God

Day of Praise — Day 36

/ taethne

JUST AS I AM  by Charlotte Elliott

Just as I am without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me

And that Thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God I come, I come

Just as I am and waiting not, To rid my soul of one dark blot

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God I come, I come

Just as I am though tossed about, With many a conflict, many a doubt

Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God I come, I come

Just as I am poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind

Yea all I need in Thee to find, O Lamb of God I come, I come

Just as I am, Thou wily receive; Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve

Because Thy promise I believe; O Lamb of God I come, I come

Just as I am, Thy love unknown; Hath broken every barrier down

Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone; O Lamb of God I come, I come

Just as I am, of that free love; The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove

Here for a season, then above; O Lamb of God, I come, I come

            What a wonderful joy to know that we can come to Jesus just as we are. Indeed, we have to come as we are because only He can cleanse us. We cannot clean ourselves up. We cannot make ourselves righteous. We don’t wait until we have “made things right.” We go to Him to be made right.

            Not only do we come to Him just as we are, but we are assured that He doesn’t leave us as we are. We come to Him and leave changed. He does indeed rid our souls of the dark stain of sin. He makes us spiritually alive, opens our eyes to spiritual truth, puts us into the correct frame of mind as He heals us.

            It is amazing that He is willing to pardon us. Even greater still is His willingness to cleanse us, transform us, call us one of His own. He has promised and His promises never fail. “Come to Me,” Jesus invites and we run to Him, knowing He alone has the answers we need.

            I love the very first verse. We come to Christ with no excuses, only an admission of our guilt. We throw ourselves on the mercy of God’s court, and find His grace operative there. Our admission of guilt, our contrition and repentance, is all we need. He bids us to come to Him to find forgiveness and healing. Why should we linger, and heed not His mercies? He is tenderly calling to us, urging us to come to Him. “Let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet they will be white as snow.”[1] O Lamb of God, I come, seeking Your forgiveness and grace.

Thank You Lord for being willing to take me as I am. Thank You for not leaving me that way, but cleansing me and making me holy. You are a great and wonderful God.

[1] Isaiah 1:18

40 Days of Praise — Day 35

/ taethne

PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY by Joachim Neander

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty the King of Creation, O my soul praise Him for He is thy health and salvation

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near, Join me in glad adoration

Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yea so gently sustaineth

Hast thou not seen, how thy desires e’er have been, Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord who hath fearfully wondrously made thee, Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?, Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

Praise to the Lord who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging, Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace, Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding, Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,

Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night, Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again, Gladly for aye we adore Him.

            This hymn is packed with doctrinal truth. One could use it to teach a class on the doctrine of God to new believers, taking a stanza at a time. God is King. He is the Creator. It is in Him that we find salvation and abundant life. He is worthy to be praised and adored.

            I love the second verse. Can you not see, the writer asks, how God works in our life, gently changing our hearts and minds to desire, to want what is His desire for us? He doesn’t force us to His will, He changes our will to His own. We look and see and wonder, when did I change? When did I stop wanting that? When did I start desiring this? O how smoothly the Spirit of God works His transforming power!

            God’s grace and mercy are given to us daily. He doesn’t leave us on our own to stumble about, He doesn’t leave us at the mercy of the storms of life, He shields and defends us, calming the storms and providing victory over them.

            When it seems as if evil is winning. When it looks like the ungodly are prospering, God reminds us that He is in charge. Good will triumph, evil will be judged. We are assured of everlasting rewards, evil of everlasting punishment. The light always overcomes the darkness. It chases away shadows and reveals what is hidden. Nothing can withstand the light of His presence. What fantastic reasons to sing praise to the Lord, the Almighty, our Rock and Captain of our Salvation.

Praise be to You, O Lord. You are almighty. You are all-powerful. You and You alone are worthy to be praised. Thank You, for surrounding me with Your presence each day.

40 Days of Praise — Day 31

/ taethne

KNEEL AT THE CROSS  by Charles Moody

Kneel at the cross, Christ will meet you there; Come while He waits for you

List to His voice, Leave with Him your care; And begin life anew

Kneel at the cross, There is room for all; Who would His glory share?

Bliss there awaits, Harm can ne’er befall; Those who are anchored there

Kneel at the cross, Give your idols up; Look unto realms above

Turn not away, To life’s sparkling cup; Trust only in His love

REFRAIN

Kneel at the cross, Leave every care

Kneel at the cross, Jesus will meet you there

               What a joy to know that when we come in repentance to Him, Jesus is faithful to meet us. How great it is, to know that He is there when we need Him. How marvelous to know that He offers us a new life, in exchange for our old one. Do you hear Him calling to you, telling you that His yoke is easy and His burden is light? Do you hear Him calling upon you to repent of your sins and to turn your life over to Him?

