Passover Paradigm

"They shall take to them every man a lamb.... Your lamb shall be without blemish.... And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses.... And the blood shall be a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you" (Exodus 12:3-13). "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.... Liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:6,8).

The Passover calls us by its paradigm
Presenting the Gospel of Christ:
Judgment is coming, so now is the time
To come to the Lamb sacrificed.

Each of the houses where God saw the blood
In the shape of a cross on the door,
Were saved from the judgment that came like a flood,
Destroying like never before.

Our God gives salvation to all who desire
The water of life from His well,
But those who refuse shall take part in the fire,
That's burning forever in hell.

The Passover teaches that there is a way
That we may be sheltered from wrath.
The blood of the Lamb will save us today;
Salvation has no other path.

Mark the Meek

"The meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.... For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth.... though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.... Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace" (Psalm 37:11, 22-24, 37).

The meek shall inherit the earth after all,
But not for their meekness or righteous behavior,
For even the meekest among them will fall;
The meek put their trust in our Lord and our Savior.

Yes, even the meek may be sometimes enticed
To act in self-will or give in to temptation,
Yet they are secured by the Lord Jesus Christ
Who brings to perfection His work of salvation.

Mark then the meek, and consider their peace,
For this is their end in Christ Jesus their Lord.
Though heaven and earth as we know them shall cease,
Their Lord is forever their greatest Reward.

Linen from the Lamb

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.... And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (Revelation 19:7,14).

Behold the marriage of the Lamb
Is ready to begin:
The church is clothed in righteousness
From Him who took our sin.

Her garment of salvation is
The linen, clean and white.
This righteousness she wears is His,
All spotless in His sight.

Behold the armies of the Lord
Are clothed in linen too.
His righteousness can well afford
To cleanse them in His view.

We thank You, Lord, for we have seen
The armies and the wife
Who wear the linen, white and clean,
For whom You gave Your life.

We thank You, for we see displayed
Ourselves in Revelation:
We are the ones You have arrayed
In garments of salvation!

Core Cause

"Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant" (Psalm 25:27). "Rejoice... ye holy apostles and prophets; God hath avenged you.... And after these things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments" (Revelation 18:20, 19:1,2).

The saints and the angels in heaven rejoice
As judgment has come with their vindication.
And after these things they lift up their voice
To magnify God for His wondrous salvation.

So may we likewise rejoice for the favor
That God has been pleased by grace to extend,
Not for our glory, but that of our Savior!
Let our prosperity be to this end!

May this be our purpose, to thus testify:
Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power
Belong to the Lord, whom we magnify!
Let this be the core our cause every hour.

Magnify His Mercy

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.... The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.... The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (Psalm 34:3,15,18).

O magnify the Lord with me
As we exalt His name,
For time and all eternity
Cannot exhaust His fame!

The eyes of God are on His own;
He watches from above.
Let us make His mercy known:
He looks on us with love.

The ears of God can hear our cry,
Indeed, our faintest prayers.
Come and let us testify:
He listens, and He cares!

The heart of God is very near
To hearts He knows are broken,
And He will dry their every tear;
What tender words He's spoken!

The hand of God will surely save
Each one who is contrite.
O magnify the Lord with me:
What mercy and what might!

Contrast of His Counsel

"The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations" (Psalm 33:10,11).

The Lord brings the counsel of nations to naught;
He makes their inventions to crumble apart.
How great is the contrast of His profound thought,
Preserved in the counsel that comes from His heart.

Thus we may know that Divine inspiration
By heaven's decree continues to stand.
The thoughts of His heart to each generation
Are thereby extended to us by God's hand.

Kingdoms will fall and strongholds will tumble,
As all who oppose God are destined to fail.
But God will give grace to those who are humble,
And those who obey Him shall surely prevail.

Though, for a season, our God may allow
The wicked to prosper, they still move toward
That day when each knee before Him shall bow
And when every tongue shall confess Him as Lord.

Truth for Training

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.... 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 mayest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?" (Proverbs 22:6,20,21). "And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.... Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth" (Revelation 16:7,15).

Lord, every word You have spoken is true,
And history is Your demonstration.
The judgments pronounced that historians view
Were tried and found true in each nation.

We know You are bringing this age to a close,
And that You will come as a thief.
It should not surprise us, for still there are those
Who continue in blind unbelief!

And so we are called to watch and to pray,
Equipped with the words of Your truth,
To answer all those who may ask us today,
As well as to train up our youth.

