Hope and Holiness

"Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness" (Psalm 97:11,12). "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.... The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death" (Proverbs 14:26,32).

Rejoice, you righteous, for God's Son;
Give thanks as you recall
That none were righteous, no not one,
When God looked on us all.

But God by grace can now afford
To justify all those
Who find their refuge in our Lord,
Who died for us and rose!

This is all our confidence;
We hope in Jesus Christ,
For He became our strong Defense,
When He was sacrificed.

In Christ our hope and holiness
In life and death are given.
The wicked shall have great distress,
When from Him they are driven.

Stretch of our Strength

"As thy days, so shall thy strength be....The eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Psalm 33:25,27). "Show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.... Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength" (Psalm 96:2,3,6,7).

As our days are, so our strength
Shall be provided for our needs.
God, who knows our journey's length,
Imparts His strength to those He leads.

The Refuge in our God we find
Protects our souls from all that harms.
He gives us strength and peace of mind;
We rest on everlasting arms.

Thus we show from day to day
The great salvation our God gives
To sinners who repent and pray,
Receiving Christ, because He lives.

We need Your strength, Lord, from above;
Uphold us by Your mighty hand
To now declare Your wondrous love
And shine Your light in every land.

We come into Your sanctuary;
Your strength and beauty there abound,
And as we in Your presence tarry,
Our strength and joy and peace are found.

The Harm in Hardening

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness" (Psalms 95:6-8).

There's always harm in hardening
Against the Lord our hearts.
Though God continues pardoning,
There's damage this imparts.

A hardened heart cannot respond
To worship's invitation.
It rarely ever looks beyond
Its own preoccupation.

A hardened heart provokes the Lord
By pride that seeks its own.
It forfeits blessings that are stored
For humble hearts alone.

Harden not your heart today,
But heed the Savior's voice!
Cast your stubbornness away
While yet you have a choice!

Senseless Sayings

"They say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not He correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not He know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity" (Psalm 94:7-11).

We hear such senseless words today
From those denying God!
And many, hearing what they say,
Will foolishly applaud.

They say the Lord shall never see;
They say He cannot hear.
How can they speak so foolishly?
How is it they don't fear?

He that made our ears and eyes
Can hear and see as well.
Those refusing to be wise
Consign themselves to hell.

God, who knows the thoughts of man,
Can see their vanity.
They foolishly dismiss God's plan,
Who died to set them free!

Teach us, Lord, in these last days
To make the Gospel known
That you may thus receive the praise
You ought to from Your own.

Weeping with the Waves

"The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Psalm 93:3,4). "The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God.... And when they heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done" (Acts 20:22-24, 21:12-14).

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The noise of threatening waves!
Yet there is peace that You afford,
With grace that mightily saves!

Those floods had no effect on Paul
With all their promised strife.
He knew that God was working all
For good throughout his life.

Yet Paul had friends beset with sorrow
Beseeching him with tears,
Who saw the dangers of tomorrow
And warned him of their fears.

The vision Paul then clearly shared,
Was filled with God the Son.
Above all other things he cared
That God's will would be done.

Lord, give us such a mind as this,
To trust You with our soul,
And find the joy we would not miss
By giving You control.

Remember the Rock

"I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.... Remember the days of old.... Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee" (Deuteronomy 32:3,4,7,18). "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.... To show that the Lord is upright: He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him" (Psalm 92:1,15). "Come, eat of My bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled" (Proverbs 9:5).

O God, Your greatness we proclaim,
And of Your perfect work we talk!
We publish our Redeemer's name:
Our Lord and Savior and our Rock!

We now remember days of old,
When at the cross our need was met.
O spare us, Lord, from hearts so cold
That we would carelessly forget!

Dear Lord, we come to join the ranks
Of those who contemplate Your love,
For it is good to give You thanks
And praise Your name with saints above!

Yet while below we take the bread,
Remembering Your body slain,
And in the cup, the blood You shed,
By tokens so profound, yet plain.

Just and right, Lord, are Your ways;
Your truth and mercy made us free!
Receive, O God, our heartfelt praise,
For now and all eternity!

The Wrong thus Wrought

"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 8:35,36).

How vast the riches are we find
Of wisdom in the Savior!
His life, His love, and peace of mind
Surround us with His favor!

How great the wrong which shall be wrought
By those who will not choose
The Lord who loved them and Who bought
The favor they refuse!

This spiritual insanity,
This self-inflicted wrong,
Shall vex their souls eternally
With lamentation's song!

Arise, O sinner! Turn to God!
Forsake procrastination!
Why, O why, would you defraud
Your soul of God's salvation?

Pressed to Pray

"The days of our years are... soon cut off, and we fly away.... So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.... And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it" (Psalm 90:10,12,17).

Our days and years so quickly fly!
We hasten now to pray:
So teach our hearts, Lord, to apply
Your wisdom while we may!

And let the beauty of our Lord
Be resting on us too,
And shine in us to point toward
The peace we have in You.

And let our worship, Lord, be shown,
Established in our hands,
To make Your way on earth be known
By doing Your commands.

Fame of His Faithfulness

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.... Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound.... in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted" (Psalm 89:1,14-16).

For time and all eternity
We'll celebrate the fame
Of Jesus and His victory
That washed away our shame!

We'll sing about His faithfulness
And make His mercies known
That dressed us in His righteousness
That went before His throne.

His justice and His judgment reigned
And could not compromise
The judgment that His throne ordained,
Before His holy eyes.

The Son of God was therefore sent
To go before His face
And thereby bear our punishment
That we might have His grace.

How blest indeed are those who know
The faithful love of Christ,
Who even to the cross would go,
And there be sacrificed.

Reason for Revealing

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29).

The secret things remain concealed
Belonging to the Lord,
But many things He has revealed,
Which promise great reward.

There's so much more that we may know
That God would yet display.
How great those things are God will show
To those who will obey!

Eternity will yet unfold
More things we never knew,
But God would have us NOW behold
Those things we ought to do.

Glorious Gates

"The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.... The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there.... All my springs are in thee" (Psalm 87:2-7). "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).

How glorious are those gates above
In Zion's city bright
Where God has set His faithful love,
To watch them day and night.

Why would God esteem the worth
Of Zion's gates much more
That all the dwellings on the earth
That Jacob had before?

How wondrously they represent
The entrance God will give
For all who truly will repent,
Then look to Christ, and live!

This is where the sinner finds
The springs of wondrous grace.
More and more our pathway shines
With light from Jesus' face.

How glorious are those gates we see
That sinners enter in,
Who trust the Lord to make them free,
And save their soul from sin!

Still Stirring

"Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.... Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens.... as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare unto you" (Acts 17:16,22,23).

Paul was in his spirit stirred
Looking out on Athens’ city,
Longing then to share God's Word,
To show to them His love and pity.

Athens was with darkness filled,
Infested with idolatry.
Paul stood then upon Mars' hill
To shed light on eternity.

An altar found with this description
Was quite fitting, yet was odd:
The altar bore this plain inscription,
Devoted "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD."

Paul laid hold of this admission
That they didn't know the Lord,
And then advanced the great commission,
Unveiling Christ, whom they ignored.

So may our God now likewise stir
And fill our hearts with holy zeal,
Remembering how lost we were,
And His compassion for them feel.

Readiness to Receive

"I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people" (Psalm 85:8). "My son, if Thou wilt receive My words.... then shalt thou understand.... for the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:1,5,6). "And Paul, as his manner was... reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.... They received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:2,11).

