ta ethne

40 Days of Praise — Day 14

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HOLY, HOLY HOLY  by Reginald Heber

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty, Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Who wert and art and evermore shall be

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see

Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love and purity

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty, All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity

What a magnificent, majestic song to sing in praise to God! Yes, all the saints do adore Him, the God of our Salvation. When we stand before the throne we will cast down our crowns at His feet, acknowledging that He and He alone is worthy of any honor. The great angels and other heavenly creatures also will bow in reverence, honor and awe before our great God.

               We cannot see Him now. To witness His holy glory would destroy us. Our sinful bodies are simply not capable of withstanding His perfect presence. One day, we will have a new body and be cleansed from all sin but for now, He is hidden from our sight. Now, we see as through a glass darkly, but then we will see clearly.

               At the coming of the Lord Jesus, when this present heaven and earth pass away and everything is made new, only those who belong to the Lord will inhabit the universe. All His works will praise His name. All will give Him the glory He deserves.

               Every time I sing this song, I am swept up in emotion as I reflect on how wonderful and amazing God is. I sing this with all my heart and mind, praying that He takes joy in my offering to Him. Early in the morning, in the middle of the afternoon, late in the evening, all are appropriate times to ring out praise to our most holy God.

               Most high and holy God, I offer to You everything I have. Nothing I am or will be is in any way a worthy gift to such a magnificent God, but all I have I give to You. You alone are worthy of praise and glory and majesty. I bow before Your glorious throne.

40 Days of Praise –Day 13

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AMAZING GRACE by John Newton

Amazing grace how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures

Yea when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease

I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace

The world shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun refuse to shine

But God who called me here below, Shall be forever mine

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, Than when we’ve first begun

I find it ironic that almost everyone sings a version of Amazing Grace. Just perusing music sites, it seems every star has released a version of this song at one time or another, even though most of those people have never experienced God’s saving grace.

                               ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.

               To fear God is the beginning of wisdom. Fear of His just punishment for sin. When I reflected on John 3:17-18, it made John 3:16 come alive. I was already condemned and facing eternal punishment.

                               And grace my fears relieved.

               God’s grace, given to me when I turned my life over to His Son’s Lordship, granted to me eternal life. There is now no condemnation for I am safely in the family of God. So precious, that grace given the hour, the very second I first believed.

               Upon hearing the call of God our Shepherd, here in this world, we will experience His reality face to face in the next. His word, His promises, secures our hope for an eternity with Him in heaven.

               Unless a person has experienced God’s saving grace, they really have no idea what this song is about. Far from just being a good hymn, it hammers home to us that our only hope is to be found in Christ alone.

            Lord, Your grace is totally amazing. That You could extend grace and mercy to us just completely overwhelms me. You, the perfect, holy Creator of the Universe, extending grace to one such as myself, selfish, arrogant, sinful is simply … amazing.

            Thank you for saving me by Your grace and extending to me the faith necessary to believe.

40 Days of Praise — Day 12

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I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY by Katherine Hankey

I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love

I love to tell the story because I know ’tis true, It satisfies my longings like nothing else can do

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems. Than all our golden fancies of all our golden dreams

I love to tell the story, it did so much for me, And that is just the reason, I tell it now to thee

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat, What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard, The message of salvation, from God’s own holy word

I love to tell the story for those who know it best, Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest

And when, in scenes of glory, I sing a new, new song, ‘Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long

REFAIN:

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love

The history of this hymn and her sister hymn Tell Me the Old, Old Story is fascinating. Taken from a long poem, some fifty stanzas written by Katherine Hankey, both songs draw a person to realize just how precious sharing the gospel truly is.

The first reason to tell the gospel story is, of course, because some have never heard. How sad that some 2,000 years after being given the command to go into all the world we have not been completely obedient.

Another reason is also mentioned in the hymn. Those who know the gospel best still long to hear it again and again. It never gets old. It still amazes everyone when they reflect on the depth of love that God has for us. We still marvel at Jesus’ sacrificial death. We still cry on Good Friday and jump and shout triumphantly on Easter Sunday.

When we arrive in heaven, our song – the song of redemption, will be unique in the cosmos; and we will never get tired of it.

Lord, I love to tell the story of Your salvation. From the choosing of Mary and Joseph as Your earthly parents to the birth in Bethlehem to the cross on Calvary, the story is marvelous and amazing. How deep Your love is. How merciful Your actions. Help me to tell the old, old story, both to those who have never heard and to those who long to hear it again.

40 Days of Praise — Day 11

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COME THOU FOUNT by Robert Robinson

Come, thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above

Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise mine Ebenezer, Hither by Thy help I’m come

And I hope by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God

He to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor, Daily I’m constrained to be

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love

Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above

Of all the hymns this is probably my favorite. Prone to wander – yes, that is me. Prone to leave the God I love. Why? That is the question, isn’t it. Why do we leave the place where we are safest? Why do we leave the One who has given us everything we need to live a godly life?