Hearken or Harden

"And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them, as the Lord had said" (Exodus 7:22). "A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, He directeth his way" (Proverbs 21:29).

The cold heart of Pharaoh was hardened by choice.
There's only two choices to make:
Either we choose to heed the Lord's voice,
Or make our life's biggest mistake.

Pharaoh, like many, was blinded by pride,
And therefore did not take to heart
The mountain of evidence God did not hide
And wisdom the Lord would impart.

Learn from the past, or see it repeated:
The wicked still hardens his face,
In spite of the nations that God has defeated,
That would not respond to His grace!

Our God is not willing that any be lost;
That's why our Lord Jesus came.
But if we won't hearken, there's surely a cost,
And none but ourselves we can blame.

Faithful by His Favor

"Lord, by Thy favor Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled" (Psalm 30:7). "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?.... Who can say, I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin?" (Proverbs 20:6,9).

Lord, indeed, it was Your hand
And Your favor on my side
That alone could make me stand
And my mountain to abide.

Sometimes You may hide Your face,
Though You never will depart,
Teaching me to trust Your grace
Rather than my sinful heart.

A faithful man cannot be found
Who from his sin is purified,
Without the grace that may abound
Because our Savior for us died.

Lord, we know it's by Your favor
That we have our faithfulness.
All we need is Christ our Savior,
Nothing more and nothing less!

Added to Almighty

"And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them" (Exodus 6:2,3).

JEHOVAH was the glorious name
That God had not unveiled
Until His servant Moses came,
Who by that name prevailed.

Almighty was the name once known
When God appeared before,
But now to Moses it was shown
His name revealing more.

JEHOVAH was the name God gave
That simply means "I AM."
And by that name would Moses save
The seed of Abraham.

Yet to this world God further reached
By sending forth His Son.
There is no other Savior preached:
Christ is the only One.

God has added to "I AM"
That name exceeding all:
Jesus Christ, His spotless Lamb,
And on His name we call!

Regard or Regret

"Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them, and not build them up" (Psalm 28:5).

It seems so strange to not regard
The works of God in all creation.
Yet many hearts are blind and hard,
Regarding not His operation.

There is a consequence for this
That they'll regret eternally
If they likewise shall dismiss
The work of God on Calvary.

Regard the Lord who has prevailed
By the operation of His hands;
Those hands upon the cross were nailed
To pay the price your sin demands.

Oh the anguished lamentation
That awaits those who ignore
The offer of so great salvation
Freely offered them before!

Seize the opportunity:
Regard the Savior on the cross,
Or regret eternally
Neglect that wrought eternal loss!

Pharaoh's Philosophy

"And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2).

Defiantly Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord,
That I should obey His voice?"
Thus his philosophy would not afford
Obedience to God as a choice.

God surely knew then what Pharaoh would say;
His answer was not a surprise.
His same presumption is held in our day
By those who profess themselves wise.

Moses was not turned away by his threat;
The Lord did not change His mind.
Though judgment from God had not appeared yet,
It surely was not far behind.

Pharaoh's philosophy flourishes still
Where hearts against God are hardened.
Will you not turn and surrender your will,
And come to the Lord to be pardoned?

Habitation of Happiness

"Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth" (Psalm 26:8). "And there was give to me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein" (Revelation 11:1).

Rise, and with the measuring rod
That God has given by His Word
Measure those who worship God,
And count the blessings seen and heard.

Consider well this habitation
Where the honor of God is.
Measure there His great salvation
And the joy of being His.

Lord, I love this happy place
Where Your honor is supreme.
We measure there Your wondrous grace
Beyond which we could ever dream!

Israel's Answer: I AM

"And Moses said unto God, When I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exodus 3:13,14).

Moses was appointed to declare the name of God,
The great I AM eternally for ages without end.
The Lord sent him to Egypt to spread His fame abroad,
Proclaiming thus deliverance to those God would defend.

Jesus Christ, the great I AM from all eternity,
The Source of all the absolutes of matter, time, and space,
Whose absolutes condemn as well our immorality,
Once left His throne of glory to impart to us His grace.

Israel's answer was the Lord, the great I AM indeed!
God alone could set them free from bondage and from strife.
So it is for us as well He meets our greatest need:
He is the Christ who says I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life!

Descending to Deliver

"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows, and I am come down to deliver them" (Exodus 3:7,8). "The heart knoweth His own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy" (Proverbs 14:10).

Lord of heaven, You descended
From Your majesty above;
Thus in mercy You defended
Those on whom You set Your love.

The burning bush was not consumed
That Moses turned aside to see.
Neither were Your people doomed,
For You came to set them free.