If we are ready to hear the Lord speak,
If we will reason from God's point of view,
If it is His will, and not ours, we seek,
God will then show us what we ought to do.

If we will seek Him with all of our heart,
If for His counsel we earnestly pray,
God has assured us that He will impart
The wisdom and knowledge we need to obey.

As those in Berea were ready in mind
To search and receive then the truth of God's Word,
So may our Lord look upon us to find
Our readiness likewise to do as we've heard.

Midnight Melody

"Blessed are they... still praising Thee.... who passing through the valley of Baca [lit., weeping] make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength; every one of them in Zion appeareth before God" (Psalm 84:4,6,7). "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25).

Who are these still singing praises,
Yet in their midnight hour of pain,
In that prison (of all places!)
With joy like a refreshing rain?

Who invited joy to stay
Within that prison house of sadness?
God did, putting on display
His truth that fills the heart with gladness!

Who gave these a midnight song,
Where solace only came with sleeping?
How were these, so weak, made strong
Within that valley filled with weeping?

God alone gives joy and peace
That rests upon His truth and grace.
The captive finds in Him release,
And sorrow flees before His face.

Concerning our Calling

"Now when they.... were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia.... they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.... And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over to Macedonia, and help us. And after that he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the Gospel unto them" (Acts 16:6-10).

The whole earth surely needs to know
The Gospel of God's grace,
But God must be the One to show
Our calling and our place.

Since we cannot be everywhere
To preach the Word to all,
We ought to listen and prepare
To go where God will call.

We see this principle displayed
When Paul made his decision
To map his course till God forbade,
Then giving him a vision.

And Paul did not procrastinate
Or doubt when he had heard
The Macedonian call so great
To come and preach God's Word.

The Spirit of the Lord makes known
His calling to each one
Who seeks God's will above his own,
To glorify God's Son.

Good to God

"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.... Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord" (Acts 15:28,35).

How wonderful indeed it is
That God the Holy Spirit
Shares the counsel that is His
That we may also hear it!

It's surely good to have the light
From God's Word that we need,
That we may teach and preach what's right
When with Him we've agreed.

We set aside our vain opinion
That we may know God's will,
That He may thus by His dominion,
His workmanship fulfill.

Feast of Faith

"Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day" (Psalm 81:1-3). "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them [the Gentiles] witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.... We believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they" (Acts 15:8,9,11).

Blow the trumpet! Sing aloud!
Make a joyful noise to God!
Jew and Gentile join the crowd:
Praise the Lord! His work applaud!

We celebrate what God has done
To purify the hearts of those
Who put their trust in God the Son,
Who died to save us and Who rose.

Jew and Gentile, great and least,
And all who come by faith to Christ:
Praise Him in the solemn feast!
Behold the Lamb once sacrificed!

The middle wall is broken down!
Our hearts by faith are purified!
Jew and Gentile join to crown
Our risen Savior glorified.

One by One

"Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself. So will not we go back from Thee: quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved" (Psalm 80:17-19).

Real revival from God's hand
Proceeds from God the Son
To those obeying His command;
It happens one by one.

Turn us, Lord, and cause Your face
To shine that we may run
To tell the world of saving grace;
It happens one by one.

Let Your right hand be upon
The work that You've begun
Within the man that You made strong;
It happens one by one.

Judgment or Jubilation?

"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from your, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.... And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the Word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:46-48).

There is a choice that we will make
For judgment or for jubilation.
Eternal life is here at stake!
There's danger in procrastination!

Men judge themselves unworthy when
They choose to let the days slip by,
But days turn into years and then
Their choice is over when they die.

Why then should this be the case
When Jesus Christ now lives to save?
Why should we refuse His grace,
And choose instead a Christless grave?

Souls judge themselves unworthy of
The mercy of God's great salvation
When they neglect His Gift of love,
And choose thereby His condemnation.

Wondrous Warnings

"They believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation, though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat.... For all this they sinned still, and believed not for His wondrous works; therefore their days did He consume in vanity, and their years in trouble" (Psalm 78:22-33). "Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets: Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish, for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you" (Acts 13:40,41).

There is an unbelief bizarre,
Unmoved though facts are found;
It matters not how clear they are,
Or that their truth is sound.

That unbelief was widely spread
Through forty years of shame
When Israel, with manna fed,
Forgot from Whom it came!

How sadly was this evident
When Jesus rose again,
Yet many still would not repent
And trust the Savior then.

How strange indeed is unbelief
In those who stop their ears
And close their eyes to God's relief,
While yet His judgment nears!

Beware, all you who yet despise
The truth at such a cost!
The devil only blinds the eyes
Of those who yet are lost.

Beware, I say! Behold, believe,
Or perish evermore!
Your one escape is to receive
The Savior at your door!

Perfect Pursuit

"He gave testimony, and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will" (Act 13:22).

God Himself has testified
Of David who pursued His heart.
Goals are sweetly simplified
When this is where we choose to start!

A thousand things distract our eyes,
And many more bombard our ears,
But seeking God will make us wise,
And prudently invest our years.

May this testimony given
Concerning David's wise pursuit
Be the reason we are driven,
With steadied purpose, bearing fruit!

Reason for Reversing

"The Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee" (Deuteronomy 23:5).

The Lord our God has turned our curse
Into a blessing by His cross!
His love could think of nothing worse
Than viewing our eternal loss.

His love unbounded has reversed
Our dreadful curse that He might bless.
He took away the sin that cursed
And clothed us in His righteousness.

The only reason Jesus came,
Descending from His throne above,
Was that He might endure our shame
That we might rather know His love.

Triumphant Training

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:3,4,6).

Now train up your children (as well as yourself)
In all of the ways God would have them to go.
There's much more to training than books on a shelf;
It's more about DOING those things that you know.

Teach from the Bible the evil foreseen,
From which we with prudence will do well to hide.
Show by example a thought life that's clean,
By the fear of the Lord and hatred of pride.

Show them the dangerous thorns and the snares
That lie in the way of the froward in heart.
Train them to cast on the Lord all their cares;
There's no better time than the present to start.

Rising Resistance

"Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth Thee daily. Forget not the voice of Thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against Thee increaseth daily" (Psalm 74:22,23).

Arise, O God, and plead Your cause
Against the blasphemy of men.
Their tumult rises without pause;
They think You will not come again.

Arise, O God, in these last days,
That we may stand against the tide
Of dark deception that betrays
The soul by ignorance and pride.

Arise, O God, against the foe,
Who as a lion would devour,
That we may with Your Gospel go,
Not in our strength, but in Your power.

Beauty and the Beast

"So foolish was I and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" (Psalm 73:22-24).

How beautiful is Christ our Lord
Who loves the very least,
For by His love I was restored
When I was as a beast!

Even when He hides His face,
The beauty of His love
Will guide and counsel me with grace
Until we meet above.

The beauty of my Lord is great;
His glory is sublime.
Though I was in a beastly state,
He lifted me in time!

Handful of Humanity

"There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth" (Psalm 72:16).

They really didn't look like much;
A handful of humanity.
The world wouldn't honor such,
But God used them triumphantly.

They turned the world upside down!
Who would have ever guessed
That God would turn this world around
By those His Spirit blessed.

That handful of disciples sown
Who in the earth took root,
By whom the Gospel was made known,
Continues to bear fruit.

