steadfast through the year.
Christ, our Refuge of salvation,
Has removed our cause for fear.

In the year two thousand eight,
God was faithful everyday.
Next year He may come or wait:
Let us therefore watch and pray!

Priesthood Paradigms

"We have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.... called of God, as was Aaron.... As He saith also in another place, Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedec" (Hebrews 4:14, 5:4,6).

How marvelous it is to know,
For every need, in all our times,
There is a Priest to Whom we go
Portrayed by Scripture's paradigms.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
Called like Aaron, sacrificed.
Yet the Lamb He brought, unflawed,
Was Himself, our Lord and Christ!

And also in another place,
We see another Priest reflect
Our Lord's eternal truth and grace,
Called as was Melchisedec.

What a Savior is portrayed
In these Priesthood types foreshown!
What perfection is displayed
In our High Priest on His throne!

Labor with the Lord

"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:1,2). "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest" (Hebrews 4:11).

We have a battle yet to fight,
We have a building yet to build,
We have a burden in the night
Until God's work has been fulfilled.

But all our efforts are in vain
Except the Lord will go before
To build, to battle, and sustain
The burden of this daily war.

We need not work without His power,
We need not watch without His keeping,
We need not worry any hour,
But rest, for God is never sleeping.

Yet while we rest, we labor too,
As fellow workers with God's Son.
His work upon the cross is through;
The church He builds is not yet done.

Renewed Rejoicing

"When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord" (Psalm 126:1-4).

Remember when you found the Lord
And asked Him to come in.
Let your joy now be restored
By Him Who took your sin.

Remember it was like a dream
When Christ came into you,
So marvelous it did not seem
The Gospel could be true.

But Jesus Christ is real indeed,
And He came in to stay,
And when He did your soul was freed!
Recall that happy day!

When others looked upon your life,
They may have thought it strange:
They saw your peace instead of strife,
And marveled at the change.

Do not let the laughter cease
That once your mouth had filled,
But let rejoicing now increase,
For why should it be stilled?

If you had won the lottery,
The riches you had won
Are not worth the reality
Of God's beloved Son!

Thank You, Lord, for all You did
To save us by Your grace!
Renew the joy that can't be hid
Upon our life and face!

Ark and Altar

"And God said unto Noah.... Make thee an ark.... Thus did Noah; according to all the God commanded him, so, did he.... And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord.... And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 6:13-22, 8:20,21). "The Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever" (Psalm 125:2). "He... by Himself purged our sins" (Hebrews 1:3).

Noah feared and he obeyed
When God told him to build an ark.
When time elapsed that God conveyed,
The rain-filled clouds then gathered dark.

What a portrait here we see:
The ark is surely like our Lord,
Surrounding us eternally,
Shielding us from judgment's sword.

Noah built an altar too,
And God regarded its sweet savor,
And with this sacrifice in view,
He gave the promise of His favor.

What a picture here in truth
Of Christ this altar thus displays!
Though we're sinful from our youth,
He inhabits now our praise!

The ark is Christ we're shielded in;
The altar's fragrances reveal,
Our Lord Himself who purged our sin,
And bruised the serpent with His heel.

Remembering our Rescuer

"And God remembered Noah... and the waters assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained" (Genesis 8:1,2). "If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side... then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul" (Psalm 124:1-4).

If it hadn't been the Lord
Then none would have been saved
When the rains of heaven poured
To judge a world depraved.

The flood above the mountains
Assuaged by God's command.
The deep then stopped her fountains,
By God's arresting hand.

Our God remembered Noah then
And brought him through the flood.
And He remembered sinful men,
And shed for them His blood.

Remember now that rescue well,
Which granted us new birth!
Refresh your memory and tell
How Jesus came to earth.

A Child was born to bear our load
And rescue us from sin.
The judgment waters overflowed
And plunged Him deep within.

But on the third day He arose
And conquered thus the grave.
We recall Him with all those
Christ Jesus came to save.

Messengers for the Master

"Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens... as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters" (Psalms 123:1,2). "A faithful messenger... refresheth the soul of his masters" (Proverbs 25:13).

