Nearer, Still Nearer

Nearer, still nearer—nothing I bring.

Naught as an off’ring to Jesus my King.

Only my sinful now contrite heart:

Grant me the cleansing

Thy blood doth impart,

Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.

Nearer, still nearer—Lord, to be Thine.

Sin with its follies I gladly resign—

All of its pleasures, pomp and its pride:

Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified;

Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified.

~Lelia Morris

What is my

one desire?

I have Jesus,

and I am satisfied.

Thankfulness

Viewing life's blessings as water in a drinking cup, I know that I could discontentedly focus on the half of the cup that seems empty, or I could gratefully focus on the half that is full...


The Gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath (Revelation 14:10 and Psalm 75:8). This is the cup that would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day. With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me. That God, in fact, as given me a cup that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Psalm 116:12-13, Psalm 23:5, Ephesians 1:3), and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy.

~Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians:

Learning to See the Gories of God's Love;

pg. 47, "Thankfulness Enriched by Relief"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Silence

Silence is golden, so they say.

Sometimes, it doesn't seem so very golden.

Sometimes it is waiting...
                    wondering...
                        hoping...
                           praying...

But always it is God working.

*Joseph waited in the silence, knowing the cupbearer forgot him (Genesis 40:23).

*Hannah waited in silence, yearning for children (I Samuel 1:10).

*The disciples waited in silence, confused after Jesus' death (Mark 16:10).

*The intertestimental Jews waited in silence, longing for the Messiah to appear. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son..." (Galatians 4:4). In the silence, God was working. He was preparing the way.

And because of the silence, the blessings were sweeter. Because of the silence, God's name was magnified and He was glorified!

Peter spoke of this, though in a different context. The truth, however, is applicable here. "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." God has plans for the waiting periods, for the silence.

Let Him work!

Ceaseless Praise

"Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise!"

I was singing this song recently and that phrase caught my attention. It goes very well with my previous posts about "alleluia." Take My Life and Let it Be has always been one of my favorite songs...I shouldn't really have been surprised that its message is the same as my newer favorite Make My Life an Alleluia. :)


Yes, Jesus, all of me is all for You!
 

"Let my mouth be filled with Your praise

And with Your glory all the day."

~Psalm 71:8

Alleluia, part 2

Make my life an alleluia,

a gift of love to you, my King.

I will join with all creation

in the song that the heavens sing!

The earth will turn, and the planets spin,

as the seasons ebb and flow; still,
Your grace surrounds me as I go.

Lord, make my life an alleluia.

 

Make my life an alleluia,

this off’ring of myself I give to You.

I will share
Your grace and mercy

for as long as I shall live.

When I come to my journey’s end,

may those left behind be reminded,

this has been my cry,
my song, my prayer:

Lord, make my life an alleluia.
~Ruth Elaine Schram,
vv. 2 and 3 of "Make My Life an Alleluia"

It’s one thing to sing it; it’s another to live it. But that’s why I pray that God would give me a deep desire to glory Him…and that I would indeed glorify Him with my life!

Alleluia!

Alleluia. What is an alleluia? I became fascinated with the word several years when I heard it used in a couple of songs in a way I had never heard it used before. I decided to do some sleuthing.

Alleluia means “praise God.” It’s an alternate spelling to hallelujah, “used to express praise or joy.” In my first distance learning BJU course I completed, I had to study etymologies—the origins of words. So I found this interesting: hallĕlu, pl. imper. of hillēl, to praise + Yah, God (short for Yahweh). When I ask God to “make my life an alleluia,” I am asking that my life would glorify Him. That is truly my heart’s cry, and this song resonates in my soul.

Make my life an alleluia,

a song of praise to You each day.

To proclaim Your grace and glory,

fill my heart with your praise, I pray.

When I stand at the mountaintop,

or the valley of despair,

this will be my cry,

my song, my prayer:

Lord, make my life an alleluia.

~Ruth Elaine Schram

verse 1 of "Make My Life an Alleluia"

More Thoughts on Job

"[Job] is called 'blameless,'

and make no mistake, this does not mean that Job was sinless.

The Hebrew word...means complete, lacking nothing, balanced and integrated in his character.

Like all human beings but Jesus Himself, Job was born in sin, and he sinned during his lifetime. Yet he is described as 'blameless' (complete) because he dealt with his sin in the way that God required. When Job sinned, he was sorry for his sin, he confessed it to God, and he repented and turned away from his sin.

"Job [also] 'feared God and shunned evil.' Job was complete and upright because he had an awe and respect for God plus a fear of offending the righteousness of God. He was complete and upright because he loved God, and he turned away from evil."

~Ray C. Stedman,

"Let God be God: Life-changing truths from the book of Job"