So may we flourish in our day,
Though handfuls still are spurned,
And bear much fruit as we obey,
Until Christ has returned.

Regularly Resorting

"Be Thou my strong Habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me; for Thou art my Rock and Fortress" (Psalm 71:3). "The name of the Lord is a strong Tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.... A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:10,24).

I have a Habitation strong,
In Christ, my Lord and Savior.
He is my Refuge all day long,
The Fountain of God's favor.

I have a Tower where I run,
And safely there resort
Within the name of God the Son,
My Shelter and my Fort.

I have a Friend who reigns supreme;
No other can compare!
I ask sometimes, "Is this a dream?"
I wake, and He is there.

Lord, You are my Habitation.
Lord, You are my Tower,
Lord, I find in Your salvation
Friendship every hour!

To You, Lord, I resort each day;
You are my closest Friend.
I know You'll guide me all the way,
And guard me till the end.

Make Haste to Magnify Him

"Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: and let such as love Thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: Thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying" (Psalm 70:4,5).

There is a time to magnify
Our Lord that He'll allow:
Be careful, lest it pass you by:
That time is surely now!

There is no time that we should waste;
How quickly flies each hour!
With that in mind, O Lord, make haste,
We need Your grace and power!

Lord, we seek You to this end:
To magnify You more.
On You alone, Lord, we depend;
You know that we are poor.

According to Your riches, Lord,
Your love we would proclaim.
We would with strength that You afford,
Make haste to praise Your name.

Make haste, O Lord, and tarry not,
To help us magnify
And glorify You as we ought
Each moment till we die!

Quality Questions

"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:3-6).

As Saul of Tarsus was inclined,
He journeyed to Damascus till
A light from heaven round him shined,
And God revealed then His will.

A voice from One to testify,
Knowing Saul so thoroughly,
Said "Saul, Saul," demanding, "Why
Are you persecuting Me?"

Saul was trembling, mystified,
Wondering then who this could be!
"Who are You, Lord?" Saul replied.
"I am Jesus," answered He.

Saul, astonished, asked Him, "Lord,
What will You have me to do?"
God will graciously reward
Such questions from a heart that's true.

Consider then, the quality
Of such questions like these two:
"Who are You Lord?" and honestly,
"Lord, what will you have me do?"

For these are questions that explore
The depths of Who God is;
And so shall we desire more,
Not our own will, but His.

Ethiopian Evangelization

"The Lord gave the Word: great was the company of those that published it.... Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.... ETHIOPIA shall soon stretch out her hands to God" (Psalm 68:11,18,31). "And they, when they had testified and preached the Word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.... And behold, a man of ETHIOPIA, an eunuch of great authority... had come to Jerusalem for to worship.... Then Philip... preached unto him Jesus.... And the eunuch said.... I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.... and he [Philip] baptized him.... and he [the eunuch] went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:25-39).

The Lord God has given His Word:
How great were the messengers sent!
How good were the tidings then heard:
That rebels are saved who repent!

How great is evangelization,
A gift God has given to men:
The Gospel is sent to each nation
Till Jesus our Lord comes again.

One triumph especially named
Among all the peoples and lands,
Was within Ethiopia claimed:
To God they would stretch forth their hands.

We see this occurring with joy,
To the eunuch to whom Philip preached,
Who saw from the Scriptures employed,
The Gospel of Christ to him reached.

So then let us be ready to share
As was Philip who spoke from the Word
To that dear Ethiopian there,
Who rejoiced in the Gospel he heard!

Heaven's Health

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; (Selah) that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations" (Psalm 67:1,2). "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 said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.... And at that time there was a great persecution against the church.... Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.... And there was great joy in that city" (Acts 7:55-57, 8:1-8).

May God be merciful to us,
And so from heaven shine His face,
That He may send His people thus
To show the earth His saving grace.

Stephen, seeing heaven's light,
Made known the glory of our God,
And as the church was put to flight,
They preached the Word to those abroad.

Philip also then went down,
And with God's Word, Samaria reached.
Heaven's health was there renown,
And joy was great where Christ was preached.

The Gospel is the same today.
The need for Christ has not diminished.
The earth still needs to know His way.
Our mission here is not yet finished.

May we therefore keep in mind,
As debtors sent to every nation,
God has blessed us and has shined
That we may share His great salvation.

Come and Consider

"Come and see the works of God.... Come and hear... what He hath done for my soul" (Psalm 66:5,16).

Come and see the works of God
In every time and place.
Declare His majesty abroad
And magnify His grace.

But though the Lord is infinite
In wisdom and in power,
His love is also intimate
And faithful every hour.

He paid the awful penalty
That I could never pay.
He gave Himself at Calvary,
And all I did was pray.

Come and hear what God has done
To save and keep my soul.
I put my trust in God the Son;
He paid my debt in full.

Approach Approved

"O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that He may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy temple " (Psalm 65:2-4). "Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord unto him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground" (Acts 7:32,33).

How is it, Lord, that we have found
Permission of this sort
To draw near on this holy ground
And dwell within Your court?

Even though our sins prevail,
You purge them all away.
Into Your courts within the veil
You hear us when I pray.

How blest indeed is everyone
Who draws near by Your grace!
The work that purges sin is done,
Removing every trace!

How marvelous is this approach
For which we are approved!
Iniquities that caused reproach
By grace have been removed!

Sure Reward of Sowing Righteousness

"To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.... He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.... The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:18,29,30).

To him who sows in righteousness
Shall be a sure reward.
This isn't just a hopeful guess;
It's promised from the Lord.

To chase the wind in vain pursuit
Shall rid us of a prize,
But righteousness shall bring forth fruit,
And winning souls is wise.

Why then should we waste our time
With wind that comes to naught,
While things eternally sublime
In wisdom should be sought?

To chase the wind repays us double
With vanity and sin:
Our house is burdened with our trouble,
And we inherit wind.

Let us therefore cultivate
The righteousness we should.
The fields are white. The time is late.
The sure reward is good.

Helping Hand

"Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me" (Psalm 63:7,8).

Lord, my soul still follows You,
But now I understand;
The strength I have to yet pursue
Is found in Your right hand.

I follow still because of love,
But love that's not my own.
It's lovingkindness from above
That lifts me to Your throne.

I follow hard, but soon would fall
And never rise again,
But for Your help each time I call;
That's how it's always been.

Because You are my Help, O Lord,
I rest beneath Your wings.
I run with strength that You afford;
My heart with gladness sings.

Lord, it's surely good to know
Your hand is holding me,
And that Your hand will not let go
For all eternity!

Preaching Brought by Prison Break

"But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:19,20).

Prison doors could not prevail,
Nor could the arm of strife,
Neither threats of men so frail,
Against the words of life.

The angel opened prison doors
And brought forth preachers then,
And God today still likewise pours
His Spirit upon men.

For God still gives His liberty,
To go, to stand, and speak
The words of truth that made us free
When we were bound and weak.

So let us go where God will send
With all the words He gives
And preach with freedom to the end
Because our Savior lives!

Daily Discourse

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.... So will I sing praise unto Thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows" (Psalm 61:2,3,8). "Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors" (Proverbs 8:34).

Lord, lead me to that lofty place,
Up to the higher rock than I,
Into the shelter of Your grace,
Within Your tower strong and high.

This is my place of confidence:
I worship here; my spirit bows.
God Himself is my Defense,
That I may thus perform my vows.