Lord, You saw their great affliction,
And You heard their anguished prayer.
You knew their sorrowful condition,
You understood their deep despair.

Lord, with gratitude and awe,
We think of how You looked ahead,
And thus our sorrows likewise saw,
And would bear them in our stead.

Lord of love, You are no Stranger
To our sorrows here as well:
You descended to that manger
To deliver us from hell.

Thank You, Lord, for coming down
And for dying in our place!
Receive our worship as Your crown,
King of glory, Lord of grace!

Led by the Lamb

"The Lord is my Shepherd...He leadeth me" (Psalm 23:1-3). "The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto the living fountain of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).

The Lord is my Shepherd, and yet He's the Lamb,
Who leads and who feeds all His own.
He cares for my needs, He knows who I am,
And orders my way from His throne.

The Lord is the Lamb, majestic, yet lowly,
Reminding His own of His love.
Because we were sinners, undone and unholy,
Our ransom must come from above.

The Lord is the Lamb who went to the cross,
To suffer and die in our place.
He ransomed our souls from unspeakable loss,
And saved us with marvelous grace.

The Lord is the Lamb, so loving and wise,
Acquainted with all of our grief.
All of our tears He will wipe from our eyes,
And all of our thirst give relief.

Forsaken for our Favor

"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?.... But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:1,3).

O God, our God, what kind of love
Would ever cause You to forsake
Your Son who reigned with You above,
And for our sins atonement make?

O God, we hear His question "Why?"
And we have heard His answer too:
Unless our Savior came to die,
We never could have lived with You.

For You are holy, yet You dwell
Within the praise of Your redeemed.
Our only prospect once was hell:
There was no hope for us, it seemed.

Thank You, Lord, for what You did
To save us from eternal loss!
Your lovingkindness was not hid,
But was unveiled upon Your cross!

O God, our Lord and wondrous Savior,
In Your prophetic lamentation
We now perceive Your loving favor
Bestowed on us in Your salvation.

The Lion is the Lamb

"Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain" (Revelation 5:5,6).

Rejoice, the Lion has prevailed
To open up the Book,
Succeeding where all others failed:
We turn with John to look.

Weep not, the Lion now appears
To be the wounded Lamb.
It is the Lord who dries our tears!
Behold, the great I Am!

It is the Lord who longs to be
Within our midst to dwell
With those that He redeemed to free
From sin, from death, and hell.

The Lion is the Lamb once slain
To take away our sin
And make eternal life our gain,
When He has entered in.

This vision of our Lord above
Has filled our hearts with praise:
The Lion and the Lamb speak of
His righteous, loving ways!

Woven by Wisdom

"And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant [literally, "wove"] it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Genesis 50:19,20).

Every circumstance in life
For those who set on God their love,
Whether it be peace or strife,
Is ordered from His throne above.

It is so good to understand
The fabric of our circumstance
Is woven by our Savior's hand,
And never, never left to chance!

We are not in our God's place;
His thoughts and ways are so much higher!
He weaves together by His grace
The outcome of His heart's desire.

So with Joseph we'll look back
And see the wisdom in believing:
In all our days there was no lack
Of goodness that God's hand was weaving.

Crave the Crown

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Revelation 3:11).

There is a crown that we should crave
That we may lay it down
Before our Lord who came to save;
Let no man take your crown.

The Lord has given grace and power
To make His name renown,
And He may come at any hour;
Let no man take your crown.

Our Lord's return is near at hand:
How shall we then be found?
Soon we shall before Him stand;
Let no man take your crown.

We long to see our Savior's face,
But not to see Him frown.
So that may not be the case,
Let no man take your crown.

In this roller coaster life,
We may be up or down.
Trust in God in peace or strife:
Let no man take your crown.

The day approaches when He'll shout;
We'll hear the trumpet sound!
Until that day He calls us out,
Let no man take your crown.

Wakened Will

"I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I trust, by buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies" (Psalm 18:1-3).

I will love the Lord my God, and on Him I will call,
Who is worthy to be praised with all my energy.
Like a mighty fortress and a tower strong and tall,
He has saved my troubled soul from every enemy.

My will has been awakened to the great reality,
That love is a decision that surrenders my control.
So it is that I will love that One who first loved me,
Who gave Himself to rescue me and to redeem my soul.

My will has been awakened to the pressing need to pray,
Casting all my care on Him because He cares for me.
So it is that I will call upon the Lord each day,
To find the grace that He will give to live obediently.