To You, O Lord, we lift our eyes
To heaven's highest throne,
And pray that You would make us wise,
To make Your glory known.

We see by faith where You now dwell
Where praise proclaims Your worth,
From those whom You redeemed from hell
When You came down to earth.

Those shepherds now are where You are
Who tended sheep in Bethlehem;
The wisemen, too, who saw Your star,
When You were leading them.

Make us, Lord, like each of these,
That we might thus proclaim
And spread the message where You please,
That Christ our Savior came.

Grasping Grace

"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11).

The saving grace that Noah found
Before the coming flood,
Yet flows from Christ and will abound
To cleanse us by His blood.

The grace of God has now appeared
That brings to us salvation.
Our Savior bore the wrath we feared,
Removing condemnation!

The grace of God extends to all
Who call upon the Lord.
He hears the sinner's urgent call
Who flees from judgment's sword.

Behold, the time for grasping grace
Is while it's called today.
You don't know the time and place
When you'll be swept away.

Now come to Christ! You dare not wait
Or boast of a tomorrow.
There is a time when it's too late
That brings eternal sorrow.

We thank you, Lord, for grace that came
So long ago to earth.
To save our souls, remove our shame,
And give us a new birth!

And thank you, Lord, for grace that stays
And vows to never leave!
Our adoration, grateful praise,
And love, O Lord, receive.

Gift for God

"My son, give Me thine heart" (Proverbs 23:26).

God has one gift on His list
That you and I should give:
That He might reign within our midst
And in our hearts might live.

Neither gold nor frankincense
Nor costliness of myrrh
Nor other treasures of expense
Does Christ our Lord prefer.

Give to Him the life He bought
At heaven's highest price!
This is what our Savior sought
When He was sacrificed.

Lord, we bring our hearts to You,
Our souls for which You paid,
And bodies sanctified anew,
All on Your altar laid.

Greatness of His Graciousness

"Great are Thy tender mercies, O Lord.... I rejoice at Thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil.... Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them" (Psalm 119:156,162,165).

Beyond what we can understand
Is His majestic power
Who made the heavens, sea, and land,
And keeps them at this hour.

And, oh, the greatness of the love
In Jesus Christ we've heard,
Who left His majesty above
According to His Word.

How great His tender mercies are!
How great His Word to us,
Which preaches peace to those once were far
And reaches rebels thus!

Oh, Lord, we thank you for Your peace,
A treasure that transcends
All this world's vain increase
That very shortly ends.

Oh Lord, we came in poverty,
But You gave us the spoil
That You had won by Calvary
By suffering and toil!

We thank you, Lord, for graciousness
That draws us near to You,
For perfect peace, for tenderness,
And for Your Word so true!

Destiny beyond Dust

"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.... Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.... And in the process of time... Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering" (Genesis 3:19,21, 4:3,4).

Death came to humanity,
Consigning man to dust.
And thus the law of entropy
Was on this world thrust.

As from dust we came to be,
To dust shall we return.
But this is not our destiny,
As God's would have us learn.

For God instructed fallen man
By making coats of skins,
Revealing thus His wondrous plan
For covering their sins.

A sinless, living sacrifice,
By death, their clothing made.
Their bloodless work would not suffice
To show a ransom paid.

Abel brought his offering,
And God was pleased as well,
To thereby show that He would bring
The Lamb that saves from hell.

The sacrifices now are gone
But Jesus Christ remains.
The work He did goes on and on
In each heart where He reigns.

And thus we see our destiny,
So far beyond the dust,
Extends with Christ eternally
To all who in Him trust.

Needing His Nearness

"They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from Thy law. Thou art near, O Lord; and all Thy commandments are truth" (Psalm 119:150,151). "There is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24).

The mischievous are drawing near
Who hate the law of God.
And many give to them an ear,
Approve them, and applaud.

Yet God is with us, praise His name,
Our Lord, Emmanuel!
What a comfort we can claim,
Assured that all is well!

For God has never left His own;
His promises are true.
The Lord is ruling on His throne;
He sees what sinners do.

There is day of reckoning
Approaching even now
When sinners who have mocked our King
Shall then be forced to bow.