I will rest beneath His wings,
Sheltered by His mighty power.
Here my soul with rapture sings
Within the refuge of His tower.

O the view is marvelous
Now lifted up upon this rock,
Where God and I, the two of us,
Sup together here and talk.

Daily here shall I retreat
That I may hear my Savior's voice.
Daily God and I shall meet,
And I will worship and rejoice.

Senseless Silence

"And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:18-20).

When summoned, John and Peter came
To hear the rulers' stern command
To speak no more in Jesus name:
O what a senseless, vain demand!

The Lord commanded them to speak
The things which they had seen and heard.
Those threats against them were so weak,
The thought of silence so absurd!

May our boldness now increase
To speak the Gospel truth with power.
How senseless would it be cease
To teach His Word in this late hour!

Basis for Boldness

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).

Examining the life of those
Who spoke with boldness for our Lord,
It was because the Savior rose,
Their courage therefore was restored.

Religious leaders took offense,
Remembering that they had been
With Jesus, and the consequence
Was boldness in the face of men.

Let us likewise thus be found
With boldness seen in our behavior:
Courage in us shall abound
When we have been with Christ our Savior.

Repentance for Righteousness

"Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence your hands in the earth" (Psalm 58:1,2). "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.... Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:14,15,19).

Have you spoken what is good
In your pride, O congregation?
Are you judging as you should,
In this wicked generation?

God has seen the wickedness
Of your hearts and of your hands;
He will judge with righteousness
As His holiness demands.

For you denied the Holy One
And killed the Prince of Life.
God gave His own beloved Son,
And you gave Him your strife.

The murderer that you desired
Was granted you instead
Of Christ whose death you had required,
Whom God raised from the dead.

But what you did in ignorance,
Deserving condemnation,
God ordained to thus advance
And grant you His salvation.

Repent, therefore, and turn to Christ
From all your sin and doubt,
For He was therefore sacrificed,
To blot your sins all out!

Preoccupied with Praise

"What does the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.... He is thy Praise, and He is thy God" (Deuteronomy 10:12, 21). "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise" (Psalm 57:7). "Keep thy heart with all diligence.... turn not to the right hand nor to the left" (Proverbs 4:23,27). "And they continued steadfastly.... with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God" (Acts 2:42-47).

Distractions that have often vied
For my attention call my name.
Excuse me, I'm preoccupied:
To praise the Lord is now my aim.

I would reverence God above,
While walking daily in His ways.
I would worship Him in love:
He is my God; He is my Praise.

I would serve the Lord my God
With all my heart and all my soul.
I wouldn't care if men applaud:
I'd live for Him who made me whole.

Now fixed with sure determination,
While turning neither left nor right,
I'd praise the God of my salvation,
Through every day and every night.

With gladness and with singleness,
Continuing for all my days,
I'd join with all who will confess:
He is our God! He is our Praise!

Treasonous Trust

"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?.... In God I have put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me" (Psalm 56:8,11). "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... for the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:5,6,26).

There is a trust that comes to mind,
While strolling memory's lane,
Of wanderings and tears we find
That brought regret and pain.

It was those times we put our trust
In our own understanding,
Misguided by our selfish lust,
Instead of God's commanding.

The record of our God is clear
When wisdom we forsook.
His bottle holds our every tear;
Our sins are in His book.

Our tears shall soon be wiped away;
Our sins shall not be found,
But our self-trust can still betray
Our souls, though heaven bound.

Trust in God with all your heart
In every place and season.
From pride and trust in self depart,
For trust in self is treason.

Comfort in Casting

"As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.... Cast Thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Psalm 55:16,17,22).

At evening, and morning, and noon I will pray,
I know that the Lord shall be hearing my voice.
It never will matter what time of the day,
Or whether in sorrow, or when I rejoice.

I'll cast all my burden on Jesus my Lord;
He called me to do so when I came to Him.
The comfort He gives only He can afford;
The cup that He fills shall run over the brim.

Power and Privilege

"Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you; I will make known My words unto you" (Proverbs 1:23). "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

God has provided His power and Spirit
To those He has sent to proclaim
The Gospel of Christ to all who will hear it
And turn now to trust in His name.

O what a privilege is ours for a season
To go to earth's uttermost part
And answer all those who ask us the reason
For having this hope in our heart!

God has assured us that we're not alone;
His Spirit is with us as well,
To woo souls to heaven, to make His words known,
And warn of the danger of hell.

The days of our power and privilege are few;
Lord, teach us to number our days,
For nightfall is coming when work will be through,
And morning will dawn with Your praise.

So teach us, O Lord, to redeem every hour:
How rapidly from us they fly!
As witnesses sent with Your Spirit and power,
We go with the grace You supply.

Refreshing Reproof

"Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My Lambs.... Feed My Sheep.... Follow Me.... Then Peter, turning about... saith unto 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 21:15-21).

How refreshing is correction
Coming from our risen Lord,
Pointing us toward perfection
In His calling and reward!

If we love Him, we shall know
The way that we should take;
He will lead us and will show
Our path for His name's sake.

"Feed My sheep" and "Follow Me."
This is what our Savior said,
And sometimes "What is that to thee?"
When we have turned our head.

Daily let us hear His voice,
And go wherever He will lead.
Love for Him will guide our choice,
And give reproof we surely need.

Mischievous Madness

"Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually" (Psalm 52:1).

Why do you boast, O mischievous man?
The goodness of God continues forever.
God's purpose prevails according to plan.
No one can change it, no matter how clever.

The mischievous man, though allowed for awhile,
Continues no further than God will permit.
God is not fooled by his mischievous guile,
But God shall restrain him as He will see fit.

Satisfying Sacrifices

"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.... Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering.... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:6-17).

The sacrifices God desires
Are deep within our hidden part;
This is what the Lord requires:
A broken and a contrite heart.

Since our Lord and Savior died
To save each hell bound soul,
Let us see Him satisfied,
And satisfied in full!

Let us bring what He has sought;
Let nothing therein lack!
Everything we are He bought;
Let nothing be held back!

Lord, it seems a poor exchange:
You paid so high a price!
To give you less now seems so strange:
A living sacrifice!

Gathered at Golgotha

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). "Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Psalm 50:5). "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.... and the disciple standing by, whom He loved.... And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus... came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.... And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, brought a mixture of aloes, about an hundred pound weight" (John 19:25-39).

Gathered at Golgotha's scene
Along with Mary, Jesus' mother,
We see there Mary Magdalene,
Another Mary, and a brother.

Joseph, a disciple, claimed
His body that was sacrificed.
Nicodemus, unashamed,
Brought his aloes, weighed and spiced.

Gathered at Golgotha thus
In spirit with this gathering,
What would God now have from us?
What do we now have to bring?

The Lord has told you His delight:
To love the Lord with all your heart,
With all your soul, and all your might;
There's nothing greater to impart!

Redemption and Reception

"Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth... none of them can by any means redeem his brother.... Nevertheless man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.... But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive me" (Psalm 49:6,7,15).

Judgment comes, and come it must,
As is appointed when we die.
Whom, in that day, will you trust?
Are you confiding in a lie?

Things are not now what they seem,
As many put their trust in wealth,
And some will trust in high esteem,
And others boast of robust health.

Yet by their wealth they can't redeem
Nor ransom even one poor soul.
Their honor is a fading dream,
And health eludes them when they're old.

Where will be your confidence
When God will judge iniquity?
In riches there is no defense,
And temporary comforts flee.