               It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, your race, creed, color or economic status, there is only one way to eternal life – through Jesus Christ. There is room for all who believe. The ground is equal at the foot of the cross, all must enter the same way, through the only Mediator between God and man,  Jesus Christ.

               Amazingly, He offers to share His glory with us. To all who believe on Him, God offers not only new life, but to make us co-heirs with Jesus. This is unbelievable. Not only are we pardoned, cleansed and offered a new life forever, but also we are made to share in the blessings and the glory of His Son. What a great God!

               What has this life to offer that could possibly compare to sharing in the inheritance of Jesus? Look not to things of this world, look to Jesus alone and find joy unspeakable and full of glory. Find Jesus and find everything.

Lord, help us look only to You. We pray, also, for our friends and family who do not yet know You. Call to them, show them Your glory, draw them to You so they may kneel at the cross in repentance and find remission for their sin.

Days of Praise — Day 30

/ taethne

TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD  by Thomas Dorsey

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn

Through the storm, Through the night

Lead me on to the light, Take my hand, precious Lord

Lead me home,

When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near

When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry

Hear my call, Hold my hand

Lest I fall, Take my hand, precious Lord

Lead me home

When the darkness appears, And the night draws near

And the day is past and gone, At the river I stand

Guide my feet, Hold my hand

Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home

               Many hymns were written out of tragedies, and this one was no exception. Thomas Dorsey was a fantastic musician and song writer who was devastated when his wife died giving birth to their child, who also later died. Filled with despair, he lost faith in God being a good and caring God. Deep in his grief, God reached out to him one as he sat at a friend’s house, overshadowing him with peace and filling his heart with love. Immediately he started playing a melody and these words welled up from inside him.

               We can all empathize with him because we, too, at times in our life have had our faith challenged. Few us there are who have not been touched with death or tragedy. Few of us there are who have not known despair at the circumstances we find ourselves in. Like the disciples on the boat in the storm, we have a feeling that any moment life is going to drown us. Thankfully, God is in control. He does have a plan, and it is a good one because He is good.

               We can, like Peter found out, grab hold of His hand when we are in danger of drowning and He can lift us up to walk above the storms of life. He is all we need. When He is all there is we find Him to be more than sufficient, more than enough. He is God. All-knowing. All-caring. All-powerful. All-wise. All-good. He is God.

               When we are overwhelmed we need to simply cry out to Him, “Lord, take my hand.” He will. He will lead us to Himself, where we will find rest for our burdened souls. “Come to Me” is His invitation. He will never turn us away

Lord, take my hand today. Lead me to You. I do not know what today entails for my life, but You do. I can easily lose sight of You, lose perspective, lose hope. Keep me in Your hand, so that I am not overwhelmed by life, but so I can rest in You. Amen

40 Days of Praise — Day 27

/ taethne

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BLIEVED by Daniel Whittle

I know not why God’s wondrous grace, To me He hath made known

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love, Redeemed me for His own

I know not how this saving faith, To me He did impart

Nor how, believing in His Word, Wrought peace within my heart

I know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing us of sin

Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him

I know not what of good or ill, May be reserved for me

Of weary ways or golden days, Before His face I’ll see

I know not when my Lord may come, At night or noonday fair

Nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him, Or meet Him in the air

REFRAIN:

But I know whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able

To keep that which I’ve committed, Unto Him against that day

This hymn has always resonated with me, from my childhood until now. I do not pretend to know why God loves me. I do not pretend to know how He could ever forgive me nor why He would. He, in His mercy, showered me with His grace. That act of kindness overwhelms me now even more than it did when I first experienced it.

               I truly do understand that His Spirit gave me faith to believe the truth of His words. That His Spirit brought understanding to my mind, conviction to my soul, repentance to my heart but how that occurred – it just did. One moment I was living for me, the next I was bowed under the Spirit’s leadership, crying out to God for mercy and forgiveness. What a miracle.

               It is also a miracle that as we read His Word the Spirit makes it come alive, imparting its wisdom and truth to us. God’s Spirit does create faith in us, just as He creates new life and transforms our minds. I don’t know when Jesus will return. He may return for me today. I may die and return with Him years from now but I do know He will return with His saints to judge the ungodly.

               I don’t know many things about the God I have served for 50 + years now. But I do know this: He hides my soul in the palm of His hand and is faithful to keep it forever. I love how the refrain of the hymn is a direct quote from 2 Timothy 1:12. God is faithful and He is able to keep us from falling. He never fails to keep a promise and His Spirit has sealed me in His love forever, praise His holy name.