Thus we comfort one another
Until He shall appear:
Our Lord sticks closer than a brother;
He is a Friend that's near.

Enmity for Eternity

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it (lit. He) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My Fellow, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 13:7). "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.... And a man's foes shall be they of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36).

The Lord has put His enmity,
Where once there had been none,
That now divides humanity
By Jesus Christ His Son.

Destruction's path is wide and broad,
Where once we all did dwell.
But Jesus Christ brought peace with God
That plucked our souls from hell.

Praise the Lord that He thus came,
To wake that awful sword
By which He bore our sin and shame
And severed judgment's cord.

Thank You, Lord, for the division
That makes us now Your own
By love that prompted Your decision
To leave Your glorious throne!

Lord, at Your feet in love we kneel!
You suffered in our stead,
But when the serpent bruised Your heel,
You thereby crushed his head!

Said and Settled

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:1).

Caution! There is subtlety
That's lurking round about!
Satan works relentlessly
To sow the seeds of doubt.

Are you sure that God has said...?
The serpent thus began,
And when the doubt like cancer spread,
He had achieved his plan.

God has said, and we have heard,
His counsel and instruction.
We either will believe God's Word,
Or fall by our seduction.

Though dispensations have gone by,
And much has been achieved,
Satan sows the same old lie,
And many are deceived.

God has said just what he meant,
And meant just what He said.
Except the sinner shall repent,
He'll perish when he's dead.

Be on guard for Satan's lies!
Let nothing slip away.
God will bless and make those wise
Who trust Him and obey.

Testing Times

"Deal with Thy servant.... I am Thy servant; give me understanding.... It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" (Psalm 119:124-126). "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1).

The time has come to work, O God.
Lord, show Your servants what to do.
Beneath their feet have sinners trod
Your Law they mock and call untrue.

These are times that You foretold,
When Satan would unleash His lies.
Times of testing now unfold:
Let Your servants now arise!

Faithful servants stand the test,
And others fail by seduction.
Thereby God shall manifest
The path of life and of destruction.

Yet faithful servants sometimes fail,
But by God's grace they are restored.
For by His strength they shall prevail,
And by His mercy serve the Lord.

Faithful servants stand by grace,
Not by power of their own,
To work in such a time and place
Assigned by God, and God alone.

Times of testing now are here:
Lord, give Your servants understanding
So that we, by grace and fear,
May do the work that You're commanding.

Holding the Holy

"Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto Thy statutes continually" (Psalm 119:117). "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.... The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death" (Psalm 119:27).

Lord, You know my tendency
To backslide down the slope
When I forget You're holding me,
And You're my only hope!

The Fountain of my hope is Christ,
Who gives grace to the lowly.
His grace to save alone sufficed,
And grace shall make me holy.

Lord, I know You hold my hand,
And that You draw me near,
And by Your grace alone I stand,
Perfected by Your fear.

So I will trust You, Lord, to hold
And strengthen me each day
To make me holy, humble, bold,
And lead me in Your way.

Let there be Light

"Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness" (Genesis 1:2-4). "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). "The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out" (Proverbs 13:9). "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners... Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 1:15, 2:4).

In the beginning before there was light,
When darkness had covered the face of the earth,
God spoke a word that invaded the night:
"Let there be light", and light had its birth.

The Word that God authored gives light to our path
And gives us a message to this world sent:
The Light of the World will save you from wrath,
And you shall not perish if you will repent.

The light of God's Word is a lamp for our feet,
Feet that should carry Good News to the lost.
Jesus came into this world to complete
His work to save sinners at so great a cost.

God would have everyone come to the light,
But He will not force them to trust in the Savior.
Yet He commands us to shine in their sight,
As lights in this world by word and behavior.

"Let there be light," our Lord still decrees,
And thus He has given to us our commission.
So whether we're walking or down on our knees,
Let us be praying that sinners will listen.

Jewels for Jesus

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels" (Malachi 3:16,17).

So let the world count us fools
As we think upon our Lord.
God is making up His jewels,
By all those who have adored.