BUT GOD redeems those who believe
And put their trust in Christ alone,
And by His grace He will receive,
Defend, and claim them as His own.

Behold what He Became

"For this God is our God forever and ever: He will be our Guide even unto death" (Psalm 48:14). "And Pilate said unto them, Behold the Man!..... And he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!" (John 19:5,14).

Behold, our God became a Man;
Behold our Guide and gracious King!
Behold the distance God would span,
And down to us salvation bring!

Behold what Jesus Christ became,
Descending in humility
To take upon Himself our shame:
Behold the Lamb at Calvary!

Behold the Man of Sorrows there;
Behold the crown of thorns He wore!
Behold His love beyond compare;
Behold the Savior we adore!

Behold Him dying on the cross:
It was for us He bore that pain
To spare us from eternal loss
And heap on us eternal gain!

Behold Him laid within the tomb.
Behold Him as they seal the grave.
Behold that Seed who died now bloom,
Alive forevermore to save!

Behold Him now upon His throne:
The Lamb who washed our sins away!
He's coming back to call His own;
Behold He comes: perhaps today!

Behold, He'll come to reign on earth
When all the nations praise His name,
And they shall then declare the worth
Of all that Jesus Christ became!

Truth on Trial

"I call heaven and earth against you this day.... For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?.... Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee" (Deuteronomy 4:26,32,36). "Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world... and in secret have I said nothing.... Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth?" (John 18:37,38).

Assemble the witnesses into the court:
Call heaven and earth; call history past.
Call every prophet with Scripture's report.
Let each one be heard, the first to the last.

God's truth has been seen in the light of creation,
His judgments have also been put on display.
At last Jesus came as the Lord of salvation,
And openly spoke to the world in His day.

Ask now if anything like this was done.
Ask now the elderly; ask now the youth:
Was ever there one like Jesus, God's Son,
With words and with deeds confirming His truth?

All those who are of the truth hear His voice.
Pilate may ask, "What is truth?" if he will.
Nevertheless it comes down to a choice,
And those who deny Him are culpable still.

Cup of our Curse

"Then said Jesus unto Peter.... The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11).

The cup of our curse was full for our Lord
With judgment from God to the brim.
The judgment that should have been ours was outpoured
With all of its fury on Him.

Why would He take it? What force could compel
Our Savior to drink it all up?
Love, boundless love, which would save us from hell
Drank all of our curse in that cup!

Peter was speechless and surely distraught,
When hearing this question of Christ.
"Shall I not drink it?" How dreadful the thought,
If He wouldn't be sacrificed!

Thank You for drinking that awful cup down,
To give us Your blessing so sweet!
What joy it will be, Lord, to cast every crown
In heaven at Your wounded feet!

Given to God

"My son, give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways" (Proverbs 23:26).

The Father tenderly commands:
My son, give me your heart.
Lord, take as well my head, my hands,
And my most inward part!

Let my eyes observe Your ways;
Lord, take my ears as well.
Take my voice to give You praise
For saving me from hell.

Let my feet go in your path
Now with the Gospel shod.
Delivered from eternal wrath,
I'm given now to God.

Cheered by our Champion

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

How sweet are the wonderful words of our Lord,
Imparting His peace in this world of strife!
How mightily, too, as a quickening sword,
The Word of His Gospel awakens new life!

Be sure in this world you will have tribulation,
"But be of good cheer," our Champion said.
He knew by His death He would bring us salvation
And conquer the grave when He rose from the dead.

These things He has spoken the we might have peace
In Jesus our Savior, triumphantly near.
Even when our tribulations increase,
Our Lord and our Champion still gives us His cheer!

Joined with Joy

"O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy; yea upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God, my God" (Psalm 43:3,4). "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you" (John 16:22).

Led by the light and the truth of God's Word,
I know that by these I'll ascend
To the altar where Jesus my Savior endured
For the joy that He saw in the end.

O what assurance! Though seasons of sorrow
In God's time will come now and then,
Upon the horizon there dawns a tomorrow
When Jesus shall come back again!

And we shall be joined with our Lord in the air
And with all of the souls He redeemed.
No fleeting joy on this earth will compare,
No matter how thrilling it seemed!

Reason for Reproach

"I will say unto God my Rock... Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me, while the say daily unto me, Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art Thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall ye praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God" (Psalm 42:9-11). "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.... Remember the Word that I said unto you: the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also" (John 15:18,20).

I will say to the Lord, my God and my Rock,
When I look for a song in the night:
Lord, hear the reproach of the enemy's talk,
So filled their arrogant spite!

"Where is your God?" they incessantly say;
Their hatred is filled to the brim,
Yet Jesus foretold they would act in this way
Because they have first hated Him.

And so I will say to my turbulent soul:
Why should you now be cast down?
Hope now in God; He is still in control!
Why should your face wear a frown?

Remember the Word that your Lord clearly stated,
And know it is timeless and true:
Since Jesus your Lord by this world was hated,
His servants are thus hated too.

Then live with compassion toward those who hate,
In view of their fearful condition:
Unless they've repented before it's too late,
They'll enter eternal perdition!

Factors of my Favor

"By this I know that Thou favorest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me" (Psalm 41:11). "Because I live, ye shall live also.... Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not you heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.... The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me" (John 14:19,27,30).

By this I know God favors me:
For me He gave His life.
He gave me joy for misery;
He gave me peace for strife.

By this I know God favors me:
My enemy was spoiled.
Yes, Satan lost at Calvary;
His plans for me were foiled.

By this I know God favors me:
What favor I enjoy!
My Savior gave me victory,
Which Satan can't destroy.

By this I know God favors me:
Because My Savior lives
To give His peace eternally,
Not as the world gives.

By this I know God favors me:
For Satan has no part
And cannot change the guarantee
That God gave to my heart.

Eloquent Evidence

"Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful WORKS which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to usward... Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; Mine ears hat Thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast Thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is WRITTEN of Me" (Psalm 40:5-7). "Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He... I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.... Believe Me for the very works' sake" (John 13:19, 14:6,11).

Many, O Lord, are the works You have done
Fulfilling the promises You prophesied.
There's no other book in the world, not one,
That offers such evidence like You provide.

There is no reason now we should make a mistake;
We ought to believe every Word in Your Book
By the eloquent evidence of Your works' sake,
Inviting us there to objectively look.

All the evidence speaks! O how great is the sum
Of each precious thought You communicate thus!
In Your Book it was written: You said, "Lo, I come,"
Providing the Way of salvation for us.

There's only one Way of salvation required;
It's not in those offerings of old sacrificed.
There's only one Offering that God has desired:
His Lamb of perfection: our Lord Jesus Christ!

Verily Vanity

"Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.... And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee.... O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more" (Psalm 39:5,6,13). "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.... If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:15-17).

Verily vanity! That's all that I am,
Unless I am living my life for the Lord,
But now that I'm washed in the blood of the Lamb,
There's more to my life I can now look toward!

Verily vanity is self-centered strife,
For age, wealth, and power, the grave will soon swallow!
But Jesus our Lord has portrayed by His life
A higher example that His own should follow.

Verily vanity: It need not be so,
For we may be spared from a life lived in vain!
The way that our Savior has taught us we know:
By laying His life down, His love was made plain.

Verily vanity? No, not in the Lord,
For He sheds His light on the way that is true
And gives to us grace that will thereby afford
The power to do what we know we should do!