Thank you, Lord, for keeping my soul safe forever. Thank you for redeeming it. Thank you for sanctifying it. You are a great God and worthy to be praised.

40 Days of Praise — Day 25

/ taethne

O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES by Charles Wesley

O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice, New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice, The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come, And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know, Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below, And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above, The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife, ’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed, Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God, For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true, Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew  When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone, Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid: The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep, And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep, And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you; For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know, Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below, And own that love is heaven.

For this day, I have chosen to include all the verses that Charles Wesley wrote. This song was his celebration of the one year anniversary of his salvation, and what a great tribute to the Lord it is.

               I know that not all of us remember the date of our salvation, but why not make it a practice to designate one day a year (if you do remember the date, use it) to write a poem of thanks to the Lord for His great salvation?

               If  you cannot write a poem, maybe a prayer or a song or draw a picture of thanks would be possible. Take some time studying Wesley’s poem for inspiration.

               Since we don’t have a thousand tongues to sing with, why not use the one we have in a thousand ways? Join with brothers and sisters and together we can raise hundreds of thousands of tongues in harmony to praise the King of Kings.

               I particularly love the verse that talks about how Jesus’ blood makes even the foulest sinner clean, even me. When I reflect on my numerous sins, I am amazed that God would want to save me. I am so grateful that His mercy and grace was given to me, the most undeserving person I know. Wesley puts it so well toward the end of his poem – harlots, publicans, thieves – saved is the sinner that believes from crimes as great as mine. Their sins are no worse than mine, their punishment is the same, eternal damnation unless they, just like I, repent and throw ourselves on the mercy of Jesus. How wonderful to know He forgives sins and pardons the sinner.

Lord, help me to use the tongue I have to always praise Your name. Help me use it to witness for You, witness of You, and testify of Your great mercy and forgiveness. Help me to proclaim Your salvation to all.

40 Days of Praise — Day 24

/ taethne

TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY by William Longstaff

Take time to be holy, Speak oft with the Lord; Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word

Make friends with God’s children, Help those who are weak; Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek

Take time to be holy, The world rushes on; Spend time in secret, With Jesus alone

By looking to Jesus, Like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct, His likeness shall see

Take time to be holy, Let Him be thy Guide; And run not before Him, Whatever betide

In joy or in sorrow, Still follow the Lord; And, looking to Jesus, Still trust in His Word

Take time to be holy, Be calm in thy soul; Each thought and each motive, Beneath His control

Thus led by His Spirit, To fountains of love; Thou soon shall be fitted, For service above

What a beautiful reminder of our need to spend time with Jesus. The only way to have a powerful, fruitful life in service for Jesus is to abide in Him. The only way to abide in Him is to spend time with Him in prayer and through Bible study.

I love the practical advice given here as well. Make friends with God’s children. We cannot go through this life on our own. God has made us to interact with others and to cooperate with them to reach the world with the gospel. We are to show mercy to others also. We are to do good works in Christ’s name so that people see it and give praise and glory to the Father.

In the busy, hustle and bustle of life, it is easy to forget to take time out for God. Thank goodness He did not forget to take time out of the running of the universe to send His Son down for us. Thank goodness Jesus took the time to teach His disciples, to show us how to live, to die on the cross for the payment of our sins. How churlish it would be not to take the time to spend with Him after He has done so much for us.

All of us have the same amount of time. No person has more or less than 24 hours in a day. How we use those hours will reflect on our priorities in life. How much time are you spending on becoming holy and pleasing to God.

Lord, help me take the time with You that is needed to become a person holy and useful. Keep me from prioritizing other things instead of spending time with You. Put my thoughts and actions under Your control and lead me by Your Spirit.

40 Days of Praise — Day 23

/ taethne

FROM GREENLANDS ICY MOUNTAINS by Reginald Heber

From Greenland’s icy mountains, From India’s coral strand,
Where Africa’s sunny fountains, Roll down their golden sand,
From many an ancient river, From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver their land from error’s chain.

What though the spicy breezes,  Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle;
 Though every prospect pleases,  And only man is vile:
 In vain with lavish kindness,  The gifts of God are strown;
 The heathen in his blindness bows down to wood and stone.

Can we, whose souls are lighted  With wisdom from on high,
 Can we to men benighted  The lamp of life deny?
 Salvation! O salvation!  The joyful sound proclaim,
 Till each remotest nation has learned Messiah’s Name.

