Slope of Sleep

"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:  so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man" (Proverbs 6:10,11).  "Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship… fast asleep.  So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper?  Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not" (Jonah 1:5,6).  "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh… lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping" (Mark 13:35,36). 

A little sleep, a little slumber

Accumulating every day,

Consume our days, so few in number,

With wasted time, to our dismay. 

As souls are drowning in the waves,   

Are we, like Jonah, fast asleep? 

Should not we tell them Jesus saves

Before they perish in the deep? 

How can we be indifferent now

When God has called us to awake? 

Should not these words: "What meanest thou, 
O sleeper?" purge this great mistake? 

O Lord, You are the only Hope

Of souls that You are cherishing. 

So lift us from the careless slope

Of sleep while souls are perishing.  

Ponder the Problem

"They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from Thy law.  Thou art near, O LORD; and all Thy commandments are truth" (Psalm 119:150,151). "The ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He pondereth all his goings" (Proverbs 5:21).  "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee… that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?" (Obadiah 1:3).  "Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" (Mark 12:24,30).   

The problem of mischief draws near,

But God gives us grace to prevail,

For all His commandments are clear,

And none of His promises fail. 

The eyes of our Lord see the heart,

Reproving us when we have wandered. 

He searches our most inward part,

And all of our ways He has pondered. 

He shows us the danger of pride,

For this is where problems begin.  

The fear of the Lord is our guide,

By which we depart from our sin.

We ponder the problem, O Lord;

Your power and Word are in view:    

The remedy that You afford

Is found in a heart that loves You.  

Faith's Foundation

"Righteous art Thou, O LORD, and upright are Thy judgments.  Thy testimonies that Thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful…. Thy Word is very pure: therefore Thy servant loveth it.  I am small and despised: yet do not I forget Thy precepts" (Psalm  119:137-141).  "My son, attend to My words… and let all thy ways be established" (Proverbs 4:20,26).  "The Lord GOD of hosts is He that toucheth the land, and it shall melt…The LORD is His name" (Amos 9:5,6).  "Jesus… saith… Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22).   

The promises of God endure,

Though I am small and am despised,

For still His Word is very pure

No matter what His foes devised.

My Lord has told me to attend

To all the things He said to do. 

No path is safer in the end;

No goal is wiser to pursue. 

The wrath of God shall soon be felt

When Christ against His foes shall stand.

He'll touch the earth and it shall melt

When nations bow at His command. 

O Lord, how strong is faith's foundation,

Since "faith in God" can never fail. 

Though in this world there's tribulation,

The gates of hell shall not prevail.  

 

Fearful Famine

"I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:131).  "My son, forget not My law; but let thine heart keep My commandments" (Proverbs 3:1).  "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11).  "Who then can be saved?  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:26,27). 

I thirsted for God's revelation;

I longed to hear the Lord's commands. 

He showed to me His great salvation

With evidence on which it stands. 

The Word of God by rebels scorned

Is hidden from their darkened heart.   

The Lord instructs me and has warned

To keep His words and not depart. 

There is no famine so severe

As the removal of God's Word,

No greater loss that men should fear

Than Gospel truth no longer heard. 

O Lord, how fearfully depraved

Are hearts despising what is true,

Yet in this famine, souls are saved,

For nothing is too hard for You!  

Servants of our Savior

"I am Thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know Thy testimonies" (Psalm 119:125).  "My son, if thou wilt receive My words, and hide My commandments with thee… then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God… That thou mayest walk in the way of good men" (Proverbs 2:1,5,20).  "They had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.  And He sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all" (Mark 9:34,35). 

We are the servants of our Savior,

And He will give us understanding

That we may show by our behavior

A heart that follows His commanding. 

His servants walk in godly fear

With understanding that God gives

By words of truth that He makes clear

To show us how a servant lives. 

Beware of foolish disputation

That contemplates who may be greater. 

Remember Christ's humiliation

When He became our Mediator.

O Lord our Savior, You have shown,

By Your example that we see,

The way Your servants shall be known:  

They walk in Your humility.  

Strange Lies vs. Strong Lord

"I hate vain thoughts: but Thy law do I love" (Psalm 119:113).  "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?  And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?... I will make known My words unto you… Whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (Proverbs 1:22,23,33).  "Ye… rejoice in a thing of naught" (Amos 6:13).  "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36,37). 

We ought to hate the vanity

That turns eternal souls from Christ.  

How strange is this insanity

By which so many are enticed!   

How strangely do the simple-minded

Despise the truth and love the lies

By which they willfully are blinded,

Refusing thereby to be wise.   

Rejoicing in a thing of naught,

The lost despise the things that matter. 

The Lord is sifting every thought,

Like chaff the wind at last will scatter.

O Lord, the lies we hear are strange,

For though they are exposed as wrong,

It is for these that souls exchange

Salvation from Your arm so strong!