Appropriate Approval

"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42,43).

Whose approval are we seeking:
That of men or God above?
Would we rather hear God speaking
Or the human praise we love?

Purge our hearts, Lord! Rid us of
A love to hear mere men applaud.
May we rather seek and love
The sole approval of our God.

Call of His Cause

August 15: CALL of His CAUSE

"Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name" (John 12:27,28).

When trouble invades my soul with its power,
What then shall I say to it all?
It is for this cause that I came to this hour:
The words of My Lord I recall.

My Savior knew all of the trouble that waited,
Yet none of it gave His soul pause.
In spite of the sorrows He anticipated,
He never lost sight of His cause.

And what was the cause to which He was drawn?
Was it not to procure my salvation?
Yes! It was for my soul He marched on,
To save me from sure condemnation!

The call of His cause now beckons my soul;
I lift up my eyes to His throne.
Trouble may come, but He's control;
I'll press toward the cause He makes known.

Odor of the Ointment

"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment... Then saith... Judas Iscariot... Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?.... Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of My burying hath she kept this" (John 12:3-7).

When Mary worshipped Christ our Lord
Anointing then His feet,
The costly ointment that she poured
Could not have been more sweet.

For there was more than her perfume
Applied thus with her hair:
It was her worship in that room
With love that filled the air.

Yes, Judas saw it all as loss
Through eyes obscured with greed,
Yet Mary's heart foresaw the cross
And Christ who met her need.

The odor of that ointment rose
To heaven's highest court,
As will the fragrance of all those
With worship of this sort.

Stopping Stone

"Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus.... cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth" (John 11:39-44).

There is a lesson here for us
We see within the stone
That sealed the grave of Lazarus
That God would teach His own.

Jesus said to take away
The stone that hid the dead.
Simple faith should just obey
And do what Jesus said.

He did not tell them to reprove
Or argue with their story,
He simply told them to remove
That stone to see His glory.

And once they did that simple task
That faith would have them do,
Above all they could think or ask
Came forth into their view!

Is there a stone that God demands
You take now from your heart?
Do that which your Lord commands;
He'll do the harder part!

Honest Hours

"Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him" (John 11:9,10).

Among the twelve hours of light in the day,
There is not even one we should waste
By walking in darkness and going astray,
For our nightfall is coming in haste.

Shall we not walk everyday in the light
Of living to please our dear Lord?
Shall we not honestly walk in His sight
With all of the grace He’ll afford?

How quickly the sun on your short day will set!
Your days and your hours are numbered.
The twelfth hour comes! Will it bring you regret
For work left undone while you slumbered?

Scoring Scripture

"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 Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).

Higher marks could not be scored
To measure truth than those words spoken
From the lips of Christ our Lord
Who said the Scripture can't be broken.

The counsel of the nations fail;
The Lord brings all their plans to naught.
The words of Scripture shall prevail,
For God preserves in them His thought.

Precious Scripture, kept so sure
By God Himself is now our treasure!
Every word of God is pure,
Assured by heaven's highest measure.

Validating the Voice

"All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them…. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep…. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:8-11,27).

Our Shepherd has spoken; His sheep hear His voice.
A stranger may call, but His sheep will not hear it.
His sheep follow Him, and in Him they rejoice,
Each led by the Shepherd and taught by His Spirit.

All others were thieves and robbers who came
To steal, to kill, and to bring their destruction,
Inspired by Satan, with a purpose the same
As when in the Garden he brought his seduction.

The Lord is our Shepherd with this validation:
He laid down His life and He conquered the grave.
Our Lord gave Himself to procure our salvation,
And He calls by name every sheep He will save.

Marvelous Mistake

"The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes" (John 9:30).

There is a marvelous mistake,
In view of all the proof we find,
In spite of all that is at stake,
That blinds the unbelieving mind.

How marvelous it is indeed
That there can be such apathy,
Though God will testify and plead
Regarding our eternity!

There is an awful consequence
For walking down that fearful path
That scoffs at all the evidence,
Indifferent to eternal wrath.

How marvelous is unbelief
That turns a blind eye to the proof!
How great will be the endless grief
Of all who choose to stand aloof!

God has spoken without error:
There is no reason we should take
The path that leads to hopeless terror;
How marvelous is that mistake!

To War and To Work

"Moses said... Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them?.... If ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:6,7,23). "I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work" (John 9:4).

The battle is raging in realms far and near
For souls that are precious for whom our Lord died:
While some go to warfare, shall we now sit here,
As those now content to observe from the side?

Behold, if we sin thus against Christ our Lord,
Sowing discouragement, sorrow, and doubt
Withholding God's counsel, our spiritual sword,
Be sure that our sin will indeed find us out!

Nightfall is coming and work shall be done,
So let us be working while yet it is day,
Warring and working with God's precious Son,
Giving Him glory with hearts that obey.

Lord and Lamb

"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.... In His temple doth every one speak of His glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King forever" (Psalm 29:2,9,10). "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.... Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:56,58).

We give to God the glory due
That glorifies His name
As we worship Him and view
His majesty and fame.

He sits forever as the King
Upon the judgment flood,
Yet as the Lamb of God would bring
Salvation through His blood.

For everyone within His temple
Can see redemption's story.
On holy ground we stand and tremble:
The Lamb is all the glory!

As Lord, His truth was satisfied
By all the flood destroyed;
As Lamb, He would be crucified,
And mercy was enjoyed.

Before the flood in Abel's lamb,
God's grace was on display.
So Noah too with Abraham
Rejoiced to see His day.

We worship now the great I AM
As all His names unfold,
And in His glory as God's Lamb
What beauty we behold!

Freedom from Frowardness

"O Lord, my Rock, be not silent to me: lest, if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down to the pit.... 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 28:1,5). "If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.... Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:24,31,32).

Let Your likeness, Lord, increase
Within me as You speak each day.
O Lord, if You would ever cease,
How quickly I would go astray!

O be not silent, Lord, I pray,
Lest my heart be likewise hard,
Like those who, froward in their way,
See Your works, but don't regard.

For soon this world of frowardness
That chooses not to understand,
Will soon be found in great distress
By the judgment from Your hand.

Thank You, Lord, for freedom given
As I continue in Your Word;
Not by frowardness now driven,
But daily by Your voice I've heard.

Light and Life

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?.... One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after... to behold the beauty of the Lord" (Psalm 27:1,4). "Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).

The Lord is our Light and Salvation;
The Lord is the Strength of our life.
His Word is our sweet meditation,
Our sword, and our shield in strife.

How much He illumines our mind,
As we seek Him in all of His beauty!
How great is the strength there we find,
For performing our calling and duty!

Of whom should we then be afraid?
His light causes darkness to flee.
The powers of darkness arrayed
All tremble at His majesty.

The Light of the world has entered
Where darkness once had its domain.
Now Christ is the Life that is centered
In all who will have Him to reign.

Rivers of Regeneration

"Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:37-39).

Rivers of regeneration
Are flowing deep within
All who have received salvation,
Cleansing them from sin.

Rivers of regeneration
Now flow from God the Spirit
By the Gospel's revelation
To those who gladly hear it.

Rivers of regeneration
That satisfy our thirst,
Swept away the condemnation
Wherewith we once were cursed.

Rivers of regeneration
Flow from the Fountainhead
Of our Savior's exaltation,
Now risen from the dead.

Rivers of regeneration
That now refresh our heart,
Equip us with the preparation
Of the Gospel we impart.