Waft, waft, ye winds, His story,  And you, ye waters, roll,
 Till like a sea of glory,  It spreads from pole to pole; Till o’er our ransomed nature, the Lamb for sinners slain Redeemer, King Creator, in bliss returns to reign

From out of the days of great missionary endeavors comes this hymn, which captures the spirit that moved so many to proclaim the gospel across the globe. It is our duty to bring the gospel to those who have never heard its story. It is our privilege to show all people the correct God to worship as well as the correct way to worship Him.

               Paul told the Greeks in Acts 17, “You worship what you do not know, in ignorance “(my paraphrase) and then proceeded to enlighten them with the truth. In the same manner, those in places without a gospel witness worship in vain: idols made by hand, false gods, political systems, etc..

               One of the charges against Christianity is that we destroyed people’s religion and culture with our missionaries. Yes, we did. We sought to destroy false worship and replace it with the knowledge of the True God. Social customs, as long as they do not violate Scripture, are to be left alone. Religious and moral deficiencies are to be exposed to the gospel light so that its transforming power can set the spiritual captives free. May we never shirk from seeking to transform every culture, including ours, and having them conform to God’s laws.

               May we never be ashamed of the gospel’s power. May we never apologize for loving people so much that we are diligent in showing them how God requires them to worship.

            Lord, move on me to be unashamed that You have set up a narrow way, an exclusive way to salvation – through Jesus Christ. Help me to never apologize for holding fast to the truth that through Him alone salvation is found. Help me to proclaim salvation to those who have never heard as well as those who have never responded.

40 Days 0f Praise — Day 20

/ taethne

We are halfway through 40 days of praise. I hope you continue to enjoy this musical devotional during your prayer time.

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION by Robert Keen? George Keith?

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord; Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He has said; To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed; For I am Your God and will still give you aid

I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause thee to stand; Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go; The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow

For I will be with thee, your troubles to bless; And sanctify thee to your deepest distress

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie; My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply

The flame shall not hurt thee I only design; Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine

The soul that on Jesus, hath leaned for repose; I will not, I will not desert to his foes

That soul though all hell shall endeavor to shake; I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

How I love the affirmation of Scripture in the very first verse of this wonderful hymn! We can count on God’s Word. It’s veracity gives us a rock solid foundation for our faith. Everything we need to have a godly life pleasing to Him is found in His Word. It is complete.

       I also love the way the author depicts how God is with us, our Rock. We are able to trust Him. Every word, every promise He gives us, is true and we can lean on Him at all times. He will never leave us nor forsake us. There is no place we can go where His presence cannot be with us. How comforting that is.

       That truth is also frightening. Whenever I go someplace a Christian ought not to go, whenever I place myself in situations I ought not to be in, I take Christ there with me. I expose Him to shame and grieve His Holy Spirit.

       We are even shown, in verse 4, the truth that the fiery trials we encounter are merely to refine us, not destroy us. God lets us go through them not to bring harm to us, but to purify us and make us strong.

       What a wise and loving God we serve. No matter what we go through, no matter who or what seeks to conquer us, we can stand firm with the shield of faith, steadfast in the knowledge that the Lord is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.

       Lord, what a blessing Your Holy Word is. Thank you so much for giving it to us. Help me to study it and to hide it in my heart, so that I might not sin against You.

40 Days of Praise — Day 15

/ taethne

A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD byMartin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He amid the flood, of mortal ills prevailing

For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate

On earth is not His equal

Did we in our own strength abide, our striving would be losing; Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing

Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He; Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same

And He must win the battle

And though this world with devil’s filled, should threaten to undo us; We will not fear for God hath willed, His truth to triumph through us

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure

One little word shall fell him

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours, through Him who with us sideth

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

This song has brought comfort to me many times. Whenever I go through trials, whenever I have been faced with persecution because of my faith in Christ, I lean on God to be both my unassailable place of refuge and my defender. Whenever, like the apostle Paul, I am so hard pressed that I despair even of life, my hope rests in the never failing strength and mercy of my God.

               It is so easy to look at the evil in the world and despair. Often, it seems as if goodness is failing and the darkness is winning. It is then that God’s Word provides the ultimate comfort by revealing the final result – God wins. Good triumphs. Evil is banished. Our ancient enemy is forever defeated by the might of our Savior and God.

               As a mere human, I am no match for the Prince of Darkness. As a son of the Living God, a prince of the Kingdom of Light, co-heir with Jesus Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit, I have nothing to fear. My life is hidden in Christ and all I have to do is call on His name. He is my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in times of danger.

            Lord, help me to remember that You are my place of safety, my refuge, my fortress. Help me not to become overwhelmed at the amount of evil in the world but to overcome it by shining Your light. Let me rest in the assurance that You will return, set up Your kingdom, and banish sin and evil forever. Lord, let me also run to You and You alone for safety.