God has hearkened to the speech
And also to the meditation
Of those who often think and teach
On Jesus Christ and His salvation.

What privilege it is
And what a prospect we can see:
We who love the Lord are His,
Both now and for eternity!

So let think upon His name
And let us at His beauty look,
Rejoicing that our Savior came,
And we are written in His book!

Cherish His Changelessness

"Thy faithfulness is unto all generations.... Unless Thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction" (Psalm 119:89,92). "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6). "The Lord is faithful, Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil" (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

As faithful as His Word decreed,
As changeless as His throne,
As sure as Scripture that we read,
The Lord is to His own.

What a comfort to our hearts!
His changelessness we cherish!
What assurance He imparts
That we shall never perish!

He is faithful! That is why
We shall not be consumed.
Surely otherwise we'd die
And be forever doomed.

Faithful, changeless, loving Lord,
The labor is so sweet
That seeks a crown with this reward:
To lay it at Your feet!

When Clouds Will Clear

"My soul fainteth for Thy salvation: but I hope in Thy Word.... For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget Thy statutes" (Psalm 119:81,83). "The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish" (Proverbs 10:28). "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.... And the Lord shall be King over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:6-9). "He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

Our hope of gladness is not vain,
Though clouds obscure that day.
When Jesus Christ returns again
Those clouds shall clear away.

And though the clouds have not yet cleared,
To faith it is not dark,
As when the time of judgment neared
When Noah built the ark.

Thus we walk by faith, not sight,
For God has now assured
That everything will be alright
For those who trust His Word.

Our faith is like a periscope
That sees above the clouds.
Behold the gladness of our hope
That human vision shrouds!

For Christ the Lord, our glorious King,
Shall govern all the earth.
The clouds will clear, and we shall sing,
Admiring His worth!

His Hands

"Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding that I may learn Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:73). "I will pour... the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced... And one shall say unto Him, What are these wounds in Thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends" (Zechariah 12:11, 13:6).

Lord, Your hands have fashioned me.
Only You can clearly show
The truth that You would have me see,
To understand what I should know.

Here is where it all begins;
My heart by this now understands:
I see the horror of my sins
As I now look upon Your hands.

Here is where it also ends,
For on the cross Your love prevailed
As in the house of Your own friends
Your holy hands for us were nailed.

Your holy Law was satisfied!
Your hands yet wounded still display
That Love for me was crucified,
To put my horrid sins away.

Lord of all of Your creation,
You have taught my heart and mind
By hands once pierced for my salvation:
You are holy and so kind!

Pricing the Precious

"The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver" (Psalm 119:72). "My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold, and My revenue than choice silver" (Proverbs 8:19). "And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me My price... So they weighed for My price thirty pieces of silver" (Zechariah 11:12).

Far better now it is to choose
The Word of God today
Than gold and silver revenues
The earth has on display.

The world casts aside its worth,
The same as it does Christ,
For when He came down to this earth,
How poorly He was priced!

The silver that they gave for Christ
Was thirty pieces weighed.
The Lamb of God was sacrificed
And for this price betrayed!

Lord and Savior of the earth,
With what shall we compare
The value You are truly worth
That heaven did not spare?

Lord, not a trillion worlds full
Of silver and fine gold
Can weigh Your Gift unspeakable
Of priceless worth untold.

Precious Lord, receive our love
As humbly we adore,
Until we're face to face above
To praise You even more.

Greatness of His Goodness

"Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, upon a colt the foal of an ass.... Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope.... For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty!" (Zechariah 9:9,12,17).

How great is the goodness of Jesus our King!
How great is His beauty Who came meek and lowly!
How great His salvation He came down to bring,
That sinners, once hopeless, by grace are made holy!

How great is the distance that Jesus Christ came,
Descending to earth from eternity's throne!
How great is His mercy that purges our shame,
That holds us in love and that calls us His own!

How great was His ransom for captives set free,
Purchased by blood that is precious and pure.
How great is the strong hold to which we now flee:
Our refuge in Christ shall forever endure!