Rivers of regeneration
Now ought to flow toward
Every tribe, and tongue, and nation
Who need to know the Lord.

Secret Session

"Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will He teach sinners in the way.... The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant" (Psalm 25:14). "His secret is with the righteous" (Proverbs 3:32). "He [Jesus] also went up unto the feast, but as it were in secret.... Jesus went up into the temple... and said... If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:10-17).

There is a precious, secret session
That God has with His own
When He communicates His lesson
And makes His presence known.

The secret of His great reward
To sinners He will teach,
Who turn from sin, confess Him Lord,
And to His mercy reach.

Our Savior went up secretly
On a feast day celebration,
But then He showed them openly
The way of His salvation.

Some were there who understood,
Yet others who did not.
The Lord was teaching all who would
Be humbled in their thought.

The secret of the Lord today
Our Lord is still revealing,
As sinners who have gone astray
Yet find in Him their healing.

Wisdom Withheld

"If thou wilt receive My words... and apply thine heart to understanding... Then shalt thou understand.... For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:1-6). "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God" (John 6:45).

There is a wisdom God would give,
Yet will regretfully withhold
From those who will not choose to live
As the Word of God has told.

But those who will receive His Word,
Apply their hearts to His commanding,
And do the things that they have heard,
God will grant them understanding.

Thus the prophets have foretold
That all His people shall be taught,
But hardened hearts, remaining cold,
Shall not discern what God has wrought.

Fearless Favor

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:4,6). "Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from the fear of evil" (Proverbs 1:33). "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

In this Psalm, the twenty-third,
God removes our fear with grace,
For here our Shepherd's voice is heard
In every season we can trace.

Here we find the fearless favor
God extends by invitation:
All who come to know the Savior
Are secure in His salvation.

When we're walking through the vale
Where death's shadow will attend,
His promise surely will not fail:
He will be our closest Friend.

God has promised those who hear
And turn to Him while yet they may,
Shall be quiet from the fear
Of evil in the judgment day.

Jesus Christ removed all doubt
By His promise with this thrust:
He in no way will cast out
Those who place in Him their trust.

Thank You, Lord, for giving rest
By perfect love that casts out fear,
Where fear of evil can't molest,
As fearless favor draws us near.

Revival in Remembrance

"They pierced My hands and My feet.... All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord.... They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this" (Psalm 22:16,27,31).

We ought to take a closer look
And ponder more Psalm twenty-two.
For here in God's prophetic Book
We see the cross from heaven's view.

"He hath done this," they shall say,
When He comes again to reign.
They shall worship in that day,
Remembering His cross and pain.

This great prophetic Psalm foresaw
One thousand years before He came,
Our Savior satisfy the Law,
When on the cross he took our shame.

This Psalm foretold our Savior's cross,
His resurrection, and return.
What love is this that suffered loss,
That we might gain what He would earn?

When He comes again to earth
We'll all remember what He did,
And through eternity the worth
Of His cross shall not be hid!

All for Asking

"The king shall joy in Thy strength, O Lord, and in Thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips.... He asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever" (Psalm 21:1,2,4). "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40).

How greatly, Lord, I now rejoice,
As in Your love I'm basking!
I cried for help, You heard my voice,
And gave all I was asking!

Indeed, my Lord, You gave me more
Than I could ask or think!
I did not ask for heaven's store,
But only not to sink.

I did not know the awful price,
Or how great that task
To save my soul by sacrifice;
All I could do was ask.

I did not know how fierce the strife
You entered, Lord, for me.
I only asked You for my life;
You went to Calvary!

How great will be the lamentation
Eternally for some
Who will not ask You for salvation,
Though You, Lord, bid them come!

All for asking! How astounding
Is Your love that hears our prayers
And answers us with grace abounding,
As we cast on You our cares!

Joyful in Judgment

"Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.... Every man's judgment cometh from the Lord" (Proverbs 29:25,26). "For the Father... hath committed all judgment unto the Son.... Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:22,24).

What a joy to look toward
A future with no condemnation!
Everyone who trusts the Lord
Shall have this joyful expectation!

God's judgment must be satisfied
Against our sin with justice served,
Yet that is why our Savior died
To bear the judgment we deserved!

How joyful therefore we may be;
Our future surely is not grim!
No judgment in eternity
Remains for those who trust in Him!

Thank You for this joyful rest,
Since we have placed in You our trust.
As far as east is from the west,
Lord, You removed our sin from us!

Have Heard Him

"And many more believed because of His own word, and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world" (John 4:41,42).

Yes, there are books we can read on our shelves,
And others may tell us about Jesus Christ,
Yet not until we have thus heard Him ourselves,
Shall we find His grace for our souls has sufficed.

Yes, there are those who can share their account
That testifies brightly of how they were saved,
Yet not until we also drink from that Fount,
Will we taste the water of life we have craved.

Praise to the Lord who has thus met our need,
For each one who knows Him can surely rejoice
To know Christ as personal Savior indeed;
We have heard Him ourselves, and delight in His voice!

Korah's Kin

"The company of Korah... strove against the Lord: and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign. Notwithstanding, the children of Korah died not" (Numbers 26:9-11).

Korah died with those who strove
Against the Lord their God in sin.
Yet in this tragedy God wove
Salvation for his careful kin.

For Korah’s children had discerned
The rebellion of his hardened heart,
For God’s anointed one he spurned,
And in this they would have no part.

So it was, as Moses warned,
The earth then opened up and swallowed
Korah, who rebelled and scorned,
And all of those who with him followed.

Notwithstanding Korah’s children
Did not perish on that day,
For they decided they would listen
To the Lord, and Him obey.

Hereby we have God’s instruction
That we may avoid the path
That leads so many to destruction
Who refuse to flee from wrath.

Seeking Such

"Show Thy marvelous lovingkindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee from those that rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings" (Psalm 17:7,8). "The Father seeketh such to worship Him" (John 4:23).

The searching eye of God above
Is seeking such in every land
Who are longing for His love
And looking for His saving hand.

The heart of God has called us near
As the apple of His eye,
Seeking such to make it clear:
That is why He came to die.

As a hen would spread her wings
To protect her brood from harm,
God is seeking such and brings
Around us His protective arm.

Thank You, Lord, for seeking such
As each of us to worship You.
Thank You for Your healing touch,
And thereby making all things new!

Awesome Alternative

"Out of Jacob shall He come that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.... his latter end shall be that he shall perish forever.... Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!" (Numbers 24:19,20,23). "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.... He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:16,36).

Jesus Christ shall have dominion;
He'll smite the nations with His rod,
And judgment shall replace opinion
Held by those who scorn our God.

When God does this, then who shall live?
Who shall stand before His face?
How sweet is the alternative
Of His awesome, saving grace!

For God so loved the world He gave
His sinless Son, forever cherished,
To bear our wrath and thus to save
Our sinful souls that would have perished.

So all who put their trust in Christ
Have found the single, saving path,
For He alone was sacrificed
That we might thus escape His wrath!

But those remaining in the city,
That is to say, that place of pride,
Are choosing judgment without pity,
Where God's wrath must then abide.

Temple Trouble

"By knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.... The thought of foolishness is sin" (Proverbs 24:4,9). "Take these things hence: make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.... He [Jesus] knew what was in man" (John 2:16,25).

Lord, I know that You're aware
Of all within this temple space:
My spirit, soul, and body there
Are sanctuaries of Your grace.