O, the depths the human soul has sunk to! Even when brought into a transforming relationship with the God of the Universe we still seek to go our own way. Yes, I will raise my Ebenezer, knowing full well it is only by His help, His grace and power that I have come as far as I have. Only by His help, grace and power will I arrive at the destination He has planned for me. I need to pray for Him to daily bind me to Him. Not to keep me from experiencing a wonderful life, but to keep me from danger and harm. To keep me close to Him, the Savior of Life and every good blessing.

If I cannot keep myself close to Him, and I have proven over and over that I cannot, I can ask Him to keep close to me.

Bend my heart to Thee Lord, I pray. Fetter my wandering feet so they do not leave Your path. You have said you will never leave me nor forsake me and I appreciate that very much. Forgive my sins, I pray, and draw me close to your side.

40 Days of Praise — Day 10

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I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH by Jesse Pounds

I know that my Redeemer liveth, And on the earth again shall stand

I know eternal life He giveth, That grace and power are in His hand

I know His promise never faileth, The Word He speaks, it cannot die

Though cruel death, my flesh assaileth, Yet I shall see Him by and by

I know my mansion, He prepareth, That where He is, there I may be

O wondrous thought, for me He careth, And He at last will come for me

REFRAIN:

I know, I know, that Jesus liveth, And on the earth, again shall stand

I know, I know, that life He giveth, That grace and power are in His hand

Taken from the words of Job the Wise, the title of this hymn says it all. Because Jesus lives, we have assurance of eternal life. What sets Jesus apart from all other religious teachers is that He rose from the dead, proving Himself to be God.

One day, he is coming back to judge the living and the dead. He will come back to earth to redeem His own and to destroy both our adversary and death itself.

Jesus has promised us that when we die we will go to be with Him in paradise. This gives great assurance and hope to all believers when they stand at death’s doorway. We face the grave with joy, not terror. For us, death has lost its sting and becomes a transition from one home to another. That is why, although we grieve in sorrow for a loved one who has died, we do not mourn as one without hope. We know that we will see our fellow believers again and fellowship with them forever.

Grace and power are definitely in His hand. Power to conquer death. Power to judge all men. Power to traverse the universe. Grace is His to bestow on His children, those who believe in Him for salvation. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus our Lord.

Thank you, Lord, for the testimony of Scripture, of the eyewitness accounts of the Resurrected Christ. By this we know and are assured of the conquering of death by Your hand. What a wonderful truth to cling to – You live and are coming back for us.

40 Days of Praise — Day 9

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JESUS PAID IT ALL by Elvina Hall

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

For nothing good have I, Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white, In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him, My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side, I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots  And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed, My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,” Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down, All down at Jesus’ feet.

REFRAIN:

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Regrettably, I usually hear this hymn only during the response or invitation time at church. The words are so true, so biblical, it should be sung much more often. I especially love the words of verse 5. I want to shout those words as I ascend to heaven, “Jesus died my soul to save.”

Jesus accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. No more sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin is needed. There are no works we can do to pay for our salvation as it is already paid for. Only His power can replace a heart of stone, cold and indifferent to spiritual realities, with a heart open and responsive to the Holy Spirit.

Only Jesus can bring new life to one who is spiritually dead. Only Jesus can bring sight to one who is spiritually blind. Only He can cleanse our sin-stained soul and make it holy and bright.

In Jesus and Jesus alone is salvation found. There is no other name, no other system, no other achievement, no other religious teaching than His atoning death that can bring about salvation. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

Lord, thank you for purchasing my salvation. Thank you for caring enough to redeem my sin-stained and sickened soul. I praise you for cleansing with and making me whole. Thank you for shedding Your holy blood for the remission of my sins.

40 Days of Praise — Day 8

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Be Thou My Vision by Mary Byrne

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me save that Thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night; Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord

Thou my great Father, I thy true son; Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not nor man’s empty praise; Thou mine inheritance now and always

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart; High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of Heaven my victory won; May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s Sun

Head of my own heart, whatever befall; Still be my vision, O Ruler of all

A melodious tune does nothing to soften the impact of the words of this hymn. I cannot honestly say that I don’t heed riches or the praise of man as the hymn writer pens.

Each time I think that I am making progress in those areas, something happens that makes me realize they have far more of a hold on me than I imagined. For every step forward in these areas, I seem to slip back into bad practices and habits far too often.

I pray that like David, in Psalm 46, that God would grant to me an undivided heart. I understand all too well that while I love God, I also still love the things of this world way too much. I understand what Paul was struggling with when he talked about doing things he knew were wrong and not doing the things he knew was right. Only God can help us become a consistent Christian through the power of His Spirit.

If I could capture the vision of God so clearly that His light would outshine everything else, it would help me to lead a life pleasing to Him. I can capture this vision by spending more and more time in His presence. My prayer is to see Him more clearly each day.

What a joy it would be to have a single-minded devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lord, please become my vision. Help me to see you clearly in this muddled world. Grant to me an undivided heart so I may serve you with all of it.

