Manifesting the Mystery

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight… The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations… is made manifest to his saints:  to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the Hope of glory” (Colossians 1:21-27). 

Consider well the mystery

By which the Lord can save the soul,

Presenting us eternally

As saints which are unblameable! 

As we consider that our Lord

Was freely for us sacrificed,

We see His life for us outpoured,

And we are thereby drawn to Christ.   

This mystery so marvelous

From former ages was concealed,

But now is manifest in us

Through Christ by whom our souls are healed! 

Now Christ in us, the Hope of glory,

Is more than we can comprehend. 

We contemplate His great love story

With heights and depths that have no end. 

Our Savior came from heights above,

And set aside outward splendor,

Extending His amazing love

By thus becoming our Defender. 

Lord, let this Gospel that we hold

In our appointed time and place

Be manifest as we unfold

The mystery of saving grace.  

Asking Aright

“I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in… Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?  And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing” (1 Kings 3:7-10).  “O LORD, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3).  “Keep thy heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23).  “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7). 

Eternal souls are in our care,

The souls for whom our Savior died. 

How rightly, then, we lift our prayer

To God for wisdom He’ll provide. 

It pleases God when we have asked

For things conforming to His will. 

We need His wisdom when we’re tasked

With work God calls us to fulfill. 

As in the prayer of Solomon

For understanding in his heart,

Until our work on earth is done,

We need God’s wisdom from the start. 

It’s right to pray to God each morning

And in His Word to hear His voice,

To know His counsel, heed His warning,

And in His fellowship rejoice. 

We keep our heart with diligence

As we have learned to rightly pray. 

The Lord shall be our Confidence

As we commit to Him our way. 

Lord, thank You for Your great command

To trust in You and never cease

To ask aright to understand,

And thereby find Your perfect peace.  

Day we Die

“Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man” (1 Kings 2:1,2).  “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14). 

The day draws near when we shall die;

We go the way of all the earth, 

So where then will our treasures lie, 

And what shall our pursuits be worth?

As David said to Solomon,

There was surely was an expectation

Of blessing for the hearts that run

To please the God of our salvation. 

We see this forward look in Paul,

Which each of us should keep in mind,

As he was focused on his call,

Forgetting things that were behind. 

He reached to things that were ahead

And pressed on to the valued prize.

The calling wherein God had led

Was where he fixed his earnest eyes. 

The day we die draws near, O Lord,

So fix our hearts upon the treasure

That we shall find in the Reward

Of living only for Your pleasure. 

O Lord, the day of death draws near,

Not just for us, but for the lost. 

O help us make the Gospel clear,

So they may turn and count the cost. 

He Humbled Himself

“Christ Jesus… being in the form of God… made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a Servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  and being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:5-9). 

Existing in the form of God

Eternally without beginning,

Christ came to bear the judgment rod,

The consequence of all our sinning. 

He set aside His reputation,

And took the form of One who served. 

That He might purchase our salvation,

He bore the wrath that we deserved. 

So found in fashion as a Man,

He humbled then Himself for us

To carry out salvation’s plan. 

Is not His mercy marvelous?

He humbled then Himself in death,

The awful death upon the cross! 

Should not this take away our breath

And burn away our pride as dross?

Exalted now in majesty,

Above all other names adored,

We ponder His humility,

And gladly we confess Him Lord! 

O Lord, we bow before Your face,

Astonished at Your heart thus humbled

That stooped so far to give us grace

And lift us who in sin had stumbled.

Lord, be exalted evermore

As we recall and thus proclaim

The great humility You bore

To take away our sin and shame!  

Earnest Expectation

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ… According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that… Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:6,20,21). 

I have an earnest expectation

That, when my life on earth is done,

The Lord who authored my salvation

Shall finish what He has begun. 

In Christ is all my confidence;

He shelters me through all the storms. 

He shows His wounds in my defense

And finishes what He performs. 

In both my life and in my death

May Jesus Christ be magnified! 

He lived for me with every breath;

For me upon the cross He died.

For me to live is Jesus Christ;

Without Him, life is surely vain.

Let life for Him be sacrificed

And death for Him be counted gain. 

Lord, thank You for Your precious Word

With expectations You imparted,

By which I’m earnestly assured

That You will finish what You started.

With earnest expectation, Lord,

I see the finish line ahead,   

And there I see the great Reward:

To be with YOU, as You have said!