You know that trouble may invade
With other things that enter in,
And precious things I'd never trade,
May be replaced by thoughts of sin.

Lord, it comforts me to know
That You have never lost Your zeal
For every temple here below
In every child of God You heal.

Come, Lord Jesus, have Your way
Within Your Father's house of prayer.
Cleanse my heart and soul today
Of every wayward thought and care.

Cleanse me of the merchandise
That would rob me of Your peace.
Search me with Your holy eyes;
Till I'm home, Lord, never cease!

Lens of Love

"The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no not one" (Psalm 14:2,3). "God is not a man, that He should lie... Hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? Behold... He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel" (Numbers 23:19-21). "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47).

The Lord looked down from heaven above
To see if any understood,
To see if any searched His love:
His eye found no one who was good.

But God has found a way to cleanse
By means of His amazing grace,
And when He views us through that lens,
We are clean before His face!

Our God is not as man who lies;
He surely sees iniquity.
The lens of grace before His eyes
Removes ours sins through Calvary!

And thus we see the reason why
He saw in Israel none perverse:
He knew that He would satisfy
The Law demanding judgment's curse.

And though He knows we are defiled
Our Savior thus has met our need,
Just like Nathaniel without guile,
An Israelite by faith indeed!

Thank You, Lord, for what You did
To cleanse us in Your holy eyes!
Our sins are gone, not merely hid,
Thus washed away by Jesus Christ!

New Name

"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor, rather than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1). “Andrew…. findeth his own brother Simon.... and he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone” (John 1:40-42).

There is a new name God bestows
To everyone who comes to Jesus;
A purpose seen He only knows,
As was that given name of Cephas.

Cephas, by interpretation,
Was “a stone” that Christ could see.
The solid Rock of his salvation
Would change him for eternity.

What a difference Christ has made
Since the day that we have met!
We are His workmanship displayed,
And still He is not finished yet!

There is a purpose that’s reflected
In the new name that Christ gives
That’s clarified as we're perfected
Because our Savior in us lives.

Sound of Safety

"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 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 12:5-7). "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.... safety is of the Lord" (Proverbs 21:30,31). "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

There is the sound of safety heard
For those oppressed and poor:
It is God's pure and precious Word
Preserved forevermore.

The sighing of the needy soul
The Lord can surely hear.
The Word of God is rich and full
That brings salvation near.

There is no wisdom that can bind
The counsel of the Lord,
Nor understanding of the mind
That cancels His reward.

The safety of the Lord that came
By our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Word of God made flesh by name,
For us was sacrificed.

Thank You for the joyful sound
Of safety in our ears!
In Jesus Christ, the Word, we've found
A Refuge from our fears!

Ressurrection Remembrance

"Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher... and they found the stone rolled away... and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.... And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: and... said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hand of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words" (Luke 24:1-8).

Now on the first day of the week,
On the third day since Christ died,
Our Lord's disciples came to seek
His body that was crucified.

But very early on that day,
Before the sun began to dawn,
They found the stone was rolled away
And that His body now was gone!

While this troubled much their mind,
Two in shining robes then said
That they would surely never find,
Their risen Lord among the dead!

O may we never lose the thrill
That made their joyful hearts then race!
Our Lord is truly risen still
To save and keep us by His grace!

Derailed Devices

"There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:21).

The counsel of the Lord will certainly prevail,
No matter what devices the hearts of men have planned.
Devices of His enemies in time He will derail,
And in the end the counsel of the Lord alone shall stand.

It doesn't really matter, after all is said and done,
How many vain devices against God are arrayed.
God will have the final word through Jesus Christ His Son,
And hearts that are indifferent now shall learn to be afraid.

How very good it is to know the counsel of the Lord
May give us rest and refuge with assurance of salvation.
For no one can derail the faith that God's Word will afford,
Since the counsel of the Lord shall stand in every situation.

Separated Seekers

"They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee" (Psalm 9:10). "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom" (Proverbs 18:1). "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him.... But the other.... said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:39-43).

The Lord has not forsaken one
Who truly seeks His face,
For all who trust in Christ His Son,
Shall know His saving grace.

And everyone who knows His name
Shall find a separation
From those rejecting Christ who came
To purchase our salvation.

We can see this demonstrated
As we view those dying thieves
Beside the Christ, thus separated:
One is cursing; one believes.

That separation spanned far more
Than merely difference of desire:
For one would be on heaven's shore,
The other in the lake of fire!

Thank you, Lord, for stirring thus
Our hearts to seek you with the wise,
And thereby separating us
To be with You in paradise!

Obeying vs. Obscuring

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water.... And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly.... And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" (Numbers 20:7-12).

"Speak to the rock," commanded our God,
But Moses decided that he would do more:
Lifting his hand up, he smote with his rod
The rock from which water would then freely pour.

And so in that moment of careless frustration,
Moses would learn what he would not forget:
Obedience beautifies God's illustration;
Rebellion distorts it and ends in regret.

God had commanded the rock to be smitten
Just one time before, and then never again.
This was the portrait of Christ that was written,
Which God would inspire His prophets to pen.

How many distortions have we thus portrayed
By a lack of adherence to God's precious Word?
May God find us faithful, that when we've obeyed,
The beauty of Christ may be thus seen and heard.

Holy Heifer

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged" (Proverbs 16:6). "The Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.... And one shall burn the heifer in his sight... and the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer... The ashes of the heifer... shall be kept for... a water of separation: it is a purification for sin" (Numbers 19:2-9).

Among the symbols that portrayed
God's sacrificial purging price,
Was in His ordinance conveyed
Within the heifer's sacrifice.

A heifer that was red was brought,
Never having had a yoke,
Without blemish, without spot,
And wholly burned in flaming smoke.

Cedar wood and scarlet too,
Along with hyssop from the ground,
Were also burned within the view
Of that priest by statute bound.

The ashes of the heifer burned
In water mixed for separation,
Would purify the one concerned
Of sin demanding condemnation.

How clearly now, in view of Christ,
In all these symbols we can see
The cost to purge us that sufficed
Was yet to come at Calvary!

In wood we see His cross implied,
His precious blood in scarlet thread,
In hyssop was the blood applied,
And as that heifer, Christ was led!

Lord, teach us in this meditation
Still more about Your saving love,
Until we're done with hesitation
To set our hearts on things above!

Serving as the Savior

"The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility" (Proverbs 15:33). "And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And He said unto them.... He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that does serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as He that serveth" (Luke 22:24-27).

Who are the greatest of those in your midst?
It's those who are serving as Jesus our Lord.
No other standard shall ever exist
By which He'll assess us and thereby reward.

Therefore let all who would seek to be great
Be ready to serve as the younger in meekness.
Let all who would rise to a more honored state
Serve, with humility, others in weakness.

Teach us, O Lord, by observing Your life,
How to achieve Your example observed,
That we may be rid of vainglory and strife
As we, in Your likeness, have thus humbly served.

Morning Meeting

"My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:3). "And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple, for to hear Him" (Luke 21:38).

There is a morning meeting
That I never want to miss:
It is the daily greeting
When God communes with His.

It is time when I look up,
And lift to Him my prayer.
He bids me come and with Him sup
And cast on Him my care.

He speaks to me in every line
Of Scripture that I read,
Instructing me with words Divine
To go where He will lead.

Other meetings come and go
That waste our time and gas,
But this is one, I surely know,
I do not want to pass!