40 Days of Praise — Day 7

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STANDING ON THE PROMISES by R. Kelso Carter

Standing on the promises of Christ my king; Through eternal ages let His praises ring

Glory in the highest I will shout and sing; Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises that cannot fail; When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail

By the living Word of God I shall prevail; Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises I now can see; Perfect present cleansing in the blood for me

Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free; Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord; Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord

Overcoming daily by the Spirit’s sword; Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises I cannot fall; Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call

Resting in my Savior as my all in all; Standing on the promises of God

REFRAIN

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior

Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God

The second verse of this hymn strikes me profoundly. God’s promises cannot fail. The omnipotent, all-knowing Creator God is able to keep every promise He makes. He is trustworthy, He is true. Whenever the storms of doubt and fear howl at me, whenever I am assailed by the knowledge of my own inadequacy, I can stand on God’s promises because He never fails.

There are over 3,000 promises in the Bible. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says this about those precious promises:

       “God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises so that through them you may become partakers of His divine nature”

Oh, what a great passage. God gave us these promises of His so that we can partake of His divine nature. He gave them to us so we can live a godly life through our relationship with His perfect Son!

Truly, I am bound to Him eternally and can overcome each day the doubts and fears Satan throws at me by using the Spirit’s Sword, the Holy Word of God. I will resolve to know these promises and to stand on Him. Will you?

Lord, help me to study Your Word and find your promises. Help me to hide Your Word in my heart so I will live a godly life and not sin against you. Help me to stand on Your Word.                                                                                                                                     Amen.

40 Days of Praise — Day 6

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As always, you can get the whole devotional on Amazon or download and listen to it on Audible

I AM RESOLVED by Palmer Hartsough

I am resolved no longer to linger, Charmed by the world’s delights

Things that are higher, things that are nobler; These have allured my sight

I am resolved to go to the Savior; Leaving my sin and strife

He is the True One, He is the Just One; He hath the words of life

I am resolved to follow the Savior; Faithful and true each day

Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth; He is the living way

I am resolved to enter the Kingdom; Leaving the paths of sin

Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me; Still will I enter in

I am resolved and who will go with me? Come, friends, without delay

Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit; We’ll walk the heavenly way

REFRAIN

I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free; Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee

This upbeat, quick-tempo hymn inspires and challenges me to live for Christ daily. All too often I find myself being charmed by the delights of this world. Like Abram’s nephew Lot, looking at the lush valley towards Sodom, I find myself dazzled by the shiny façade of material things.

Oh, how I long to discipline myself to pursue those things which are higher and nobler, godly things that deserve my single-minded devotion. The author of the song, Palmer Hartsough, makes a great observation that “friends may oppose me, foes may beset me.” Not only will Satan try to distract me from my resolve to follow Jesus but even Christian friends, who have succumbed to worldly temptations, will also oppose me. Radical, fanatic and other appellations will be hurled at the one who pursues hard after God.

Still, even though friends may not understand my desire, I want them to join with me. This hymn urges me to invite them on the journey into complete discipleship. By leaning on and learning from God’s Word, by seeking guidance from His Spirit in prayer, we can journey together in spiritual growth.

How resolved are you to let go of the things of this world and follow after Jesus?

 Lord, give me the discipline to instill Christ-like habits in my life. Help me to look beyond the things of this world and pursue hard after those things which will make me be an asset to Your kingdom. Fill my eyes with glimpses of You.

40 Days of Praise — Day 5

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DARE TO BE A DANIEL by Phillip Bliss

Standing by a purpose true, Heeding God’s command

Honor them the faithful few, All hail to Daniel’s band

Mighty men are lost, Daring not to stand

Who for God had been a host, By joining Daniel’s band

Many giants great and tall, Stalking through the land

Headlong to the earth would fall, If met by Daniel’s band

Held the Gospel banner high, On to victory grand

Satan and his hosts defy, And shout for Daniel’s band

REFRAIN

Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone

Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to make it known.

Written by Phillip Bliss for his Sunday School class, this hymn has been a favorite of mine since I was a boy. Both inspiring and challenging, Bliss throws down a gauntlet in urging believers to stand firm for the truth and to be active in conquering evil. In a day when a false definition of tolerance is making its way though society, the words of this song encourage us to act like one of the heroes of the faith.

Like Daniel, we are encouraged to live faithful lives by standing firm in obedience to God’s commands, even when the rest of society is compromising. We are urged to be brave and not to shirk from our duty. Though others may fall away, though we alone may seem to be remaining faithful, we must stand firm for our beliefs as Daniel did.

I often wonder, as I read the book of Daniel, how many other captive Jews just blended into Babylonian society. Apparently he was the only one who took praying to God seriously. The rest, well, it wasn’t politically correct to be seen worshipping God. How many of us fall into the trap of being politically correct instead of obedient?

We can accomplish great things for God when we walk in the might of His power and share the gospel message. May we go before the Lord today and pray that we will have the courage to stand for our convictions as Daniel did.

Lord, grant me conviction of heart like Daniel. Help me to stay the course, to be true and faithful. May it start today, let me not shirk from sharing the gospel with one who needs to hear Your message.