Appealing to the Apple

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings" (Psalm 17:8). "Keep My commandments, and live, and My law as the apple of thine eye" (Proverbs 7:2). "Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (Revelation 2:4).

Lord, I know You hear me when I lift to You my cry;
You have heard the prayer that my soul in trouble brings:
Keep me as the apple of Your ever watchful eye;
Hide me now, O Lord, beneath the shadow of Your wings.

I have a calm assurance, Lord, in knowing that You heard,
And yet you have alerted me with words of Your correction:
That I should keep the precepts that You gave me Your Word,
And keep them as the apple of my eye with great affection.

And while we're on the subject of affections of my heart,
You remind me that there was a season of first love.
You have told me to recall the thrill of that new start,
Repent, and set affections once again on things above.

I know I am the apple of Your searching eye, O Lord.
Your love has never wavered, though my love is up and down.
I thank You for reproving me to seek but one reward:
That I may love You in return and seek no other crown.

Colossal Counsel

"I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel.... because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope" (Psalm 16:7,9). "My son, keep thy Father's commandment.... When thou goest it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest it shall keep thee; and when thou wakest, it shall talk with thee" (Proverbs 6:20,22). "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Revelation 1:3).

I will bless the Lord who gives
His counsel that instructs my heart.
I rejoice to know He lives
And His counsel will impart.

Colossal counsel! He who reads
Shall surely by His Word be blest!
Thereby God has met our needs
For our gladness, hope, and rest.

When we're walking, when we're sleeping,
When we're waking everyday,
God is leading, He is keeping,
Giving counsel to obey.

Let us never take for granted
The counsel from our Maker's mind:
Obey His Word that He has planted
That there may be fruit He'll find.

Dominion Doxology

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen" (Jude 24,25).

Now to the One who can keep us from falling
Presenting us faultless one day at His throne,
To God our great Savior on whom we are calling:
Receive now the glory from each of Your own!

Now to the Author of life everlasting:
Be majesty, honor, dominion, and power
Forever— yet also as moments are passing,
Redeeming the time for His glory each hour.

Now to our Savior, our very best Friend:
Receive the thanksgiving and praise of our hearts
For love that is faithful on which we depend
And power to keep us that Your grace imparts.

Intimate Instruction

"Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding... For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words.... My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.... Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:1-4,20,27). "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 4).

Hear instruction from a Father
Administered with tender love:
Lesser love would never bother
To instruct us from above.

Hear instruction that is pure,
Perfect wisdom, undefiled,
From the Father's love secure,
Finding pleasure in His child.

Hear instruction from the heart
Of the Father who knows best
How to perfectly impart
Truth that gives us joy and rest.

Hear instruction and obey,
Turning neither left nor right,
Walking in the Father's way
By His truth that gives us light.

Hear instruction we employ
As from a Father to His youth,
Who has no sweeter, greater joy
Than to know we walk in truth.

Look or Lose

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5,6). "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward" (2 John 8).

Look to yourself that you may not lose
The blessings that God would reward.
In all your ways, acknowledge and choose
The privilege to trust in the Lord.

Look to yourself that you may assess:
Who are you trusting today?
Lean on the Lord who has promised to bless
Each one who will trust and obey.

Look to yourself that you may surrender
Your heart to the Lord of your soul.
He's the Rewarder and faithful Defender
Of all who will give Him control.

Treasures vs. Trivia

"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever" (Psalm 12:6,7). "My son, if thou wilt receive My words... yea, if thou criest after knowledge... if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:1-5).

Some things aren't worth the time
We take to search them out.
Sometimes mountains that we climb
May only lead to doubt.

How different is the great reward
We find as hidden treasures
In words inspired by the Lord,
Surpassing earthly pleasures!

The words which God Himself inspired,
He faithfully preserves.
Nothing in this world desired,
Comparison deserves!

The vain pursuits now seem absurd
That waste our precious time,
When we may search God's precious Word,
Eternally sublime!

Favorable Fear

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.... They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.... But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from the fear of evil" (Proverbs 1:7,27-33). "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.... There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:17,18).

The fear of the Lord is where we begin
To find out the knowledge that God will impart.
It's where we discover the nature of sin
And how to be cleansed from that sin in our heart.

The fear of the Lord is a choice we must make
If we would dwell safely by God's own protection,
Quiet from fear of the evil mistake
That leads us astray from the Savior's correction.

The fear of the Lord is perfected by love,
Casting out fear, for there's no condemnation!
We're living below with affections above,
Grateful each day for eternal salvation.