Chorus of Comfort

"This is my comfort in my affliction: for Thy word hath quickened me.... I remembered Thy judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself.... Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage" (Psalm 119:50,52,54). "My son, keep thy Father's commandment.... When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee" (Proverbs 6:20,21).

There is a daily chorus found
Of comfort that our Lord imparts,
For though afflictions may abound,
Yet His Word revives our hearts.

When you go, His Word shall lead,
Guiding, guarding all the way.
In this pilgrimage we need
His Word of comfort everyday.

When you come at each day's end,
As you close your eyes to sleep,
Thank the Lord, Your faithful Friend,
Watches those He vows to keep.

When you wake to read His Word,
Listen, and you'll hear His voice.
Let your heart by Him be stirred;
Wake to worship, and rejoice!

When our pilgrimage is through,
We will sing on heaven's shore
Of all the things in life we view
That God had meant for good before.

Beauty of the Branch

"Behold, I will bring forth my SERVANT the Branch.... And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.... Behold the MAN, whose name is The Branch.... He shall be a Priest upon His throne" (Zechariah 3:8,9, 6:12,13). "In that day shall the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious" (Isaiah 4:2). "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a KING shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment in the earth" (Jeremiah 23:5).

Behold the beauty of the BRANCH!
The SERVANT of the Lord who came
To save us when we had no chance,
Hopeless in our sin and shame.

Behold the BRANCH who is the MAN
Who came to be our saving Priest.
He carried out salvation's plan
When every other hope had ceased.

Behold the BRANCH who is the LORD;
How beautiful and glorious now!
How worthy is the Lamb adored
With many crowns upon His brow!

Behold the BRANCH who is the KING
Who soon shall reign upon the earth.
Bring to Him your offering
In worship that proclaims His worth!

Plain Path

"Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments, for therein do I delight... Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken me in Thy way" (Psalm 119:35,37). "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of Thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand or to the left: remove thy foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:25-27).

Help me, Lord, to understand
And walk the way that You make plain.
It is the path of Your command;
Every other way is vain.

Turn my feet, O Lord, away
From paths that spend my energy
On things that waste the time of day
And dead end in futility.

Your path is surely plain to see;
Your Word illumines it with light.
The problem is the vanity
That turns my eyes from left to right.

It boils down to just one thing:
I need to fix my eyes on You.
O Lord, my Savior, God, and King,
This is what I long to do!

Guarded Garments

"Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.... And unto him He [the Lord] said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment" (Zechariah 3:3,4). "But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him" (Colossians 3:9,10).

Filthy garments! What a mess!
These are all I had before.
But now the robe of righteousness
Is mine in Christ, and so much more!

Those garments now I would not touch,
Much less choose again to wear!
Since God has given me so much,
Those filthy rags cannot compare.

Still, the old man is not gone,
With his malice, filth, and lies,
And he bids me to put them on;
Telling me they're just my size!

Guard me, Lord, in each temptation;
Wash me thoroughly within.
Since I'm clothed in Your salvation,
Keep me free and far from sin.

Manifest the Mystery

"The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations... now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:26,27).

The mystery hid from long ages past
Cloaked in the shadows of prophetic story,
Is manifest now to the world at last:
Christ in His people, the Hope of God's glory!

God would make known this mystery now
To show all the riches of glory He gives.
We should be those who manifest how
This hope is revealed, for Christ in us lives!

He's dwelling in heaven upon His great throne,
And living in those who surrender their hearts.
This is the mystery God would make known:
This is the glorious hope He imparts!

Lord, we're Your people in whom You display
The hope of Your glory that You would not hide.
Help us to show forth Your mystery today
As vessels of mercy in whom You abide.

Prioritize His Preeminence

"All things were created by Him (Christ), and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:16-18).

Before there was time,
Any matter, or space,
Our Savior sublime
Was enthroned in His place.

He is the Creator
Of things near and far,
Eternally greater
Than all things that are.

For by Him the earth
And the heavens exist,
Which herald His worth
By Whom they consist.

And He is the Head
Of each one He will save,
Firstborn from the dead,
Who has conquered the grave.

Lord, reign in my heart,
As You purge its pretense!
Invade every part;
Have the preeminence!